ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 169 



attention paid to detail as in the following paragraphs 

 from The Young Sportsman's Instructor : 



7. All your Tackling in Order, go to the River, and 

 find a Place, if you can, that hath a gravelly or 

 smooth Bottom, and about 2 or 3 yards in depth, the 

 Stream not too swift, then about a yard from the 

 place you design to Fish at, cast in a quarter of a 

 Peck of Grains, or as many more if you please, dip 

 them first in the River, that they may sink the better, 

 and about an Hour after you may begin to fish ; for 

 by that time its probable the Fish may have found 

 them. If you have not Sport in an Hour, you may 

 conclude there is none, or else that Pearch and Pike 

 are there, that live on small Fish. 



8. Then plumb the Ground, and fish about 2 

 Inches from the Bottom ; the best Summer Bait, 

 except in April and May, their Spawning time, when 

 they are not gone, should be large Wheat, ordered as 

 Furmety, which may be kept 1 5 or 20 days in Water 

 or Beer, putting in fresh as the Skin grows upon it, 

 if you keep it in Water, when you put any in a Box 

 for present Angling, put Wort, or Ale, or Beer to it a 

 while, or you may boyl good Grain, as Wheat, Malt, 

 &c., in Milk till it's soft, or in sweet Wort which is full 

 as good, and peel off the outward Rine, which is the 

 bran, and so use it ; or if you please you may fry it in 

 Milk and Honey, or steep it in strong scented Oyls, 

 as Spike, Amber, Ivy, Polypody, Anise, Turpentine, 

 oyl of Peter, Assa Faetida, &c. 



Your Hook thus baited with a Corn, the point 

 covered with a thin Rind, that you may see the 

 White on one side, cast in your Line above the 

 Stream, near the side, the Float being upright, 

 swimming down the Stream, when you see the 

 Float sink, strike pretty quick, according to the 

 strength of your Line ; if the Fish is too large, 

 make use of your landing Net, and after the catch- 



