THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 131 



he told me the latter was too good to be told but in a learned 

 language, best it should be made common. 



" Take the stinking oil, drawn out of poly-pody of the oak by 

 a retort, mixed with turpentine and hive-honey, and anoint your 

 bait therewith, and it will doubtless draw the fish to it." 



The other is this : " Vulnera hederae grandissimse inflicta 

 sudant balsamum oleo gelato albicantique persimile, odoris vero 

 longe suavissimi." 



" It is supremely sweet to any fish, and yet assafoetida may do 

 the like." 



But in these things I have no great faith, yet grant it probable, 

 and have had from some chemical men, namely, from Sir George 

 Hastings and others, an affirmation of them to be very advan- 

 tageous : but no more of these, especially not in this place.* 



I might here, before I take my leave of the salmon, f tell you, 



* Appended to the Secrets of Jingling, by Dennys (See Bib. Pref.), is 

 the following recipe by R. R., supposed to be Walton's friend and connex- 

 ion, " R. Roe." 



•' Wouldst thou catch fish ? 

 Then here's thy wish ; 

 Take this receipt, 

 T' anoint thy bait. 



Thou that desirest to fish with line and hook, 



Be it in pool, in river, or in brook. 



To bliss thy bait, and make the fish to bite, 



Lo ! here's a means if thou canst hit right ; 



Take germ of life, well beat and laid to soak 



In oil well drawn from that which kills the oak — (/oy) — 



Fish where thou wilt, thou then shalt have thy fill ; 



Where twenty fail, thou shalt be sure to kill. 



Probatum. 

 It's perfect and good, 

 If well understood : 

 Else not to be told 

 For silver and gold." — R. R. 



As has been already snid, such recipes are common among the ancient 

 and modern writers. — Am. Ed. 



t Spearing salmon hardly comes within the angler's province, but the 

 reader cannot fail to be interested with the accounts given by Scrope (^Days 



