BRITISH SPORT PAST AND PRESENT 



godly Hymme or Antheme. He must be of well settled and 

 constant belief e to in joy the benefit of his expectations for 

 than to dispayre it were better never to put in practice.' 



Good Master Markham, thou say est well ! ' to injoy the 

 benefit of expectations ' is phrase most happy : for what weigh 

 fish caught against fish yet to catch ? Proceed, Master Mark- 

 ham : be the angler neither Gramarian, rhetorician, mathema- 

 tician, surveyor nor skilled in musique, yet Hope ever is his. 

 Proceed : — 



' . . . Exceeding patient and neyther vext nor excruciate 

 himselfe with losses and mischances, as in losing the prey 

 when it is almost in the hand. Must be full of humble thoughts, 

 not disdayning when occasion commands to kneele, lye downe 

 or wet his feete or fingers as oft as there is any advantage given 

 thereby.' 



Now, Master Markham, weigh this utterance. Who, losing- 

 fish at the net's edge, shall, at your bidding, fail to excruciate 

 himself ? Your ideal angler too : if he mean to go fishing, 

 yet blench when he should kneele or lye downe or wet his feete 

 or fingers, he must, for all the accomplishments afore cata- 

 logued, be a sorry 'prentice. What manner of man, further- 

 more, is this your angler-in-the-making to be conjured thus : — 



' He must be strong and valiant neyther to be amazed with 

 stormes nor affrighted with Thunder, but to hold them accord- 

 ing to their naturall causes , . . must be of strong constitu- 

 tion of body and able to endure much fasting and not of a 

 gnawing stomacke, observing houres in which if it be unsatisfied 

 it troubleth both the mind and the body and loose that 

 delight which maketh the pastime only pleasing,' 



We cavil not at admonition to be of good courage in the 

 storm : knowing that in an elder day Thunders and Lightnings 

 were phenomena right mysterious and awful. But lacked this 

 angler wit to put bread and cheese in his wallet that he must 

 be taught endurance of fasting and the virtues of a stomacke 

 that shall not unseasonably gnaw ? 



It would seem that Markham was hardly a practical angler ; 



1S)8 



