THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 291 



of sliced horse-radish root, with a handsome little faggot of rose- 

 mary, thyme, and winter savory. Then set your kettle upon a 

 quick fire of wood, and let your liquor boil up to the height 

 before you put in your fish ; and then, if there be many, put 

 them in one by one, that they may not so cool the liquor as to 

 make it fall. And whilst your fish is boiling, beat up the butter 

 for your sauce with a ladleful or two of the liquor it is boiling 

 in. And being boiled enough, immediately pour the liquor from 

 the fish : and being laid in a dish, pour your butter upon it ; 

 and strewing it plentifully over with shaved horse-radish, and a 

 little pounded ginger, garnish the sides of your dish, and the fish 

 itself, with a sliced lemon or two, and serve it up.* 



A Grayling is also to be dressed exactly after the same 

 manner, s'aving that he is to be scaled, which a Trout never is ; 

 and that must be done either with one's nails, or very lightly 

 and carefully with a knife, for fear of bruising the fish. And 

 note, that these kinds of fish, a Trout especially, if he is not 

 eaten within four or five hours after he be taken, is worth 

 nothing. 



But come, sir, I see you have dined ; and, therefore, if you 

 please, we will walk down again to the little house, and there 

 I will read you a lecture of angling at the bottom. 



CHAPTER XI. 



OF ANGLING AT THE BOTTOM FOR TROUT OR GRAYLING. 



Viator. So, sir, now we are here, and set, let me have my 

 instructions for angling for Trout and Grayling at the bottom ; 

 which, though not so easy, so cleanly, nor, as 'tis said, so genteel 

 a way of fishing as with a fly, is yet, if I mistake not, a good 

 holding way, and takes fish when nothing else will. 



Piscator. You are in the right, it does so : and a worm is so 

 sure a bait at all times, that, excepting in a flood, I would I had 

 laid a thousand pounds that I killed fish, more or less, with it, 

 winter or summer, every day throughout the year ; those days 

 always excepted, that, upon a more serious account, always 

 ought so to be. But not longer to delay you, I will begin and 

 tell you, that angling at the bottom is, also, commonly of two 

 sorts, (and yet there is a third way of angling with a ground- 

 bait, and to very great effect, too, as shall be said hereafter,) 

 namely, by hand, or with a cork or float. 



That we call angling by hand, is of three sorts. 



* Only very large Trouts should be boiled ; the smaller ones are always 

 much better broiled or fried. Lamb gives directions for boiling them ui 

 champaign, very similar to the above recipe of Cotton. J. R. 



