THE COMPLETE ANGLER 109 



first, yet shall he at , last hit it better, even to such a 

 perfection as none can well teach him ; and if he hit 

 to make his fly right, and have the luck to hit also where 

 there is store of trouts, a dark day, and a right wind, he 

 will catch such store of them, as will encourage him to 

 grow more and more in love with the art of fly-making. 



VEN. But, my loving master, if any wind will not 

 serve, then I wish I were in Lapland, to buy a good 

 wind of one of the honest witches, that sell so many 

 winds there, and so cheap. 



Pise. Marry, scholar, but I would not be there, 

 nor indeed from under this tree : for look how it begins 

 to rain ; and by the clouds, if I mistake not, we shall 

 presently have a smoking shower ; and therefore sit 

 close ; this sycamore tree will shelter us : and I will 

 tell you, as they shall come into my mind, more observa- 

 tions of fly-fishing for a trout. 



But first, for the wind : you are to take notice, that 

 of the winds, the south wind is said to be the best. One 

 observes, that 



. . . when the wind is south, 

 It blows your bait into a fish's mouth. 



Next to that, the west wind is believed to be the best : 

 and having told you that the east wind is the worst, 

 I need not tell you which wind is the best in the third 

 degree : and yet (as Solomon observes), that " he that 

 considers the wind shall never sow ; " so he that busies 

 his head too much about them, if the weather be not 

 made extreme cold by an east wind, shall be a little 

 superstitious : for as it is observed by some, that " there 

 is no good horse of a bad colour," so I have observed, 

 that if it be a cloudy day, and not extreme cold, let 

 the wind set in what corner it will and do its worst, I 

 heed it not. And yet take this for a rule, that I would 

 willingly fish, standing on the lee-shore : and you are to 

 take notice, that the fish lies or swims nearer the bottom, 



