the ' Compleat Angler.' 



31 



of the appliances of his tackle ; it crept into his bait-box ; it 

 was kneaded up with his pafte ; it even twifted itfelf into the 

 links of his line, and made marvellous havoc of the fim he 

 took. It was parcel grotefque, parcel ghaftly. It tampered 

 with mummy's duft, and dead men's fat ; it dabbled in myftical 

 oils and occult chemiftry ; it was aftrological, necromantical, 

 diabolical ; it was anything and everything, in fhort, fave 

 fimple and matter-of-fact and fenfible. 



But it muft be acknowledged, as an offset againft this, that 

 certain of the old-world writers on the fport were little fhort 

 of heroical in their fafhion of building up to his complete 

 ftature, their ideal Angler. 



Something in this way the ftruflure rofe. 



He muft have fimple-mindednefs — (that was the raw mate- 

 rial, and indifpenfable enough, Heaven knows !) He muft be a 

 general fcholar, fkilled in all the liberal fciences ; and a gram- 

 marian, to know how to difcourfe fitly of his art. He muft 

 have fweetnefs of fpeech " to intice other to fhare his delight;" 

 and "ftrength of arguments to maintaine and defend his profef- 

 fion." Knowledge, too, of the fun, moon, and ftars, he mould 

 pofTefs. He mould be well verfed in geography and praclifed 

 in navigation. He mould alfo be an adept in mufic that 

 <f whenfoever eyther melancholy, heavinefTe of thought, or 

 the perturbation of his own fancies, ftirreth up fadneffe in 

 him, he may remove the fame with fome godly Hymne or 

 Antheme." 



In addition to all this, he muft be well grounded in faith, 

 patience, moderation and charity. He muft be very humble, 



