THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 71 



in the year. But look you, Sir, amongst all these I will choose 

 out of these two colors only, of which, this is bear's hair, this 

 darker, no great matter what; but I am sure I have killed a 

 great deal of fish with it ; and with one or both of these you 

 shall take trout or grayling this very day, notwithstanding all 

 disadvantages, or my art shall fail me. 



ViAT. You promise comfortably, and I have a great deal of 

 reason to believe everything you say ; but I wish the fly were 

 made, that we were at it. 



Pisc. That will not be long in doing: and pray observe then. 

 You see first how I hold my hook, and thus I begin. Look you, 

 here are my first two or three whips about the bare hook ; thus I 

 join hook and Line ; thus 1 put on my wings ; thus I twirl and 

 lap on my dubbing ; thus I work it up towards the head ; thus I 

 part my wings ; thus I nip my superfluous dubbing from my 

 silk; thus fasten ; thus trim and adjust my fly ; and there's a 

 fly made ; and now how do you like it ? 



ViAT. In earnest, admirably well, and it perfectly resembles a 

 fly ; but we about London make the bodies of our flies both 

 much bigger and longer, so long as even almost to the very beard 

 of the hook. 



Pisc. I know it very well, and had one of those flies given me 

 by an honest gentleman, who came with my father Walton to 

 give me a visit ; which, to tell you the truth, I hung in my par- 

 lor window to laugh at : but. Sir, you know the proverb, " They 

 who go to Rome, must do as they at Rome do ;" and believe me 

 you must here make your flies after this fashion, or you will take 

 no fish. Come, I will look you out a line, and you shall put it 

 on, and try it. There, Sir, now I think you are fitted ; and now 

 beyond the further end of the walk you shall begin ; I see at 

 that bend of the water above, the air crisps the water a little ; 

 knit your line first here, and then go up thither, and see what 

 you can do. 



ViAT. Did you see that. Sir ? 



Pisc. Yes, I saw the fish, and he saw you too, which made him 

 turn short: you must fish further oflT, if you intend to have any 

 sport here ; this is no New-River, let me tell you. That was a 

 good trout, believe me ; did you touch him ? 



