22 ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 



treatise sheweth you, ye shall have no need to take 

 of other men's : whilst ye shall have enough of your 

 own taking if you choose to labour thereto, which 

 shall be to you a very pleasure to see the fair bright 

 shining scaled fishes deceived by your crafty means 

 and drawn upon land. Also that you break no man's 

 hedges in going about your disports, nor open no 

 man's gates, but that ye shut them again. Also that 

 ye shall not use this aforesaid crafty disport for no 

 covetousness to the increasing and sparing of your 

 money only, but principally for your solace and to 

 cause the health of your body and especially of your 

 soul. For when ye purpose to go on your disports in 

 fishing you will not desire greatly many persons with 

 you, which might let [i.e., hinder] you of your game. 

 And then ye may serve God devoutly in saying 

 affectuously your customable prayer. And thus 

 doing ye shall eschew and avoid many vices, as 

 idleness which is the principle cause to enduce man 

 to many vices, as is right well known. Also ye shall 

 not be too ravenous in taking of your said game as 

 too much at one time, which ye may lightly do, if ye 

 do in every point as this present treatise sheweth you 

 in every point, which should lightly be occasion to 

 distroy your own disports and other men's also. As 

 when ye have a sufficient mess ye should covet no 

 more at that time. Also ye shall busy yourselfes to 

 nourish the game in all that ye may : and to destroy 

 all such things as be devourers of it. 



And all those that done after this rule shall have 

 the blessing of God and Saint Peter, which he them 

 grant that with his precious blood was bought. 



