2 The North Country Angler. 



necessarium, as if one could not be an Angler 

 without having such a one : It is to be made of 

 I do not know how many short pieces, to be 

 carried in a bag by one's side ; so that I cannot 

 help thinking I see the 'Squire trudging along to 

 the river, like one of our North Country pipers, 

 with his great drone, and his less lilters, in a 

 great bag under his coat lap. Another must 

 have his cane rod, or there is nothing to be done ; 

 and, lest the colour should be offensive, it must 

 be scraped off, though he owns it spoils the 

 rod ; or else it must be covered with thin leather 

 or parchment. But I think such a rod would 

 not endure being dragged about in a great pool, 

 by a large fish, for half an hour or more, as mine 

 often has been. 



Therefore, I set all these babbling curiosities 

 aside, and content myself with a root-piece of 

 fir, sawn from the sap side of a deal board ; 

 though if I could get a hazle root, finely taper 

 and light enough, I should like it as well : Nei- 

 ther would 1 make any objection to a hazle root, 

 bored so far as just to hold a top of five feet or 

 two yards, for that may be dried again without 

 any considerable damage. I make my root eight 

 feet, or rather three yards ; with a piece of stick 

 an inch longer than the splice, to wrap on to it, 

 to save the small end of the splice from being 

 broken by any accident. I fasten my top to the 

 root with three or four leather loops, till I come 

 to the river. I must own. I take some pains in 

 making my top ; sometimes 1 have made it of a 

 wood called Hickery, that is brought over sea, 

 of which the ends of great casks are made ; but 



