ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 49 



That with the Raine or weather will away, 

 And least offend the fearefull Fishes eye : 

 For neither Skarlet not rich cloth of ray 

 Nor colours dipt in fresh Assyrian dye, 



Nor tender silkes, of Purple, Paule, or golde, 

 Will serve so well to keepe off wet or cold. 



The next twelve verses are devoted to propounding 

 and answering certain objections to the pastime : 



Some youthful Gallant here perhaps will say 

 This is no pastime for a gentleman. 



And the first book concludes with seventeen verses 

 tracing the development of angling from the time of 

 the Flood : 



When good Deucalion and his Pirrha deere, 



Were onely left upon the earth to dwell 



Of all the rest that overwhelmed were 



With that great floud, that in their dayes befell, 

 Wherein the compasse, of the world so round, 

 Both man and beast with waters deepe were dround. 



Until 



At the last the Iron age drew neere, 

 Of all the rest the hardest and most scant, 

 Then Lines were made of Silke and subtile hayre 

 And Rods of lightest Cane and Hazell plant, 

 And Hookes of hardest steele invented were, 

 That neither skill nor workemanship did want, 

 And so this Art did in the end attaine 

 Unto that state where now it doth remaine. 



The second book describes the various baits for 

 the different fish, beginning with the gudgeon. The 

 process of raking the bed of the river, in order to 

 collect the fish and induce them to bite, is described ; 



D 



