78 Silver, Brass, and Iron Ages. 



" But when in time the feare and dread of man 

 Fell more and more on every living thing, 

 And all the creatures of the world began 

 To stand in awe of this usurping King, 

 Whose tyranny so farre extended than 

 That Earth and Seas it did in thraldome bring ; 

 It was a worke of greater paine and skill, 

 The Wary Fish in Lake or Brooke to kill." 



Angling in the Age of Silver and Brass. 



" So worse and worse two ages more did passe, 

 Yet still this Art more perfect daily grew, 

 For then the slender Rod invented was, 

 Of finer sort than former ages knew, 

 And Hookes were make of silver and of brasse, 

 And Lines of Hempe and Flax were framed 



new, 



And sundry baites experience found out more, 

 Than elder Times did know or try before." 



Angling in the Iron Age. 



Bat at the last the Iron age drew neere, 

 Ot all the rest the hardest, and most scant, 

 Then lines were made of Silke and subtile hayre, 

 And Rods of lightest Cane and Hazell plant, 

 And Hookes of hardest steele invented were, 

 That neither skill nor workmanship did want, 

 And so this art did in the end attaine 

 Unto that state where now it doth remaine." 



And so we come to the end of the 

 " first booke "of Denny s' Secrets of Angling^ 

 and to the end of the, to me, perhaps 

 most interesting part of it. The second 

 book is a description in verse of what 



