THE FIRST SMOKED HERRING 39 



the cup, whereby to deceive men of their measure, 

 but be as settled as if it stood all night." 



And again : — 



"It is to bee read, or to bee heard of, ho we in 

 the punie shipe or nonage of Cerdicke sandes, when 

 the best houses and walles there were of mudde, or 

 canvaze, or poldavies entiltments, a fisherman of 

 Yarmouth, having drawne so many herrings hee 

 wist not what to do with all, hung the residue, that 

 hee could not sel nor spend, in the sooty roofe of 

 his shad a drying ; or say thus, his shad was a cabinet 

 in decimo sexto, builded on foure crutches, and he 

 had no roome in it, but that garret in excelsis, to 

 lodge them, where if they were drie let them be 

 drie, for in the sea they had drunk too much, and 

 now hee would force them doo penance for it. The 

 weather was colde, and good fires hee kept, (as 

 fisherman, what hardnesse soever they endure at 

 sea, will make all smoke, but they will make amends 

 for it when they come to land ;) and what with his 

 fiering and smoking, or smokie fiering, in that his 

 narrow lobby, his herrings, which were as white as 

 whale-bone when he hung them up, now lookt as 

 red as a lobster. It was four or five dayes before 

 either hee or his wife espied it ; and when they 

 espied it, they fell downe on their knees and blessed 

 themselves, and cride, ' A miracle, a miracle ! ' and 

 with the proclaiming it among their neighbours they 

 could not be content, but to the court the fisherman 

 would, and present it to the King, then lying at 

 Burrough Castle two miles off." 



Nashe, in enumerating the excellences of 

 herrings, says : — 



" A red herring is wholesome in a frosty morning : 

 it is most precious fish-merchandise, because it can 



