THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PART I, 



That you may fish for a Pike, either with a ledger, OF 

 a walking bait ; and you are to note, that I call that a 

 Ledger-bait, which is fixed, or made to rest in one cer- 

 tain place when you shall be absent from if, and I call 

 that a Walking-bait, which you take with you, and 

 Lave ever in motion* Concerning which two, I shall 

 give you this direction ; that your ledger-bait is best to 

 be a living bait, (though a dead one may catch,) whe- 

 ther it be a fish, or a frog ; And that you may make 

 them live the longer, you may, or indeed you must, 

 take this course. 



First, for your LIVE-BAIT. Of&Jish; a roach or 

 dace is, I think, best and most tempting ; and a pearch 

 is the longest lived on a hook,~and having cut off his 

 fin on his back, which may be done without hurting 

 him, you must take your knife, which cannot be too 

 sharp, and betwixt the head and the fin on the back, 

 cut or make an incision, or such a scar, as you may put 

 the arming wire of your hook into it, with as little 

 bruising or hurting the fishy as art and diligence will 

 enable you to do ; and so carrying your arming-wire, 

 along his back, unto or near the tail of your fish, be- 

 twixt the skin and the body of it, draw out that wire 

 or arming of your hook at another scar near to his tail t 

 then tie him about it with thread^ but, no harder than of 

 necessity, to prevent hurting the fish; and the better to 

 avoid hurting the fish ? some have a kind of probe to 

 open the way, for the more easy entrance and passage 

 of your wire and arming: but as for these, time, and a 

 little experience, will teach you better than 1 can by- 

 words. Therefore I will, for the present, say no more 

 of this : but come next, to give you .some directions hovr 

 to bait your hook with a frog. 



Ven. But, good master! did you not say even 

 now, that some frogs were venomous; and is it not 

 dangerous to touch them ? 



Pise. Yes, but I will give you some rules or cau- 

 tions concerning them. And first, you are to note, 

 That there are two kinds of frogs; that is to say, iff 

 may so express myself, a flesh and a fish-frog. By flesh- 

 frogs, I mean frogs that breed and live on the land; 

 and of these, there be several sorts, also, and of seve- 



