8 LIFE OF IZAAK WALTON. 



dysporte of fysshynge, sholde not by this meane utterly dys- 

 troye it." 



And as to the treatise itself, it must be deemed a great 

 typographical curiosity, as well for the wooden sculpture 

 which in the original immediately follows the title, as for the 

 orthography and the character in which it is printed. And, 

 with respect to the subject matter thereof, it begins, With a 

 comparison of fishing with the diversions of hunting, hawking, 

 and fowling, which, the authoress shews, are attended with 

 great inconveniences and disappointments ; whereas in fishing, 

 if his sport fail him, " the angler," says she, " atte the leest, 

 hath his holsom walke, and mery at his ease, a swete ayre of 

 the swete sauoure of the mede floures, that makyth him 

 hungry ; he hereth the melodyous armony of fowles ; he seeth 

 the yonge swannes, heerons, duckes, cotes, and many other 

 fowles, wyth theyr brodes ; whyche me semyth better than 

 alle the noyse of houndys, the blastes of hornys, and the 

 scrye of foulis, that hunters, fawkeners, and fowlers can make. 

 And if the Dangler take fysshe; surely, thenne, is there noo 

 man merier than he is in his spyryte." 



At the beginning of the directions, " How the angler is to 

 make his harnays, or tackle," he is thus instructed to provide 

 a rod : " And how ye shall make your rodde craftly, here I 

 shall teche you. Ye shall kytte betweene Myghelmas and 

 Candyhnas, a fayr staffe, of a' fadom and an halfe longe, and 

 arme-grete, of hasyll, wyllowe, or aspe ; and bethe hym in an 

 hote ouyn, and sette him euyn ; thenne, lete hym cole and 

 drye a moneth. Take thenne and frette* hym faste with a 

 coekeshote corde ; and bynde hym to a fourme, or an euyn 

 square grete tree. Take, thenne, a plummer's wire, that is 

 euen and streyte, and sharpe at the one ende ; and hete the 

 sharpe ende in a charcole fyre till it be whyte, and brenne the 

 staffe therwyth thorugh, euer streyte in the pythe at bothe 

 endes, till they mete : and after that brenne him in the nether 

 end wyth a byrde brochef and with other broches, eche 

 gretter than other, and euer the grettest the laste ; so that ye 

 make your hole, aye, tapre were. Thenne lete hym lye styll, 

 and kele two dayes; unfrettej hym thenne, and lete hym 

 drye in an hous roof, in the smoke, till he be thrugh drye. In 

 the same season, take a fayr yerde of green hasyll, and bethe 



* t. e. Tie it about : the substantive plural, frets of a lute, is formed 

 of this verb, 



f A bird spit. t Untie it. 



