41 



We shall now proceed to give the instruc- 

 tions of others on this subject ; and we begin 

 with extracts from the most ancient professors, 

 certainly rather with a view to satisfy curiosity 

 than to communicate useful information. 



Dame Juliana Berners, writing about the 

 year 1486, gives the following curious recipe 

 for rod-making: "Ye shall kytte betweene 

 Myghelmas and Candylmas, a fayr staffe, of a 

 fadom and a halfe longe, and arme-grete, of 

 hasyll, wyllowe or aspe; and bethe hym in an 

 hote ouyn, and set hym euyn; thenne, lete 

 hym cole and drye a moneth. Take thenne 

 and frette (tie it about) hym faste with a coeke- 

 shote corde; and bynde hym to a fourme, or 

 an euyn square grete tree. Take, thenne, a 

 plummer's wire, that is euyn and streyghte, and 

 sharpe at the one ende; and hete the sharpe 

 ende in a charcole fyre tyll it be whyte, and 

 brenne the staffe therwyth thorugh, euer 

 streyghte in the pythe at bothe endes, tyll they 

 mete ; and after that brenne hym in the nether 

 ende wyth a byrde-broche (bird-spit) and wyth 

 other broches, eche gretter than other, and 

 euer the grettest the laste ; so that ye make 

 your hole, aye, tapre were. Thenne lete hym 

 lye styll, and kele two dayes ; unfrette (unbind) 

 hym thenne, and lete hym drye in an hous roof, 

 in the smoke, tyll he be thrugh drye. In the 



