14 ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 



Having thus proved her contention that angling 

 conduces to a long and a happy life, the worthy 

 lady proceeds to give detailed instructions how to 

 make the "harnays." She tells when the wood for 

 the rod must be cut, the means by which it is to be 

 straightened, and how it is to be seasoned. The 

 finished rod is of three pieces of willow, hazel, or 

 aspen, a fathom and a half long, with a hollow butt. 

 It was moreover a suitable rod for Sunday fishing, 

 for " thus shall ye make you a rodde soo preuy that 

 ye maye walke therewyth : and there shall noo man 

 wyte where abowte ye goo. It woll be lyghte & full 

 nymbyll to fysshe wyth at your luste. And for the 

 more redynesse loo here a fygure therof in example." 

 She then appends an illustration of a rod far from 

 "nymbyll." The line was made from the tail of a 

 white horse of the longest, fairest, and roundest hair 

 obtainable. Directions follow for staining the line 

 in six different colours, suitable for different seasons 

 and varying conditions of water. The colours are 

 yellow, green, brown, tawny, russet, and dusky 

 colour. Instructions are given and an instrument 

 depicted for twisting the hairs into a line. But 

 the " moost subtyll & hardyste crafte " is in making 

 the hooks : the small hooks are made from " quarell 

 nedlys " and the large ones from " gretter nedles : 

 as broderers nedlis : or taylers : or shomakers nedlis 

 spere poynte, & of shomakers nalles in especyall." 

 The authoress describes the way in which the 

 needles are to be first heated, then barbed and 



