ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 111 



roe salted and preserved. In a swollen river, and 

 about the month of October, it is a most deadly 

 bait" 



Regarded as a practical manual on angling, TJie 

 Experienc } d Angler ; or, Angling Improved, by Robert 

 Venables, published in 1662, was a very great 

 advance on any of the preceding works on the 

 subject. 



Robert Venables, the author, who was born about 

 1612, entered the Parliamentary army when the Civil 

 War broke out. In 1645 ne was Governor of Tarvin, 

 and received a wound at the siege of Chester in 

 October of that year. 



During 1649 he was fighting in Ireland in com- 

 mand of a foot regiment. He left Ireland in 1654, 

 and was then appointed by Cromwell to the command 

 of the forces sent to attack the Spaniards in the West 

 Indies. This expedition proved a failure, chiefly on 

 account of the lack of co-operation between Venables 

 and Penn, who was the Admiral in command of the 

 Fleet, and both these commanders were imprisoned 

 in the Tower on their return to England. After a 

 little more than a month's imprisonment, Venables 

 was released on surrendering his general's commis- 

 sion. He subsequently assisted in the restoration of 

 the Monarchy, and in 1660 was appointed Governor 

 of Chester. He died in July I68;. 1 



At the close of his chequered career, Venables 



1 Diet. Nat. Biog> 



