XVi PLAN OP THE WORK* 



" The angler at leest hath his holsom walke mery at 

 his ease, and a swete ayre of the swete savoure of the 

 meade floures, that makyth him hungry. He heareth 

 the melodyous armony of fowles ; he seeth the yonge 

 swannes, heerons, duckes, cootes, and many other 

 fowles, wyth theyr broodes, whyche to me seemeth 

 better than all the noyse of houndys, the blastes of 

 hornys, and the scrye of fowles, that hunters, fawkners, 

 and fowlers can make. And if the angler take fysshe, 

 surely thenne is there no man merrier than he is in 

 his spirytes." 



I need not add a syllable more to set forth the delights 

 of angling ; but I beg leave to add a word or two re- 

 specting the qualities required in an angler, and I can- 

 not do this to better purpose than by quoting the same 

 Gervase Markham, whom the reader has just observed 

 to discourse so well, though quaintly withal, on the 

 rapture of the art. 



" A skilfull angler," quoth old Gervase, "ought to be 

 a generall scholler, and seene in all the liberall sciences, 

 as a grammarian, to know how either to write or 

 discourse of his art in true and fitting termes, either 

 without affectation or rudenes. He should have sweet- 

 nes of speech to perswade and intice others to delight 

 in an exercise so much laudable. Hee should have 

 strength of arguments to defend and maintaine his 

 profession against envy or slaunder. Hee should have 

 knowledge in the sunne, moone, and starres, that by 

 their aspects hee may guesse the seasonablenesse or un- 

 seasonablenesse of the weather, the breeding of the 

 stormes, and from what coasts the windes are ever 

 delivered. 



