4 ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 



Mr Piers seems to have been a somewhat pessimistic 

 angler, and to have fully appreciated the difficulties 

 and disappointments of the art of angling. 



A man that lovith ffisshyng and ffowlyng bothe, 



Ofte tyme that lyff shall hym be lothe, 



In see in ryver in ponde or in poole, 



Off that crafte thowe he knowe the scole, 



Thought his nett never so wide streiche, 



It happith full ofte hym naught to ketche. 



What fisshe is slipperer than an ele ? 



Ffor whan thow hym grippist and wenest wele 



Too haue hym siker right as the list, 



Than faylist thou off hym, he is owte of thy fyst. 



Diches sumtyme there samons used to haunte, 



Lampreyes lucys or pykys plesaunt, 



Wenyng the mssher suche fisshe to ffynde ; 



Than comyth there a noyous north west wynde 



And dryveth the ffisshe into the depe, 



And causeth the draught nat worthe a leeke ; 



But in steide off sturgeon and lamprons 



He draweth up gurnard, and goions, 



Codlyng cungur, and such coisy fisshe, 



Or wulwiche rochis, nat worthe a rysshe. 



Suche fortune ofte tymes on fisshers fallys, 



Though they on Petir prayen and callys. 



The poem is too long to give in full, but I quote 

 the two couplets following to show that the poet was 

 possessed of some sportsmanlike instincts : 



And etc the olde fisshe, and leve the yonge, 

 Thought they moore towgh be uppon the tonge. 



But stynkkyng fisshe, and unsesonable, 

 Latte passe, and taake such as be able. 



Some anglers, when they return an undersized fish to 

 the water cut off a small portion of the caudal fin, in 



