18 FLY FISHING FOR TROUT. 



hunting, hawking and fowling are so laborious 

 and grievous that none of them induces that 

 merry spirit which causes a long life. 



The sport which does this must be fishing, 

 and fishing with rod and line, for other 

 manners of fishing are laborious and grievous, 

 often making folks full wet and cold, which is 

 the cause of great infirmities. But the angler 

 suffers neither cold nor disease nor vexation, 

 save what he causes himself. The most he can 

 lose is a line or a hook, of which he may have 

 plenty of his own making, as this simple 

 treatise shall teach him. The only grievous 

 thing that may happen is that a fish break away 

 after he has taken the hook, or else that he 

 catch nought, which is not grievous. For at 

 least he has his wholesome walk at his ease and 

 a sweet air of the savour of the meadow flowers, 

 that makes him hungry. He hears the 

 melodious harmony of birds; he sees swans, 

 herons, ducks, coots and many other birds with 

 their broods, which is better than noise of 

 hounds or blast of horn or cry of wildfowl. 

 And if the angler take fish, surely then is there 

 no man merrier than he is in his spirit. Thus 

 is it proved that the sport of angling induces 

 a merry spirit, and therefore to all that are 

 virtuous, gentle and free born Dame Juliana 

 indites her Treatise, by which they may have 

 the full craft of angling to disport them at their 

 pleasure, to the intent that their age may 

 flourish the more and endure the longer. 



