104 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



yet it was utterly disliked as it was preached by the second to 

 his congregation, which the sermon borrower complained of to 

 the lender of it, and thus was answered: " I lent you, indeed, 

 my fiddle, but not my fiddlestick ; for you are to know, that 

 every one cannot make music with my words, which are fitted 

 for my own mouth." And so, my scholar, you are to know, 

 that as the ill pronunciation or ill accenting of words in a 

 sermon spoils it, so the ill carriage of your line, or not fishing, even 

 to a foot, in a right place, makes you lose your labour : and you 

 are to know, that though you have my fiddle, that is, my very 

 rod and tacklings with which you see I catch fish, yet you have 

 not nay fiddlestick, that is, you yet have not skill to know how 

 to carry your hand and line, nor how to guide it to a right 

 place : and this must be taught you ; for you are to remember, 

 I told you angling is an art, either by practice or a long 

 observation, or both. But take this for a rule : When you fish 

 for a Trout with a worm, let your line have so much, and not 

 more lead than will fit the stream in which you fish ; that is to 

 say, more in a great troublesome stream than in a smaller that 

 is quieter ; as near as may be, so much as will sink the bait to 

 the bottom, and keep it still in motion, and not more. 



But now, let's say grace, and fall to breakfast. What say 

 you, scholar, to the providence of an old angler ? Does not 

 this meat taste well ? and was not this place well chosen to eat 

 it ? for this sycamore tree will shade us from the sun's heat. 



Venator. All excellent good ; and my stomach excellent 

 good, too. And now I remember, and find that true which 

 devout Lessius says, " that poor men, and those that fast often, 

 have much more pleasure in eating than rich men and gluttons, 

 that always feed before their stomachs are empty of their last 

 meat, and call for more ; for by that means they rob themselves 

 of that pleasure that hunger brings to poor men." And I do 

 seriously approve of that saying of yours, " that you had rather 

 be a civil, well governed, well grounded, temperate poor angler, 

 than a drunken lord : " but I hope there is none such. How- 

 ever, I am certain of this, that I have been at many very costly 

 dinners that have not afforded me half the content that this has 

 done ; for which I thank God and you. 



And now, good master, proceed to your promised direction 

 for making and ordering my artificial fly. 



Piscator. My honest scholar, I will do it ; for it is a debt due 

 unto you by my promise. And because you shall not think 

 yourself more engaged to me than you really are, I will freely 

 give you such directions as were lately given to me by an inge- 

 nious brother of the angle, an honest man and a most excellent 

 fly fisher. 



You are to note, that there are twelve kinds of artificial made 



