144 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [PART I. 



to eat it ? for this sycamore tree will shade us from the 

 sun's heat. 



Ven. All excellent good ; and my stomach excellent good, 

 too. And now I remember and find that true which devout 

 Lessius 1 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. However I am certain of 

 this, that I have been at many 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. 



Pise. 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 indeed you really are, 

 I will freely give you such directions as were lately given to 



me by an ingenious brother of the angle, an honest man, and 

 a most excellent fly-fisher. 2 



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



1 Leonard Lessius, a learned Jesuit, professor of divinity in the College of 

 Jesuits at Louvain ; he was born at Antwerp, 1554, and became famous in 

 divinity, civil law, mathematics, physic, and history : he wrote several 

 theological tracts, and a book entitled, " Hygiasticon, seu vera ratio vale - 

 tudinis bonse, et vitse ad extremam senectutem conservandse. " From this tract 

 of Lessius, it is probable the passage in the text is cited. He died 1623. 

 His "Hygiasticon" was translated by Timothy Smith, Camb. 1634. H. 



2 Sir Harris Nicolas says that the excellent fly-fisher to whom Walton 

 alludes, was Leonard Mascall. 



