THE ANCIENTS. 25 



informs us that Asinius Celer offered sixty pounds for one 

 of these fish which weighed Gibs. 1 ? 



Julius Pollux, in speaking of fishermen, divides them 

 into the following orders : Anglers ; fishermen, by nets 

 and fire (that is, a torch at the end of a boat for night- 

 fishing with spear) ; divers for sponges, or the purple 

 fish ; and catchers of wild-fowl. The ordinary instru- 

 ments used were : the nassa or net, said to be made of 

 twigs ; baskets of various kinds ; a casting net ; a uni- 

 versal net ; a drag-net ; the yayyaiiov, or sagena, from 

 which it was said fish could not escape ; corks ; bamboo 

 fishing-rods; poles or stakes to fix into the ground; 

 fishing-lines; flax and sewiag thread; hooks; leads, 

 and fishing- spears. To this list the author adds the 

 boat utensils ; and observes that in the night-fishery the 

 fishermen propelled the boat down the stream with poles, 

 and had ropes for mooring on land, .machines for drawing 

 the boat, connected with towing, the boats being drawn 

 up trenches; skins used to protect their hulls from 

 injuries ; and props, or perforated stones, to which they 

 attached the mooring ropes. This catalogue, to which 

 are added explanations from known practices, is con- 

 firmed by Plutarch and others, and proves that few or 

 no additions have been made in this branch of the art 

 of fishing in the present day. In this art, successful 

 deception and security of the tackle were the essential 

 points constantly insisted on. The fishing-rods were 

 17 Juvenal, 4, 11. 



3 



