14 FLY FISHING FOE TKOUT. 



printed text that it cannot be its archetype, 

 and yet resembles it so much that the two 

 cannot be independent translations from 

 another tongue, such as French. Therefore, 

 since there are two collateral texts, they must 

 have had a common English parent, which must 

 at any rate be older than 1450, and may be 

 much older. Therefore the Treatise is certainly 

 about fifty years older than the date of its 

 appearance in 1496, and possibly older still. 



Can any more be said? Can its history be 

 traced still further back? Only by conjecture. 

 Some writers have sought to find the original 

 in some French manuscript, arguing that since 

 all books on sport were born in France, it is 

 probable that the first book on fishing came 

 from there also. It is possible. For myself, 

 however, an English source seems the more 

 probable. That is all that can be said. But 

 whatever the source, the book as we know it 

 must have a long previous history. A work so 

 complete and detailed, showing fly fishing in 

 full swing, with each fish and his habits 

 described, and with flies copied from nature, 

 can hardly have arisen all at once. Indeed 

 Dame Juliana herself disclaims originality. 

 When talking of the carp she says that certain 

 baits are good, 'as I have herde saye of persones 

 credyble and also founde wryten in bokes of 

 credence.' The books of credence are lost or 

 hidden; as to the persons credible, could all the 

 information have been collected and recorded 



