CHAP. XXI.] THE FIFTH DAT. 307 



or scabs, or frets ; for a well-chosen, even, clear, round hair, of 

 a kind of glass- colour, will prove as strong as three uneven, 

 scabby hairs, that are ill-chosen, and full of galls or uneven- 

 ness. You shall seldom find a black hair but it is round, but 

 many white are flat and uneven ; therefore, if you get a lock 

 of right round, clear, glass-colour hair, make much of it. 



And for making your line, observe this rule : first let your 

 hair be clean washed ere you go about to twist it ; and then 

 choose not only the clearest hair for it, but hairs that be of an 

 equal bigness, for such do usually stretch all together, and 

 break all together, which hairs of an unequal bigness never do, 

 but break singly, and so deceive the angler that trusts to them. 



When you have twisted your links, lay them in water for 

 a quarter of an hour at least, and then twist them over 

 again before you tie them into a line : for those that do not 

 so, shall usually find their line to have a hair or two shrink, 

 and be shorter than the rest at the first fishing with it ; 

 which is so much of the strength of the line lost for want of 

 first watering it and then re-twisting it ; and this is most 

 visible in a seven hair line, one of those which hath always 

 a black hair in the middle. 



And for dyeing of your hairs, do it thus. Take a pint of 

 strong ale, half a pound of soot, and a little quantity of the 

 juice of walnut-tree leaves, and an equal quantity of alum : 

 put these together into a pot, pan, or pipkin, and boil them 

 half an hour ; and having so done, let it cool ; and being 

 cold, put your hair into it, and there let it lie : it will turn 

 your hair to be a kind of water or glass-colour or greenish ; 

 and the loriger you let it lie, the deeper coloured it will be. 

 You might be taught to make many other colours, but it is 

 to little purpose ; for doubtless the water-colour or glass- 

 coloured hair, is the most choice and most useful for an 

 angler ; but let it not be too green. 



But if you desire to colour hair greener, then do it thus. 

 Take a quart of small ale, half a pound of alum ; then put 

 these into a pan or pipkin, and your hair into it with them ; 

 then put it upon a fire, and let it boil softly for half an 

 hour ; and then take out your hair, and let it dry : and, 

 having so done, then take a pottle of water, and put into it 

 two handfuls of mary golds, and cover it with a tile, or what 

 you think fit, and set it again on the fire, where it is to boil 



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