224 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



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

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

 equal bigness, for such do usually stretch altogether, and 

 break altogether, which hairs of an unequal bigness never do, 

 but break singly, and so deceives 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, arid 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 fire, where it is to boil again softly for 

 half an hour, about which time the scum will turn yellow ; 

 then put into it half a pound of copperas, beaten small, and 

 with it the hair that you intend to colour ; then let the hair 

 be boiled softly till half the liquor be wasted, and then let it 

 cool three or four hours with your hair in it ; and you are to 

 observe that the more copperas you put into it, the greener it 

 will be ; but, doubtless, the pale green is best : but if you 

 desire yellow hair, which is only good when the weeds rot, 



