30 ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 



lenten pease halfe a pound, mixe them together, and 

 beate them with a sufficient quantitie of brine, and 

 put thereto halfe a pound of sessame. Then shall ye 

 part it in peeces and throw them here and there : 

 ... all the small fish will come unto it, and remaine 

 in one place, although they be 300 paces off. 



A variety of other ground baits are described, of 

 which the angler must make small pellets, " and cast 

 it where ye will have the fish to come an houre before 

 ye cast in your lines." 



The ground bait for the salmon, Mascall acknow- 

 ledges as " thus much more taken from Stephanus in 

 French." 



A very modern-looking illustration and description 

 of the circular drop-net for minnows, such as is used 

 at the present time, is given. He calls it the " Gase 

 for to catch Menowes " : 



This Gase, is a round net of small mesh, with a 

 hoope of yeirne, or great wier halfe an intch about, 

 and to let sinke in a ditch, or brooke which is not 

 deepe, and so holde it a while by three strings like a 

 ballans, with a loope in the toppe, and therein to 

 put through a staffe or a poale, ... ye must 

 hang a small plommet in the middest to make it 

 sinke . . . and the squares must be scarlet or red 

 cloth sowed on. 



After discussing the angling laws in force in 

 France, Mascall gives expression to a pregnant 

 lament in reference to the state of angling affairs in 

 his time : 



And being then out of season, they are not so 



