THE BARBEL. 293 



scales, which are placed after a most exact and curious 

 manner, and, as I told you, may be rather said not to be ill 

 than to be good meat : the chub and he have, I think, both 

 lost part of their credit by ill cookery, they being reputed 

 the worst or coarsest of fresh-water fish. But the barbel 

 affords an angler choice sport, being a lusty and a cunning 

 fish ; so lusty and cunning as to endanger the breaking of 

 the angler's line, by running his head forcibly towards any 

 covert or hole or bank, and then striking at the line, to break 

 it off, with his tail, as is observed by Plutarch in his book 

 " De Industria Animalium ; " and also so cunning, to nibble 

 and suck off your worm close to the hook, and yet avoid 

 the letting the hook come into his mouth. 



The barbel is also curious for his baits ; that is to say, 

 that they be clean and sweet ; that is to say, to have your 

 worms well scoured, and not kept in sour and musty moss, 

 for he is a curious feeder ; but at a well-scoured lob-worm 

 he will bite as boldly as at any bait, and especially if, the 

 night or two before you fish for him, you shall bait the 

 places where you intend to fish for him with big worms cut 

 into pieces ; and note, that none did ever overbait the place, 

 nor fish too early or too late for a barbel. And the barbel 

 will bite also at gentles, which not being too much scoured, 

 but green, are a choice bait for him ; and so is cheese, which 

 is not to be too hard, but kept a day or two in a wet linen 

 cloth to make it tough : with this you may also bait the 

 water a day or two before you fish for the barbel, and be 

 much the likelier to catch store ; and if the cheese were laid 

 in clarified honey a short time before, as namely, an hour 

 or two, you are still the likelier to catch fish : some have 

 directed to cut the cheese into thin pieces, and toast it, and 



