THE COMPLKTE ANGLLR. 75 



only for being full of small forked bones, dispersed through all 

 his body, but that he eats waterish, and that the flesh of him is 

 not firm, but short and tasteless. The French esteem him so 

 mean, as to call him un villain: nevertheless he may be so 

 dressed as to make him very good meat, as, namely, if he be 

 a large Chub, then dress him thus : 



First, scale him, and then wash him clean, and then take 

 out his guts ; and to that end make the hole as little and near 

 to his gills as you may conveniently, and especially make clean 

 his throat from the grass and weeds that are usually in it ; for 

 if that be not very clean, it will make him to taste very sour. 

 Having so done, put some sweet herbs into his belly ; and then 

 tie him with two or three splinters to a spit, and roast him, 

 basted often with vinegar, or rather verjuice and butter, with 

 good store of salt mixed with it. Being thus dressed, you will 

 find him a much better dish of meat than you, or most folk, 

 even than anglers themselves, do imagine ; for this dries up 

 the fluid watery humour with which all Chubs do abound. 



But take this rule with you, that a Chub newly taken and 

 newly dressed is so much better than a Chub of a day's keeping 

 after he is dead, that I can compare him to nothing so fitly as 

 to cherries newly gathered from a tree, and others that have 

 been bruised and lain a day or two in water. But the Chub 

 being thus used, and dressed presently, and not washed after 

 he is gutted, (for note, that lying long in water, and washing 

 the blood out of any fish after they be gutted, abates much 

 of their sweetness,) you will find the Chub (being dressed 

 in the blood, and quickly) to be such meat as will recom- 

 pense your labour, and disabuse your opinion. 



Or you may dress the Chavender, or Chub, thus : 



When you have scaled him, and cut off his tail and fins, 

 and washed him very clean, then chine, or slit, him through the 

 middle, as a salt -fish is usually cut ; then give him three or 

 four cuts, or scotches, on the back with your knife, and broil 

 him on charcoal, or wood coal, that are free from smoke : and, 

 all the time he is a-broiling, baste him with the best sweet 

 butter, and good store of salt mixed with it. And, to this, add 

 a little thyme cut exceedingly small, or bruised into the butter. 

 The Cheven thus dressed, hath the watery taste taken away, 

 for which so many except against him. Thus was the Cheven 

 dressed that you now liked so well, and commended so much. 

 But note again, that if this Chub that you eat of had been kept 

 till to-morrow, he had not been worth a rush. And remember, 

 that his throat be washed very clean I say very clean and 

 his body not washed after he is gutted, as indeed no fish 

 should be. 



Well, scholar, you see what pains I have taken to recover 



