i;o THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PARTI. 



glass-colour, will prove as strong as three uneven scabby hairs, 

 that are ill-chosen, and full of galls and unevenness. You shall 

 seldom find a black hair but it is round, but many white are 

 flat and uneven ; therefore, if you get a lock of right, round, 

 clear, glass-colour hair, make much of it. 



And for making your line observe this rule: first let your 

 hair be clean washed ere you go about to twist it , and then 

 choose not only the clearest hair for it, but hairs that he of an 

 equal bigness, for such do usually stretch altogether, and br^ak 

 altogether, which hairs of an unequal bigner.s never do, but 

 break singly, and so deceive the angler that trusts to them. 



When you have twisted your links, lay them in water for a 

 quarter of an hour at least, and then twist them over again 

 before you tie them into a line : for those that do not so shall 

 usually find their line to have a hair or two shrink, and be shorter 

 than the rest at the first fishing with it, which is so much of the 

 strength of the line lost for want of first watering it and then re- 

 twisting it ; and this is most visible in a seven-hair line, one of 

 those which hath always a black hair in the middle. 



And for dyeing of your hairs, do it thus : take a pint of strong 

 ale, half a pound of soot, and a little quantity of the juice of 

 walnut-tree leaves, and an equal quantity of alum ; put these 

 together, in a pot, pan, or pipkin, and boil them half-an-hour ; 

 and having so done, let it cool ; and being cold, put your hair 

 into it, and there let it lie ; it will turn your hair to be a kind of 

 water or glass-colour, or greenish ; and the longer you let it lie 

 the deeper it will be. You might be taught to make many other 

 colours, but it is to little purpose ; for doubtless the water-colour 

 or glass-coloured hair is the most choice or the most useful for 

 an angler, but let it not be too green. 



But if you desire to colour hair greener, then do it thus : take 

 a quart of small ale, half a pound of alum ; then put these into 

 a pan or pipkin, and your hair into it with them ; then put it 

 upon a fire, and let it boil softly for half-an-hour ; and then take 

 out your hair, and let it dry ; and having so done, then take a 

 pottle of water, and put into it two handfuls of marigolds, and 

 cover it with a tile or what you think fit, and set it again on the 



