308 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [PART I. 



again softly for half an hour, about which time the scum 

 will turn yellow ; then put into it half a pound of copperas, 

 beaten small, and with it the hair that you intend to colour ; 

 then let the hair be boiled softly till half the liquor be wasted ; 

 and then let it cool three or four hours, with your hair in 

 it : and you are to observe, that the more copperas you put 

 into it, the greener it will be ; but doubtless the pale green 

 is best. But if you desire yellow hair, which is only good 

 when the weeds rot, then put in the more marygolds ; and 

 abate most of the copperas, or leave it quite out, and take a 

 little verdigrise instead of it. This for colouring your hair. 



And as for painting your rod, 1 which must be in oil, you 

 must first make a size with glue and water boiled together 

 until the glue be dissolved, and the size of a lye-colour : 

 then strike your size upon the wood with a bristle, or a 

 brush, or pencil, whilst it is hot. That being quite dry, 

 take white-lead, and a little red-lead, and a little coal-black, 

 so much as all together will make an ash-colour; grind 

 these all together with linseed-oil ; let it be thick, and lay it 

 thin upon the wood with a brush or pencil : this do for the 

 ground of any colour to lie upon wood. 



For a Green : Take pink and verdigrise, and grind them 

 together in linseed-oil, as thin as you can well grind it; 

 then lay it smoothly on with your brush, and drive it thin : 

 once doing, for the most part, will serve, if you lay it well ; 

 and if twice, be sure your first colour be thoroughly dry 

 before you lay on a second. 



Well, scholar, having now taught you to paint your rod, 

 and we having still a mile to Tottenham High-Cross, I will, 

 as we walk towards it, in the cool shade of this sweet 

 honeysuckle hedge, mention to you some of the thoughts 

 and joys that have possessed my soul since we two met 



1 Rods are no longer painted, but stained or varnished. Walton has 

 said little or nothing about rods, and what he says about lines is superseded 

 by modern improvements. Sir John Hawkins has given a long note on the 

 subject, which, though very sufficient a century ago, is now comparatively 

 obsolete. The best modern information is given in the elaborate and complete 

 treatise on angling contained in the late Mr. Elaine's " Encyclopaedia of 

 Rural Sports," to which we have been considerably indebted in compiling the 

 note given at the end of this chapter. But when the angler has access to re- 

 spectable fishing-tackle makers of London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and the great 

 provincial towns, he cannot do better than consult and be advised by them. 



