xxxii BIBLIOGRAPHICAL PREFACE. 



after that he is take on the hoke, or elles that he catche 

 nought : whyche ben not grevous. For yf he faylle of 

 one, he may not favHe of a nother, yf he dooth as thys 

 treatyse techeth ; but yf there be nought in the water. 

 And yet atte the leest he hath his holsom walke, and mery 

 at his ease. A swete ayre of the swete savoure of the 

 mede flowers : that makyth hym hungry. He hereth the 

 melodyous armony of fowles. He seeth the yonge 

 swannes : heerons : duckes : cotes and many other fowles 

 whyche me semyth better than all the noyse of houndys, 

 the blastes of hornys, and the songe of furlis that hunters, 

 fawkeners and fowlers can make. And yf the ansjler 

 take fysshe ; surely then is there noo man merier than he 

 is in his spyryte. Also, whosoo will use the game of 

 anglynge : he must rise erly, whyche thyng is prooff'ytable 

 to man in this wyse. That is to wyte : moost to the heele 

 of his soule. For it shall cause him to be holy ; and to 

 the heele of his body, for it shall cause hym to be hole. 

 Also to the encrease of his goodys. For it shall make 

 hym ryche. As the old Inglysshe proyerb sayth in this 

 wyse ; Whosoo woll ryse erly shall be holy, helthy, and 

 zely. Thus haye I proyyd in my entent that the dysporte 

 and game of anglynge is the yery meane and cause that 

 enducith a man into a mery spyryte. . . . And, therefore, 

 to al you that ben yertuous, gentyll, and free-borne, I wryte 

 and make this symple treatyse folowynge ; by w^hyche ye 

 maye haye the full crafte of anglynge to dysporte you at 

 your luste : to the entent that your aege may be the more 

 floure and the lens^er to endure." 



Again, at the close, after dissuading from fishing in other 

 men's properties to their hurt, our author adds: "And also 

 yf ye doo in lyke mannere as this treatyse shewyth you, 

 ye shall haye no nede to take of other menys ; whiles ye 

 shall haye ynough of your owne takynge yf ye lyste to 

 labour therefore. Whyche shall be to you a yery pleasure 

 to se the fayre, bryght shynynge scalye fysshes desceyyed 



