28 



knowledges that the commonalty had a full 

 right to the enjoyment of it ; and her wish to 

 prevent the common people from this diversion, 

 by means of making the purchase of her book 

 too high priced for them, plainly indicates 

 there were no other, or other legal prohibitions 

 or means to prevent them.* 



Again, she says, " The reason of her so pub- 

 lishing the Treatise on Angling was, lest those 

 common persons should, if they had the assist- 

 ance of the book, utterly destroy ' this dys- 

 porte of fyshynge,' " by which we may fairly 

 infer, that the custom of taking fish by ang- 

 ling was very frequent, and commonly used by 

 such as she calls common persons. 



Another book was printed on this subject in 

 1590, by Leonard Mascall, entitled " A Book 

 of Fishing, with Hook and Line, and all other 

 Instruments thereunto belonging." 



* It is presumed the old lady conceived this " a pious fraud,'' 

 a term very generally used, and a conduct as generally prac- 

 tised at that period ; but like most other frauds, it was well 

 calculated to defeat the end proposed, by affording evidence of 

 the public right in the attempt to conceal it. 



