ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 151 



shorter than the rest, the whole stress lye upon it, 

 and it breaking render the rest too weak. 



Compleat Fisher, 3rd edition. Yet I prefer the 

 Horse-hair as the best ; and in twisting or braiding, 

 observe an exact evenness, for one Hair being 

 shorter than the rest in a Link, the whole stress will 

 lye on that, and in breaking renders the rest much 

 the weaker, and often a good Fish is lost for want 

 of this observance. 



Profit and Pleasure. If he lye still or move 

 slowly after he has taken the Baite, and you cannot 

 find which way his head lyes, strike directly upward, 

 and you will hardly miss him. 



Compleat Fisher. If you find after he has taken 

 the Bait, he lies still, as sometimes he will, move your 

 hand gently, to get notice which way his Head lies, 

 lest in striking you happen to pull the Bait out of 

 his Mouth, if that cannot be discerned strike directly 

 upward. 



The True Art of Angling was printed for George 

 Conyers at the Golden Ring, and John Sprint at 

 the Bell in Little Brittain : it has been stated that 

 the author of this book was John Sprint, the printer 

 here mentioned. The following note, which is 

 attached as a footnote to a poem entitled " The Art 

 of Angling," in Ruddiman's Collection of Scarce 

 Pieces, is of interest in this connection : 



The medicinal virtues of these and other river fish 

 are set forth with a profundity of physical knowledge, 

 in a treatise written in Hebrew by that learned 

 Rabbi Soloman Jarchi : a translation whereof into 

 English, under the title of The Complete Fisher, hath 



