The Address to the Reader. 133 



none, to be an angler by a book ? he that 

 undertakes it shall undertake a harder 

 task than Mr. Hales (a most valiant and 

 excellent Fencer), who in a printed book 

 (called, A private School of Defence) under- 

 took to teach the art or science, and was 

 laugh'd at for his labour. Not but that 

 many useful things might be learnt by 

 that book, but he was laugh'd at, because 

 that art was not to be taught by words, 

 but practice : and so must Angling. And 

 note also, that in this Discourse I do not 

 undertake to say all that is known, or may 

 be said of it, but I undertake to acquaint 

 the Reader with many things that are 

 not usually known to every Angler ; and 

 I shall leave gleanings and observations 

 enough to be made out of the experience 

 of all that love and practice this recreation, 

 to which I shall encourage them. For 

 Angling may be said to be so much like 

 the Mathematicks, that it can ne'er be 

 fully learnt ; at least not so fully, but that 

 there will still be more new experiments 

 left for the tryal of other men that 

 succeed us. 



"But I think that all that love this 

 game may here learn something that may 

 be worth their money, if they be not poor 

 and needy men ; and in case they be I 

 then wish them to forbear to buy it : for 



