134 ' FISHES AND FISHING. 



tators, and formed such a scene as could not easily be 

 forgotten by those who witnessed it, as I did. 



Soon after this, I became acquainted with the son 

 of a farmer, who rented part of the grounds formerly 

 belonging to the ancient Abbey of Chertsey, and 

 went with him occasionally to net the stews wherein 

 the monks formerly kept and fattened their fish. He 

 had three flue or flow nets ; one he placed across the 

 stew, another further on, and the third about an 

 equal distance from the second ; he had two poles 

 with a round piece of sole leather, about four inches 

 diameter, nailed on the small end. With these poles, 

 leather end downwards, repeatedly plunged into the 

 water, we disturbed the fish, who, in trying to escape, 

 ran against the nets, and generally a good basketful 

 of carp, tench, and perch rewarded our trouble. 



The monks were believed to be very luxurious in 

 their modes of living, and, it is traditionally said, 

 fatted their carp. A nobleman gives this as one of 

 the recipes of these gentlemen for attaining that ob 

 ject. It is probable they did use means to increase 

 the size and flavour of the fish placed in their stews 

 in the vicinity of the Abbey. This might be accom 

 plished by removing fish to a clear water, and none 

 could be more so than the stews above-mentioned, 

 connected as they were with the Abbey river. Fish, 

 it is well known, in a state of moderate confinement 



