156 ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 



was so easily pleased, for this collection of bad 

 rhymes hardly deserves the name of a poem, and 

 contains very little of angling interest to recommend 

 it. John Whitney, however, was evidently a practical 

 angler, and the book contains a few useful hints, such 

 as the following remarks in the preface on the method 

 of scouring worms : 



I use to scour my Worms without Fenil or 

 Grass, as most do about me, tho they use them 

 commonly just taken out of the ground, when I first 

 take my worms, I put them into a large earthen Pan, 

 that they may have room to crawl and purge out 

 their earth and slime for about twenty four hours ; 

 then I wrap them in a Greasy Dish Clout which hath 

 been used much, but not to salt meat, then I lay 

 moist clean Moss in the bottom of the Pan, with 

 worms in the clout and cover them over with more, 

 in three days they'll begin to eat their way through 

 the clout, and in the Moss scour themselves, when 

 hungery ; they'll return to the clout again to feed, 

 and in a weeks time be fit for use. I kept some 

 months with once a week changing the Clout and 

 Moss. 



Whitney was not a believer in the old method 

 of adding tar to the worm to render it more 

 attractive : 



A worm well scour'd without the help of stinking tar, 

 That was her bait and that was best by far, 

 Tho to my cost I've try'd and certain know, 

 That Tarr's strong stench hath little here to do, 

 But kill the worm, but I confess that fishes smell, 

 Or that my apprehension is but ill, 

 For I have seen them to my flote and Lead repair, 

 And gently touch them with insulting care. 



