204 The Complete Angler 



alum ; then put these into a pan or pipkin, and 

 your hair into it with them ; then put it upon a 

 fire, and let it boil softly for half an hour ; and then 

 take out your hair, and let it dry ; and having so 

 done, then take a pottle of water, and put into it 

 two handfuls of marigolds, and cover it with a tile 

 or what you think fit, and set it again on the fire, 

 where it is to boil again softly for half an hour, 

 about which time the scum will turn yellow ; then 

 put into it half a pound of copperas, beaten small, 

 and with it the hair that you intend to colour ; then 

 let the hair be boiled softly till half the liquor be 

 wasted, and then let it cool three or four hours, 

 with your hair in it; and you are to observe that 

 the more copperas you put into it, the greener it 

 will be ; but doubtless the pale green is best. But 

 if you desire yellow hair, which is only good when 

 the weeds rot, then put in more marigolds; and 

 abate most of the copperas, or leave it quite out, 

 and take a little verdigris instead of it. 



This for colouring your hair. 



And as for painting your Rod, which must be in 

 oil, you must first make a size with glue and water, 

 boiled together until the glue be dissolved, and the 

 size of a lye-colour : then strike your size upon the 

 wood with a bristle, or a brush or pencil, whilst it 

 is hot: that being quite dry, take white-lead, and a 

 little red-lead, and a little coal-black, so much as 

 altogether will make an ash-colour: grind these 

 altogether with linseed-oil ; let it be thick, and lay 

 it thin upon the wood with a brush or pencil : this 

 do for the ground of any colour to lie upon wood. 



For a green, take pink and verdigris, and grind 

 them together in linseed oil, as thin as you can well 

 grind it : then lay it smoothly on with your brush, 

 and drive it thin; once doing, for the most part, 

 will serve, if you lay it well ; and if twice, be sure 



