202 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [part I. 



* But first for your Line. First note, that you are to take care 

 that your hair be round and clear, and free from gails, 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 unevenness. 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 longer 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 



VARIATIONS. 



* No portion of this and the two following paragraphs occurs in the Jirst edition : but 

 they were inserted in the second. 



5 for such do usually stretch altogether, and not break singly one by one, but 

 altogether. — zd a^td ^d edit. 



" a seven-hair line with one of them blaclc in the middle. — zdedit. 



7 like. — \st edit. 



** '■ but let it not be too green," added in the second and subsequent editions. 



