The Fifth Day 203 



many white are flat and uneven ; therefore, if you 

 get a lock of right, round, clear, glass-colour hair, 

 make much of it. 



And for making your line, observe this rule : first, 

 let your hair be clean washed ere you go about to 

 twist it ; and then choose not only the clearest hair 

 for it, but hairs that be of an equal bigness, for such 

 do usually stretch all together, and break all together, 

 which hairs of an unequal bigness never do, but 

 break singly, and so deceive the angler that trusts 

 to them. 



When yon have twisted your links, lay them in 

 water for a quarter of an hour at least, and then 

 twist them over again before you tie them into a 

 line : for those that do not so shall usually find 

 their line to have a hair or two shrink, and be 

 shorter than the rest, at the first fishing with it, 

 which is so much of the strength of the line lost for 

 want of first watering it, and then re-twisting it; 

 and this is most visible in a seven-hair line, one of 

 those which hath always a black hair in the middle. 



And for dyeing of your hairs, do it thus : take a 

 pint of strong ale, half a pound of soot, and a little 

 quantity of the juice of walnut-tree leaves, and an 

 equal quantity of alum : put these together into a 

 pot, pan, or pipkin, and boil them half an hour; 

 and having so done, let it cool ; and being cold, put 

 your hair into it, and there let it lie; it will turn 

 your hair to be a kind of water or glass colour, or 

 greenish ; and the longer you let it lie, the deeper 

 coloured it will be. You might be taught to make 

 many other colours, but it is to little purpose ; for 

 doubtless the water-colour or glass-coloured hair is 

 the most choice and most useful for an angler, but 

 let it not be too green. 



But if you desire to colour hair greener, then do 

 it thus : take a quart of small ale, half a pound of 



