the names of the members of the fishing society, anno fishing society (scotland) approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing n a estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the names of the members of the fishing society, anno fishing society (scotland) sheet ([ ] p.) s.n., [s.l : ] imprint date from wing. reproduction of the original in the goldsmiths' library, university of london. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fishing society (scotland) -- membership -- early works to . fishing -- scotland -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - jason colman sampled and proofread - jason colman text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the names of the members of the fishing society , anno . the king's majhsti●● earl of lauderdail , the king's commissioner . earl of rothes , lord chancellor . earl marishall , lord privie seal . duke of hamiltoun . earl of argyle . earl of eglingtoun . earl of athol . earl of linlithgow . earl of kinghorn . earl of weimes . earl of panmure . earl of tweddall . countess of dysart . earl of kincardin . earl of dundonnald . lord fyvie . lord newbottel . lord y●ster . lord neil campbell . lord halcartoun . sir john gilmore . master of salton . sir james dalrimple . sir archibald primerose . sir john nisbet . charles m●itland l. thesaurer depute . sir john bai●d . sir john lockhart . sir peter wedderburn . sir andrew ramsay . patrick murray . master alexander gibson . master thomas hay . sir james hay . sir john harper . sir patrick murray . sir archibald murray . sir charles erskin . sir robert sinclar . sir francis scot. thomas moncreiff . master david dunmure , sir william sharp . walter cheisly . sir john young. charles murray . henrie wilkie . james currie . william hamiltoun . robert baird . william anderson . adam hepburn of humbie . william binning . william stevenson . charles charteris . john ealconer , master of the mint . william hay . patrick fyfe . robert leirmonth . james fleeming . william hume elder . sir john fowlis . sir william bruce . master robert petric . sir james ramsay . sir robert murray . david boyd . gilbert fyfe . patrick threplane . sir james primerose . george mackalla . andrew stevenson . george monteith . robert dowglas . sir walter seaton . james cockburn . sir william purves . sir john cuningham . sir george lockhart . sir george mackenzie . sir thomas wallace . sir william ker. archibald gibson . robert milne . archibald wilson . master william clark. john goven . john scot. gaven marshal . james hamiltoun . william hume younger . sir alexander frazer . james standsfield . john tailor . sir harie bruce . andrew fletcher . thomas crawfurd . john strachan . john cuningham . john johnstoun . sir john nicolson . master andrew oswald . george smelam . sir patrick hume . john hope of hoptoun . sir alexander hope . thomas wilson . john falconer , vvarden . james baily . alexander milne . thomas burnet . sir andrew fletcher . sir george mackenzie of tarbit . sir john keith . sir mark carss . james bennet . sir george maxwel . george grant. neil macklewd . andrew nimmo . alexander simson . robert raitt . john scouler . john wilkie . andrew dick. david murray . the names of the councellors elected by the company to be their councell , for the years . and . john earle of rothes , chancellor . william duke of hamiltoun . earl of panmure . john earl of tweddall . alexander earle of kincardin . william earl of dundonnald . lord president of the session . lord register . lord thesaurer depute . lord newbyth . provest of edinburgh . lord gosford . sir william bruce . sir patrick murray . james currie . william anderson . master robert petrie . directors for anne . & . walter cheisly . henrie wilkie . vvilliam binning . robert milne . charles charteris . robert baird , cash-keeper . robert dowglas , book-keeper . the experienc'd angler, or, angling improv'd being a general discourse of angling, imparting many of the aptest wayes and choicest experiments for the taking of most sorts of fish in pond or river. venables, robert, ?- . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing v estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the experienc'd angler, or, angling improv'd being a general discourse of angling, imparting many of the aptest wayes and choicest experiments for the taking of most sorts of fish in pond or river. venables, robert, ?- . [ ], , [ ] p. : ill. printed for richard marriot, and are to be sold at his shop ..., london : . added engraved t.p. written by robert venables. cf. bm. advertisements: p. [ ] at beginning and p. . reproduction of original in bodleian library. includes index. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fishing -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - mona logarbo sampled and proofread - mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the experienc'd angler , or angling improved . sold by rich : marriott in st. dunstans churchyard vaughan sculp ▪ the experienc'd angler : or angling improv'd . being a general discourse of angling ; imparting many of the aptest wayes and choicest experiments for the taking of most sorts of fish in pond or river . london : printed for richard marriot , and are to be sold at his shop in st. dunstans church-yard , fleet-sheet . . to the reader . delight and pleasure are o fast rivetted and firmly rooted in the heart of man , that i suppose there is none so morose or melancholly , that will not onely pretend to , but plead for an interest in the same , most being so much enamored therewith , that they judge that life but a living death , which is wholly deprived or abridged of all pleasure ; and many pursue the same with so much eagerness and importunity , ( as though they had been born for no other end ) as that they not only consume their most precious time , but also totally ruine their estates thereby : for in this loose and licentious age , when profuse prodigality passes for the characteristical mark of true generosity , and frugality ( i mean not niggardliness ) is branded with the ignominious blot of baseness . i expect not that this undervalued subject ( though it propound delight at an easie rate ) will meet with any other entertainment than neglect , if not contempt , it being an art which few take pleasure in , nothing passing for noble or delightful which is not costly ; as though men could not gratifie their senses , but with the consumption of their fortunes . hauking and hunting have had their excellencies celebrated with large encomiums by divers pens , and although i intend not any undervaluing to those noble recreations , so much famed in all ages and by all degrees , yet i must needs affirm , that they fall not within the compass of every ones ability to pursue , being as it were only entailed on great persons and vast estates ; for if meaner fortunes seek to enjoy them , actaeons fable often proves a true story , and these birds of prey not seldom quarrey upon their masters : besides , those recreations are more subject to choller and passion , by how much those creatures exceed a hook or line in worth : and indeed in those exercises our pleasure depends much upon the will and humor of a sullen cur or kite , ( as i have heard their own passions phrase them ) which also require much attendance , care and skill to keep her serviceable to our ends . further , these delights are often prejudicial to the husbandman in his corn , grass and fences ; but in this pleasant and harmless art of angling a man hath none to quarrel with but himself , and we are usually so intirely our own friends , as not to retain an irreconcileable hatred against our selves , but can in short time easily compose the enmity ; and besides our selves none are offended , none endamaged ; and this recreation falleth within the capacity of the lowest fortune to compass , affording also profit as well as pleasure , in following of which exercise a man may imploy his thoughts in the noblest studies , almost as freely as in his closset . the minds of anglers being usually more calm and composed than many others , especially hunters and falkoners , who too frequently lose their delight in their passion , and too often bring home more of melancholly and discontent than satisfaction in their thoughts ; but the angler , when he hath the worst success , loseth but a hook or line , or perhaps ( what he never possessed ) a fish , and suppose he take nothing , yet he enjoyeth a delightful walk by pleasant rivers in sweet pastures , amongst odoriferous flowers , which gratifie his senses and delight his mind ; which contentmēts induce many ( who affect not angling ) to chuse those places of pleasure for their summers recreation and health . but peradventure some may alleage that this art is mean , melancholly and insipid : i suppose the old answer , de gustibus non est disputandum , will hold as firmly in recreations as palats , many have supposed angling void of delight , having never tryed it , yet have afterwards experimented it so full of content , that they have quitted all other recreations ( at least in its season ) to pursue it ; and i do perswade my self , that whosoever shall associate himself with some honest expert angler , who will freely and candidly communicate his skill unto him , will in short time be convinced , that ars non habet inimicum nisi ignorantem ; and the more any experiment its harmless delight , ( not subject to passion or expence ) probably he will be induc'd to relinquish those pleasures which are obnoxious to choller or contention ( which so discompose the thoughts , that nothing during that unsettlement can relish or delight the mind ) to pursue that recreation which composeth the soul to that calmness and serenity , which gives a man the fullest possession and fruition of himself and all his enjoyments ; this clearnesse and equanimity of spirit being a matter of so high a concern and value in the judgments of many profound philosophers , as any one may see that will bestow the pains to read , de tranquilitate animi , and petrarch , de utriusque conditionis statu : certainly he that lives sibi & deo , leads the most happy life ; and if this art do not dispose and encline the mind of man to a quiet calm sedatenesse , i am confident it doth not ( as many other delights ) cast blocks and rubs before him to make his way more difficult and lesse pleasant : the cheapnesse of the recreation abates not its pleasure , but with rational persons heightens it ; and if it be delightful the charge of melancholly falls upon that score , and if example ( which is the best proof ) may sway any thing , i know no sort of men lesse subject to melancholly than anglers ; many have cast off other recreations and imbraced it , but i never knew any angler wholly cast off ( though occasions might interrupt ) their affections to their beloved recreation ; and if this art may prove a noble brave rest to thy mind , it will be satisfaction to his , who is thy well-wishing friend . to his ingenious friend the author on his angling improv'd . honoured sir , though i never ( to my knowledge ) had the happiness to see your face , yet accidentally coming to a view of this discourse before it went to the press ; i held my self obliged in point of gratitude for the great advantage i received thereby , to tender you my particular acknowledgment , especially having been for thirty years past , not onely a lover but a practicer of that innocent recreation , wherein by your judicious precepts i find my self fitted for a higher form ; which expression i take the boldness to use , because i have read and practiced by many books of this kind , formerly made publick ; from which ( although i received much advantage in the practick ) yet ( without prejudice to their worthy authors ) i could never find in them that height of judgment and reason , which you have manifested in this ( as i may call it ) epitome of angling , since my reading whereof i cannot look upon some notes of my own gathering , but methinks i do puerilia tractare . but lest i should be thought to go about to magnifie my own judgment , in giving yours so small a portion of its due , i humbly take leave with no more ambition than to kiss your hand , and to be accounted your humble and thankful servant , j. w. the contents . chap. . when to provide tools , and how to make them up . chap. . divers sorts of angling : and first of the flie. chap. . of the artificial flie. chap. . angling at the ground . chap. . of divers sorts of baits for several fish . chap. . how to keep your baits . chap. . the several haunts of fish , what rivers or ponds they most frequent . chap. . when not to angle . chap. . when best to angle . chap. . general observations . angling improv'd : or , profit and pleasure united . chap. i. when to provide tools , and how to make them . for the attaining of such ends which our desires propose to themselves , of necessity we must make use of such common mediums , as have a natural tendency to the producing of such effects , as are in our eye , and at which we aim ; and as in any work , if one principal material be wanting , the whole is at a stand , neither can the same be perfected : so in angling , the end being recreation , which consisteth in drawing the fish to bite , that we may take them , if you want tools , though you have baits , or baits though you have tackle , yet you have no part of pleasure by either of these singly : nay , if you have both , yet want skill to use them , all the rest is to little purpose . i shall therefore first begin with your tools , and so proceed in order with the rest . . in autumn , when the leaves are almost or altogether fallen , ( which is usually about the winter solstice ) the sap being then in the root , which about the middle of january beginneth to ascend again , and then the time is past to provide your self with stocks or tops : you need not be so exactly curious for your stocks as the tops , though i wish you to chuse the nearest taper-grown you can for stocks , but let your tops be the most neat rush-grown shoots you can get , streight and smooth ; and ( if for the ground-rod ) near or full two yards long , ( the reason for that length shall be given presently ) and if for the flie , of what length you please ; because you must either chuse them to fit the stock , or the stock to fit them in a most exact proportion ; neither do they need to be so very much taper grown as those for the ground , for if your rod be not most exactly proportionable , ( as well as slender ) it will neither cast well , strike readily , or ply and bend equally , which will very much indanger your line . when you have fitted your self with tops and stocks , ( for all must be gathered in one season ) if any of them be crooked , bind them all together , and they will keep one another streight ; or lay them on some even-boarded floor , with a weight on the crooked parts , or else bind them close to some streight staffe or pole ; but before you do this you must bathe them all , save the very top , in a gentle fire . for the ground angle , i prefer the cane or reed before all other , both for its length and lightness ; and whereas some object against its colour and stiffness : i answer , both these inconveniencies are easily remedyed , the colour by covering it with thin leather or parchment , and those dyed into what colour you please , or you may colour the cane it self , as you see daily done by those that sell them in london , especially if you scrape off the shining yellow out-side , but that weakneth the rod ; the stiffnesse of the cane is helped by the length and strength of the top , which i would wish to be very much taper-grown , and of the full length i spoke of before , and so it will kill a very good fish without ever straining the cane , which will ( as you may observe ) yield and bend a little , neither would i advise any to use a reed that will not receive a top of the forementioned length . such who most commend the hazel-rod ( which i also value and praise but for different reasons ) above the cane , do it because , say they , the slender rod saveth the line , but my opinion is , that the equal bending of the rod chiefly ( next to the skill of the angler ) saveth the line , and the slenderness i conceive principally serveth to make the flye-rod long and light , easie to be managed with one hand , and casteth the flye far , which are to me the considerations chiefly to be regarded in a flye-rod ; for if you observe the slender part of the rod ( if strained ) shoots forth in length as if it were part of the line , so that the whole stress or strength of the fish is born or sustained , by the thicker part of the rod , which is no stronger then the stronger end of such a top as i did before direct for the ground-rod , and you may prove what i say to be true , if you hang a weight at the top of the fly-rod , which you shall see ply and bend ( in the stiffe and thick part ) more or less as the weight is heavy or light . having made this digression for the cane , i return to the making up of the top , of which at the upper or smal end , i would have you to cut off about two foot or three quarters of a yard at most , and then piece neatly to the thick remaining part , a small shut of black-thorn or crab-tree ( gathered in the season as before ) fitted in a most exact proportion to the strength of the hazel , and then cut off a small part of the slender end of the black-thorn or crab-tree , and lengthen out the same with a small piece of whale-bone , made round , smooth and taper , all which will make your rod to be very long , gentle , and not so apt to break or stand bent as the hazel , both which are great inconveniencies , especially breaking , which will force you from your sport to amend your top . . to teach the way or manner how to make a line , were time lost , it being so easie and ordinary : yet to make the line well , handsome , and to twist the hair even and neat , makes the line strong : for if one hair be long and another short , the short one receiveth no strength from the long one , and so breaketh , and then the other ( as too weak ) breaketh also : therefore you must twist them slowly , and in the twisting , keep them from entangling together , which hindereth their right playting or bedding . also i do not like the mixing of silk or thred with hair , but if you please , you may ( to make the line strong ) make it all of silk , or thred , or hair , as strong as you please , and the lowest part of the smallest lute or viol strings , which i have proved to be very strong , but will quickly rot in the water , but you may help that in having new and strong to change the rotted ones ; but as to hair ( the most usuall matter whereof lines are made ) i like sorrel white and gray best ; sorrel in muddy and boggy rivers , both the other for clear waters ; i never could find such vertue or worth in other colours , to give them so high praise as some do , yet if any other have worth in it , i must yield it to the pale watry green , and if you fancy that you may dye it thus . take a pottle of allom water , a large handful of marigolds , boyl them untill a yellow scum arise , then take half a pound of green copperas , and as much verdegreece , beat them into a fine powder , put those with the hair into the allom-water , set all to cool for twelve houres , then take out the hair and lay it to dry . leave a bought or bout at both ends of the line , the one to put it to , and take it from your rod , the other to hang your lowest link upon , to which your hook is fastned , and so you may change your hook so often as you please . . let your hooks be long in the shank , and of a compass somewhat inclining to roundnesse , but the point must stand even and streight , and the bending must be in the shank , for if the shank be streight , the point will hang outward , though when set on it stand right , yet it will after the taking of a few fish , cause the hair at the end of the shank to stand bent , and so ( by consequence ) the point of the hook to lie or hang too much outward , whereas upon the same ground the bending shank will then cause the point of the hook to hang directly upwards . when you set on your hook ; do it with strong but smal silk , and lay your hair upon the inside of the hook , for if on the outside the silk will cut and fret it asunder , and to avoid the fretting of the hair by the hook on the inside , smooth all your hook upon a whetstone , from the inside to the back of the hook slope wayes . . get the best cork you can without flawes or holes ( quils and pens are not able to bear the strong streams ) bore the cork through with a small hot iron , then put into it a quill of a fit proportion , neither too large to split it , or so small as to slip out , but so as it may stick in very closely : then pare your cork into the form of a piramide , or small pear , and into what bigness you please , then upon a smooth grindstone , or with a pumice make it compleat , for you cannot pare it so smooth as you may grind it , have corkes of all sizes . . get a musquet or carbine bullet , make a hole through it , and put in a strong twist , hang this on your hook to try the depth of river or pond . . take so much parchment as will be about four inches broad , and five long , make the longer end round , then take so many pieces more as will make five or six partitions , sow them all together , leaving the side of the longer square open , to put your lines , spare links , hooks ready fastned , and flies ready made , into the several partitions ; this will contain much ( lie flat and close in your pocket ) in a little room . . have also a little whetstone about two inches long , and one quarter square ; it s much better to sharpen your hooks than a file , which either will not touch a well-tempered hook , or leave it rough but not sharp . . have a piece of a cane for the bob and palmer , with several boxes of divers sizes for your hooks , corks , silk , thred , lead , flies , &c. . bags of linnen and woollen , for all sorts of baits . . have a small pole , made with a loop at the end , like that of your line , but much bigger , to which must be fastned a small net , to land great fish , without which ( if you want assistance ) you will be in danger to lose them . . your pannier cannot be too light : i have seen some made of oziers , cleft into slender long splinters , and so wrought up , which is very neat , and exceeding light ; you must ever carry with you store of hooks , lines , hair , silk , thred , lead , links , corks of all sizes , lest if you lose or break ( as is usual ) any of them , you be forced to leave your sport , and return for supplies . chap. ii. divers sorts of angling : first , of the flie. as there are many kinds and sorts of fish , so there are also various and different wayes to take them ; and therefore before we proceed to speak how to take each kind , we must say something in general of the several wayes of angling , as necessary to the better order of our work . angling therefore may be distinguished either into fishing by day , or ( which some commend , but the cold and dews caused me to dis-rellish that which impaired my health ) by night ; and these again are of two sorts , either upon the superficies of the water , or more or less under the surface thereof : of this sort is angling with the ground line , ( with lead , but no slote ) for the trout , or with lead and flote for all sorts of fish , or near the surface of the water for chub , roch , &c. or with a trowle for the pike , or a menow for the trout ; of which more in due place . that way of angling upon or above the water , is with cankers , palmers , caterpillars , cadbait , or any worm bred on herbs or trees ; or with flies natural or artificial ; of these last ( viz flies ) shall be our first discourse , as comprising much of the other last named , and as being the most pleasant and delightful part of angling . but i must here take leave to dissent from the opinion of such who assign a certain fly to each moneth , whereas i am certain scarce any one sort of flye doth continue its colour and vertue one moneth ; and generally all flies last a much shorter time , except the stone fly ( which some call the may fly ) which is bred of the water-cricket , which creepeth out of the river , and gets under the stones by the w●ter side , and there turneth to a fly , and lyeth under the stones ; the may fly and the reddish flye with ashie gray wings . besides the season of the year may much vary the time of their comming in , a forward spring bringeth them in sooner , and a late spring the later : for flies being creatures bred of putrefaction , do take life as the heat doth further or dispose the seminal vertue ( by which they are generated ) unto animation : and therefore all i can say as to time , is that your own observation must be your best instructor , when is the time that each flye cometh in , and will be most acceptable to the fish , of which i shall speak more fully in the next section ; further also i have observed that severall rivers , and soyles , produce several sorts of flies , as the mossy boggy soils have one sort peculiar to them ; the clay soil , gravelly and mountainous countrey and rivers , and a mellow light soil different from them all , yet some sor●s are common to all these sorts of rivers and soils , but they are few ▪ and also differ somewhat in colour from those bred in another soil . in general , all sorts of flies are very good in their season , for such fish as will rise at the flie , as salmon , trout , umber , grayling , bleak , chevin , roch , dace , &c. though some of these fish do love some flies better than other ; except the fish named i know not any sort or kind that will ( ordinarily and freely ) rise at the fl●e , though i know also some do angle for bream and pike with artificial flies , but i judge the labour lost , and the knowledge a needless curiosity ; those fish being taken much easier ( especially the pike ) by other wayes : all the forementioned sorts of fish will sometimes take the flie , much better at the top of the water , and at another time much better a little under the superficies of the water , and in this your own observation must be your constant and daily instructor , ( for if they will not rise to the top , try them under ) it not being possible ( in my opinion ) to give any certain rule in this particular : also the five sorts of fish first named will take the art●ficial flie , so will not the other , except an oakworm or cadbait be put on the point of the hook , or some other worm sutable ( as the flie must be ) to the season . you may also observe ( which my own experience taught me ) that the fish never rise eagerly and freely at any fort of flie , untill that kind come to the waters side ; for though i have often at the first coming in of some flies , ( which i judged they loved best ) gotten several of them , yet i could never find that they did much ( if at all ) value them , untill those sorts of fl●es began to stock to the rivers sides , and were to be found on the trees and bushes there in great numbers ; for all sorts of flies ( where ever bred ) do after a certain time come to the rivers banks , ( i suppose to moisten their bodies dryed with the heat ) and from the bushes and herbs there , skip and play upon the water , where the fish lie in wait for them ; and after a short time die , and are not to be found ; though of some kinds there come a second sort afterwards , but much less , as the orenge flie , and when they thus stock fo● the river , then is the chiefest season to angle with that flie : and that you may the better find what flie they covet most at that instant , do thus : when you come first to the river in the morning , with your rod beat upon the bushes or boughs which hang over the water , and by their falling upon the water you will see what sorts of flies are there in greatest numbers ; if divers sorts and equal in number , try them all , and you will quickly find which they most desire : sometimes they change their flie ( but it s not very usual ) twice or thrice in one day ; but ordinarily they seek not for another sort of flie , till they have for some dayes even glutted themselves with a former kind , which is commonly when those flies die and go out . directly contrary to our london gallants , who must have the first of every thing , when hardly to be got , but scorn the same when kindly ripe , healthful , common and cheap : but the fish despise the first , and covet when plenty , and when that sort grow old and decay , and another cometh in plentifully , then they change ; as if nature taught them , that every thing is best in its own proper season , and not so desirable when not kindly ripe , or when through long continuance it beginneth to lose its native worth and goodness . i shall adde a few cautions and directions in the use of the natural flie , and then proceed . . when you angle for chevin , roth , dace with the flie , you must not move your flie swiftly , when you see the fish coming towards it , but rather after one or two short and slow removes , suffer the flie to glide gently with the stream towards the fish ; or if in a standing or very slow water , draw the flie slowly , and ( not directly upon him , but ) sloaping and sidewise by him , which will make him more eager lest it escape him ; for if you move it nimbly and quick , they will not ( being fish of slow motion ) follow as the trout will. . when chub , roch , dace shew themselves , in a sunshiny day upon the top of the water , they are most easily caught with baits proper for them , and you may chuse from amongst them which you please to take . . they take an artificial flie with a cadbait or oakworm on the point of the hook , and the oak-worm when they shew themselves is better upon the water than under , or than the flie it self , and more desired by them . chap. iii. of the artificial flie. having given these few directions for the use of the natural flie of all sorts , shewed the time and season of their coming , and how to find them , and cautioned you in the use of them , i shall proceed to treat of the artificial flie . but here i must premise , that it is much better to learn how to make a flie by sight , than by any paper-direction can possibly be expressed , in regard the terms of art do in most parts of england differ , and also several sorts of flies are called by different names ; some call the flie bred of the water cricket or creeper a may-flie , and some a stone-flie ; some call the cadbait flie a may , and some call a short fly of a sad golden green color , with short brown wings , a may-flie : and i see no reason but all flies bred in may , are properly enough called may-flies . therefore except some one ( that hath skill ) would paint them , i can neither well give their names nor describe them , without too much trouble and prolixity ; nor as i alleaged , in regard of the variety of soils and rivers , describe the flies that are bred and frequent each : but the angler ( as i before directed ) having found the flie which the fish at present affect , let him make one as like it as possibly he can , in colour , shape , proportion ; and for his better imitation let him lay the natural flie before him . all this premised and considered , let him go on to make his flie , which according to my own practice i thus advise . first , i begin to set on my hook , ( placing the hair on the inside of its shank ) with such coloured silk as i conceive most proper for the flie , beginning at the end of the hook , and when i come to that place which i conceive most proportionable for the wings , then i place such coloured feathers there , as i apprehend most resemble the wings of the flie , and set the points of the wings towards the head , or else i run the feathers ( and those must be stript from the quill or pen , with part of it still cleaving to the feathers ) round the hook , and so make them fast , if i turn the feathers round the hook , then i clip away those that are upon the back of the hook , that so ( if it be possible ) the point of the hook may be forced by the feathers ( left on the inside of the hook ) to swim upwards ; and by this means i conceive the stream will carry your flies wings in the posture of one flying ; whereas if you set the points of the wings backwards , towards the bending of the hook , the stream ( if the feathers be gentle as they ought ) will fould the points of the wings in the bending of the hook , as i have often found by experience : after i have set on the wing , i go on so far as i judge fit , till i fasten all , and then begin to make the body , and the head last , the body of the flie i make several wayes , if the flie be one intire colour , then i take a worsted thred , or moccado end , or twist wooll or fur into a kind of thred , or wax a small slender silk thred , and lay wooll , fur , &c. upon it , and then twist , and the material will stick to it , and then go on to make my flie small or large , as i please . if the flie ( as most are ) be of several colours , and those running in circles round the flie , then i either take two of these threds ( fastning them first towards the bent of the hook ) and so run them round , and fasten all at the wings , and then make the head , or else i lay upon the hook wooll , fur of hare , dog , fox , bear , cow , hog , ( which close to their bodies have a fine fur ) and with a silk of the other colour bind the same wooll or fur down , and then fasten all : or instead of the silk running thus round the fly , you may pluck the feather from one side of those long feathers which grow about a cock or capons neck or tail ( which some call hackle ) then run the same round your flie , from head to tail , making both ends fast ; but you must be sure to sute the feather answerable to the colour you are to imitate in the flie● ; and this way you may counterfeit those rough insects ( which some call wooll-beds , because of their wool-like outside , and rings of divers colours ) i take them to be palmer worms , which the fish much delight in . let me adde this onely , that some flies have forked tails , and some have horns , both which you must imitate with a slender hair fastned to the head or tail of your flie , when you first set on your hook , and in all things , as length , colour , as like the natural flie as possibly you can : the head is made after all the rest of the body , of silk or hair , as being of a more shining glossy colour , than the other materials , as usually the head of the flie is more bright than the body , and is usually of a different colour from the body : sometimes i make the body of the flie with a peacocks feather , but that is onely one sort of flie , whose colour nothing else that i could ever get would imitate , being the short , sad , golden , green flie i before mentioned , which i make thus ; take one strain of a peacocks feather ( or if that be not sufficient , then another ) wrap it about the hook , till the body be according to your mind ; if your flie be of divers colours , and those lying long-wayes from head to tail , then i take my dubbing , and lay them on the hook long-wayes , one colour by another ( as they are mixt in the natural flie ) from head to tail , then bind all on , and make it fast with silk of the most predominant colour ; and this i conceive is a more artificial way than is practised by many anglers , who use to make such a flie all of one colour , and bind it on with silk , so that it looks like a flie with round circles , but nothing at all resembles the flie it is intended for ; the head , horns , tail , are made as before . that you may the better counterfeit all sorts of flies , get furs of all sorts and colours you can possibly procure , as of bears hair , foxes , cows , hogs , dogs , who next their bodies have a fine soft hair or fur , moccado ends , crewels , and dyed wooll of all colours , with feathers of cocks , capons , hens , teals , mallards , widgeons , pheasants , partridges , the feather under the mallard , teal or widgeons wings , and about their tails , about a cock or capons neck and tail , of all colours ; and generally of all birds , kite , hickwall , &c. that you may make yours exactly of the colour with the natural flie . and here i must give some cautions and directions , as for the natural flie , and so pass on to baits for angling at the ground . . when you angle with the artificial flie , you must either fish in a river not fully cleared from some rain lately fallen , that had discoloured it ; or in a moorish river , discoloured by moss or bogs ; or else in a dark cloudy day , when a gentle gale of wind moves the water , but if the wind be high , yet so as you may guide your tools with advantage , they will rise in the plain deeps , and then and there you will commonly kill the best fish ; but if the wind be little or none at all , you must angle in the swift streams . . you must keep your artificial flie in continuall motion , though the day be dark , water muddy , and wind blow , or else the fish will discerne and refuse it . . if you angle in a river that is mudded by rain , or passing through mosses or bogs , you must use a larger bodyed flie than ordinary ; which argues that in clear rivers the flie must be smaller , and this not being observed by some , hindereth their sport , and they impute their want of success to their want of the right flie , when perhaps they have it , but made too large . . if the water be clear and low , then use a small-bodied fl●e with slender wings . . when the water beginneth to clear after rain , and is of a brownish colour , then a red or orenge flie . . if the day be clear , then a light coloured flie , with slender body and wings . . in dark weather as well as dark waters your flie must be dark . . if the water be of a whey colour or whitish , then use a black or brown flie , yet these six last rules do not alwayes hold , though usually they do , or else i had omitted them . . observe principally the belly of the flie , for that colour the fish observe most , as most in their eye . . when you angle with an artificial flie , your line may be twice the length of your rod , except the river be much cumbred with wood and trees . . for every sort of flie have three , one of a lighter colour , another sadder than the natural flie , and a third of the exact colour with the flie , to sute all waters and weathers as before . . i could never find ( by any experience of mine own or other mans observation ) that fish would freely and eagerly rise at the artificial flie in any slow muddy river ; by muddy rivers i mean such rivers , whose bottom or ground is slime or mud ; for such as are mudded by rain ( as i have already , and shall afterwards further shew ) at some times and seasons i would chuse to angle , yet in standing meers or sloughs i have known them ( in a good wind ) to rise very well , but not so in slimy rivers , either weever in cheshire , or sow in stafford-shire , and others in warwick-shire , &c. and blackwater in ulster ; in the last , after many tryals i could never find ( though in its best streams ) almost any sport , save at its influx into lough neaugh , but there the working of the lough makes it sandy ; and they will bite also near tome shanes castle , mountjoy , antrim , &c. even to admiration ; yet sometimes they will rise in that river a little , but not comparable to what they will do in every little lough , in any small gale of wind : and though i have often reasoned in my own thoughts to search out the true cause of this , yet i could never so fully satisfie my owne judgment , so as to conclude any thing positively ; yet have taken up these two ensuing particulars as most probable . . i did conceive the depth of the loughs might hinder the force of the sun-beams from operating upon , or heating the mud , which in those rivers ( though deep , yet not so deep by much as the loughs ) i apprehend it doth , because in great droughts fish bite but little in any river , but nothing at all in slimy rivers , in regard the mud is not cooled by the constant and swift motion of the river , as in gravelly or sandy rivers , where ( in fit seasons ) they rise most freely , and bite most eagerly , save as before in droughts , notwithstanding at that season some sport may be had , ( though not with the flie ) whereas nothing at all will be done in muddy slow rivers . . my second supposition was , whether ( according to that old received axiom , suo cuique similima coelo ) the fish might not partake of the nature of the river , in which they are bred and live , as we see in men born in fenny , boggy , low , moist grounds , and thick air , who ordinarily want that present quickness , vivacity and activity of body and mind , which persons born in dry , hilly , sandy soils and clear air , are usually endued withall : and so the fish participating of the nature of the muddy river , which are ever slow , ( for if they were swift , the stream would cleanse them from all mud ) are not so quick , lively and active , as those bred in swift , sandy or stony rivers , and so coming to the flie with more deliberation , discern the same to be counterfeit , and forsake it ; whereas on the contrary , in stony , sandy , swift rivers ( being more cold ) the fish are more active , and so more hungry and eager , the stream and hand keeping the flie in continual motion , they snap the same up without any pause , lest so desireable a morsel escape them . . you must have a very quick eye , a nimble rod and hand , and strike with the rising of the fish , or he instantly finds his mistake , and putteth out the hook again : i could never ( my eye-sight being weak ) discern perfectly where my flie was , the wind and stream carrying it so to and again , that the line was never any certain direction or guide to me ; but if i saw any fish rise , i use to strike if i discerned it might be within the length of my line . . be sure in casting that your flie fall first into the water , if the line fall first , it scareth the fish ; therefore draw it back , and cast againe , that the flie may fall first . . when you try how to fit your colour to the flie , wet your fur , hair , wool or moccado , otherwise you will fail in your work ; for though when they are dry they exactly sute the colour of the flie , yet the water will alter most colours , and make them lighter or darker . the best way to angle with the cadbait , is to fish with it on the top of the water as you do with the flie ; it must stand upon the shank of the hook , as doth the artificial flie , ( if it come into the bent of the hook , the fish will little or not at all value it , nor if you pull the blue gut out of it ) and to make it keep that place , you must , when you set on your hook , fasten a horse-hair or two under the silk , with the ends standing a very little out from under the silk , and pointing towards the line , and this will keep it from sliding back into the bent ; and thus used it is a most excellent bait for a trout . you may imitate the cadbait , by making the body of shammy , the head black silk . i might here insert several sorts of flies , with the colours that are used to make them ; but for the reasons before given , that their colours alter in several rivers and soils , and also because though i name the colours , yet it s not easie to chuse that colour by any description , except so largely performed as would be over large , and swell this small piece beyond my intended conciseness ; and i suppose the former directions ( which are easie and short ) if rightly observed , are full enough and sufficient for making and finding out all sorts of flies in all rivers . i shall only adde , that the salmon flies must be made with wings standing one behind the other , whether two-or four ; also he delights in the most gaudy and orient colours you can chuse ; the wings i mean chiefly , if not altogether , with long tails and wings . chap. iv. of angling at the ground . now we are come to the second sort of angling , ( viz. ) , under the water , which if it be with the ground-line for the trout , then you must not use any flote at all , onely a plumb of lead , which i would wish might be a small bullet , the better to rowle on the ground ; and it must also be lighter or heavier , as the stream runneth swift or slow , and you must place it about nine inches or a foot from the hook , the lead must run upon the ground , and you must keep your line as streight as possible , yet by no means so as to raise the lead from the ground ; your top must be very gentle , that the fish may more easily , and ( to himself ) insensibly run away with the bait , and not be scared with the stiffnesse of the rod ; and if you make your top of black-thorn and whale-bone , as i before directed , it will conduce much to this purpose : neither must you strike so soon as you feel the fish bite , but slack your line ( a little ) that so he may more securely swallow the bait , and hook himself , which he will sometimes do , especially if he be a good one ; however the least jerk hooks him , and indeed you can scarce strike too easily . your tackle must be very fine and slender , and so you will have more sport than if you had strong lines , ( which fright the fish ) but the slender line is easily broke with a small jerk . the morning and evening are best for the ground-line for a trout in clear weather and water , but in cloudy weather or muddy water , you may angle at ground all day . . you may also in the night angle for the trout with two great garden worms , hanging as equally in length as you can place them on your hook ; cast them from you as you would cast the flie , and draw them to you again upon the top of the water , and suffer them not to sink ; therefore you must use no lead this way of angling ; you may hear the fish rise , give some time for him to gorge your bait , as at the ground , then strike gently . i● he will not take them at the top , adde some lead , and try at the ground , as in the day time , when you feel him bite , order your self as in day angling at the ground : usually the best trouts bite in the night , and will rise in the still deeps , but not ordinarily in the stream . . you may angle also with a menow for the trout , which you must put on your hook thus ; first , put your hook through the very point of his lower chap , and draw it quite through , then put your hook in at his mouth , and bring the point to his tail , then draw your line streight , and it will bring him into a round compass , and close his mouth that no water get in , which you must avoid , or you may stitch up his mouth : or you may ( when you set on your hook ) fasten some bristles under the silk , leaving the points above a straws breadth and half , or almost half an inch standing out towards the line , which will keep him from slipping back . you may also imitate the menow as well as the flie , but it must be done by an artist with the needle . you must also have a swivel or turn , placed about a yard or more from your hook ; you need no lead on your line , you must continually draw your bait up the stream near the top of the water . if you strike a large trout , and she either break hook or line , or get off , then near to her hold ( if you can discover it ) or the place you strook her , fix a short stick in the water , and with your knife loose a small piece of the rind , so as you may lay your line in it , and yet the barck be close enough to keep your line in that it slip not out , nor the stream carry it away ; bait your hook with a garden or lob-worm ( let your hook and line be very strong ) let the bait hang a foot from the stick , then fasten the other end of your line to some stick or bough in the bank , and within one hour you may be sure of her if all your tackle hold . the next way of angling is with a trowle for the pike , which is very delightful , you may buy your trowle ready made , therefore i shall not trouble my self to describe it , onely let it have a winch to wind it up withall . for this kind of fish your tackle must be strong , your rod must not be very slender at the top , where you must place a small slender ring for your line to run through , let your line be silk at least two yards next the hook , and the rest of strong shoomakers thred , your hook double , and strongly armed with wire for above a foot , then with a probe or needle you must draw the wire in at the fishes mouth and out at the tail , that so the hook may lie in the mouth of the fish , and both the poynts on either side ; upon the shank of the hook fasten some lead very smooth , that it go into the fishes mouth and sink her with the head downward , as though she had been playing on the top of the water , and were returning to the bottom ; your bait may be small roch , dace , gudgeon , loch , or a frog sometimes , your hook thus baited , you must tie the tail of the fish close and fast to the wire , or else with drawing to and again the fish will rend off the hook , or which i judge neater with a needle and strong thred , stitch through the fish on either side the wire and tie it very fast : all being thus fitted , cast your fish up and down in such places as you know pikes frequent , observing still that he sink some depth before you pull him up again . when the pike commeth ( if it be not sunk deep ) you may see the water move , or at least you may feel him , then slack your line and give him length enough to run away to his hould , whither he will go directly , and there pouch it , ever beginning ( as you may observe ) with the head swallowing that first , thus let him lie untill you see the line move in the water , and then you may certainly conclude he hath pouched your bait , and rangeth abroad for more , then with your troul wind up your line till you think you have it almost streight , then with a smart jerk hook him , and make your pleasure to your content . some use no rod at all , but hold the line in links on their hand , using lead and float : others use a very great hook with the hook at the tail of the fish , and when the pike commeth then they strike at the first pull , others use to put a strong string or thred in at the mouth of the bait and out at one of the gills , and so over the head and in at the other gill , and so tie the bait to the hook , leaving a little length of the thred or string betwixt the fish and the hook , that so the pike may turn the head of the bait the better to swallow it , & then as before , after some pause strike . some u●e to tie the bait-hook and line to a bladder or bundle of flags or bull-rushes , fastning the line very gently in the cleft of a small stick , to hold the bait from sinking more then ( its allowed length ) half a yard , and the stick must be fastned to the bladder or flags , to which the line being tyed that it may easily unfold and run to its length , and so give the pike liberty to run away with the bait , and by the bladder or flags recover their line again . you must observe this way to turn off your bait with the wind or stream , that they may carry it away , or some use ( for more sport , if the pike be a great one ) to tie the same to the foot of a goose which the pike ( if large ) will sometime pull under the water . before i proceed to give you each sort of bait for every kind of fish ; give me leave to adde a caution or two , for the ground-line and fishing , as i did for the natural and artificial flie , and then we shall go on . there are two wayes of fishing for eels ; proper and peculiar to that fish alone ; the first is termed by some , brogling for eels , which is thus , take a short strong rod and exceeding strong line , with a little compassed but strong hook , which you must bait with a large well scoured red-worm , then place the end of the hook very easily in a cleft of a stick , that it may very easily slip out ; with this stick and hook thus baited , search for holes under stones , timber , roots , or about floud-gates ; if there be a good eele , give her time and she will take it , but be sure she hath gorged it , and then you may conclude , if your tackling or hold fail not , she is your own . the other way is called bobbing for eeles , which is thus ; take the largest garden-worms , scower them well , and with a needle run a very strong thred or silk through them from end to end , take so many as that at last you may wrap them about a board ( for your hand will be too narrow ) a dozen times at least , then tye them fast with the two ends of the thred or silk , that they may hang in so many long bouts or hanks , then fasten all to a strong cord , and something more than a handful above the worms , fasten a plumb of lead , of about three quarters of a pound , and then make your cord sure to a long and strong pole ; with these worms thus ordered you must fish in a muddy water , and you will feel the eeles tugge strongly at them ; when you think they have swallowed them as far as they can , gently draw up your worms and eeles , and when you have them near the top of the water , hoist them amain to land ; and thus you may take three or four at once , and good ones if there be store . . when you angle at ground , keep your line as streight as possible , suffering none of it to lye in the water , because it hindereth the nimble jerk of the rod , but if ( as sometimes it will happen ) you cannot avoid , but some little will lie in the water , yet keep it in the stream above your float , by no meanes below it . . when you angle at ground for small fish , put two hooks to your line fastned together thus ; lay the two hooks together , then draw the one shorter than the other by nine inches , this causeth the other end to over-reach as much as that is shorter at the hooks , then turn that end back to make a bought or boute , and with a water-knot ( in which you must make both the links to fasten ) tye them so as both links may hang close together , and not come out at both ends of the knot ; upon that link which hangeth longest , fasten your lead near a foot above the hook , put upon your hooks two different baits , and so you may try ( with more ease and less time ) what bait the fish love best : and also very often ( as i have done ) take two fish at once with one rod : you have also by this experiment one bait for such as feed close upon the ground , as gudgeon , flounder , &c. and another for such as feed a little higher , as roch , dace , &c. . some use to lead their lines heavily , and to set their cork about a foot or more from the end of the rod , with a little lead to buoy it up , and thus in violent swift streams they avoid the offence of a flote , and yet perfectly discern the biting of the fish , and so order themselves accordingly ; but this hath its inconvenience , ( viz. ) the lying of the line in the water . . give all fish time to gorge the bait , and be not over hasty , except you angle with such tender baits , as will not endure nibbling at , but must upon every touch be struck at ( as sheeps-bloud-flies , which are taken away at the first pull of the fish ) and therefore enforce you at the first touch to try your fortune . now we are to speak next of baits , more particularly proper for every fish , wherein i shall observe this method , first to name the fish , then the baits , ( according as my experience hath proved them ) grateful to the fish , and to place them as near as i can in such order as they come in season , though many of them are in season at one instant of time , and equally good . i would not be understood , as if when a new bait cometh in , the old one were antiquated and useless ; for i know the worm lasteth all the year , flie all summer , one sort of bob all winter ; the other under cow-dung in june and july : but i intimate that some are found when others are not in rerum natura . chap. v. of all sorts of baits for each kind of fish , and how to find and keep them . . the salmon taketh the artificial flie very well , but you must use a trowle ( as for the pike ) or he being a strong fish will hazard your line , except you give him length ; his flies must be much larger than you use for other fish , the wings very long ( two or four ) behind one another , with very long tails ; his chiefest ground-bait a great garden or lob-worm . . the trout takes all sorts of worms , especially brandlings ; all sorts of flies , menow , young frogs , marsh-worme , dock-worme , flag-worme ; all sorts of cadbait , bob , palmers , caterpillers , gentles , wasps , hornets , dores , bees , grashoppers , cankers and bark-worm ; he is a ravenous greedy fish , and loveth a large bait at ground , and you must fit him accordingly . . the umber is generally taken with the same baits as the trout ; he is an eager fish , biteth freely , and will rise often at the same flie , if you prick him not . the barbel bites best at great red worms well scowered in moss , at cheese and several sorts of pastes , and gentles . . carp and tench love the largest red worms , the tench especially if they smell much of tar ; to which end you may some small time before you use them , take so many as you will use at that time , and put them by themselves in a little tar , but let them not lye long lest it kill them ; paste also of all sorts made with strong-sented oyles , tar , bread-grain boiled soft , maggots , gentles , marsh-worm , flag-worm , especially feed much and often for these fish. . the pike taketh all sorts of baits , ( save the flie ) gudgeon , roches , dace , loaches , young frogs in summer : you may halter him thus ; fasten a strong line with a snare at the end of it to a pole , which if you go circumspectly to work , he will permit you to put it over his head , and then you must by strength hoist him to land . . eeles , take great red worms , beef , wasps , guts of fowles and menow : bait night-hooks for him with small roches , the hook must lye in the mouth of the fish , as for the pike ; this way takes the greatest eeles . . barbel , cheese , or paste made of it with suet , maggots and red worms , feed much for this fish. . the gadgeon , ruff and bleak take the smallest red worms , cadbait , gentles , wasps : the bleak takes the natural or artificial flie , especially in the evening . the ruff taketh the same baits as the pearch , save that you must have lesser worms , he being a smaller fish. . roch and dace , small worms , cadbait , flies , bobs , sheeps bloud , small white snails , all sorts of worms bred on herbs or trees , paste , wasps , gnats , cherries and lipberries . the bleak is an eager fish , and takes the same baits as the roch , onely they must be less : you may angle for him with as many hooks , on your line at once , as you can conveniently fasten on it . . chevin , all sorts of earth , worms , bob , menow , flies of all sorts , cadbait , all sorts of worms bred on herbs and trees , especially oak-worms , young frogs , cherries , wasps , dores , bees , grashopper at the top of the water , cheese , grain , beetles , a great brown flie that lives on the oak like a scarrabee , black snails , their bellies slit that the white appear ; he loveth a large bait , as a waspe , colwort-worm , and then a waspe altogether . . bream , loveth red worms , especially those that are got at the root of a great dock , it lyeth wrapped up in a knot or round clue ; paste , flag-worms , wasps , green flies , butter-flies , a grashopper his legs cut off . . flownder , shad , suant , thwait and mullet , love red worms of all sorts , wasps and gentles . as for the menow , loach , bull-head or millers-thumb , being usually childrens recreation , i once purposed to have omitted them wholly , but considering they often are baits for better fish , as trout , pike , eele , &c. neither could this discourse be general if they were omitted ; and though i should wave mentioning them , yet i cannot forget them , who have so often vexed me with their unwelcome eagernesse ; for the menow will have a part in the play , if you come where he is , which is almost every where , you need not seek him ; i use to find him oftner than i desire , onely deep still places he least frequents of any , and is not over curious in his baits ; any thing will serve that he can swallow , and he will strain hard for what he cannot gorge ; but chiefly loveth smallest red wormes , cadbait , worms bred on herbs or trees , and wasps . the loach and bullhead are much of the same dyet , but their principall bait is smallest red worms , having spoken before of pastes , i shall now shew how you may make the same ; and though there be as many kinds as men have fancies , yet i esteem these best . . take the tenderest part of the leg of a young rabbet , whelp or catling , as much virgin wax and sheeps suet , beat them in a mortar till they be perfectly incorporated , then with a little clarified honey temper them before the fire into a paste . . sheeps kidney suet , as much cheese , fine flower or manchet , make it into a paste , soften it with clarifyed honey . . sheeps bloud , cheese , fine manchet , clarifyed honey , make all into a paste . . cherries , sheeps bloud , saffron , and fine manchet , make all into a paste . you may adde to any paste coculus indie , assa foetida , oyle of polipody of the oak , of lignum vitae , of ivie , or the gum of ivie dissolved : i judge there is vertue in these oyles , and gum especially , which i would adde to all pastes i make ; as also a little flax to keep the paste that it wash not off the hook . chap. vi. to keep your baits . . paste will keep very long if you put virgin wax and clarified honey into it , and stick well on the hook if you beat cotton wooll or flax into it , when you make your paste . . put your worms into very good long moss , whether white , red or green , i matter not ; wash it well , and cleanse it from all earth and filth , wring it very dry , then put your moss and worms into an earthen pot , cover it close that they crawle not out , set it in a cool place in summer , and in winter in a warm place , that the frost kill them not ; every third day in summer change your moss , once in the week in winter ; the longer you keep them before you use them , the better : clean scowering your worms makes them clearer , redder , tougher , and to live long on the hook , and to keep colour , and therefore more desireable to the fish : a little bole-armoniack put to them will much further your desire , and scower them in a short time : or you may put them all night in water , and they will scower themselves , but will be weak ; but a few hours in good moss will recover them . but lest your worms die , you may feed them with crums of bread and milk , or fine flowre and milk , or the yelk of an egge and sweet cream coagulated over the fire , give them a little and often ; sometimes also put to them earth cast out of a grave , the newer the grave the better , i mean the shorter time the party hath been buried , you will find the fish will exceedingly covet them after this earth ; & here you may gather what gum that is , which j. d. in his secrets of angling , calleth gum of life . . you must keep all other sorts of worms with the leaves of those trees and herbs , on which they are bred , renewing the leaves often in a day , and put in fresh for the old ones : the boxes you keep them in , must have a few small holes to let in air . . keep gentles or maggots with dead flesh , beasts livers or suet , cleanse or scower them in meal , or bran which is better ; you may breed them by pricking a beasts liver full of holes , hang it in the sun in summer time , set an old course barrel or small firken with clay and bran in it , into which they will drop , and cleanse themselves in it . . cadbait cannot endure the wind and cold , therefore keep them in a thick woollen bag , with some gravel amongst them , wet them once a day at least if in the house , but often in the hot weather ; when you carry them forth , fill the bag full of water , then hold the mouth close , that they drop not out , and so let the water run from them ; i have thus kept them three weeks : or you may put them into an earthen pot full of water , with some gravel at the bottom , and take them forth into your bag as you use them . . the spawn of some fish is a good bait , to be used at such time as that fish spawneth , some dayes before they spawn they will bite eagerly ; if you take one that is full-bellied , take out the spawn , boil it so hard as to stick on your hook , and so use it ; or not boil it at all , the spawn of salmon is best of all sorts of spawn . . i have observed , that chevin , roch , dace bite much better at the oak-worm , ( or any worm bred on herbs or trees ) especially if you angle with the same ( when they shew themselves ) at the top of the water , ( as with the natural flie ) then if you use it under ; for i have observed , that when a gale of wind shaketh the trees , the worms fall into the water , and presently rise and flote on the top , where i have seen the fish rise at them as at flies , which taught me this experience , and indeed they sink not till tost and beaten by the stream , and so they dye and lose their colour , and then the fish ( as you may see by your own on your hook ) do not much esteem them . . there are two ; some say three , sorts of cadbait ; the one bred under stones , that lye hollow in shallow rivers or small brooks , in a very fine gravelly case or husk , these are yellow when ripe : the other in old pits , ponds or slow running rivers or ditches , in cases or husks of straw , sticks or rushes , these are green when ripe ; both are excellent for a trout , used as before is directed , and for most sorts of small fish. the green sort , which is bred in pits , ponds or ditches , may be found in march before the other yellow ones come in ; the other yellow ones come in season with may or the end of april , and go out in july : a second sort , but smaller , come in again in august . . yellow bobs are also of two sorts , the one bred in mellow light soils , and gathered after the plough when the land is first broken up from grazing , and are in season in the winter till march ; the other sort is bred under cow-dung , hath a red head ; and these are in season in the summer only : scowre them in bran , or dry moss , or meal . . under the bark of an oak , ash , alder , and birch especially , if they lie a year or more after they are fallen , you may find a great white worm , with a brown head , something resembling a dore-bee or humble-bee , this is in season all the year , especially from september until june , or mid - may ; the umber covets this bait above any , save fly and cad-bait : you may also find this worm in the body of a rotted alder , if you break it with an ax or beetle , but be careful only to shake the tree in pieces with beating , and crush not the worm : you may also find him under the bark of the stump of a tree , if decayed . . dry your wasps , dares , or bees upon a tile-stone , or in an oven cooled after baking , lest they burn ; and to avoid that , you must lay them on a thin board or chip , and cover them with another so supported , as not to crush them , or else clap two cakes together : this way they will keep long , and stick on your hook well . if you boyl them hard , they grow black in a few days . . dry your sheeps blood in the air upon a dry board , till it become a pretty hard lump ; then cut it into small pieces for your use . . when you use grain , boyl it soft , and get off the outward rind , which is the bran ; and then if you will , you may fry the same in honey and milk , or some strong sented oyls , as polypody , spike , ivy , tunpentine ; for nature , which maketh nothing in vain , hath given the fish nostrils , and that they can smell is undeniable ; and , i am perswaded , are more guided by the sense of smelling than sight ; for sometimes they will come to the float , if any wax be upon it , smell at it and go away . we see also that strong sents draw them together ; as , put grains , worms , or snails in a bottle of hay tied pretty close , and you will , if you pluck it out suddenly , sometimes draw up eeles in it . but i never yet made trial of any of these oyls ; for , when i had the oyls , i wanted time to try them ; or when i had time , i wanted the oyls : but i recommend them to tryal of others , and do purpose ( god willing ) to prove their virtue my self , especially that oyntment so highly commended by i. d. in his secret of angling . . when you see the ant-flyes in greatest plenty , go to the ant-hills where they breed , take a great handful of the earth , with as much of the roots of the grass that groweth on those hills , put all into a large glass bottle , then gather a pottle full of the blackest ant-flyes unbruised , put them into the bottle ( or into a firkin , if you would keep them long ) first washed with honey , or water and honey ; roach and dace will bite at these flyes under water near the ground . . when you gather bobs after the plough , put them into a firkin with sufficient of the soyle they were bred in , to preserve them , stop the vessel exceeding close , or all will spoyl , set it where neither wind nor frost may offend them , and they will keep all winter for your use . . at the later end of september , take some dead carrion that hath some maggots bred in it that begin to creep , bury all deep in the ground , that the frost kill them not , and they will serve in march or april following to use . . to find the flag-worm do thus , go to an old pond or pit where there are store of flags , or ( as some call them ) sedges , pull some up by the roots , then shake those roots in the water , till all the mud and dirt be washed away from them , then amongst the small strings or fibres that grow to the roots , you will find little husks or cases of a reddish or yellowish , and some of other colours , open these carefully with a pin , and you will find in them a little small worm , white as a gentle , but longer and slenderer ; this is an excellent bait for tench , bream , especially carp : if you pull the flags in sunder , and cut open the round stalk , you will also finde a worm like the former in the husks , but tougher , and in that respect better . chap. vii . of several haunts or resorts of fishes , and in what rivers or places of them they are most usually found . this part of our discourse being a discovery of the several places or rivers each kind of fish doth most haunt , or covet , and in which they are ordinarily found . the several sorts of rivers , streams , soyls and waters they most frequent , is a matter ( in this under valuable art ) of no smal importance ; for if you come with baits for the trout or umber , and angle for them in slow muddy rivers or places , you will have little ( if any ) sport at all : and to seek for carp or tench in stony swift rivers , is equally preposterous ; and though i know that some times you may meet with fish in such rivers and places , as they do not usually frequent ( for no general rule but admits of particular exceptions ) yet the exact knowledge of what rivers or soyls , or what part of the river ( for some rivers have swift gravelly streams , and also slow , deep , muddy places ) such or such sorts of fish do most frequent , will exceedingly adapt you , to know what rivers , or what part of them are most fit for your baits , or what baits suit best with each river , and the fish in the same . . the salmon loveth large swift rivers where it ebbeth and floweth , and there they are found in greatest numbers ; nevertheless i have known them to be found in lesser rivers , high up in the country , yet chiefly in the later end of the year , when they come thither to spawn , he chuseth the most swift and violent streams , ( or rather cataracts ) and in england the clearest gravelly rivers usually with rocks or weeds ; but in ireland i do not know any river ( i mean high in the country ) that hath such plenty of them , as the black water by charlemont , and the broad water by shanes castle , both which have their heads in great boggs , and are of a dark muddy colour , and very few ( comparatively ) in the upper ban , though clearer and swifter than they . . the trout loveth small purling brooks , or rivers that are very swift , and run upon stones or gravel ; he feedeth whilest strong in the swiftest streams behind a stone , logge , or some small bank that shooteth into the river , which the streams beareth upon ; and there he lieth watching for what cometh down the stream , and suddenly catcheth it up ; his hold is usually in the deep , under a hollow place of the bank , or a stone that lieth hollow , which he loveth exceedingly ; and sometimes , but not so usually he is found amongst weeds . . the pearch loveth a gentle stream of a reasonable depth , ( seldom shallow ) close by a hollow bank ; and though these three sorts of fish covet clear and swift rivers , green weeds and stony gravel ; yet they are sometimes found ( but not in such plenty and goodness ) in slow muddy rivers . . carp , tench and eele seek mud and a still water ; eeles under roots or stones , a carp chuseth the deepest and stillest place of pond or river , so doth the tench , and also green weeds , which he loveth exceedingly : greatest eeles love as before , but the smaller ones are found in all sorts of rivers and soils . . pike , bream and chub , chuse sand or clay ; the bream a gentle stream and broadest part of the river ; the pike still pools full of frie , and shelters himself ( the better to surprise his prey unawares ) amongst bull-rushes , water-docks , or under bushes ; the chub loves the same ground , ( is more rarely found without some tree to shade and cover him ) large rivers and streams . . barbel , roch , dace , ruff , seek gravel and sand more than the bream , and the deepest parts of the river , where shady trees are more grateful to them , than to the chub or chevin . . the umber desires marle , clay , clear waters , swift streams , far from the sea , ( for i never saw any taken near it ) and the greatest plenty of them that i know of , are found in the mountainous parts of derby-shire , stafford-shire , as dove-trent , derwent , &c. . gudgeon desires sandy , gravelly , gentle streams , and smaller rivers , but i have known them taken in great abundance in trent in derby shire , where it is very large , but conceive them to be in greater plenty nearer the head of that river about or above heywood : i can say the same of other rivers , and therefore conceive they love smaller rivers rather than the large , or the small brooks ; for i never found them in so great plenty in brooks , as small rivers : he bites best in the spring till he spawns , and little after till wasp time . . shad , thwait , peel , mullet , suant and flounder , love chiefly to be in or near the saltish waters , where it ebbeth and floweth ; i have known the flounder taken ( in good plenty ) in fresh rivers , they covet sand and gravel , deep gentle streams near the bank , or at the end of a stream in a deep still place : though these rules may and do hold good in the general , yet i have found them admit of particular exceptions ; but every mans habitation ingageth him to one or ( usually at most to ) two rivers , his own experience will quickly inform him of the nature of the same , and the fish in them . i would perswade all that love angling , and desire to be complete anglers , to spend some time in all sorts of ▪ waters , ponds , rivers , swift and slow , stony , gravelly , muddy and slimy ; and to observe all the differences in the nature of the fish , the waters and baits , and by this means he will be able to take fish where ever he angleth ; otherwise ( through want of experience ) he will be like the man that could read in no book but his own ; besides , a man ( his occasions or desires drawing him from home ) must onely stand as an idle spectator , whilest others kill fish , but he none , and so lose the repute of a complete angler , how excellent soever he be at his own known river . furthermore , you must understand , that as some fish covet one soil more than another ; so they differ in their choice of places , in every season : some keep all summer long near the top , some never leave the bottom ; for the former sort you may angle with a quill or small flote near the top , with a flie or any sort of worm bred on herbs or trees ; or with a flie at the top : the later sort you will all summer long find at the tails of wiers , mills , floud-gates , arches of bridges , or the more shallow parts of the river , in a strong , swift or gentle stream , except carp , and tench , and eele ; in winter all flye into the deep still places : where it ebbeth and floweth they will sometimes bite best , in the ebbe most usually , sometimes when it floweth , rarely at full water near the arches of bridges , wiers , floud-gates . chap. viii . what times are unseasonable to angle in . there being a time for all things , in which with ease and facility the same may be accomplished , and most difficult , if not impossible , at another : the skill and knowledge how to chuse the best season to angle , and how to avoid the contrary , come next to be handled ; which i shall do first negatively , viz. what times are unfit to angle ; and then affirmatively , which are the best seasons . . when the earth is parched with a great drought , so that the rivers run with a much less current than is usual , it s to no purpose to angle ; and indeed the heat of the day in summer ( except cooled by winds , and shaddowed with clouds , though there be no drought ) you will find very little sport , especially in muddy , or very shallow and clear rivers . . in cold , frosty , snowy weather , i know the fish must eat in all seasons , and that a man may kill fish when he must first break the ice ; yet i conceive the sport is not then worth pursuing , the extreme cold taking away the delight ; besides , the indangering health ( if not life ) by those colds , which at least cause rhumes and coughs : wherefore i leave winter and night angling to such strong healthful bodies , whose extraordinary delight in angling , or those whose necessity enforceth them to seek profit by their recreation in such unseasonable times . . when there happeneth any small frost , all that day after the fish will not rise freely and kindly , except in the evening , and that the same prove very pleasant . . if the wind be extream high , so that you cannot guide your tools to advantage . . when shepherds or country-men wash their sheep , though whilest they are washing ( i mean the first time onely ) the fish will bite exceedingly well ; i suppose the filth that falleth from the sheep doth draw them ( as your baiting a place ) together , and then they so glut themselves , that till the whole washing time be over , and they have disgested their fulness , they will not take any artificial baits . . sharp , bitter , nipping winds , which most usually blow out of the north or east especially , blast your recreation ; but this is rather the season than the wind , though i also judge those winds have a secret maligne quality to hinder the recreation . . after any sort of fish have spawned they will not bite any thing to purpose , until they have recovered their strength and former appetite . . when any clouds arise that will certainly bring a showre , or storm ( though in the midst of summer ) they will not bite : i have observed that though the fish bite most eagerly , and to your hearts content , yet upon the first appearing of any clouds , that will certainly bring rain ( though my own judgment could not then apprehend , or in the least conjecture , that a storm was arising ) they have immediately left off biting ; and that hath been all that hath given me to understand that a showre was coming , and that it was prudence to seek shelter against the same . chap. ix . the best times and seasons to angle . we now come to the affirmamative part , which is the best season to angle , that as before we discovered when it would be lost labour to seek recreation ; so now you may learn to improve opportunity ( when it offers it self ) to best advantage . . calm , clear ( or which is better ) coole cloudy weather in summer , the wind blowing gently , so as you may guide your tools with ease ; in the hottest months the cooler the better . . when the floods have carried away all the filth that the rain had washed from the higher grounds into the river , and that the river keepeth his usual bounds , and looketh of a whay colour . . when a sudden violent shower hath a little mudded and raised the river ; then if you go forth in , or immediately after such a showre , and angle in the stream at the ground ( with a red worm chiefly ) if there be store of fish in the river , you will have sport to your own desire . . a little before any fish spawn ( your own observation will inform you of the time by the fulness of their bellies ) they come into the gravelly , sandy foards to rub and loosen their bellies , and then they bite very freely . . when rivers after rain do rise , yet so as that they keep within their banks , in swift rivers the violence of the stream forceth the fish to seek shelter and quiet ease , in the little and milder currents of small brooks , where they fall into larger rivers , and behind the ends of bridges that are longer than the breadth of the river , making a low vacancy , where the bridge defends , a small spot of ground from the violence of the stream , or in any low place near the rivers side , where the fish may lie at rest and secure from the disturbance of the rapid stream ; in such a place ( being not very deep ) and at such a time , you will find sport : my self have ever found it equal to the best season . . early in the morning from ( carp and tench before ) sun rising , until eight of the clock ; and from four after noon till night ; carp and tench , from sun set till far in the night in the hot months . . in march , beginning of april , later end of september , and all winter fish bite best in the warmth of the day , no winds stirring , the air clear ; in summer months , morning and evening is best , or cool cloudy weather : if you can find shelter , no matter how high the wind be . . fish rise best at the flye after , a shower that hath not mudded the water , yet hath beaten the gnats and flyes into the rivers , you may in such a shower observe them rise much if you will endure the rain ; also the best months for the flye are march , april , may , part of june ; in the cooler months , in the warmest time of the day ; in warmer weather , about nine in the morning ; three after noon , if any gentle gale blow ; sometimes in a warm evening , when the gnats play much . also after the river is cleared from a flood they rise exceeding well , i conceive they were glutted with ground baits , and now covet the fly , having wanted it a time . . a trout bites best in a muddy rising water , in dark , cloudy , windy weather , early in the morning , from half an hour after eight till ten ; and in the afternoon , from three , till after four ; and sometimes in the evening ; but nine in the morning , and three afternoon are his chiefest and most constant hours of biting at ground or fly , as the water suits either ; march , april , may , and part of june are his chiefest months , though he bites well in july , august , and september . after a showre in the evening he riseth well at gnats . . salmon , three afternoon , chiefly in may , iune , iuly , august , a clear water and some wind , and he biteth best when the wind bloweth against the stream , and near the sea. . carp and tench , morning and evening very early and late , iune , iuly , and august , or indeed in the night . . a chevin , from sun rising or earlier ( at snails especially , for in the heat of the day he careth not for them ) in iune and iuly , till about eight ; again at three after noon at ground or fly ; and his chief fly which he most delights in , is a great moth , with a very great head , not unlike to an owl , with whitish wings and yellowish body ( you may find them flying abroad in summer evenings in gardens ) some wind stirring , large rivers chiefly , streams or shade , he will take a small lamprey or seaven-eyes , an eele-brood , either of them about a straws bigness . . pike bites best about three afternoon , in a clear water , a gentle gale ; july , august , september , october . . a bream from about sun rising till eight in a muddy water , a good gale of wind ; and in ponds the higher the wind , and where the waves are highest , and nearer the middle of the pond , the better ; end of may , june , july ( especially ) and august . . roch and dace all day long , best at the top , at flie or oak-worm principally , and at all other worms bred on herbs or trees , palmers , caterpillers , &c. in plain rivers or ponds , under water-dock-leaves , under shady trees . . gudgeon , april , and till he have spawned in may , and little after that till wasp time , and then to the end of the year all day long . . flounder all day in april , may , june , july . chap. x. general observations . . let the anglers apparel be sad dark colours , as sad gray's , tawny , purple hair or musk colour . . use shoomakers wax to your silk or thred , with which you make or mend either rod or flie ; it holds more firmly , and sticketh better than any other . . into such places as you use to angle at , once a week at least cast in all sorts of corn boyled soft , grains washed in bloud , bloud dryed and cut into pieces , snails , worms chopt small , pieces of fowle or beasts guts , beasts livers ; for carp and tench you cannot feed too often , or too much ; this course draweth the fish to the place you desire : and to keep them together , cast about twenty grains of ground malt at a time , now and then as you angle ; and indeed all sorts of baits are good to cast in , specially whilest you are angling with that bait ; principally cadbait , gentles and wasps , and you will find they will snap up yours more eagerly , and with less suspicion ; but by no means when you angle in a stream cast them in at your hook , but something above where you angle , lest the stream carry them beyond your hook , and so instead of drawing them to you , you draw them from you . . destroy all beasts or birds that devour the fish or their spawn , and endeavour ( whether in authority or not ) to see all statutes put in execution , against such as use unlawful nets or means to take fish ; especially barre netting and night-hooking . . get your rods and tops without knots , they are dangerous for breaking . . keep your rod dry , lest it rot ; and not near the fire , lest it grow brittle . . in drought wet your rod a little before you begin to angle . . lob-worms , dew-worms , and great garden worms all one . . when you angle at ground , or with the natural flie , your line must not exceed the length of your rod. for the trout at ground it must be shorter , and in some cases not half the length , as in small brooks or woody rivers , either at ground or with the natural flie . . when you have hooked a good fish , have an especial care to keep your rod bent , lest he run to the end of the line , and break your hook or his hold . . such tops or stocks as you get , must not be used till fully seasoned , which wich will not be in one year and a quarter ; but i like them better if kept till they be two years old . . the first fish you take cut up his belly , and you may then see his stomach ; it is known by its largeness and place , lying from the gills to the small guts ; take it out very tenderly , ( if you bruise it your labour and design are lost ) and with a sharp knife cut it open without bruising , and then you may find his food in it , and thereby discover what bait the fish at that instant takes best , flies or ground-baits , and so fit them accordingly . . fish are frighted with any the least sight or motion , therefore by all means keep out of sight , either by sheltering your self behind some bush or tree , or by standing so far off the rivers side , that you can see nothing but your flie or flote ; to effect this , a long rod as ground , and a long line with the artificial flie may be of use to you . and here i meet with two different opinions and practises , some alwayes cast their flie and bait up the water , and so they say nothing occurreth to the fishes sight but the line : others fish down the river , and so suppose ( the rod and line being long ) the quantity of water takes away , or at least lesseneth the fishes fight ; but the other affirm , that rod and line , and perhaps your self are seen also . in this difference of opinions i shall onely say , in small brooks you may angle upwards , or else in great rivers you must wade , as i have known some , who thereby got the sciatica , and i would not wish you to purchase pleasure at so dear a rate ; besides , casting up the river you cannot keep your line out of the water , which we noted for a fault before ; and they that use this way confess , that if in casting your flie , the line fall into the water before it , the flie were better uncast , because it frights the fish ; then certainly it must do it this way , whether the flie fall first or not , the line must first come to the fish or fall on him , which undoubtedly will fright him : therefore my opinion is , that you angle down the river , for the other way you traverse twice so much , and beat not so much ground as downwards . . keep the sun ( and moon , if night ) before you , if your eyes will endure it , ( which i much question ) at least be sure to have those planets on your side , for if they be on your back , your rod will with its shadow offend much , and the fish see further and clearer , when they look towards those lights , then the contrary ; as you may experiment thus , in a dark night if a man come betwixt you and any light , you see him clearly but not at all if the light come betwixt you and him . . when you angle for the trout , you need not make above three or four tryals in one place , either with flie or ground-bait ; for he will then either take it , or make an offer , or not stir at all , and so you lose time to stay there any longer . pearch bites exceeding well at all sorts of earth-worms , if well scowered , especially lob-wormes and brandlings , bobs , oak-wormes , gentles , cadbait , wasps , dores , menow , colwort-worm , and often as almost any bait saye the flie . he bites well all day long in seasonable weather , but chiefly from eight in the morning till after ten , and from a little before three afternoon , till almost five . . a chevin loveth to have several flies , and of divers sorts , on the hook at once , and several baits also at once on the hook ; as a wasp and colwort-worm , or an old wasp and young dore , or humble when his wings and legs are grown forth , or a flie and cad-worm or oak-worm . . take for a trowt two lob-worms well scowered , cut them into two equal halfs , put them on your hook ; this is an excellent bait . in a muddy water a trout will not take a cadbait , you must therefore onely use it in clear waters . if you desire to angle in a very swift stream , and have your bait rest in one place , and yet not overburthen your line with lead , take a stone bow or small pistoll bullet , make a hole through it , wider at each side than in the middle ; yet so open in every place , as that the line may easily pass through it without any stop ; place a very small piece of lead on your line , that may keep this bullet from falling nearer the hook than that piece of lead , and if your flote be made large enough to bear above water against the force of the stream , the fish will , when they bite , run away with the bait as securely , as if there were no more weight upon your line , than the little piece of lead , because the hole in the bullet gives passage to the line , as if it were not there . . when cattle in summer come into the foards , their dung draweth the fish unto the lower end of the foard ; at such a time angle for a chevin with baits fit for him , and you will have sport . . before you set your hook to your line , arme the line by turning the silk five or six times about the link , and so with the same hair set on your hook ; this preserves your lines , that your hook cut it not in sunder , and also that it will not , when you use the cast flie , snap off so easily , which it is very subject to do . . in very wet seasons trouts leave the rivers and larger brooks , and flee into such little brooks as scarce run at all in dry summers . . to all sorts of pastes adde flax , cotton or wooll , to keep the paste from falling off your hook . . deny not part of what your endeavours shall purchase unto any sick or indigent persons , but willingly distribute a part of your purchase to those who may desire a share . . make not a profession of any recreation , lest your immoderate love to the same bring a cross wish with it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . finis . you may be most completely furnished with all manner of fishing tackling at mr. fletchers , near st. gregories church by the west end of pauls ; or at mr. brandons , near to the swan in golden-lane ; or at mr. kirbies in harp alley in shoo-lane , who is a most choice hook-maker . the table . a angling tools when to provide page angling the several kinds . page angling at ground for the trout . page angling in the night . page angling with the menow . page anglig for the pike . page angling for the eele page angling at ground for all sorts of fish , directions . page ant-flies to keep . page b bark-worm . page bags for worms . page barbel his baits . page his haunt . page bleak his baits as the roach . page bobs . page bream his baits . page his haunt . page his time of biting . page boxes for flies , cankers , &c. page bobbing . page brogling page ibid. bulhead . page bloud to order . page c cadbait his kind . page how to keep them . page how to use them . page cane or reed its best use . page carp his baits . page his haunt . page his time of biting . page chevin or chub his baits . page his haunt . page his time of biting . page d dace his baits . page his haunt . page his time of biting . page depth of water to try . page e eele his baits . page his haunt . page his time of biting . page f flie , what fish rise best at it . page when each flie comes in . page how to find that time . page flie artificial to make . page directions how to use it . page flie natural to angle with . page directions how to use it . page why fish rise not at the artificial flie in muddy rivers so well as in others . pages , , flounder his baits . page his haunt . page his time of biting . page flag-worm . page when fish rise at the flie best . page feeding the fish . page g gudgeon his baits . page his haunt . page his time of biting . page grayling , vide umber . page grain to order . page h hooks the shape . page how to set them to the line . page to sharpen them . page l line how to make . page lines , hooks , flies to carry . page leach his baits , haunts , &c. page m menow his baits , haunts , &c. pages , mullet his baits . page ●● his haunt as the flounder . page maggots to breed and keep . page o oak-worm how to use , and when the fish take it best . page p pannier . page pastes to make . page pike his baits . page his haunt . page his time of biting . page how to halter him . page pearch his baits . page his haunts . page his biting time . page r roach his baits . page his haunt . page his time of biting . page ruff his baits . page his haunt . page biting time as the pearch . page s salmon his baits . page his haunt . page biting time page shad and suant their baits . page their haunts . page biting time as the flounder . page spawn of fish how to use . page swivel its use . page t tench his baits , page his haunt . page biting time . page trout his baits . page his haunt . page his biting time . page to take a trout you have missed . page trowle its several wayes . page ibid. u umber his baits . page his haunt . page his biting time . page w worms how to order . page worm-bags . page wasps . page finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e the introduction to the ensuing discourse . the time to provide stocks and tops . the use of the reed or cane . the making the line . the shape of the hook. the flote . to try the depth of the water . to carry your lines or artificial flies . to sharpen the hook that is dulled . to carry baits and other necessaries . for worms , c●dbait . to land great fish when you want an assistant . your pannier . several wayes of angling . what fish rise best at the fly , both natural and artificial . how to find what flie the fish at that instant most desire . directions in using the artificial flie . of the artificial flie . how to make the artificial fl●e several wayes . cautions for the use of the artificial fly . two conjectures why fish rise not wel at the artificial flie in slimy rivers . how to angle with the cadbait . ground angling . night ●ngling . angling for the trout with a menow . the use of the swivel . if you misse a trout how to take her afterwards . how to angle for the pike with a trowle , and several other wayes . brogling for eeles . bobbing for eeles directions in angling at the ground . baits for the salmon . several sorts of pastes . cadbait . spawn of fish . the chiefest way to use the oakworm . cadbait his kinds . bobs , two sorts . barke wormes . how to use wasps . sheeps blood , how to use it . how to o●der graine . ant-flyes . bobs after the plow. to breed and keep gentles . to find the flag-worm . when unseasonable to angle . when it is best to angle . to the king and both houses of parliament in parliament assembled watson, s. approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing w a estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) to the king and both houses of parliament in parliament assembled watson, s. sheet ([ ] p.) printed by h. brugis, [london] : in the year . place of publication from wing. signed at end: s. watson. a petition to encourage the fishing industry. reproduction of the original in the bodleian library, oxford. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fisheries -- england -- early works to . fishing -- england -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - paul schaffner sampled and proofread - paul schaffner text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion to the king and both houses of parliament in parliament assembled . the proposal contained in this paper is ( with submission ) conceived of general advantage to the kingdom , and thereby sufficiently recommended to obtain admission to present it self before you , whose providence and justice secure the proposer of a readiness to embrace and promote whatever may improve the welfare of the publick : 't is his part to make the proposal appear of advantage to your common-interest , wherein the welfare of the publick consists . the proposal . that an act of parliament may pass for building and fitting out with expedition a fleet of busses of about tuns burthens a piece , to be imploy'd in fishing for herrings , cod and ling , in his majesties seas ; and profits to be disposed for the increasing of the said fishing-vessels to the number of or thereabouts , as it will be thought necessary ; and after the paying of publick debts , and the defraying of all necessary charges , the property of the said fleet to be setled in the crown . the advantages . a fleet of two thousand busses will imploy yearly at sea , at men to a busse men ! besides at least more at land in the service of the fleet : it will save the kingdom l. per annum paid yearly to the dutch for fish taken by them in his majesties seas , and sold to the english — besides as much more in taxes to the poor . the first year the said busses sails , may ( with god's blessing ) defray the whole charge of building , tackle , victualling , fitting out , officers and seamens wages for that year , with an everplus of l. s. d and will every year after , communibus annis , as long as the fleet lasts , yield his majesty the clear profit of at least l. s. d. which is demonstrated as followeth :   l. s. d. l. s. d. fish usually taken in busses of tuns , communibus annis , is at least herrings last worth de claro at least     . . . cod worth de claro at least     ling worth de claro at least     the charge of a busse tuns the first year ( ready to be demonstrated ) will not exceed building , and fitting for sail . . . victualling , and furnishing with lasting and wasting commodities officers , and seamen's wages . remains profit de claro each busse . which for busses for the first year will be clear profit . profit of each busse after the first year as above .       charge of fitting , victualling , sallaries and wages .       profit de claro of each busse .       which from busses will amount to per annum . this fleet will be a nursery of seamen , no less necessary than useful for asserting his majesties dominion of the seas , and the rights of his crown , in regulating trade , against the encroachments of strangers . the profits of this fleet will lessen the necessity of taxes for support of the government , and will improve the value of land , and the wealth of the nation by saving pound now yearly exported by the hollanders for fish bought of them , and by the importation of coyn from abroad by vent of fish , taken and sold by his majesties subjects ; the monopoly of fish taken by the hollander in his majesties seas , being one main support of that government . as to men and materia's for the fleet , there will be sufficient of both , unless money be wanting to carry on the design . . the interest of the king doth concern every particular person , his undertaking of it is for every man's advantage ; whatsoever he gets thereby saves the nation so much in their purses : for if the king gains as much by this as will maintain his crown and dignity , his majesty may in time come to have the less need of parliamentary-taxes . he may also alleviate his customs as low as any nation whatsoever , which will bring the trade of holland , &c. into this kingdom , invite all ingenuous manufactors into the nation , as well as rich men into this kingdom , and the rest of his majesties dominions , and also will preserve the peace of this nation from being disturbed and violated more than private persons or corporative bodies will or can do in their undertaking of it , who cannot protect the fishing-fleet from the attemps and injury of strangers , and may be apt upon evill instigations and discontents to strenghthen either domestick or forreign enemies with their power both of thi●●i●● and m●● 〈◊〉 by 〈…〉 〈…〉 less probable grounds of advantage than here are proposed , it had lost to that crown , as it did to this and to the french , the first discovery of the mynes in the indies ; but this is addressed to his majesty and his parliament , for raising six hundred thousand pounds , whereof one hundred thousand pounds to be imploy'd for docks , and for store-houses and wharfs , adjoyning one to the other , that the goods may be convey'd from the wharfs to the store-houses , without the charge of carting ( which said sum will be demonstrated an ample fund ) to carry on and compleat this design worthy their encouragement , and reserved by providence ( after the weak essays of former times ) to be perfected under the auspicious government of the best of princes , and wisest of parliaments , who cannot neither want either power or will to compleat what appears so clearly and eminently advantagious for the publick good and the interest of the kingdom , and in order thereto raise the fund proposed , and to secure the imployment of it to the use it is designed for . . the proposers are ready when commanded to demonstrate at large the facility of bringing the design to effect , the probability and greatness of its advantages when effected , and the necessity of it in order to any considerable improvement of the wealth , strength and honour of the nation : and as to the objection , they doubt not but to clear all can made against it , except that of the want of six hundred thousand pounds to carry on the work ; yet they conceive they have already removed this objection , by having demonstrated the return of this fund with so great an encrease into the publick coffers , and presented that demonstration to them who have power to give and lay out the money proposed , but cannot lay it out to better advantage , for improving their and their posterities safety , honour and wealth , than by bringing to perfection this design , which is not the project of a privat-brain , but an enterprize of publick good , approved by queen elizabeth , and upon solemn and mature deliberation , embraced and encouraged by king james , king charles the first , and his now majesty , and their several privy-counsels , and furthered by several grants under the great-seal of england , in the respective reigns of the princes last mentioned ; and by this present parliament by a vote of the honourable house of commons february : that a bill should be brought in for encouragement of the fishery . s. watson . s. watson . printed by h. brugis in the year . licensed march the . ro. l'estrange . the second booke of the english husbandman contayning the ordering of the kitchin-garden, and the planting of strange flowers: the breeding of all manner of cattell. together with the cures, the feeding of cattell, the ordering both of pastures and meddow-ground: with the vse both of high-wood and vnder-wood. whereunto is added a treatise, called good mens recreation: contayning a discourse of the generall art of fishing, with the angle, and otherwise; and of all the hidden secrets belonging thereunto. together vvith the choyce, ordering, breeding, and dyeting of the fighting cocke. a worke neuer written before by any author. by g.m. english husbandman. part - markham, gervase, ?- . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the second booke of the english husbandman contayning the ordering of the kitchin-garden, and the planting of strange flowers: the breeding of all manner of cattell. together with the cures, the feeding of cattell, the ordering both of pastures and meddow-ground: with the vse both of high-wood and vnder-wood. whereunto is added a treatise, called good mens recreation: contayning a discourse of the generall art of fishing, with the angle, and otherwise; and of all the hidden secrets belonging thereunto. together vvith the choyce, ordering, breeding, and dyeting of the fighting cocke. a worke neuer written before by any author. by g.m. english husbandman. part - markham, gervase, ?- . dennys, john, d. . secrets of angling. [ ], , - [i.e. ], [ ]; [ ], , [ ] p. printed by t[homas] s[nodham] for iohn browne, and are to be sould at his shop in s. dunstanes church-yard in fleetstreet, london : . g.m. = gervase markham. printer's name from stc. "the pleasures of princes, or good mens recreations", a prose paraphrase with additions of "the secrets of angling" by john dennys, has separate dated title page, pagination, and register. the first leaf is blank except for signature-mark "a"; the last leaf is blank. p. misnumbered . a variant (stc a) has title pages dated . reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fishing -- england -- early works to . agriculture -- england -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - olivia bottum sampled and proofread - olivia bottum text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the second booke of the english husbandman . contayning the ordering of the kitchin-garden , and the planting of strange flowers : the breeding of all manner of cattell . together with the cures , the feeding of cattell , the ordering both of pastures and meddow-ground : with the vse both of high-wood and vnder-wood . wherevnto is added a treatise , called goodmens recreation : contayning a discourse of the generall art of fishing , with the angle , and otherwise ; and of all the hidden secrets belonging thereunto . together with the choyce , ordering , breeding , and dyeting of the fighting cocke . a worke neuer written before by any author . by g. m. london : printed by t. s. for iohn browne , and are to be sould at his shop in s. dunstanes church-yard in fleetstreet . . a table of all the principall matters contayned in this booke . chap. i. how the husbandman shall iudge and fore-know all kinde of weather , and other seasons of the yeere . of raine . signes from clouds . signes from the moone . signes from the sun. signes from lightning . signes from fowle . signes from beasts . signes from things without motion . signes of much raine . signes of snow or hayle . signes of winde . signes of tempests . signes of faire weather . signes of winter . signes of the spring . signes of a hot summer . signes of a long winter . signes of a forward or backward yeere . signes of a good or bad yeere . signes from christmas day . signes from the sunne rising . signes from the twelue dayes in christmas . signes from s. paules day . signes from maudlin and s. switthens day , if corne shall be cheap or deere . signes from thunder . signes of sickenesse or health . the preseruation of health . chap. ii. the choyse of grounds for the kitchin-garden , and the ordering thereof . the contents . the choyce of ground . the bettering of grounds . the trenching of grounds . of breaking the garden-mould . ordering of garden-beds . of the fruitfull soyle . the necessariest ornament in a garden . chap. iii. of the sowing and ordering of all manner of pot-hearbes . the contents . of all sorts of pot-hearbs . of endiue and succory . of beets . of land-cresses . of parcely . of sauory . of time. of french mallowes , and cheruil . of dill. of issop . of mints . of violets . of basill . of sweet marioram and marigolds . of strawburyes . of borrage and buglosse . of rosemary . of pennyroyall . of leekes . of onyons . of gathering onyon-seeds , or the onyon . chap. iiii. of sowing of certaine hearbes which are to be eaten , but especially are medicinall , yet euer in the husbandmans garden . the contents . of arage . of lumbardy louage . of fennell . of anyse . of comyn . of colyander . of rue . of organy . of white poppye . of germander . of cardus benedictus . of angelica . of valerian . of elecampana . of pepper-wort . of phylipendula . chap. v. of diuer sorts of sallet-hearbes , their manner of sowing and ordering . the contents . of lettuce . of spinage . of sparagus . of colworts . of sage . of purslaine . of artichocks . of garlicke . of raddish . of nauewe . of parsenips and carrets . of pompions or mellons . of cowcumbers . of the beanes of aegipt . of skerrets . a most necessary obseruation . chap. vi. of flowers of all sorts , both forraine and home-bred , their sowing , planting , and preseruing . the contents . of roses . of the damaske rose . of the redde rose . of the white rose . of the cynamon rose . to make the cynamon rose grow double . of the prouence rose . to make roses smell well . generall notes touching roses . of lauender . of the white lilly. to make lillies of any colour . to make lillies flourish all the yere . of the wood lilly. of the flowre de lice . of pyonye . of petiluis . of veluet flowers . of gilly-flowers . of grafting of gilly-flowers . of the smels of gilly-flowers . of the wall gilly-flower . of the hellytropian . of the crowne-emperiall . of the dulippo . of the hyacinth . of the narcissus . of the daffadill , colombine , and chesbole . an excellent caution . a new manner of planting flowers and fruits . chap. vii . how to preserue all manner of seeds , hearbs , flowers , and fruits , from all manner of noysome and pestilent things , which deuoure and hurt them . the contents . of thunder and lightning . of caterpillers . of toads and frogs . of the field mice . of flies . of the greene flie. of gnats . of pissemires . of moales . of snayles . of moathes . of canckers . of garden wormes . an excellent experiment . the conclusion of the kitchin-garden . the table of the second part of the second booke . contayning the ordering of all sorts of vvoods , and the breeding of cattell . chap. i. of the beginning of vvoods , first sowing , and necessary vse . the contents . wood better then gold. the excellent vses of wood. the plantation of wood. the fencing of young woods . when cattel may graze in springs . the vse of the clay-ground for woods . a speciall note . chap. ii. the deuision of vnder-woods , their sale and profit . the contents . the deuision of woods . the value of vnderwood . of the sale of vnderwoods . how to cut vnderwoods . the fencing of sales . the woodwards duty . chap. iii. of high-woods , and their plantation . the contents . what high-woods are . the beginning of highwoods . the plantation of your high-woods . of planting the elme . of planting the ash. obiection . answere . chap. iiii. the preseruation and sale of high-woods . the contents . of trees which take wet inwardly . of barke-bound . of hornets and dores . of the canker . of pissemires . of ●uye , woodbine , and mysselto . of thunder and lightning . of the sale of tall woods . how to chuse timbers . of mill-timber . of timber to beare burthen . timber for poales , wainescot , &c. timber for piles or water workes . the vse of the elme . the vse of the ashe . the vse of the walnut tree . the vse of the peare tree . the vse of the maple , beech , or poplar . of char-coale . how to valew tymber . how to measure timber by guesse . best seasons for the sale . the time for chapmen . when to cut downe tymber . chap. v. of the breeding of wood in rich champaine soyles . the contents . how to set all sorts of quick-sets . planting of greater trees . of the setting of willowes , &c. the vse of willowes , sallowes , and oziers . the ordering of willowes . the ordering of the ozier . chap. vi. of plashing of hedges , and lopping or heading of timber . the contents . vvhat plashing is . how to plash . the time of yeere . the tooles to plash with . the profit of plashing . the lopping of timber . what lopping is . the season for lopping . how you shall loppe timber . chap. vii . of pasture-grounds , their order , profit , and generall vse . the contents . diuersitie and vse of pastures . of barraine pastures . signes of barrainnesse . bettering of soyles . sowing of good seeds . for abundance of grasse . the imperfection of meanure . to helpe a slow spring . to helpe naughty grasse . to helpe sunne-burning . to helpe ling or braken . to helpe marrishes . to helpe mossinesse . the generall vse of barraine grounds . what cattell to be bred . of fertile grounds . deuision of rich grounds . vse of rich grounds . ordering of pastures . feeding of cattell . how to know a fat beast . of meddowes , and their ordering . preseruation of meddowes . vvhen to lay meddowes . vvhen to mowe meddowes . inclination of weather . the manner to mow meddowes . how to make hay . to make fine hay . to make course hay . vse of hay for cattell of all sorts . chap. viii . a new method for the husbandly curing of all manner of cattell . the contents . the reason of this chapter . all diseases to be cured with twelue medicines . of inward sicknesses . the first medicine . the second medicine . of outward diseases . the third medicine . the fourth medicine . the fift medicine . the sixt medicine . the seauenth medicine . the eyght medicine . the ninth medicine . the tenth medicine . the eleauenth medicine . the twelfth medicine . diseases in the feet . diseases in the feete , or for stifling . the end of the table for husbandry . of angling . chap. i. of angling : the vertue , vse , and antiquitie . the contents . the vse of angling . the antiquitie of angling . chap. ii. of the tooles , and implements for angling . the contents . of the angle-rodde . of the toppe of the angle-rodde . the angle-rodde of one piece . the angle-rodde of many pieces . of lines . of colouring of lines . of the corke . of angle hookes . of other implements for anglers . chap. iii. of the anglers cloathes , and inward qualities . the contents . of the anclers apparell . anglers vertues . certaine cautions . chap. iiii. of the seasons to angle in . the contents . the anglers manner of standing . the best seasons to angle in . seasons ill to angle in . of fishes haunts . obiection . answere . chap. v. of baits in generall , and of euery particular kinde , their seasons and vse . the contents . seasons for bayts . of flyes . the making of flyes . preseruation of bayts . of making pastes . chap. vi. of angling for euery seuerall kinde of fish , according to their natures . the contents . of the goodgin , roche , and dace . of the carpe . of the chub , cheuin , or trout . of the eele . of the flounder or sewant . of the grayling or barbell . of the breame . of the tench . of the bleke , ruffe , or perch . of the pyke . of snyckling of the pyke . of the salmon . chap. vii . of taking fish without angles , and of laying hookes . chap. viii . of preseruing fish from all sorts of deuourers . chap. ix . of ordering of ponds for the preseruation of fish. chap. x. of the best water-lime . of the fighting cocke . chap. i. of the choyce , ordering , breeding , and dyeting of the fighting cocke . the contents . the choyce of the cocke for battell . the breeding of the battell cocke . the dyeting of cockes for battell . of taking vp cockes . of the cocke-penne . of his dyet . of sparring of cockes . the stouing of cockes . of the best dyet-bread . of the best scowring . the matching of cockes . the preparing cockes to the fight . the ordering of cockes after the battell , and the curing them . finis . the first part of the second booke of the english husbandman : contayning the ordering of the kitchin-garden , and the planting of strange flovvers . chap. i. how the husbandman shall iudge and fore-know all kinde of weathers , and other seasons of the yeere . although god out of his infinite prouidence , is the onely directer and ruler of all things , gouerning the yéeres , dayes , minutes and seasons of the yeere according to the power of his will : yet for as much as hee hath giuen vs his creatures , and placed the celestiall bodies to holde their influences in vs , and all things else which haue increasement , reuealing vnto vs from their motions , the alteration and qualities of euery season , it shall be very behouefull for euery husbandman to know the signes and tokens of euery particular season , as when it is likely to raine , when snow , when thunder , when the winds will rise , when the winter will rage , & when the frosts will haue the longest continuance , that fashioning his labours , according to the temperature or distemperature of the weather , hee may with good iudgement and aduise , eschew many euils which succéede rash and vnfore-looking actions . to speake then first of the generall signes of raine , you shall vnderstand that the olde husbandmen did obserue rules generall , and rules speciall : the generall rules were such as concerned eyther all , most , or a great part of the whole yéere : the rules speciall , those which concerned dayes , houres , and times present : of which i will first speake in this place . if therefore you shall at any time perceiue a cloud rising from the lowest part of the horizon , and that the maine body be blacke and thicke , and his beames ( as it were ) curtaine-wise , extending vpward , and driuen before the windes : it is a certaine and infallible signe of a present showre of raine , yet but momentary and soone spent , or passed ouer : but if the cloud shall arise against the winde , and as it were spread it selfe against the violence of the same , then shall the raine be of much longer continuance . if when you sée the new moone appeare , you perceiue that some part of her hornes are obscured , or if it be black , or discoulored in the middest : if it hang much to the west , if it be compast or girdled about , eyther with thicke , or waterish transparent vapours : if it looke more then ordinarily pale , or if it shall beginne to raine small and mist-like on the fourth or fift day of her age , all these are infallible signes of raine , and the last an assured signe that the raine will continue all that quarter of the moone following . if you shall sée the sunne rise earely in the morning , and spread forth his beames violently , yet with a very moyst and waterish complexion , and there-withall in the west you doe sée a bedde of thicke vapours to arise , increase and ascend vpward , then shall you bee assured that at high noone , when those vapours and the sunne shall méet , there will be raine , and that raine of no short continuance : if you shall sée the sunne rise red , and turne sodainely blacke , if it haue many red clouds about it mixt with blackenesse , if it haue a spacious circle about it , or if when it setteth you sée it fall behinde a banke of darke and blacke cloudes , they be all most certaine and infallible signes of raine , which will presently follow . if it lighten at noone , or any time whilest the sunne shineth , eyther with thunder or without thunder , or if it lighten in fayre weather , or if it lighten more then it thundereth , all are most certaine signes of raine which will follow . if you shall perceiue water-fowle to bathe much : if the crow wet her head at the water brimme , or if shée wade into the water , or if she shall cry and call much : if the rauen shall croake with a hollow or sounding voyce : if the house-cocke shall crow at all houres : if pigions shall come home late to the doue-house : if sparrowes shall chyrpe and cry earely in the morning : if bées flye not farre from their hyues : if flies and small gnats bite sharpe and sore , all are most certaine signes of raine , which will presently follow . if you shall perceiue your oxen to eate more gréedily , and with a more earnest stomacke then their vsuall custome : if your kine gaze and looke much vpward : if swine shall play and gambole vp and downe : if horses being at grasse shall scope , course , and chase one another : or if the cat shall wash behinde her eare , all are certaine signes of raine to follow . if salt turne moyst standing in dry places , if channels , uaults , and common sewers stincke more then vsuall : if bels seeme to sound louder then they were wont : if the tazell at any time close vp his pricks : if soote fall much from the chimney : if oyle shall sparkle much when it burneth , or if marble , pauing-stone , or other wals shall sweat , or be much moyst , all are most ineuitable signes of rayne which will follow . if raine , when it falleth , make great bubbles , or such a noyse as is not ordinary : or if raine fall mildely , small , and mist-like : or if rayne fall in a calme when no winde stirreth : or if when it rayneth you cannot perceiue the racke or clouds to moue : if pullen flye to their roust assoone as the raine begins : if the raine-bow stretch towards the south , or if it doe reflect and shée doole : if you shall sée one or more weather-gals which are like rainebowes , onely they arise from the horizon but a small way vpward , all these are most certaine signes of much raine that will follow . if blacke clouds shall turne sodainely white : if about eyther the sunne or moone be pale , and waterish circles , or that they séeme to shine as through a miste : if the ayre be thicke and extreame cold without frosts : if with the signes of raine be mixt signes of cold also , or if windes be nipping and extreame sharpe , all are most certaine tokens that snow or hayle will follow presently after . if when the sunne setteth it looketh red and fiery , and that all that part of the horizon looke red also , or if it looke blewish , or séeme greater then his ordinary proportion : if the moone doe blush or looke high colloured , if the racke ride high , and the firmament be much vaulted : if woods and hils séeme to make a noyse : if the stars séeme to shine brighter then vsuall : if it shall thunder in winter , or if it thunder without lightning : if bels be heard farre off with more ease then accustomed , and presently in the same instant be not heard at all : if cobwebs flye much in the ayre : if hernes or heronsh●es cry much in their flying : if fire sparkle much , or if wood or wainscot cracke much , all these are most certaine signes of much winde that will follow after . if you shall perceiue the morning or euening sunne , eyther in the sommer or in the autumne , to shine hotter or to scortch more then accustomed , when the ayre is prest with an extreame blacke cloude , or with many clouds , if you perceiue whirlewindes to blow oft and violently : if you sée the raine-bow shall appeare in the west without taine : if you sée flames and meteors flashing in the ayre , or if the porpus shall be séene in the fresh riuer , all are most certaine signes of thunder , lightnings and tempests , which will follow . if the sun rise gray and cléere in the morning , and likewise setteth without darkenesse , not loosing a minute in the declination : if the euening skye be ruddy and not fierie , more purple then skarlet : if the moone be cléere when it is foure or fiue dayes olde : if it lighten after sunne-set without thunder : if the dewe fall in great abundance and in the rising ascend vp to the mountaines : if the north winde blow strong : if the owle doe whup much and not scrytch : if flyes at night play much in the suns beames : if crowes flocke much together , and cakell and talke : if bats flye busily vp and downe after sunne-set , if you sée cranes flye high , and water-fowle make their haunts farre off from the water , all these are most certaine signes of very faire weather which will follow after . if water-fowle forsake the water : if the nightingale sing more then other birds , if cranes flocke together , if géese fight for their féeding place , or if sparrowes call very earely in the morning , any of these are certaine signes that winter is néere at hand . if the west winde blowe freshly morning and euening : if the colde abate and loose much of his vigor , if swallowes begin to come in and flye busily about , if the brest-bone of the mallard or woodcocke looke white and cléere , any of these are certaine signes that the spring is at hand . if the ramme ride in the spring , and shew more then an vsuall lust : if the spring haue beene very extraordinarily colde , or if mildewes fall not in the woodland● countryes , any of these are certaine signes of a hot summer to follow after . if you shall sée the oake loaden with akornes : if the brest-bone of the mallard when he is kild looke red : if hornets be séene after the end of october , or if cattell doe trample and tread the earth much , making it myrie , or like a new plowde field : any of these are most certaine signes that the winter will be sharpe , long , and cruell . if there fall much raine before october , by meanes whereof many inundations doe follow , and that such wet lye long aboue ground : it is a most infallible token that the yéere will be very forward : but if the wet doe fall after october then it is a signe that the yéere will be indifferent , but and if the wet fall after nouember , then it is held for most certaine that the yéere will fall out very slacke and backeward . if the oke apples , when they are opened , bréed flyes , or if haruest be seasonable , and the spring warme : if snow fall in february : if broome put forth great store of flowers : if the walnut-trée haue more blossoms then leaues : if the flower of the sea-onion wither not quickly , or if the spring be preserued from frosts and blasting , then any of these are certaine signes that the yéere will proue passing good and fruitfull : but if the oake apple bréede instéed of a flye a spyder : if comets or meteors oppresse the ayre : if the sommer fall out vnnaturally moyst : if the dewes when they fall at the rising of the sunne descend to the riuers : if frosts come in vnseasonable times : if wood-birds flye to the plaines , and refuse couert : if the sunne haue his whole body , or at least thrée parts ecclipsed : when corne beginneth to bloome , and is not fully kirneld , then any of these be most certaine signes that the yéere will proue bad , barrayne , & fruitlesse . againe , if christmas day shall fall vpon the sunday , the yéere shall be good , seasonable and abounding with all store and plenty : if it fall vpon munday the yéere shall be reasonable temperate and fruitfull , onely something subiect to inundation of waters , losse by shipwracke , and some mortality of people , especially women in childbearing : if it fall vpon tuesday , the yéere will proue very barraine and vnfruitfull , much dearth will raigne , and amongst people great plague and mortallitie : if it fall vpon wednesday , the yéere shall be reasonably seasonable , though a little inconstant : there shall be plenty of all things , onely much sickenesse , and great likelyhood of warres : if it fall vpon the thursday , the yéere shall be generally very temperate and wholesome , onely the sommer subiect to moistnesse , much deuision is like to fall amongst the clergie , and women shall be giuen to more laciuiousnesse then at other seasons : if it fall on the friday , the yéere shall be barraine and vnwholesome , for sickenesse shall rage with great violence , much mortallitie shall fall amongst yong children , and both corne and cattell shall be scarce , and of a déere reckoning : if it fall on the saturday , the yéere shall be reasonably good and plentifull , onely the people of the world shall be excéeding peruerse , & much giuen to mutinie & dissention one against another . againe , if the sunne rise without impediment , and shine bright and cléere vpon christmas day , the yéere will be very plentifull : if it rise likewise cléere the second day in christmas , then corne will fall in price : if it rise cléere the third day in christmas , there will onely be dissention in the church : if on the fourth day , it foreshewes trouble vnto yong persons : if on the fift day , it shewes that many good things will increase : if on the sixt , doubtlesse euery garden will bring forth great plenty : if on the seauenth , then is much dearth and scarcitie to be feared : if it shine cléere on the eyght day in christmas , then there is likely to be great store of fish : if on the ninch , it will doubtles proue a good yéere for all manner of cattell : if on the tenth , the yéere is likely to yéeld much cause of mourning : if on the eleauenth , there will fall much fogges , thicke mistes , and great infection will follow after . lastly , if the sunne shine cléere the twelfth day after christmas , it fore-shewes much warre and troubles , with great losse and bloudshed . againe , according to these former obseruations , you shall vnderstand , that what weather shall fall or be on the sixe and twentieth day of december , the like weather shall be all the moneth of ianuary after , what shall be on the seauen and twentieth of december , the like shall be all the moneth of february following : what weather shall be on the eight and twentieth day of december , the like weather shall be all march following : what weather shall be the nine and twentieth day of december , the same shall be all aprill after : what on the thirtieth , the same all may : what on the one and thirtieth the like all iune following : what weather shall fall on the first of ianuary , the same shall be all iuly after : what on the second of ianuary , the same all august after : what on the third , the same all september after : what on the fourth , the same all october following : what on the fift , the same all nouember after , and what weather shall fall on the sixt of ianuary , which is twelft-day , the same weather shall fall all december following . againe , if saint pauls day proue fayre , dry and bright , it foresheweth plenty of all things the yéere following : but if it be misty then it shewes great dearth of cattell . if there fall vpon that day snow or raine , then it shewes famine and want of corne , but if it be windy , tempestuous , or if it thunder , then it sheweth that great warres will follow . againe , looke what quantitie of raine falleth eyther on mary maudlins day , or on saint swithens day , be it more or lesse , the same proportion will fall for the space of forty dayes after : but if these two dayes be fayre and dry all the time of haruest will be so also . now if you will know whether corne shall be cheape or déere , take twelue principall graynes of wheate out of the strength of the eare , vpon the first day of ianuary , and when the harth of your chimney is most hot , swéepe it cleane , then make a stranger lay one of those graynes on the hot hearth , then marke it well , and if it leape a little , corne shall be reasonably cheape , but if it leape much then corne shall be excéeding cheape , but if it lye still and mo●e not , then the price of corne shall stand , and continue still for that moneth : and thus you shall vse your twelue graines , the first day of euery moneth one after another , that is to say , euery moneth one graine , and you shall know the rising and falling of corne in euery moneth , all the yéere following . if it shall thunder much the first sunday of the new-yéere , it shewes great death and mortallitie amongst learned men : if it thunder the first munday , it shewes great death of women , and many eclipses of the sunne : if it thunder on the first tuesday , it shewes plenty of corne , but much warre and dissention : if it thunder on the first wednesday , it shewes mortallitie and death amongst the worst sort of people , both male and female , besides much warre and bloudshed : if it thunder on the first thursday in the new-yéere , it sheweth much plenty of corne that will follow : if it thunder on the first friday , it betokeneth the losse of great personages , and men of authoritie , many affrayes and murthers , with much perill and danger . lastly , if it thunder vpon the first saturday in the new-yéere , it foresheweth onely a generall plague and infection , which shall raigne with strong violence . if you shall perceiue the summer and spring time to fall out very moyst and rainy , without winde , yet in their owne natures very hot & scortching , or if the southerne or southwest-winde blow much without raine : if many fogs and mists fall in the morning , and ouercome the sunnes beames at noone also : if the sunne suffer any large eclipse : if autumne and winter be more foggy then moyst or cold : if the dowe or leauen , of which you mould your bread , doe quickely mould and cleaue together without labour : if dogs runne madde , if birds forsake their nests : if shéepe r●t : if fennes , 〈◊〉 grounds , and muddy places abound with frogges : if mud-wals bréede swine lice or sowes : if moales forsake the earth : if the small pocks or meazels be ri●e and abound in the spring time , or if women generally 〈◊〉 miscarry in childe-bedde , any of these are most certaine signes of much sickenesse and mortallitie that will follow the yéere after : and all such signes as are directly contrarie to any of these , as if the summer and spring doe fall out drye and windy : if the south or southwest winde bring with it euer rayne : if no fogs or mists oppresse the ayre , and so forth of all the rest which are before shewed , are most certaine and infallible tokens of a very wholesome and healthfull yéere , which will euer follow after . now for the preseruation of your health , and to preuent all such sickenesses as are incident to follow in these casuall and daungerous yéeres : through euery seuerall moneth in the yéere you shall obserue these few precepts . first , in the month of ianuary you shall forbeare to let bloud , vnlesse vpon violent extreamitie , & that the sig●● be excéeding good for the same , you shall drinke white wine in the morning fasting , & rub your head with a course towell very hard , but yet cleane , for it is a most wholesom friction . in the month of february , you shall not let bloud for wantonnesse , but néede : you shall forbeare hearbe-pottage , for at that time onely they are least wholesome : you shall kéepe the soles of your féete from wet , and vse euery morning your former friction . in the moneth of march , the signe being good , you may let bloud according to your youth , strength , and necessitie : you may take hot and swéet meats and drinkes , especially almonds , figs & reyzins , & vse also your former friction . in the month of aprill , you may bléed as in the month of march : in it also you may purge , by the order of a learned directer : let your dyet be hot and fresh meats , and your drinke temperate : also in this moneth your former friction is excéeding wholesome . in the month of may be no sluggard , for the bed is vnwholesome , cléerified way is this moneth a most soueraigne drinke , and sage with swéet butter is a most excellent breakefast : yong lettuce is an approued good sallet , and the inthrals or offall of beasts would by all meanes be refused , it is also good to let bloud in this month onely for necessitie , and not for pleasure , and beware by all means , not to go weishooed in the dew in the morning . in the month of iune obserue the dyet of may , or if you be of youthfull bloud it is not amisse if it be a little cooler , and for bléeding let it be for vrgent necessitie . in the month of iuly eschew all wanton bed-sport : and if each morning you take a draught of clarified butter-milke it is very wholesome : vse coole iulyps , and meats that are fresh , and not stirring : now forbeare lettice , and bléede not , except it be in cause of great extreamitie . in the month of august forbeare all manner of worts , and cabadges , and generally all meats and spices which are hot and inflaming : but by any meanes bléed not at all , except by the direction of most approued learning . in the month of september you may eate any sort of ripe fruits : you may bathe in hot bathes , for colde causes , at your pleasure , and you may let bloud according to your necessitie : those foods are best which are of lightest disgestion , and those drinkes most wholesome which are rather strong then scouring . in the moneth of october , spare not any bloud , except great extreamitie compell you , and for your dyet , let it be of such foods as are most strong and nourishing , and your drinke béere or ale , of indifferent strength , and now and then at the midst , and end of meales , a draught or two of such wines as are pleasant , strong , and wholesome : sallets of flowers , preserued in uinegar & sugar , as either uiolets , broome-flowers , or gelly-flowers of all kindes , or sampyre , purslan , or beane-●ods , preserued in pickell , are of excellent vse , both in this moneth , and the other two which follow . in the moneth of nouember open also no vaine , but for great néed , because the blood is then gathered together into the principall vessels : bathing in this moneth is vtterly to be refused , onely let your body be kept warme , and euery colde humour or obstruction , rather dissolued by moderate frictions , as is shewed in the moneth of ianuary and february , then by the violence of any other inward medicine . shell-fish in this moneth is very wholesome , and so are all other sorts of fish , which are not too rawe or slymie . in the moneth of december blood-letting should be also forborne , except vpon some especiall dayes , as after the fiue and twentieth day at the soonest : and for your diet let it be meate which is hot and nourishing , but by no meanes that which bréedeth melancholie bloud . use strong wine and sharpe sauces : as for the warmth of your body , next vnto good cloathing , let it euer procéed from exercise that is moderate , then from toasting , or broiling your selfe against the fire , for in this month that body can hardly be sound whose shinnes are made pyde and motley with the fiers scorthcing . and thus much touching the experience of the english husbandman in these fore-knowledges , and ayming after the times to come , being drawne from the obseruations and rules left vs by succession of times of those learned fathers , and other best knowne and approued in these knowledges : yet i doe not binde-euery husbandman to make as it were new créeds of these principles , but onely to giue them to his memory , as things that will neither oppresse nor hurt it , and if in any seldome-séene particularitie , any shall vary from the purpose of the relation , to remember that there is aboue vs a god of all truth and knowledge , who will dispose and gouerne all things , according to his good will and pleasure : to which let euery creature submit , in as much as hee onely knoweth what is for mankinde most best and most conuenient . chap. ii. the choyce of ground for the kitchin-garden , and the ordering thereof . a promise honest and profitable , being seriously made , i holde a sinne capitall to neglect , especially where the goodnesse stretcheth it selfe ouer a whole kingdome : and hence i haue assumed to perfect both my promise and my labour in building vp that weake foundation which i formerly laid , of the english husbandman : wherein , contrary to all other authors , i am neither beholden to pliny , virgil , columella , varo , rutillius , libault , nor any other forrainer , but onely to our owne best experienst countreymen , whose daily knowledge hath made them most perfect in their professions : and what better instruction can be had then that which we receiue from the professors , being men of our owne neighbourhood , acquainted with our climate and soile , and the necessary things agréeing with the bett●ring of the same ? and not resort , as our translators haue done , to strangers helpe , who tels you that you must meanure your ground with asses dung , when our kingdome hath not so many foure-footed asses as wil meanure one acre , and many such like things which our kingdome affordeth not : therefore according to the plaine true english fashion , thus i pursue my purpose . touching the choyse of ground , i haue in the former part of this booke shewed you the true nature and goodnesse of euery seuerall soyle : and you are to vnderstand that the best soyle is best for this purpose , because it is least laborsome , and most profitable : yet notwithstanding that some of our translated authors doth vtterly disalow for gardens many soyles , as namely , all sands , all chawkie earths , all grauell , all earths like dust , and any earth which chappeth or openeth in the heat of summer , by that meanes depriuing almost halfe our kingdome of the benefit of gardens , yet i assure you there is no soyle whatsoeuer ( if it lye from the inundation of water , or be not absolutely boggy ) but with industry will beare any fruit , hearbe , or flower , plentifully , and without any casualtie procéeding from the 〈◊〉 therof : witnes a most worthy garden in the barren peake of darbyshire , where there is no curious trée or plant wanting , nor doe they flourish in any place more bra●●ly . now for mine owne part , i write generally to all husbandmen , not to those onely which liue in fertile and fat soyles , and therefore i would haue no man say , the soyle where i liue is so barraine , that i cannot haue a garden : for if the soyle wherein you liue , be barraine , then shall you in the latter end of september breake vp your earth more then a spade-graft déepe , and be well assured that at euery spade-graft you breake the moul● well , and leaue not the rootes of any wéeds within it , th●● let it rest till the midst of october , at which time if ●●y wéeds appeare vpon it , by all meanes let them be pl●ckt vp by the roots ; which done , you shall trench your ground at least a yarde and a halfe déepe , and then bury in those trenches , if it be a sand or grauell earth , great ●tore o● oxe or cow meanure , if it be a colde chalkie clay , or a moyst ground , then great store of horse meanure , of both which meanures the oldest and rottenest is the best : but if you liue in such a soyle as there is neyther of these meanures bred therein , then take straw of any kinde whatsoeuer , and spread it in the high-way where there is much trauell , & when it is rotten with the beating of horse féet , then cause it to be shoueld vp , & with it fill your trenches , but if straw be wanting , then if you haue any muddy ditches or ponds , scowre the mud out of them , & with it fill vp your trenches : & although these are not so long lasting as the two first sorts of meanures , yet they are sufficient to bring forth increase , & must supply where necessity inforceth , alwayes hauing discretion when you sée your ground abate in fruitfulnes , to replenish it with fresh meanure . now as you fill your trenches with meanure , let one mixe the earth therewithall , and as it were blend and incorporate them together : thus hauing gone ouer so much ground as you intend to plant or sowe vpon , you shall let it rest till the midst of ianuary , at which time you shall breake it vp in trenches againe , but not aboue thrée quarters of a yarde déepe , and then fill vp those trenches with meanure as before , and lay your earth as leuell as is possible , & so let it rest till the beginning of march ( if the weather be seasonable for sowing or planting ) otherwise let it stay till mid-march , and as soone as the moone is changed you shall then dig it vp the fourth time , and make it fit to receyue your séede , but in this fourth time of turning ouer your earth , you shall dig it but a little better then a spade-graft depth , and euer as you dig it , mixe it with fresh meanure : if your ground be subiect to much chapping or rining , then you shall at this last digging mixe the earth with ashes and horse meanure mixt together , which will binde and holde the earth from chapping . after you haue digd your ground in this order , and made it leuell , you shal with an iron rake breake the great clods of earth , and bring it to as fine a mould as is possible , euer obseruing that if in the breaking of the clods or otherwise , you perceiue the roots or stalks of any wéeds to arise , you shall presently with your hand pull them out , and cast them on heaps , that they may serue eyther for the fire or the dunghill : which done , you shall tread out your beds in such orderly sort , that you may passe from one to the other without eyther treading vpon the beds , or striding ouer them : & thus much for the barraine & sterrill ground , which although all ancient & late writers reiect , as not worthy to be imployed to this vse , yet beléeue it , being husbanded as is said before , it will equall in fruitfulnes the best ground . touching your rich and perfect grounds , which of themselues are apt to put forth with little labour , you shall onely at the latter end of september breake vp the earth , and making greater trenches , 〈…〉 with oxe meanure , and then turning the earth ●pon the meanure , leuell your ground very carefully , br●●ke the clots and rake it very painefully , and their trende ●ut 〈◊〉 beds , as is before sayd , artificially : but if the ground which you breake vp , be eyther gréene-swarth , or much ouergrowne with wéeds ( as these rich soyles must euer be the one or the other ) ( for they will not be idle , but continually bringing forth ) then at this first digging and dunging you shall haue diuers which shall follow the spade , who shall take away all manner of roots , gréenes , grasse-●ults , stones , or whatsoeuer may bréede anoyance to the ground : which worke being perfected , you shall let the ground ●est all winter till the beginning of march , that the frost may mellow and ripen the mould , and also kill the roots of such wéeds as the spade hath turned vp , and haue béene omitted to be pulled away . now so soone as march is come , vpon the first change of the moone , you shall digge vp this earth again● , leuell it , and order it in all points as was sayd of the barraine earth , onely there will néede no more vse of meanure , but as soone as it is digged , raked , leuelled , and brought into a fine mould , you may then tread out your beds , as aforesayd , euer proportioning the quantitie of them according to the quantitie of your séedes , hauing the most of that which is most in vse , and the least of the contrary . now as touching the fencing and inclosing of your garden , i haue in the former booke shewed you the same at large , and giuen seuerall instructions , according to mens seuerall abilities , with this caution , that whether your fence be wall , pale , dead-hedge , ditch , or quick●et , yet it must be so high that it may with assurance kéepe all manner of pullen from flying ouer the same , who are the greatest enemies to a garden that may be . there would be also in this kitchin-garden , if with conueniency it may be brought to passe , eyther a pumpe , well , or cesterne , which might flow continually with water all the summer time , for the watering of hearbs , as shall be héereafter declared . and thus much touching the choyce of ground for a kitchin-garden , and the ordering of the same . chap. iii. of the sowing and ordering of all manner of pot-hearbs . when you haue prepared your ground , and cast your beds in an orderly fashion , as is before spoken , you shall then take your séeds , which séeds would by no meanes be aboue a yéere olde : and hauing sorted them seuerally , euery one by it selfe , and appointed the beds which shall seuerally receiue them : you shall in this manner sowe your pot-hearbs , which craue not much roote , because their onely benefit is in the leafe : take your séeds and put them into a wooden tray , then take of your garden moulde , the finest that may be , being made almost as fine as ashes , and mixe your séeds , and that mould very well together , then goe to the bedde where you meane to bestow them , and hauing newly rackt it ( to stirre vp the fresh mould ) with your hand sprinkle and sowe them all ouer the bed , so thicke as may be : which done , with a fine rake , rake the bed gently ouer , then taking spare fine mould , put it into a ridling siue , and sift it ouer the bed better then two fingers thickenesse , and so let it rest : thus you shall doe seuerally with euery séede one after another , bestowing euery one vpon a seuerall bed . now for your pot-hearbs , which are most generally in vse , they be these : endiue and succorie , which delight in moyst ground , and will endure the winter . bleete of which there be two kindes , red and white : this hearbe neuer néedeth wéeding , and if he be suffered to shed his séed it will hardly euer to be got out of a garden . then beets , which must be much wéeded , for they lo●● to liue by themselues , and if they grow too thick● you may take them vp when they are a finger long in their 〈◊〉 earth , and set them in another bed , and they will prosper much better . then land cresses , which is both a good pot-hearb● and a good sallet-hearbe : it loueth shadowie places , where the sunne shineth least , and standeth in néed of little dung . then parcely , which of all hearbs is of most vse , it is longest in appearing aboue ground , and the elder s●●d is the quicker in growth , but not the surer ; but eyther being once come vp increase naturally , and doe hardly euer decay : it cannot grow too thicke , but as you vse it you must cut off the toppes with your knife , and by no meanes pull vp the rootes : if it be put into a little pursse , and beaten against the ground , to bruise it a little before it be sowne , it will make it haue a large crisped leafe . then sauory , of which are two kindes , the winter - sauory , and summer , both delight in leane ground , and are quicke of growth , and long lasting . then time , of which are also two kindes , the running time , and the garden time : they delight in fertile ground , and from the séede are very slow of growth , therefore it is best euer to set them from the ●lip . the running time doth delight in the shadow , but the garden time in the sunne . then french - mallowes , which will ioy in any ground , and are quicke of growth . then cheruill , which will not by any meanes grow with any other hearbe . then dill , which may be sowne almost in any moneth of the yéere as well as march : it endureth all weathers , but loueth the warmth best . then isop ● which in like manner as time is , slow of growth from the séed , and therefore ●itter to be set from the slips , after it hath once taken roote it encreaseth wonderfully , and will hardly be destroyed . then mints , which flourish onely in the summer time , but dye in the winter , it delighteth most in the moyst ground . then violets , the leaues whereof are a good pot-hearb , and the flowers preserued in close glasse pots , with strong wine-vinegar and sugar , a most excellent sallet : it doth delight to grow high , and will grow spéedely eyther from the plant or from the séed . then basill , which would be sowne in the warme weather , as at the beginning of may , for the séed is tender , and when you haue sowne it , you shall presse the earth downe vpon it with your féet , for the seede can endure no hollownesse : if you sowe it at the fall of the leafe , you shall sprinkle the séede with uinegar , and when you water it let the sunne be at his height . then swéet marioram , which would be sowne on rich ground , and farre from sunneshine , for it taketh no delight in his beames . then marigolds , which renew euery moneth , and endure the winter as well as the summer : this hearbe the oftner you remoue it , the bigger it groweth . then strawberries , whose leaues are a good pot-hear●e , and the fruit the wholesomme●t berry : this hearbe of all other , would be set of the plant , and not sowne from the séed , for the oft changing and remouing of it causeth it to grow bigger and bigger : it groweth best vnder the shadowes of other hearbes , but very sufficiently in beds , or else where . then borage and buglosse , both which are of one nature : they would be sowne in small quantity , for where they take they will runne ouer a whole garden : the séed must be gathered when it is halfe ripe it is so apt to shed , and when you gather it you must plucke vp the stalkes , leaues & all , and so laying them one vpon another thrée or foure dayes , their own heat will bring the séed to ripenes . then rosemary , which is an hearbe tender and ●●●rious , yet of singular vertue : it is soone slaine with frost or lightening : it will grow plentifully from the séede , but much better from the slip , it delighteth to be planted against some wall where it may haue the re●lection of the sunne , for to stand vnpropped of himselfe , the very shaking of the winde will kill it . then penyroyall , which most properly is vsed to be mixt with puddings , made of the bloud of beasts , & oatmeale : of it there be two kindes , male and female : the male beareth a white flower , and the female a purple : it must be sowne in small quantity , for it will runne and spread ouer-much ground : it delighteth most in moyst earth . then leekes , which would haue a fertile ground , and as soone as they be shot vp a good length you shall cut the blades to the polt , and then remoue the heads , and set them borderwise about your other beds : this remouing after the cutting off the blades , wil make them grow bigger , and prosper better , as for thrusting oyster-shels or tyle-shreads vnder them , to make the heads bigger , it is a toy , for if the mould be loose and good , the léeke will come to his perfect growth : they may be sowne both in march , aprill , may , and iune , and they may be remoued all iuly , august , september and october . then onions , which differ not much from the nature of léekes , they loue a fertile soyle , and would be sowne with the séeds of sauory : when they come vp if they grow too thicke , as is often séene , you shall plucke vp some and spend them in the pot and in sallets , to giue the rest more roome , and some you shall take vp and replant in other beds , which you may preserue for séede : those onion● which you would not haue to séede , you shall cut off the b●ades in the midst , that the iuyce may descend downew●rd , and when you sée the heads of the onions appearing aboue the earth , you shall with your féet tread them into the ground● there be some very well experienst husbands , which will take the fayrest , goodliest and soundest onions they can get , and in this moneth of march set them thrée fingers déepe in the earth , and these of all other bring forth the purest and best séede , for which purpose onely they are preserued : as soone as your séed-onions are knotted , you shall vnderproppe them with square cradles , made of stickes , least the waight of the boules which carry the séede , should breake the blades . the time of gathering your séede is , when it is all turned purely blacke , and the time of gathering the onions is , when the heads doe forsake the earth , after they be gathered you shall lay them on a dry floore for a fortnight , or more , and then binde them vp in ropes , and hang them where they may haue the ayre of the fire , onely note that shall gather your onions in the increase of the moone , as they were sowne , and not otherwise . many other pot-hearbs there be , which for as much as they differ nothing , eyther in sowing , planting , or ordering , from these which i haue rehearsed , i will héere omit them , and thinke this sufficient , touching the sowing and ordering of all manner of pot-hearbs . chap. iiii. of the sowing of certaine hearbs , which are to be eaten , but especially are medicinall , yet euer in the husbandmans garden . of hearbes which are medicinall , i will begin with arage ● or orache , which being colde and moyst is very excellent against the hot go●t : it is to be sowne in any moneth , from february till december : it loueth much moisture , and therefore must be oft watered : it must be sowne excéeding thinne , and quickly couered , for the ayre is offensiue . next it is lumbardy , loueage , which being 〈…〉 dry , is very purgatiue , it desireth a very fruitfull 〈◊〉 but if it be sowne where it may haue much 〈…〉 some shelter accompanied with moysture , it will 〈…〉 any ground , the moneths for sowing thereof , is , 〈◊〉 the midst of february till haruest . fennell is also hot and dry , and it comforteth the stomacke , openeth the inward vessels , and helpeth disgestion ; it may be sowne in any moneth , and vpon any indifferent ground , especially if it be a little stony , the séede would not be very old , though of all other it be the longest la●ter . anise is hot and dry , it dissolueth humors and obstructions , and is very comfortable to weake stomacks , it delighteth in a good and loose mould , and is to be sowne in the height of the spring onely . comin is of the nature of anise and fennell , and mixt with either , is very soueraine against all inward sicknesses procéeding from cold , it loueth a fruitfull rich earth & much warmth , and therfore the later it is sowne in the spring , it is so much the better , and aboue all things it would be sowne in the hottest time of the day , & if it be mixed with other séeds , it is so much the better , and appeareth the sooner . coliander is of the nature of the earth , cold & dry , it helps disgestion , & suppresseth vapours which offend the braine , it may be sowne vpon any indifferent ground , & in any month except december and ianuary , the elder the séedes are the better so they be sound , and they desire much watering . rue or hearb-grace is hot and dry , & is very soueraigne against all inward infection , putrifactions , and impostumations , it ioyeth in any reasonable ground so it grow warme and dry , the moneths fittest for the sowing thereof , is march , aprill or may , and the mould would be firme and not subiect to ryuing , whence it procéedes that no meanure is so good for the encrease thereof as horse-dung and ashes mixt together : the beds would be made high & discending , that no moysture may stay thereon , they must be carefully wéeded , for in their first growth otherwise they are soone choaked . organie is hot and dry , and excellent against any sicknesse of the liuer , the ground in which it most ioyeth would be a little stonie , and full of rubbish , yet by no meanes vndunged , the moneth fittest for the sowing thereof is march and september , the moone being in libra or any other moist signe , it must be continually watred till it appear● aboue the earth , but after forborne , for being once well fixed , it is euer certaine . white poppy is cold and moyst , and much prouoketh sléepe : it delights to be sowne in a rich , warme , dry ground , in the moneths of march , september or nouember . germander is hot and dry , and excellent against the kings euill ; obstructions of the spléene and hardnesse of urine ; it is a hard hearbe , and will prosper in any ground , it is to be sowne , either in the spring or fall of the leafe , and is most comly for the setting forth of knots in gardens . cardus benedictus , or the blessed thistell , is hot and dry , it is very soueraine against most inward sicknesses , stancheth blood , and is a great comforter of the braine , it delighteth in a rich ground and a loose well tempered mould , it must be sowne very shallow , and not couered aboue two inches déepe , the first quarter of the moone is best to sowe it in , and in the moneths of march , may or september , if you sowe a little fine flaxen wheat with it , no doubt but it will prosper the better . angellica is hot and dry , it openeth and dissolueth obstructions , is an excellent cordiall against poyson , and all infections , it helpeth the collicke , and cureth the biting of madde dogges or venemous beasts , it loueth a fruitfull dry mould , but may not indure the trouble of wéedes , it is to be sowne in march or aprill , & it flourisheth in iuly & august , it hath a swéet odour , and helpeth all euill & infected ayres . valerian is hot & dry and preuenteth infection , it helpeth stitches and other griefes procéeding from windy causes , it loueth to grow in moist and low places , the ground being well meanured , and fill it be shot at least a handfull high , it must be kept with continuall watring , the 〈…〉 of the yéere is the best to sowe it in . elecampana , is hot and moyst , and good for offences in the lungs , or any outward ioynt , being troubled with paine procéeding from colde : it is better much to be set th●● sowne , yet notwithstanding it may safely enough be sowne at any time after mid-march , the ground being rich● soft , and loose , and the séede strowed very thinne , and ●t least two fingers distance one from another . pepperwort is hot and drye , yet of the two much more hot , it is good against all kinde of aches , and other paine in the ioynts , or sinewes : it delighteth in a rich blacke soyle , fat and loose : it would be sowne in february , and remoued in september . philipendula is very hot and dry , and is good against abortiue births , stone , strangury , or any griefe procéeding from colde causes : it may be sowne in any barraine , stony , or grauelly soyle , in the months of may , aprill , or september : it neither desireth much wéeding , nor much watering , but being once committed to the ground appeareth sodainely : and thus much of those hearbes which are fit for medicine , of which though there be many others , yet they differ not in their ordering from these already declared . chap. v. of diuers sorts of sallet-hearbes , their manner of sowing and ordering . amongst the many numbers of sallet-hearbes i thinke it not amisse to beginne first with lettuce , which of all other whose vertue is helde in the leafe , is most delicate , tender , and pleasant : the ground then in which it most delighteth , is that which is most fertile , best laboured , and of the finest mould , being soft , loose , and more enclining to moysture then drinesse : it may be sowne in any moneth of the yeare , from february to nouember ; it is very quick of growth , and will appeare aboue the earth in foure dayes after the sowing : it would at first be sowne thicke , and carefully kept with morning and euening watrings , if the season be dry , but not otherwise : after it is growne and faire spread aboue the earth , which will be in a moneths space or there-abouts , you shall chuse out the fairest and goodliest plants , and taking them vp with the earth and all , about their rootes , replant or remoue them to a new bed of fresh mould , and there set them a foote distance one from another , and fixe their rootes fast and hard into the ground : then couer or presse them downe with tyle or slate stones , to make them spread and not spring vpward , by which meanes the leaues will gather together , and cabbadge , in a thicke and good order , for it is to be vnderstood , that the oftner you remoue your lettuce , the fairer and closer they wil cabbage . there be diuers which obserue to remoue lettuce as soone as sixe leaues are sprung aboue the ground ; but i like better to remoue them when they begin to spindle : they are most estéemed in the moneths of aprill , may , and iune , for in iuly they are supposed to carrie in them a poysonous substance . next the lettuce i preferre the hearbe spynage , which delighteth in a well-dunged earth , and may be sowne in aprill , march , september , or october : it would not be mixed with other séedes , because it prospereth best alone . sparagus ioyeth in a fertill moist ground , the mould being made light which couers it , and the ground well dunged , the spring is the best time to sowe it , and it must be sowne in long furrowes or trenches made with your finger , and not vniuersally spread ouer the bed as other séeds are : it loueth moysture , but may not endure the wet to lye long vpon it , and therefore the beds would a little descend it : must not be remoued till the rootes be so feltred together , that they hinder the new branches from springing vp , which commonly is two yeares . colworts or cabbadge séede delighteth in any well husbanded handed ground , and may be sowen in all sorts and seasons as lettuce is , and must also in the like manner be remoued , after the principall leaues are come forth , which will make them to gather together , and cabbadge the better : and as they may be sowen in any season of the yeare , so likewise they may be remoued at all seasons likewise , except the frost or other vnseasonable weather hinder you : and although some men will not allow it to be sowen in clay grounds , grauell , chalke , or sand , yet they are deceiued ; for if the earth be well ordred , they will grow plentifully , onely you must obserue when you remoue them to let them haue earth roome enough . sage is in gardens most common , because it is most wholesome , and though it may be better set from the slip then sowen in the séede , yet both will prosper , it loueth any well drest ground , and may be sowen either in february , march , september , or october : it loueth also to grow thick and close together , and will of it selfe ouercome most wéedes : it asketh not much dung , neither too great care 〈◊〉 watring , onely it would be oft searched , for toa●es and other venemous things will delight to lye vnder it , the more sunne and ayre it hath , the better it is . purslane is a most excellent sallet hearbe , and loueth ● fertile soile , and though it may be sowen almost in any moneth , yet the warmest is the best , as aprill , may , iune , or septemb. buck ashes are an excellent meanure for them , and for most sallet hearbs else , but aboue all they loue dry dust and house-swéepings , they are apt to shed their séede , whence it comes that a ground once possest of them will seldome want them , they may also be remoued , and will prosper much the better . artychokes loue a fat earth , and may be sowen in february or march , the moone encreasing , the séedes must not be sowen together , but set one by one a good distance asunder ; they must lye somewhat déepe , and be firmely couered ; yet if you can procure them , i rather with you rather to set them from slips or young plants , then sowe them from the séedes , for they doe so naturally loue the earth , that you can hardly slip so wast a leafe from an artychoke as will not take roote ; if you sowe the séede , you must be carefull to wéede and water them well , for the first leaues are very tender : also if you remoue them after their first springing , the fruit will be bigger and better . garlicke is best in september and nouember , to be set from the cloue , in & about the borders of beds , or other séedes , halfe a foote one from another , and in february , march , and aprill , to be sowen from the séede : it must be ordered as you order onyon séede , it loues not much wet nor extreame drought , onely it desires a good mould which is rich and firme , yet not too much dunged . raddish loueth a fertile ground , that is well dunged , chiefly with mans ordure , that is déepe trencht , and hath an easie and light mould , and the séedes would be placed either in rowes , or about the borders of beds , as you doe garlicke : the manner of sowing it is with a dibble or round sticke , to make a hole into the ground almost a foote déepe , and then into that hole to put not aboue two séedes at the most , and then close the hole vp againe , and let the holes be foure fingers one from another , it may be sowen in most months of the yéere if the frost hinder not , and to make the roote large & tender , and to kéepe the branch from séeding ; you shall as it springs crop off the principall leaues which grow against the heart of the root : to tread them downe into the earth after they haue fast roote is good also . nauew , if the earth haue any small goodnesse in it will grow plentifully , neither is offended with any ayre , onely the mould would be loose and rough , for otherwise it many times turneth to rape : the séede naturally commeth vp very thicke , therefore it is expedient to remoue them and plant them thinner , for that best preserueth their natures , they may be sowne in february , march , aprill , september , or october . parsneps or carrets are of one and the selfe nature , they delight in a good fat earth , and would be sowne reasonably thicke , in long déepe trenches like furrowes , hauing a gentle and easie mould either in the moneth of ianuary , february , or march , or in september , october , or december , they must be carefully well wéeded , and if the earth be fat , they néede not much watring or other attendance . pompyons , gourds , or mellons , desire a very good ground , or by nature or art , the séedes must be sowne very thinne , as at least halfe a foote one from another , they would lye reasonably déepe , yet the mould very gentle which couers them , they are subiect to spread and runne ouer much ground , therefore as they grow you must direct their stemmes , so as they may not annoy one another , and when they flower you shall lay broad tiles or slat● stones vnder them , that the fruit nor flower may not touch the earth ; if you plash them vp against trées or walles where they may haue the reflection of the sunne , the fruit will be larger , pleasanter , and sooner ripe : they néede no wéeding nor watring after you sée them appeare aboue the earth , and the best seasons to sowe them in , is february , march , or aprill , those are the best pompyons which haue the smallest séedes , and are of the most yellowest complexion . cowcumber , is a delicate , pleasant , yet very tender fruit , and delighteth in an extraordinarie fat earth , especially during the opening or sprouting of the séede , therefore the best and most vndoubted safest way for sowing them , is , first in some corner of your kitchin garden to make a bed of two or thrée yards square of olde oxe dung , and horse dung mixt together , and at least a yard or better high from the earth , then couer this bed of dung with the rich●st garden mould you haue , better then halfe a foote thicke : then thereon place your séedes halfe a foote likewise one from another , and be most sure that your séedes be hard and sound ( for any softnesse in them sheweth rottennesse ) then couer them foure fingers thicke with the like mould : then within seauen or eight dayes , after you shall sée them appeare aboue the earth , but in any wise let them continue still till the principall leaues be come forth , and they begin to créepe out in length , then with your hand griping the whole plant , take it vp by the rootes with the earth and all , and plant it in a bed new digged & trimmed for the purpose with a rich loose mould , and so replant and remoue each roote seuerally one after another , and they will grow and bring forth in great plenty . now by the way you must obserue , that as soone as you haue sowne your séedes you shall prouide a mat , canuasse , or other couering , which being placed vpon stakes ouer the dung bed , shall euery night after sunne-set be spread ouer the same , and not taken away till the sunne be risen in the morning , for this will defend the séedes from frosts and other cold dewes which are very dangerous . now if any demand why these séedes are thus sowne first on the bed of dung , they shall vnderstand that besides the warmth and fertility thereof , that the séedes are so pleasant and tender , that wormes and other créeping things in the earth will destroy them before they can sprout , which this bed of dung preuenteth . the months most fit for sowing these séedes , are aprill , may , and iune onely , for other are much too colde , and in this manner you may sowe any tender séede whatsoeuer . beanes of egipt delight in a moyst watrish ground , rather fertile then any way giuen to barrainnesse , yet will plentifully enough prosper in any indifferent earth : they are rather to set then sowe , because they must take strong roote , and be fi●ed somewhat déepe into the earth , and the moneth which is most proper for them , is the latter end of ianuary , all february and the beginning of march onely . skerrets are a delicate roote , white , tender , and pleasant , little differing in tast or excellencie from the eringo . they delight in a rich mould , moyst and well broken , and must be set déepe in the earth : after they be a finger length aboue the ground they would be remoued , and planted in a fresh mould , which will preserue them from spéedie séeding , for when they runne to séede , they loose the vertue of their roote . the moneths fittest for the sowing of them , is march , aprill , and may , and if you desire to haue them all winter , you may then sowe them it september and october . and thus much for sallet-hearbs , and rootes of all natures , of which kindes though there be diuers other , yet you shall vnderstand , all are to be ordered in the manner of these before rehearsed , that is to say , such as haue their vertues in the stalke or leaues , like spynage , sparagus , purslayn , and such like , those which cabbadge or knit together in hard lumps , like lettuce , colworts , and such like , and those whose goodnesse liues in their rootes , like raddish , carrets , skerrets , and such like . now for a most necessarie obseruation , euery gardner ought to beare this rule in his memorie , that all pot-hearbs must be sowne thicke , and but thinly couered , as namely not aboue thrée fingers : all hearbs which cabbadge must be sowne thicke , and déeper couered , as a full handfull at least , and in their remouing planted thinne , and well fixt into the earth : and all rootes must be sowen thinne and déepe , as almost a foote either let into the ground , or strewed in déepe furrowes , digged and laide vp for the purpose , in which the quantity of your séede must onely direct you : for if you haue occasion to sow hardly a handfull , then you may set them one by one into the ground at your leasure , but if you haue occasion to sowe many pecks or halfe pecks , then you shall turne vp your earth into déepe furrowes , and in the bottome thereof scatter your séede , and after rake it into a leuell , and you shall not onely saue much labour , but gaine your purpose . chap. vi. of flowers of all sorts both forraigne and home-bred , their sowing , planting , and preseruing . hauing written sufficiently of pot-hearbs and sallet-hearbs , which are the ornaments of the husbandmans kitchin or table , i will here speake of flowers , which either for their smels , beauties , or both , are the graces of his chamber . and first , because my maine ayme and scope is english husbandrie , i will begin with those flowers which are most proper and naturall for our climate , of which because i holde roses both for their smell , beauties , and wholesomnesse to excéede all other , i thinke it not amisse to giue them the first place and precedencie before all other . you shall vnderstand then that roses are generally and aunciently but of thrée kindes , the damaske , the red , and the white , and what are different from these are but deriuations from them , being by grafting , replanting , and phisicking , somewhat altered either in colour , smell , or doublenesse of leafe . to speake then first of the damaske rose , it is fit that all husbandmen know , that roses may as well be sowne from the séede , as planted from the roote , syen , or branch onely , they are the slower in comming vp , more tender to nourish , and much longer in yéelding forth their flowers , yet for satisfaction sake and where necessitie vrgeth , if of force or pleasure you must sowe it from the séede , you shall chuse a ruffish earth loose and well dunged , and you shall cast vp your beds high and narrow : the moneth which is fit for their sowing is september , and they must be couered not aboue foure fingers déepe , they must be defended well all the winter from frosts and stormes , and then they will beare their flowers plentifully all the next spring following ; yet this is to be noted , that all roses which rise from the séede simply , their flowers will be single like the eglantine , or cyphanie , therefore after your plants are two yéeres olde , you must graft one into another , as you doe other fruit , and that will make them double and thicke : also you must remember that those yellow small séedes which are in the midst of the rose , are not true rose séedes , but those which lye hid in the round peare knob vnder the rose , which as soone as the leaues are fallen away , will open and shew the séede . and thus much touching the sowing of all sorts of roses , which is for experience and knowledge sake onely , for indéede the true vse and property of the rose is to be planted in short slips about fourtéene inches long , and the small tassels of the roote cut away , they would be set halfe a foote into the ground , in the same manner as you set ordinary quick-set , and of like thicknesse , rather a little slope-wise then vpright : and though some thinke march the best season , yet doubtlesse september is much better for hauing the roote confirmed all the winter , they will beare the sooner and better all the sommer following ; you must be carefull to plant them in faire weather , and as néere as you can vnder shelter as by the sides of walls , and such like couert where the sunne may reflect against them , and if they be planted on open beds or borders , then you must with poales and other necessaries support and hold them vp , least the winde shake their rootes and hinder their growing . the red rose is not fully so tender as the damaske , neither is it so pleasant in smell , nor doubleth his leaues so often ; yet it is much more phisicall , and oftner vsed in medicine , it is likewise fitter to be planted then sowen , and the earth in which it most ioyeth would be a little rough or grauelly , and the best compasse you can lay vnto it , is rubbish or the sweeping of houses , the moneths to sowe or plant it in is march or september , & the time to prune and cut away the superfluous branches is euer the midst of october . the white rose is of lesse smell then the red , and will grow in a harder ground , his vse is altogether in phisicke as for sore eyes and such like : it will grow into a trée of some bigge substance , and is seldome hurt with frosts , stormes , or blastings : it would likewise be planted from the roote against some high wall , either in the moneth of february or march , and the oftner you plant and replant it , the doubler and larger the flower will be : for the earth it much skilleth not , because it will grow almost in euery ground , onely it delights most in the shadow , and would be seldome pruned , except you finde many dead branches . the cinamon rose , is for the most part sowen , and not planted , whence it comes that you shall euer sée the leaues single and little , the delicacie thereof being onely in the smell , which that you may haue most fragrant and strong , you shall take a vessell of earth , being full of small holes in the bottome and sides , and fill it with the richest earth you can get , being made fine and loose , then take damaske rose séedes which are hard , and sound , and steepe them foure and twenty houres in cinamon water , i doe not meane the distilled water , but faire conduit water , in which good store of cinamon hath bin stéeped , or boyled , or milk , wherin good store of cinamon hath bin dissolued , and then sow those séedes into the pot , and couer them almost thrée fingers déepe , then morning and euening till they appeare aboue the earth , water them with that water or milke in which the séedes were stéeped , then when they are sprung vp a handfull or more aboue the ground , you shall take them vp mould and all , and hauing drest a border or bed for the purpose , plant them so as they may grow vp against some warme wall or pale , and haue the sunne most part of the day shining vpon them , and you shall be sure to haue roses growing on them , whose smell will be wonderfull pleasant , as if they had béene spiced with cinamon , and the best season of sowing these is euer in march , at high noone day , the weather shining faire , and the winde most calme . now if you would haue these roses to grow double , which is an act yet hid from most gardners , you shall 〈◊〉 michaelmasse take the vppermost parts of the plants from the first knot , and as you graft either plumme or apple , so graft one into another , and couer the heads with earth or clay tempered with cinamon-water , and they will not onely grow double , but the smell will be much swéeter , and looke how oft you will graft and 〈◊〉 graft them , so much more double and double they will proue . the prouince rose is a delicate flower for the eye more then the nose , for his oft grafting abateth his smell , but doubleth his leafe so oft that it is wonderfull , therefore if you will haue them large and faire , you shall take the fairest damaske roses you can get , and graft them into the red rose , and when they haue shot out many branches , then you shall graft each seuerall branch againe with new grafts of another grafted damaske rose and thus by grafting graft vpon graft , you shall haue as faire and well coloured prouince roses , as you can wish or desire : and thus you may doe either in the spring or fall at your pleasure , but the fall of the leafe is euer helde the best season . now if your roses chaunce to loose their smels , as it all happeneth through these double graftings : you shall then plant garlicke heads at the rootes of your roses , and that will bring the pleasantnesse of their sent vnto them againe . now for your generall obseruations , you shall remember that it is good to water your roses morning and euening till they be gathered ; you shall rather couet to plant your roses in a dry ground then a wette ; you shall giue them much shelter , strong support , and fresh dung twise at the least euery yeare , when the leafe is fallen , you shall cutte and prune the branches , and when the buds appeare you , then begin your first watring . lauender is a flower of a hot smell , and is more estéemed of the plaine country housewife then the dainty citizen : it is very wholesome amongst linnen cloathes , and would be sowen in a good rich mould , in the moneths of march or aprill . the white lilly would be s●wen in a fat earth , in the moneths of october and nouember , or in march or april , and the séedes must be sowen excéeding thinne , not one by any meanes touching another , and the mould which couereth them must be sifted gently vpon them . if you would haue your lillyes of a purple colour , you shall stéepe your féedes in the lées of red wine , and that will change their complexion , and also you shall water the plants with the same lées likewise : if you will haue them scarlet red , you shall put vermillion or cynaber betwéene the rinde and the small heads growing about the roote : if you would haue them blew , you shall dissolue azure or byse betwéene the rinde and the heads , if yellow orpment , if gréene verdigreace , and thus of any other colour . now to make them flourish euery moneth in the yéere , you shall sowe your séedes some a foote déepe , some halfe a foote , and some not two inches , so they will spring one after another , and flourish one after another . the wood lilly or lilly of the vale , delighteth most in a moyst ground , and may be sowen either in march or september , it is very faire to looke on , and not so suffocating in smell as the other lillyes are . the flower de lice is of excellent beauty , but not very pleasant to smell to , it loueth a dry ground & an easie mould , and is fittest to be sowen in the moneth of march. pyonie or the blessed rose , loueth a good fat earth being somewhat loose , and may be sowen either in march or september , it asketh not much watring , onely some support because the stalkes be weake . petillius or indian eye , may be sowen in any ground , for it desireth neither much water , nor much dung , and the best season for sowing , it is iune or 〈…〉 it will beare flowers commonly all the wint●r . veluet flower loueth a rich fertile ground , and must be much watred : the season best for the sowing is aug●st , 〈◊〉 commonly it will beare flowers all the winter . gilliflowers are of diuers kindes , as pynks , wall-flowers , carnations , cloue-gilliflowers , and a world of others , which are of all other flowers most swéet and delicate● all but the wall-gilliflower loue good fertile earths , and may be sowen either in march , iuly , or august . they are better to be planted of slips then sowen , yet both will prosper . they are very tender , and therfore the best planting of them is in earthen pots , or halfe tubs , which at your pleasure you may remoue from the shade to the sunne , and from the roughnesse of stormes to places of shelter , they grow vp high on long slender stalkes , which you must defend and support with square cradles made of stickes , least the winde and the waight of the flowers breake them : these gilliflowers you may make of any colour you please , in such sort as is shewed you for the colouring of lillyes , and if you please to haue them of mixt colours you may also , by grafting of contrary colours one into another : and you may with as great ease graft the gylliflower as any fruit whatsoeuer , by the ioyning of the knots one into another , and then wrapping them about with a little soft sleau'd silke , and couering the place close with soft red waxe well tempered . and you shall vnderstand that the grafting of gylliflowers maketh them exceeding great , double , and most orient of colour . now if you will haue your gylliflowers of diuers smels or odours , you may also with great ease , as thus for example : if you will take two or thrée great cloues , & stéepe them foure and twenty houres in damaske rose water , then take them out and bruise them , and put them into a fine cambricke ragge , and so binde them about the heart roote of the gylliflower , néere to the setting on of the stalke , and so plant it in a fine , soft , and fertile mould , and the flower which springeth from the same , will haue so delicate a mixt smell of the cloue and the rose-water , that it will bréede both delight and wonder . if in the same manner you take a sticke of cinamon , and stéepe it in rose water , and then ●ruise it , and binde it as afore-said , all the flowers will smell strongly of cinamon : if you take two graines of fat muske , and mixe it with two drops of damaske rose water , and binde it as afore-said , the flowers will smell strongly of muske , yet not too hot nor offensiue , by reason of the correction of the rose water : and in this sort you may doe either with amber-greece , storax , beniamin , or any other swéet drugge whatsoeuer ; and if in any of these confections before named , you stéepe the séedes of your gylliflowers foure and twenty houres before you sowe them , they will take the same smels in which you stéepe them , onely they will not be so large or double , as those which are replanted or grafted . now for your wall-gylliflower , it delighteth in hard rubbish , limy , and stonie grounds , whence it commeth that they couet most to grow vpon walles , pauements , and such like barraine places . it may be sowen in any moneth or season , for it is a séede of that hardnesse , that it makes no difference betwixt winter and sommer , but will flourish in both equally , and beareth his flowers all the yéere , whence it comes that the husbandman preserues it most in his bée-garden ; for it is wondrous swéet , and affordeth much honey . it would be sowen in very small quantity , for after it haue once taken roote , it will naturally of it selfe ouer-spread much ground , and hardly e●er after be rooted out . it is of it selfe of so excéeding a strong and swéet smell , that it cannot be forced to take any other , and therefore is euer preserued in its owne nature . the helytropian or flower of the sunne , is in nature and colour like our english marigold , onely it is excéeding huge in compasse , for many of them will be twenty , and foure and twenty inches in compasse , according to the fertilenesse of the soyle in which they grow , and the oft replanting of their rootes , they are excéeding 〈…〉 on , and pleasant to smell , they open their flowers at the rising of the sunne , and close them againe at the 〈◊〉 setting , it delighteth in any soyle which is fertile 〈◊〉 by art or nature , and may be sowen in any 〈◊〉 from february till september , the oft planting 〈◊〉 replanting of the roote after it is sprung a handfull from the earth , maketh it grow to the vttermost bignesse , it would haue the east and west open vpon it , onely 〈◊〉 small pent-house to kéepe the sharpnesse of the 〈◊〉 from it . the crowne emperiall , is of all flowers both foraigne and home-bred , the delicatest and strangest : it hath the true shape of an emperiall crowne , and will be of diuers colours , according to the art of the ●ar●ner . in the middest of the flower you shall sée a 〈◊〉 pearle stand , in proportion , colour , and orientnesse , li●● a true naturall pearle , onely it is of a soft liquid substance : this pearle if you shake the flower neuer so violently will not fall off , neither if you let it continue neuer so long , will it either encrease or diminish in ●he bignesse , but remayneth all one : yet if with your finger you take and wipe it away , in lesse then an h●●re after you shall haue another arise in the same place , and of the same bignesse . this pearle if you taste it vpon your tongue , is pleasant and swéet like honey : this flower when the sunne ariseth , you shall sée it looke directly to the east , with the stalke bent lowe there-vnto , and as the sunne ariseth higher and higher , so the flower will likewise ascend , and when the sunne is come into the meridian or noone poynt , which is directly ouer it , then will it stand vpright vpon the stalke , and looke directly vpward , and as the sunne declineth , so will it likewise decline , and at the sunne setting looke directly to the west onely . the séedes of this flower are very tender , and therefore would be carefully sowen in a very rich and fertile earth well broken and manured . the seasons most méete for the same , is the latter end of march , aprill , or may , for the flowers flourish most in may , iune , and iuly . as soone as it is sprung a handfull aboue the earth ; you shall remoue it into a fr●sh mould , and that will make it flourish the brauer : the roote of this flower is like an apple , or great flat onion , and therefore in the replanting of it , you must be carefull to make a hole large and fitte for the same , and to fire the mould gently and close about the same . in the winter it shrinketh into the earth , and is hardly or not at all discerned , by meanes whereof i haue seene diuers supposing it to be dead , to digge vp the earth , and negligently spoyle the roote , but be not you of that opinion , and in the spring you shall sée it arise and flourish brauely . the dulippo is but a little short of the crowne emperiall in pleasantnesse and rarenesse , for you may haue them of all colours whatsoeuer , in such sort as was shewed you for the lillyes , gylliflowers , and other rootes : they are tender at their first springing from the séede , and therefore must be sowen in a fine rich mould , in the warmth of the sunne , either in march , aprill , or may : but after they are once sprung aboue the ground , they are reasonable hard , and will defend themselues against most weathers : the roote of this flower is shaped like a peare , with the biggest end downeward , and many small thréeds at the bottome ; therefore you must be sure when you remooue or replant it , to couer all the roote in fresh mould , and let not any part of the white thereof be vncouered : this flower by monethly replanting , you may haue to flourish in all the summer moneths of the yeare , for in the dead of winter it shrinketh into the ground , and is hardly or not at all perceiued , the stalkes of these flowers are weake , therefore to support them , and defend them from the shakings of the windes with little square frames of stickes , will be very good 〈◊〉 ●●cessary , it must be oft watred . the hyacinth is a flower more delicate to the eye then nose , and is of a good strong nature , for it will ●ndure any reasonable earth , and may be sowne in any ●●neth of the spring , from the beginning of february till midde iune : it onely hateth tempests and stormes , and therefore is commonly sowen or planted néere vnto walls or other shelter . you may haue them of any colour you please , as is shewed before of other flowers , and in this alteration or mixture of colours their greatest glorie appeareth , they will flourish all the summer long , and if they stand warme , appeare very early in the spring . the narcissus is a very curious and dainty flower , and through his much variety and alteration in growing , they are supposed to be of diuers kindes , but it is not so ; for in as much as they are séene to be of diuers colours , that is but the art of the gardner , as is before exprest in other flowers , and whereas some of them grow single , some double , and some double vpon double , you shall vnderstand that such as grow single , grow simply from the seede onely , those which are double and no more , are such as haue béene planted and replanted , the small thréeds of the rootes being clipt away , and nothing left about it that is superfluous , and those which are double vpon double , are the double plants grafted one into another . this narcissus loueth a rich warme soyle , the mould being easie and light , it may be sowne in any moneth of the spring , and will flourish all the summer after . before it appeare aboue ground it would be oft watred , but after it sa●●s not how little , for it will defend it selfe sufficiently . not vnlike vnto this is your daffadill of all kindes and colours , and in the same earths and seasons delighteth either to be sowen or planted , and will in the same manner as your narcissus double and redouble his leaues ; so will your colombine , your chesbole , and almost any hollow flower whatsoeuer . many other forraigne flowers there are which grow plentifully in our kingdome : but the order of their planting and sowing differeth nothing from these which i haue already declared , being the most tender and curious of all other , therefore i will end this chapter with this one caution onely , that when you shall receiue any séede from any forraine nation , you shall learne as néere as you can the nature of the soyle from whence it commeth , as hot , moyst , colde , or dry it is , and then comparing it with ours , sowe it as néere as you can in the earth , and in the seasons that are néerest to the soyle from whence it came , as thus for example : if it came from a clime much hotter then ours , then shall you sowe it in sandie mould or other mould made warme by strength of meanure , in the warmest time of the day , and in those moneths of the spring , which are warmest , as aprill or may , you shall let it haue the sunne fréely all the day and at night , with mats , penthouse , or other defence shield it from sharpe windes , frosts , or colde dewes . i haue séene diuers noblemen and gentlemen , which haue béene very curious in these dainty flowers , which haue made large frames of wood with boards of twenty inches déepe , standing vpon little round whéeles of wood , which being made square or round according to the masters fancie , they haue filled with choyse earth , such as is most proper to the flower they would haue grow , and then in them sowe their séedes , or fixe their plants in such sort , as hath béene before described , and so placing them in such open places of the garden , where they may haue the strength and violence of the sunnes heate all the day , and the comfort of such moderate showers , as fall without violence or extraordinarie beating , and at night draw them by mans strength into some low vaulted gallery ioyning vpon the garden , where they may stand warme and safe from stormes , windes , frosts , dewes , blastings , and other mischiefes which euer happen in the sunnes absence , and in this manner you may not onely haue all manner of dainty outlandish flowers , but also all sorts of the most delicatest fruits that may be , as the orenge , limond , pomgranate , poncythron , cynamon-tree , oliue , almond , or any other , from what clime so euer it be deriued , obseruing onely but to make your frames of wood , which containes your earth , but déeper and larger , according to the fruit you plant in it , and that your alleys through which you draw your trées when you house them be smooth and leuell , least being rough and vneuen , you iogge and shake the rootes with the waight of the trées , which is dangerous . and least any man may imagine this but an imaginary supposition , i can assure him that within seauen miles of london , the experiment is to be séene , where all these fruits and flowers with a world of others grow in two gardens most abundantly . now for such flowers or fruits as shall be brought from a colder or more barraine ground then our owne , there néedeth not much curiosity in the plantation of them , because a better euer bringeth forth a better encrease , onely i would wish you to obserue , to giue all such fruits or flowers the vttermost liberty of the weather , & rather to adde coolenes by shaddow , then encrease any warmth by reflection , as also to augment showers by artificiall watrings , rather then to let the roote dry for want of continuall moysture ; many other notes and obseruations there are , which to discouer , would aske a volume larger then i intend , and yet not be more in true substance , then this which is already writ , if the reader haue but so much mother-wit , as by comparing things together , to draw the vses from the true reasons , and to shunne contrary by contraries , which what husbandman is so simple , but he can easily performe , and hauing the true grounds of experience , frame his descant according to his owne fancie , which is a musicke best pleasing to all men , since it is not in any one mans power to giue a generall contentment . and thus much for flowers , and their generall and particular ordering . chap. vii . how to preserue all manner of seedes , hearbs , flowers , and fruits , from all manner of noysome and pestilent things which deuoure and hurt them . it is not enough to bequeath and giue your séedes vnto the ground , and then immediatly to expect ( without any further industrie ) the fruit of your labours , no goodnesse seldome commeth with such ease : you must therefore know that when you lay your séedes in the ground , they are like so many good men amongst a world of wicked ones , and as it were inuironed and begirt with maine armies of enemies , from which if your care and diligence doe not defend them the most , if not all , will doubtlesse perish , and of these enemies the worst and most violentest is thunder and lightning , which in a moment killeth all sorts of flowers , plants , and trées , euen in the height and pride of their flourishing , which to preuent , it hath béene the practise of all the auncient gardners , to plant against the walles of their gardens , or in the middest of their quarters , where their choysest flowers grow , the lawrell or bay trée , which is euer helde a defence against those strikings . next vnto thunder and lightning are caterpillers , which are a kinde of filthy little wormes , which lye in cobwebs about the leaues , deuouring them , and poysoning the sap , in such sort , that the plant dieth spéedily after : the way to kill these , is to take strong urine and ashes mixt together , and with it to dash and sprinkle all the plants cleane ouer , and it will both preuent their bréeding , or being bred will kill them : the smoake of brimstone will doe the like , yet if they be excéeding much abundant , the surest way to destroy them , is to take olde , rotten , mouldy hay , and setting it on fire , with the blaze thereof burne the cob-webs , and then with the smoake smother and kill the wormes , and they will hardly euer bréede in that place againe . next these are toades and frogges , which are very poysonous and great destroyers of young plants , chiefly in their first appearing aboue the ground , and the auncient gardners haue vsed to destroy them by burning the fat of a stagge in some part of the garden beds , from which earth all creatures that haue poyson in them , will flye with all violence : other gardners will watch where the kite pearcheth on nights , and gathering vp her dung , scatter it vpon the beds either simply , or mixt with the shauings of an olde harts horne , and no venemous thing will come néere it . next these are field myce , which will roote séedes out of the earth , and deuoure them aboundantly , which to kill you shall take henbane seede , and beate it to pouder , and then mixing it with swéet oyle , fresh butter , or grease , make thereof a bayte ; and when you finde where they scratch or roote , lay some part of the bayte in that place , and they will gréedily eate it , and it will kill them : there be other gardners which will take a wéesell , and burning it to ashes , scatter the ashes on the beds , and then no field mouse will come néere them . next these are flyes , as flesh - flyes , scarabs , hornets dores , and such like , which are great destroyers of séeds and plants , when they appeare in their first leafe , and are soft and tender , which to destroy , you shall either take orpment mixt with milke , or the pouder of allome , or the ashes of any of these flyes burnt , and with it sprinkle your beds and young plants all ouer , and it will kéepe flyes that they will not dare to come néere them . if the gréene fly , which of all other flyes is most gréedie to hurt séedes and plants , doe offend your garden , you shall take henbane leaues , houseleeke , and mints , and beat them in a morter , then straine forth the iuyce , and then adde thereto as much uinegar as was of all the rest , and there●with sprinkle your beds all ouer , and the gréene fly will neuer come néere them . some hold opinion , that if you plant the hearbe rocket in your garden , that it is a safe preseruatiue against these gr●eacute ; ene flyes , for it is most certaine that the very smell thereof will kill these , and most sorts of all other flyes whatsoeuer , as hath béene found by approued experience , and the sylts of olde auncient abby gardens , which a man shall seldome finde without this hearbe planted in them . next these are gnats , which although it be the smallest of all flyes , yet it is the greatest , quickest , and sharpest deuourer of tender plants of all other , for it biteth déeper and more venemously sharpe , then those which are of much bigger substance : the best way to destroy them is morning and euening , to smoake and perfume your beds either with wet rosemary , or with mouldy hay : some vse to burne calamint , and some oxe dung , and sure all are very good , for the smoakes are very sharpe , and styflle as soone as it is receiued . next these are pismyers , which also are very noysome vnto gardens , for they will digge vp , and carrie away the smaller séedes to their hills , and in shrot space spoyle and deface a bed of his encrease , and the best way to destroy them , is , if you finde their hill , to poure hot scalding water vpon them : or if vpon your garden beds you strowe ashes or lyme , but especially that which is made of chalk , they will by no meanes come néere them , as you shall finde by experience . next these are moales , which digging and vndermining the earth , turneth vp séedes and plants in a confused fashion , to the vtter destruction and ruine of the husband-mans labour , the cure whereof is to take them in such sort , as shall be shewed in this booke , where i speake of pasture grounds ; but if you finde that their encrease and continuance multiply with your labour , it shall be then good for you to plant in diuers places of your garden the hearbe called palma christi , in other places garlicke● and in other places onyons , and it is an assured rule that no moale will come néere where they grow for the strength and violence of their smell , is poysonous and deadly to those blinde vermines . next these are snailes of both kindes , blacke and white , which are as much offensiue to gardens , as any other crawling thing , for they féed of the tender leaues of plants , and of the outmost rindes of the daintiest hearbs or flowers , the way to destroy them , is to sprinkle vpon the beds and other places of their aboad good store of chimney soote , which by no meanes they can endure , because it is mortall and poysonous . next these are moathes or moaghts , which are very pernitious in a garden , for they destroy both séeds and plants , and there is no better or more certaine way to kill them , then by taking olde horse hoofes , and burning them , with the smoake thereof to perfume all the places where they abide , and it will in an instant kill them ; with this smoake onely you may kéepe arras hanging , tapistrie , néedle-worke , cushions , or carpets , or any woollen cloath or garment whatsoeuer safe from moathes as long as you please , neither néede you to vse it aboue once or twice a yéere at the most , as shall be more at large in another place declared . next these are cankers , which are a kinde of filthie wormes , which deuoure both the great and small leaues of all sorts of swéet plants , especially lettuce , cabbadge , colaflours , and such like ; and the way to destroy them , is to scatter amongst your plants , goose-dung , or to sprinkle the iuyce thereof with a wispe of rue , or hearbe of grace ouer all the beds , and though some with a rustie knife vse to scrape them from the leaues , and so kill them on a tyle-shread , ye● for my part i hold this the néerer way , and both more certaine and more easie , as experience will approue . lastly , are your garden wormes which liuing in the hollowes of the earth féede much vpon your tender garden séedes , and the soft sprouts which first issue from them , especially from all sorts of kirnels , in which they delight more then in any other séede whatsoe●er , as you may finde by experience , if you please to obserue accidents as they happen , without which obseruation you shall hardly attaine to the perfection of an excellent gardner : for if you please to make this triall , take the kirnels of a faire sound pippin , and deuide them into two parts , then lowe the one halfe in a garden bed well drest and trimmed for the purpose , where the worme hath liberty to come and goe at his pleasure , sowe the other halfe in some riuen boule , earthen pot , or halfe tub , made for the purpose with the same earth or mould that the bed is , and then set the vessell so as no worme may come there-vnto , and you shall finde that all those séedes will sprout and come forth , when hardly any one of those in the bed of earth will or can prosper , there being no other reason but the extreame gréedinesse of the deuouring worme , which to preuent , you shall take oxe dung , and burne it to ashes , then mixe them with the earth where-with you couer your séedes , and it will both kill the wormes , and make the séedes sprout both sooner and safer . and thus much for the preseruation of séeds and plants , from all noysome and pestilent creatures , which being practised with care and diligence , will giue vnto euery honest minde the satisfaction he desireth . now to conclude this small tract or treatise of the husbandmans kitchen garden , i would haue euery honest reader vnderstand , that i haue not taken vpon me to modell out any curious shape or proportion , but onely figured out a perfect nourcerie , shewing you how to bréed and bring vp all things fit for health or recreation , which being once brought to mature and ripe age , you may dispose into those proper places which may become their worthinesse , in which worke i would haue your owne fancy your owne directour , for i may giue preheminence to that you least like , and disestéeme that most which to you may séeme most worthy , therefore let your owne iudgement order your garden , like your house , and your hearbs like your furniture , placing the best in the best places , & such as are most conspicuous , and the rest according to their dignities in more inferiour roomes , remembring that your galleries , great chambers , and lodgings of state doe deserue artes , your hall wainscote , and your meanest offices some boscadge , or cleanly painting : from this alligorie if you can draw any wit , you may finde without my further instruction how to frame gardens of all sorts to your owne contentment . the second part of the second booke of the english husbandman : contayning the ordering of all sorts of vvoods , and the breeding of cattell . chap. i. of the beginning of woods , first sowing , and necessarie vse . it is a maxime held in plantations , that no land is habitable , which hath not wood & water , they two being as it were the only nerues & strength of a mans safe and wholesome liuing , and i haue heard many wise gentlemen , exercised , and ingaged , in the most noble and euer laudable workes of our new plantations , both of virginia and the summer - ilands affirme , that they had rather , for a generall profit , haue a fertile wholesome land , with much wood , then ( wanting wood ) with a mine of gold : so infinite great is the vse of timber ( whose particulars i néede not rehearse ) and so insufferable is the want , when we are any way pinched with the same . and hence it springeth that our olde auncestors ( whose vertues would god we would in some small measure imitate ) when they found any hard and barraine earth , such as was vnapt for grasse , or at least such as bar● but grasse that would kéepe life , not comfort life , they presently plowed it vp , and sowed thereon acornes , ash-keyes , maple knots , béech apples , hawes , slowes , nuts , bullis , and all other séeds of trees in innumerable quantity , as may appeare by the forrests of del la mere , sherwood , kings wood , and many other within this kingdome of huge great spaciousnes and compasse , from whom when the wood is spoiled , the soyle serueth to little or no purpose , except it be the kéeping aliue of a few poore shéepe , which yéeld but little profit more then their carkasse . thus euen from the first age of the world hath our forefathers béene euer most carefull to preserue and encrease wood , and for mine owne part i haue euer obserued in all those places where i haue séene woods decayed and destroyed , that the charge of stubbing and other necessaries allowed ; those lands haue neuer againe yéelded the former profit , for the greatest exhaustment that euer i saw of wood ground was to bring it to tenne shillings an arte when it was conuerted to pasture , and being kept to wood , it was worth euery seauentéenth yéere one and twenty pound . a simple auditor may cast the account of this profit , but such is our gréedinesse , that for our instant vse we little respect the good of ours , or our neighbours : but it is no part of my bookes method to call offences to question , but onely to right the husbandman in his 〈◊〉 to ordinarie profit . know then that there is nothing more profitable to the husbandman , then the encreasing and nourishing of wood ; from whence ( as our common lawes termes it ) springs these thrée bootes or necessary commodities , to wit house-boote , plowe-boote , and fire-boote , without the first we haue neither health , couert , ease , nor safety from sauage beasts : without the second we cannot haue the fruits of the earth , nor sustenance for our bodies , nor without the last can we defend off the sharp winters , or maintaine life against the numbing colds which would confound vs. the consideration of these thrée things only , might enduce vs to the preseruation of this most excellent commodity : but the other infinite necessities & vses which we make of wood , as shipping , by which we make our selues lords of the seas : fencing which is the bond of concord amongst neighbours : solution & trial of mines , from whence springs both our glory in peace , and our strength in warre , with a world of others sutable vnto them , should be motiues vnresistable to make vs with all diligence hast to the most praise-worthy labour of planting wood , in euery place and corner , where it may any way conueniently be receiued . if then the husbandman shall liue in a high barraine countrey ( for low-valleyes , marshes , or such grounds as are subiect to inundations , seldome nourish wood well ) or in a soyle though not vtterly barraine , yet of so hard and sower encrease , that the hearbage doth in the profit but in small quantity , i would wish him after a generall triall of his earth , to deuide it into thrée equall parts , the first and the fruitfullest i would haue him preserue for pasture for his cattell of all kindes : the second and next in fertility for corne , being no more then those cattell may till , and the last & most barraine to imploy for wood : which though he stay long for the profit , yet will pay the interest double . and this ground thus chosen for wood , i would haue him plowe vp from the swarth about the latter end of februarie , and if it be light earth , as either sand , grauell , or a mixt hazel earth , then immediatly to sow it with acornes , ash-keyes , elme & maple knots , béech-apples , chesnuts , ceruisses , crabs , peares , nuts of all kindes , hawes , hips , bullice , slowes , and all manner of other wood séeds whatsoeuer , and as soone as they are sowne with strong oxe harrowes of iron , to harrow and breake the earth , in such fort , that they may be close and safely couered . and in the plowing of this earth , you must diligently obserue to turne vp your furrowes as déepe as is possible , that the séede taking strong and déepe roote , may the better and with more safety encrease , and defend it selfe against stormes and tempests , whereas if the roote be but weakely fixed , the smallest blasts will shake the trées , and make them crooked , wrythen , and for small vse but fire onely . after you haue harrowed your earth , and laide your séede safe , you shall fence your ground about with a strong and large fence , as hedge , ditch , pale , or such like , which may kéepe out all manner of foure-footed b●asts , for comming within the same , for the space of tenne yéeres after : for you shall vnderstand , that if any cattell shall come where young wood is péeping aboue the earth , or whilst it is young , tender , and soft , they will naturally crop and brouse vpon the same , and then be sure that the wood which is so bitten , will neuer prosper or spring vp to any height , but turne to bushie shrubs and ill-fauoured tufts , pestring the ground without any hope of profit , whereas if it be defended and kept safe the space of tenne yéeres at the least , it will after defend it selfe , and prosper in despight of any iniurie : and then after that date you may safely turne your cattell into the same , and let them graze at pleasure , and surely you shall finde it a great reliefe for your young beast , as your yearling haiffers , bullocks , colts , f●●lies , and such like : for i would not wish you to let any elder cattell come within the same , because the grasse though it be long , yet it is sower and scowring , and by that meanes will make your cattell for labour weake and vnhealthie , whether it be oxe or horse , and for much-kine , it will instantly dry vp their milke , but for idle heilding beasts , whose profit is comming after , it will serue sufficiently . now if the earth whereon you sowe your wood , be a stiffe clay ground , and onely barraine through the extreamitie of colde , wet , or such like , as is séene in daily experience : you shall then plowe vp the ground at the end of ianuarie in déepe furrowes , as is before rehearsed ; and then let it rest till it haue receiued two or thrée good frosts , then after those frosts some wet , as either snow or raine , and then the next faire season after sowe it , as afore-said , and harrow it , and you shall sée the mould breake and couer most kindely , which without this baite , and order , it would not doe , then fence it as afore-said , and preserue it from cattell for tenne yéeres after . and here is to be noted that one oake growing vpon a clay ground , is worth any fiue which growes vpon the sand , for it is more hard , more tough , and of much longer indurance , not so apt to teare , ryue , or consume , either with lyme , rubbish , or any casuall moysture , whence it comes that euer your ship-wrights or mill-wrights desire the clay oake for their vse , and the ioyner the sand oake for smoothnesse and waynscote . and thus much for the sowing of wood , and his generall vses . chap. ii. the deuision of vnder-woods , their sale , and profit . whosoeuer be a lord or master of much vnder-wood , which is indéede young spring-wood of all kindes , growing thicke and close together , either from the séede , as is declared in the former chapter , or from the rootes of former salles , the first being a profit begotten by him selfe , the other a right left by purchase or inheritance , and desire , as it is the dutie of euery vertuous husband , to make his best and most lawfullest profit thereof , hauing not left vnto him any president of former commodity . in this case you shall suruay the whole circuit of your wood , with euery corner and angle there vnto belonging , and then as your abilitie and the quantity of your ground shall afford , you shall deuide your whole wood either into twelue , seauentéene , or one and twenty parts of equall acres , roodes , or rods , and euery yeare you shall sell or take to your owne vse one of those parts , so that one following yearely after another , our sales may continue time out of minde , and you shall imploy as you please so much wood euery yeare of either twelue , seauentéene , or one and twenty yeares growth . and in this you shal note that the sale of one and twenty , doth farre excéede that of seauentéene , and that of seauentéene as farre that of twelue : but in this it is quantity , and your necessity that must direct you , and not my demonstration : for there be fewe husbands but know that an acre of one and twenty yéeres growth , may be worth twenty , nay thirty pounds , that of seauentéene worth eight or ten pounds , and that of twelue , fiue and sixe pounds , according to the goodnesse of the wood , insomuch that the longer a man is able to stay , the greater sure is his profit : but fewell and fence must of necessity be had , and if a man haue but twelue acres of wood , i sée not but he must be forced to take euery yéere one acre for his owne reliefe , and if hée take more , hée must either necessarily spoyle all , or driue himselfe into extreame want in fewe yeares following : and therefore it is méete that euery good husband shape his garment according to his cloath , and onely take plenty where plenty is ; yet with this husbandly caution that euer the elder your sale is , the richer it is , as you may perceiue by the well husbanded woods of many bishoprickes in this land , which are not cut but at thirtie yeares growth . when you haue made your deuisions according to your quantity , you shall begin your sale at an out-side where cariages may enter without impeachment to the springs you intend not to cut , and a pole or halfe pole according to the quantity of ground , you shall preserue ( being next of all to the outmost fence ) to repaire the ring fences of your wood , and to seperate the new sale from the standing wood : and this amongst woodwards is called plash-pole . then at the latterend of ianuarie you may begin to cut downe your vnder-wood , and sell it either by acres , roodes , perches , poles , roddes , or dozens , according to the quantitie of your earth , or the abilitie of your buyers . and in this sale i cannot set you downe any certaine price , because true iudgement , and the goodnesse of your wood must onely giue you direction , things being euer valewed according to their worth and substance , and this sale or the cutting downe of vnder-wood , you may continue from the latter end of ianuarie , till midde aprill , at which time the leafe begins to bud forth , or somewhat longer if necessitie vrge you : the like you may also doe from the beginning of september , at which time the leafe beginnes to shed till the middest of nouember . now for the manner of cutting downe your vnderwoods , although the lawes of the kingdome shew you what dutie you shall performe therein , what timber you shall preserue , and how néere each weauer shall stand one to another , yet i would wish you both for your owne and the common-wealths sake , to performe somewhat more then that to which you are by law compelled , & therefore you shall giue direction to your wood fallers , that when they shall méete with any faire and straight well growne sapling , oake , elme , ash , or such like , to preserue them , and let them stand still , being of such fit distance one from another , that they may not hinder , or trouble each other in their growing , and when you shall finde vpon a cluster many faire plants or saplings ; you shall view which is the fairest of them all , and it preserue onely , and the rest cut away , that it may prosper the better : also if you finde any faire and well growne fruit trées , as peares , chesnuts , seruisses , and such like , you shall let them stand and cleare them from the droppings of the taller trées , and you shall finde the profit make you recompence . now for the generall cutting vp of the wood , you shall cut it about sixe inches aboue the ground , and drawing your strokes vpward , cut the wood slope-wise , for that is best to hasten on the new spring ; and those weauers or young which you preserue and suffer to growe still , you shall prune and trimme as you passe by them , cutting away all ●●perfluous branches , twigges , and young spyers , which shall grow either néere vnto the roote , or vpon any part of the boale , which is fit to be preserued for timber , and if you shall finde that the earth haue by any casualty forsaken the root , and left it bare , which is hurtfull to the growth of the trée , you shall lay fresh earth vnto it , and ram the same hard and fast about it . thus when you haue made an end of cutting downe your sale , and that the wood is cleansed and carried away , and all the loose and scattered stickes raked vp into seuerall heapes , and caried away also ; for it is the part of euerie good husband and woodward , not to sée any wood lye and rot vpon the ground : you shall then with the vnder-wood preserued in the plash-pole , deuide by a strong hedge this new cut downe sale from the other elder growne wood , and for tenne yéeres , as before is spoken , not suffer any foure-footed beast to come within the same ; from which rule you shall learne this lesson , that it is the woodwards duty euery day to looke ouer all his young springs , and if by any mischance or negligence cattell shall happen to breake into them ( as many times they doe ) then shall he not onely driue forth or impound such cattell , but also suruay how farre and which plants they haue cropt , and hauing spied them , with his wood bill , presently cut the plants so brouzed close by the bottomes of the last shuts , and then they will newly put forth againe , as well as if they had neuer béene hindred : which done , he shall finde out where the cattell brake in , and then mend the same , so well and sufficiently , that it may preuent the like mischiefe . also if these young springs shall stand néere vnto forrests or elder woods , which are full of wilde deare , and be no purfewes belonging vnto the same , the woodward then shall neuer walke without a little dogge following him , with which he shall chase such deare out of his young springs , because it is to be vnderstood , that the brouzing of deare is as hurtfull to young wood , as that of any other cattell whatsoeuer . and thus much touching the ordering and gouernment of vnder-woods , with their sales , and the nourishing vp of greater timber . chap. iii. of high-woods , and their plantation . high woods are those which containe onely trées for timber , and are not pestred or imbraced with the vnder growth of small brush wood , such as hazels , white-thorne , sallowes and poplar are ; these for the most part consist of oakes , ash , elme , béech , maple , and such like , growing so remote and seperate one from another , that although their tops and branches méete , and as it were infolde one within another , yet at the rootes a man may walke or ride about them without trouble . these high woods had their first beginnings from the séede , as was before declared , and nourisht from age to age amongst the vnder-woods , which , when men began to want foode for their bréede-cattell , and that from the super-abundance of young woods , they found some might conueniently be spared , they forth-with in stead of cutting downe their young wood aboue the earth , began to digge it vp by the rootes , and with stubbe axes to teare the meane sinewes from the ground , so that it might not renew or encrease againe , and then leuelling the earth , and laying it smooth and plaine , to leaue nothing standing but the tall timber trées , betwéene which the grasse had more libertie to growe , and cattell more abundance to féede on , and all be not so long and well able to fill the mouth , as that which growes in the thicke springs , yet much more swéet and better able to nourish any thing that shall graze vpon the same , by reason that the sunne and frosts hauing more frée power to enter into the ground , the earth is so much the better seasoned , and bringeth forth her encrease with more swéetnesse . some are of opinion , that these high woods may as well be planted as sowne , and that many of them from the first beginning haue béene so , to which opinion i consent in part : for doubtlesse i am perswaded , that many small groues of ash , elme , béech and poplar haue béene planted , for we sée in our daily experience , and the new walkes in more-fields by london , are a perfect testimonie , that such plantations may be without trouble or danger : but for the oake to be taken vp and replanted , is very hard , and very seldome in vse , neither shall a man in an whole age sée any oake remoued come to perfec●●on or goodnesse , but growe crooked , knottie , and at the best , but for the vse of fewell onely : but for the other before rehearsed , you may remoue them when they are a dozen yeares of age , and plant them where you please : and if the earth haue in it any goodnesse at all , they will take rest and grow both spéedily , and plentifully . and since i am thus farre entred into the plantation of woods , i will shew you how you shall plant and remoue euery trée in his due manner and season . and first for the planting of the elme , which is an excellent trée for shadow , and the adorning of walkes or dwelling houses , you shall make choise of those plants which are straightest , soundest , the barke euen and v●twound , and at least eightéene or twenty inches in compasse : these you shall digge out of the ground , roote and all , then at the top of the head , about thrée fingers vnder the knot , where the maine armes seuerally issue forth , you shall a little slope-wise cut the head cleane off them , and mixing clay and a little horse-dung , or fine ashes together , couer the head round about there-with , then ouer the same wrap mo●se , or fine hay , and binde it about with fa●t clouen oziers , or some such like bands , then with a sharpe pruning bill cut euery seuerall branch of the roote with●● a finger or two of the stocke : which done , and the roote pickt cleane , you shall make a hole to be digged in the place , where you meane to plant the elme iust of that depth , the hole was from whence you digged out the elme , that so much and no more of the elme may be hidden in the earth , then was formerly at his remouing ; and this hole you shall make spacious and easie , and that the mould be soft and loose both vnderneath and round about the roote of the elme , which done , you shall place your elme in the same , straight and vpright , without either swaruing one way or other , which for your better certaintie , you may proue either with plumbe , leuell , or other instrument , which being perfected , you shall with rich fresh mould well mixt with olde meanure , couer and ram the same fast in the earth , in such sort , that no reasonable strength may moue or shake it : and all this worke must be done in the encrease of the moone , either in the moneth of october , or at the latter end of ianuary : but the latter end of ianuarie is euer helde the best and safest , for there is no question but you shall sée flourishing trées the next summer after : and in this sort you may likewise remoue either béech , witcher , or popler , bestowing them either in groues , walkes , hedge-rowes , or other places of shadow , as shall séeme best to your contentment : for their natures being alike , their growthes and flourishings haue little difference . now for the replanting or remouing the ash , though not much , yet there is some difference , for it is not at the first so spéedie a putter forth , and flourisher , as the others be : but for the first yeare laboureth more to bestow and fixe his roote in the earth , then to spread forth his vpper branches , and although some woodwards are of opinion , that so much as the ash is aboue the ground , so much hée will be vnder before he begin to flourish outwardly , yet experience doth find it erronious , for though it be for the first yéere a little flower then other trées , yet when it beginneth to flourish , it will ouer-take the spéediest grower . therefore when you do intend to plant ashes for a spéedy profit , you shall not according to the olde custome chuse the smooth , small , long plants , which are hardly thrée inches in compasse , and haue put out hardly any branches , and are such as grow from the rootes of elder ashes cut downe before , which our auncient woodwards haue vsed to slip or cleaue from those rootes , no , these are the worst sorts of plants : but you shall take the true ground-ash , which springeth from his owne proper roote , being smooth , euen , sound , and straight without bruise , canker , or other impediment . this you shall digge vp by the root , being as is before said almost twenty inches in compasse , and hauing cleansed the roote , you shall leaue each spray not aboue halfe a foote , or eight inches in length : but for the small thréeds or tassels of the roote , those you shall cut cleane away close by the wood , and so plant it in euery point , as was shewed you for the planting of the elme , onely the top thereof you shall by no meanes cut off , because it is a trée of pith , which to deuide or lay bare , wer● very dangerous ; and the best season for the planting of this trée , is euer in the encrease of the moone , at the fall of the leafe , which is from the beginning of october till midde nouember , and at no other time , for it would euer haue a whole winter to fasten his roote , and to gather strength , that it may bud forth his leafe the summer following . thus you sée how you may plant groues or copses at your pleasure , and make vnto your selfe high woods according to your owne pleasure . but you will obiect vnto me , that you liue in such a champaine countrey , that albe these plantations might bréede vnto you infinite pleasure , yet the pouerty thereof in wood is such , that these plants are not there to be found for any money . to which i thus answere , that in this kingdom● there is not any country so barraine , or farre off remote from wood , being a soyle fit to receiue wood : but his next neighbour-country is able to furnish him , especially with these plants at an easie reckoning : as for example , i hold northampton shire one of the barrennest for wood , yet best able to beare wood , and hath not he his neighbour huntington shire and leicester shire about him , where nurceries of these plants are bred and preserued for the sale onely ? nay , euen in holland , in lincolne shire , which is the lowest of all countries , and most vnlikely , to holde such a commodity , i haue séene as goodly timber as in any forrest or chase of this kingdome : and thus much for the planting of high woods . chap. iiii. of the preseruation , and sale of high woods . it is not sufficient for the husbandman to sowe , plant , and encrease wood about his grounds , conuerting his earth to the vttermost and extreamest profit that may spring from the same : but he must also be diligent to preserue and nourish his timber trées from all inconueniences that may any way annoy or afflict them : and to this end hée shall daily walke into his woods , and with a searching eye suruay euery trée which is of any account , and sée if he can finde any fault or annoyance about the same , and if casting his eye vp to the top , where the maine armes shoote forth themselues , he perceiue that by the breaking off of some arme or other riuen boughes , the wet and droppings of the leaues is sunke and fretted into the timber , which in time will corrupt the heart , and make the trée hollow . in this case he shall presently mount the trée , and with his bill , either cut the place so smooth that the wet may not rest thereon , or else hauing smoothed it so much as he may with conuenience , mixe stiffe clay and fine hay together , and with the same couer the place , in such manner , that it may put off the wet till it haue recouered new barke . if hée shall perceiue any of his younger trées to be barke-bound , that is , so stiffe and straitly tied within their owne ryndes , that they cannot encrease or prosper : in this case he shall with a sharpe drawing knife , made in the proportion of a narrow c draw and open the barke euen from the top of the bole of the trée downe to the roote , and then clap oxe-dung into those slits , let the trée rest , and in short space you shall sée it mightily encrease . if he shall perceiue that hornets , dores , or such like , haue found some little hollownesse in one of his trées , and séeketh there to shelter and hide themselues , which in little space they will soone make larger , he shall forth-with besmeare all the place with tarre and goose-dung , and it will driue them thence . if he shall finde that by the droppings of other trées , some of his trées shall grow cankerous , and loose their barke , which is an accident very vsuall , and the trées whose barkes are so lost , will with great difficulty after prosper . in this case he shall annoynt the place with tarre and oyle mixt together , and then couer the place with clay , where the barke is wanting . if he shall perceiue any pismyer hilles or beds to be made against any of his trées , which is very noysome , for they are great destroyers of the barks of trées : he shall then with hot scalding water kill them , and throw the hill downe leuell and plaine with the earth . if he shall finde any iuy , woodbine , or mystletoe to grow in or about any of his principall trées , which doe strangle , suffocate , and kéepe them from encreasing , he shall forth-with digge vp the roots thereof , and then cut it away or loosen it from about the barks of the trées . lastly , if he shall perceiue that by thunder , lightning , or other plantarie stroakes , any of the armes of his well growne trées be blasted or slaine , he shall forth-with cut them away , euen close to the quicke wood , and make the place smooth and euen where they were ioyned : thus shall the carefull husbandman with a vigilant eye , regard euery enormous and hurtfull thing that may offend his timber , and by that meanes possesse more benefit from a fewe roodes , then others doe from many acres . now when either necessity or the vrgent occasions of any néedfull vse , enforceth the husbandman to make sale of any part of his tall wood , in which marchandise there is many prety and obscure secrets , such as are hard to be shewed by any uerball demonstration , for truly there is not any trucking or marting whatsoeuer , in which a man may sooner deceiue , or be deceiued , men buying and selling in a manner hood-winkt : for it is most certaine that no man can certainely tell either what peny-woorth hée selleth , or the other buyeth , so long as the trée is standing , there be in trées so many secret faults , and likewise when they are downe , and come to the breaking or burkning ( as the wood-man tearmes it ) so many vnexpected vertues , as for mine owne part i haue often séene a trée whose out-side hath promised all good hope , the barke being smooth and euen , the body large and great , and the armes high set on , and spaciously extended ; yet when this trée hath béene felled , and came to burkning , there hath béene found a hole in the top , which hath runne cleane through the heart , and vtterly spoyled the whole timber : so likewise on the contrary part i haue séene a trée very foule at the top , which is suspitious for rottennesse , whose armes haue growne so close and narrow together , that they haue promised little burthen , yet being cut downe , i haue séene that trée passing sound , the armes double the loades in valuation , and the price being lesse then any , the proofe and goodnesse to excéede all , so that i must conclude it all together impossible to set downe any fixed or certaine rules either for the buyer or seller : but for as much as there are diuers worthie obseruances for both parts , and that it is as necessary to buy well as sell well , i will runne through euery particular obseruation , which doth belong both to the one and the other partie , with which when a mans minde is perfectly acquainted , he may with much bolder confidence aduenture to buy or sell in the open market . the first thing therefore that either buyer or seller should be skilfull in , is the choyse of all sorts of timbers , and to know which is fit for euery seuerall purpose , the crooked and vneyely being for some vses of much higher price and reckoning then that which is plaine , straight , and euen growne , as thus for example . if you would buy timber for mill-whéeles , the heads of round turrets , or any kinde of any worke whatsoeuer , you shall chuse that which is crooked and some-what bent , bring sound , firme , and vnshaken . if you will chuse timber for summer trées , baulks , iawnies , or tracens , you shall chuse that which is most hartie , sound , and much twound , or as it were wrythen about , which you shall with great ease perceiue by the twinding or crooked going about of the barke , the graine whereof will as it were circle and la● round about the trée . this timber which is thus twound or wrythen , will by no meanes ryue or cleaue asunder , and therefore is estéemed the best to support and beare burthen , and the heart thereof will endure and la●● the longest . if you will chuse timber for pales , singles , copers-ware , wainscote , or such like , then you shall euer chuse that which is smooth , euen , and straight growne , without any manner of twynding or shaking , which you shall perceiue by the straight and euen growing vp of the barke , whose crests will ascend straight and vpright , euen from the roote to the bottome , which is an assured token that all such timber will shiuer and ryue into as thinne parts as a man would desire . lastly , if you would chuse timber to make pyles of , to driue into the earth , for the framing of weares with●● the water , the heads of ponds , or any other worke within the water then you shall chuse that which is most knottie ( so it be sound ) for that will driue without splitting , and continue in the earth the longest : and of all timbers the elme is accounted the best for this purpose , for it will continue almost euerlastingly in the earth without rotting ; yet notwithstanding , the oake is excellent good also : and thus much for the generall choise of oakes . now if you would chuse timber for weather-boards , or to be vsed in water-workes , or to make planks for low moyst uaults , then you shall chuse the biggest , soundest and smoothest growne elme , it is also excellent good to make kitchen tables of , or for boards , for the vse of butchers . if you will chuse the most principallest timber , for cart or waine axel trées , for the naues of whéeles , or for any other vse of toughnesse , you shall chuse the elme onely , for it excéedeth all other timbers , and though some husbandmen are of opinion , that the elme axel-trée when it is throughly heated , is then most apt to breake , they are much deceiued , for it will endure farre beyond ash or any other timber , except yewgh , which for the scarsity is now of little vse in such a purpose . and herein you must obserue , that the elme which you chuse for axel-trées must be straite , smooth , and without knots , but that which you chuse for naues , must be most knotty , twound , and the hardest to be broken or hewed asunder . if you will chuse timber for ploughes , ordinary axel-trées ( for those of elme are speciall ) the rings of whéeles harrow bulls , and such like , then you shall chuse the fairest , straightest , biggest , and smoothest growne ash that you can finde , and from the roote end vpward , you shall cut out a length of axel-trées , aboue it a length of shelbordes , and aboue it ( if the trée be so large ) a length for heads and skeathes , the largest armes which are somewhat bending , you shall elect for rings for whéeles , and so according to the bignesse of the ash , and as your eye can proportion out what will be made of the same , you shall make valuation thereof . if you would chuse timber for ioyned tables , cupbords , or bedsteds , you shall then make choise of the fairest walnut-trée you can finde , being olde , straight , vnknotted , and of a high boale : and although either oake , or ash will reasonably well serue for this purpose , yet the walnut-trée is by many degrées the best of all other , for it is of smoothest graine , and to the eye most beautifull , prouided that by no meanes you put it into any worke , before it be excéedingly well seasoned . if you would chuse timber for ioynt stooles , chaires , or chests , you shall then chuse the oldest peare-trée so it be sound , for it is both smooth , swéet , and delicate , and though it be a very soft wood , yet in any of these frames it is an excéeding long laster , and the heart thereof will neuer bréede worme , nor will it in any time loose the colour . if you would chuse timber for trenchers , dishes , or any tourners ware , or for any in-laying worke , you shall then make choise of the fairest and soundest maple , being smooth and vnknotted , for it is the plainest graine , and the whitest wood of all other : and although either the béech or poplar will reasonably well serue for these purposes , yet is neither the colours so good , nor the timber so long lasting . many other trées there are which may serue for many other purposes : but these are of most vse for our english husbandman , and will sufficiently serue to passe through all his businesses . touching char-coale , you shall vnderstand , that oake , elme , and ash , make your longest and best en●uring coale : the birtch the finest and brightest coale , and the béech or sallow the swiftest coale . now for your small coale , the twigges of the birtch makes that which kindles the soonest , and the white-thorne that which endures the longest . thus when you know how to chuse euery seuerall trée , and the true vse and profit which can any way be made of the same , and by a practised experience can cast by the suruay and view of a standing wood , the almost entire profit that may arise from the same , deuiding in your memory how many are for euery seuerall purpose , and to what reckoning they may amount one with the other , and blemishing ( if you buy ) the good with the bad , or making good ( if you sell ) the bad with those good-ones which grow néere them , you may then boldly venture into any sale either as buyer or seller at you pleasure , and sure if you know ( as it is fit you should doe ) the market-able prices of all sorts of timbers in those places , where you are either to buy or sell , as what a mill-post is worth , what so many inches of well squared timber , contayning so many foote in length , what a dozen of boards of such a size , what so many naues , spoakes , rings , sparres , or tracens , or what so much sound and good plough-timber is worth , and then looking vpon a trée , and computing what may euery way be made of the same , allowing the wast which will hardly sometimes defray the charge of breaking vp the trée , you cannot but with great ease draw into your minde the true value of euery trée , and the vttermost profit or losse may any way rise from the same . and in this worke i would haue you to obserue this rule very carefully , that is , when you come to any great timber-trée , to fathome or embrace it about with both your armes , and then knowing what quantity your fathome is , and how many fathome girdleth the trée round about , you may from former experience giue a certaine gesse what inches of squared timber that trée wil beare , for if you haue found in former trials that twice your fathome in the rough barke hath borne twenty , or two and twenty inches squared , and now finde that the present trée on which you looke , is no lesse , but rather with the bigger , you may boldly presume , that being sound , this trée can carrie no lesse square of good timber : and thus much for the knowledge and choise of tall woods . now to come to the seasons & fittest times for sale of these high woods : you shall vnderstand that it is méete for euery good husband which intendeth to sell any of his high woods● to walke into the same immediately after christmas , & whether they be in woods , groues , hedge-rowes , or other places , to marke with a speciall marke all 〈◊〉 trées which he intendeth to sell , as well for the 〈◊〉 and cleansing out of all such as are decayed and wast●● , 〈◊〉 also to know the true number of both the good and bad , and thereby in some measure to compute the profit which will arise from the same , for to make sale of them otherw●se confusedly , might bring much losse to a man happily , selling away those that would encrease their valewes , and kéep●ing them which daily would decrease their goodnesse , or so vnorderly vnmixing his wood , that where one faire and good trée would draw a mans eye from beholding diuers which are doated , now that onely taken away , the rest will remaine , and neuer be sale-able , and therefore euer as néere as you can so suite and match your trées together , that in your sales you may neuer passe away an absolute worthie trée : but you may euer couple some which haue defects to goe with it , as in these dayes we sée warri●e●s and poulters sell rabbets , a fat and a leane euer coupled together . when you haue thus marked out what you meane to sell , and disposed your sale according to your best profit , after notice giuen vnto the country in the market townes néere adioyning , you shall begin your 〈◊〉 the candlemasse following , which sale you may continu● all the spring , according to the greatnesse thereof , or the quicknesse of buyers . now for any rules or orders to be obserued in these sales , i can prescribe you none certaine , because it is méete that euery one binde himselfe to the customes of the country in which he liueth , whose va●●●tions are diuers , for almost euery one is seuerall , onely in the maine they holde together , which is that they seldom● make publike sales for money downe vpon the head , but for a certaine payment some fewe moneths after , which makes the marchandise more lookt to , and the sales goe away the faster ; and in this the sales-man must be circumspect in the choise of his chap-men , and where h●● findeth any doubt there to make one neighbour 〈◊〉 bound for another , as for the earnest penny it is ●uer 〈◊〉 and aboue the price , and must be laide downe at the binding vp of the bargaine , which earnest is in some countries foure pence in the pound , in some eight pence , and in some twelue pence , according to the goodnesse of the timber , and hath euer béene taken for a fée due to the sales-man for his paines and attendance : and sure if he be carefully honest , it is a merrit well bestowed : if otherwise , it is much too much for falshood , for in him consists the owners losse or profit , and therefore it may become any man , of what place so euer , to take a strickt account from such an officer : or if he haue any doubt euer to ioyne with him in commission , another of contrary faction . when you haue made sale of your timber , you shall by no meanes let it be cut downe till the end of aprill , at which time the sap ascending vpward , will loosen the bark , and make it come from the body of the trée easily . you shall cut your timber downe close by the earth , not digge it vp by the rootes , vnlesse you meane vtterly to destroy it , for from the spurnes of the roote will arise new spiers , which in processe of time , will come to another trée . as soone as you haue felled your oakes , you shall with your axe immediatly whilst the sap is wet , take all the bark● from the body and the armes , and setting it end-wayes vp one by another , so place it , that the winde may passe through it , and dry it , and then fell it to the tanners , which will giue you a good price therefore , according to the worth and scarsity thereof . when your trées are barkt , you shall then sawe the body into such lengthes of timber , as shall be méete for the purpose for which it is bought , or in such sort as it may be best portable : the armes also you shall hewe from the body , and so burken or breake them vp , as they may be fit to be loaded : all which done , and the timber caried away , you shall , if you intend to haue the wood renew , fence in the sale , and kéepe it safe from cattell : and thus much for the preseruation and sale of ●igh woods . chap. v. of the breeding of wood in rich champaine soyles . nature which is the most perfect worke-mistresse of all things ( as all the philosophers say ) but i say our good god out of his most diuine wisedome , hath allotted to euery soyle , if we will note it , through the whole course of this kingdome , particular profit to sustaine and maintaine it , as to some mines , to some timber , and to some fertility of grasse and corne , and where any one of these are , there commonly some of the other is euer wanting , as we 〈◊〉 daily in our experience ; and for as much as in the fruitfull and fertill soyles of this land , of which wée estéeme the wealthie vales , as that of essam , white horse , beluoire ● and many others the best , there is euer great scarsitie of wood , the very wealthinesse of the soyle it selfe almost denying to beare such burden , because for the most part the stifnesse of those clayes is contrary to their growth , yet for as much as the necessitie and vse of wood is so great and valuable , i would perswade euery good and worthy husbandman to endeauour himselfe with all his vtmost power and strength , to plant wood in euery conuenient place round about him , and not to take the rules of the ignorant for his lesson , that sith neuer any did grow there , therefore neuer any will grow there : for it is absurd and foolish : nor to say because my auncestors haue neuer done it why should i attempt it ? these arguments are made from a false ●●gure , and the husbandman must remember that his dutie is industrie , and encrease not altogether imitation and president , and he must as seriously finde out new and néerer profits , as hold those he hath learned : and therefore ●e shall endeauour by all commendable labour to haue euer about him whatsoeuer is necessarie for his vse : but you will peraduenture aunswere me , that to plant woods in these rich soyles , were very much losse , because the fertilitie thereof will yéeld a much better profit . to this i reply , that i would not haue you plant any spacious piece of ground with wood , but onely your ditches , hedges , and such wast earthes , as almost denie any other profit , and that the want of wood in those places may not discourage you , to imagine that wood will not grow there . doe but view the cytes of euery towne in those rich countries , the seates of noblemen & gentlemens houses , and the parks which commonly are adioyning there-vnto , and you shall hardly sée any of them without the fellowship & acquaintance of some wood , which in times past hath béene planted either for defence or pleasure , and from thence collect that if wood will grow with my next neighbour , then why not with me , so long as the soyle doth not alter ? but labor vincit omnia improbus , true industrie was neuer fruitlesse . then for the generall good both of your selfe & your neighbours , looke that you replenish all your ditches & ring fences , with good store of quick-set , that is to say , all that lye high , & out of the danger of water , with white-thorne , black-thorne , and bryer , and those which are low & subiect to washing , with willowes , sallowes , and ozyers . now for as much as it is not enough to say vnto the husbandman do this , but that i must also shew the manner of doing thereof : i will shew you briefly how to set all manner of quick-sets , and first for the white-thorne , black-thorne , brye● or such like , which must stand frée from inundation , you shal when you enclose any piece of ground , after you haue markt out the true breadth of your dyke vpon the in-side thereof , and close by the verdge of the dyke , cut with your spade a little trough , halfe a foote or there-abouts in breadth & depth , in which trough or small gutter , you shall lay the rootes of the first rowe of your quick-sets , so as the top ends may looke vpward , & a little bend in towards the ditch , & these quick-sets you shall place within lesse then a foot one of another : then with your spade beginning to make your ditch , you shall with the 〈◊〉 cleane mould , couer all the rootes close and fast , so as they will not shake nor stirre with your hand , then hauing r●●sed the banke of your dyke , and couered the lowest 〈◊〉 of quick-set more then halfe a foote , and broken the earth so , as it may lye close and handsome together : you shall then after the same manner lay another rowe of quick-set ouer the first , i meane not one quick-set directly ouer another , but the second rowe placed as it were in the mid●● betwéene two of the first , though at least halfe a f●●te higher : then you shall couer that rowe like the former , and ouer it place a third , which shall stand directly opposite , and ouer the first , so that in their growth the middle rowe shall as it were grow betwéene two of the lowest , and two of the highest : and then vpon this vppermost rowe lay the remainder of your earth , and make your barke perfect , and in this sort finishing one yard of the ditch after another , you shall at length bring your labour to the end of your desire . now in this labour you are to obserue som● speciall things , as first to looke well vpon your sets before you put them into the ground , and be sure that they be gréene , young , and vntainted , then that the rootes 〈◊〉 cleane , and no small thréeds or iagges hanging about them . and lastly , that they stand vpright , and not aboue foure or fiue inches without the earth at the most , then shall you looke well to the making of your banke , and lay the earth so as it may not flip or fall backe into the dyke , so as the raine may wash away the mould , and leaue the rootes bare : but let all things be done strongly and artificially . the best seasons for this worke is the moneths of february , march , and aprill , or september , october , and some part of nouember : if the weather be dry aboue head , when you haue set your quick-set , you shall make a dead hedge vpon the top of the new banke , to kéepe th●se cattell which are within your ground , from breaking forth or hurting the quick-set : and another small fence on the lowe verdge of the dyke which is outward , to kéepe those cattell which graze without from running into the dyke , and hurting the quick-set . now after a spring and fall is past , you shall suruay all your quick-set and wéede it cleane from all manner of filthinesse that doth choake or stifle it , and scratching the fresh mould about it giue comfort to the roote : then if yo● perceiue that any of your sets be dead , you shall plucke them vp , and place new in the roome , and if any be blasted in part , and not cleane killed , you shall cut away so much as is blasted , and let the rest remaine , you shall looke well to the caterpiller and other wormes , which mightily deuoure quick-sets , especially in these fat countries , and if you finde any taint of them , destroy them as is shewed you in a former chapter . after your quick-set is come to the age of thrée yéeres , and that the banke is setled and swarth growne thereon , you shall then within the body of your hedges plant all manner of great trées , as ash , béech , maple , and such like , and also all manner of fruit trées , as aples , peares , plums , wardens , and such like , and in the first thrée yéeres be very carefull to preserue each in his true proper nature , and doe to them all the rights which is due to their growth , and in that time obserue which kinde of trées in the generality prospereth best , and agréeth most naturally with the soyle . and of those trées s●e that you flourish your grounds most plentifully , the particular manner of planting whereof is already formerly declared . and hence doth kent and worcester shire boast of their fruit , windsor , sherwood , and hollam shire their oakes , and other particular countries their particular commodities . now for the setting of willow , sallow , and oziers , it is a thing so vsuall and common , that it néedeth no great art in the relation , yet because i would be loath that any omission should be taken for negligence , you shall vnderstand that in setting them you must first respect the place , which would euer be lowe and moyst , the water sometimes washing them , sometimes cooling them , and euer giuing them comfort . now to speake fir●● 〈…〉 low , it would be euer planted vpon bankes , wher● 〈…〉 stand more dry then wet , for such prosper be●t , and ●●dure longest , as for proofe some will continue , twelue , ●●●●teene , nay one and twentie yéeres , where as those which are set close by the water , will hardly endure 〈…〉 not aboue nine yéeres at the most . touching their pla●●ing , they be set two manner of wayes , but which is the best , is not yet agréed on amongst husbandmen . the first is to take an a●gure full as large in compasse ( 〈◊〉 much shorter ) as that where-with you boare pump● and with it boare a hole in the earth two-foote , and a 〈◊〉 déepe , then hauing headed some of the choysest w●●●lowes you haue , take the fairest and straightest of th●se lops , and then cutting them sloape-wise at both ends , and leauing no superfluous twigs cleauing there-vnto , put the bigger end downe very hard into the earth , and then with the mould which came forth , with the augure 〈◊〉 the earth close and hard about the set , so as no reason●●ble strength may shake it . now there be other husband●men which in stéed of the augure take onely an oaken 〈◊〉 ash stake , of the bignesse of an vsuall set , and with a b●●●tell driue it into the ground two foote and a halfe , and the● by shaking and opening the earth , pull it out againe & then put in the set as is before shewed , and beate 〈◊〉 tread the earth close there-vnto , and there is no 〈…〉 the well prospering thereof . now for the defects which husbandmen finde in these two seuerall plantings . some say , that the augure taketh out so much earth , that the set cannot but stand loose at the roote , and so wanting full hold of the earth , either takes not at all , or continues but a little space . others say that the driuing in of the 〈◊〉 beates the earth so hard together , that it withstandeth the passage of the tender sprouts , & so killeth the set , but 〈◊〉 are deceiued : for these are but suppositions , and expe●●●ence daily shewes vs , that these are the best and 〈◊〉 wayes of setting of all sorts of willowes that euer 〈◊〉 time brought forth , and i haue knowne one man set this way two hundreth sets in a day , of which not one hath failed , but all prospered . now for your sallowes , you shall set them , and chuse the sets in all poynts as you doe the willow , onely they would be placed a little néerer the water , for they delight some-what more in moysture , as for the ozier it would be set like other quick-set in the side of bankes , so as it may almost touch the water , and as your willowes or sallowes would be set a little remote one from another , as namely tenne foote asunder : so these must be set close together , and in thicke rowes one against another : and these ozier plants you must cut from their head , being the principall spiers which grow thereon , and then cut off their tops , leauing them not aboue two foote long at the most , and of all other they are the quickest in growing . and although willow , sallow , and ozyer , are in our lawes estéemed but as wéedes and no woods , yet they be so profitable , that the husbandman can hardly misse them , the willow and sallow seruing for fence and fewell , to make harrowes , cart-saddles , & horse hames , and the ozyers , for fish leapes , or wéeles , for baskets , scuttels , fans to winnow with , and many other things full as necessary : therefore if you haue any marish grounds that are vselesse , bogge-myers , or ilands in great riuers , let them be imployed to the nourishing of these profitable wéedes , and by making draynes through them to giue the water passage , you shall in small time bring them to earthes of great profit , which consideration were it rightly wayed , there would not be halfe so much wast ground as is in this kingdome . but to my purpose , when you haue planted these willowes , you shall after euery floud , sée if the water haue driuen any of them awry , or displease them , and immediately mend them , and set them vp straight againe . it any cattell shall pyll or barke them , you shall pull vp such settes , and place new in their roome . your willow set would by no meanes be to long 〈…〉 first setting , for then it will neuer beare a good 〈…〉 too short is likewise as vnprofitable , therefore it is hold to be fiue foote aboue the earth , is a length sufficient● you may head your willowes once in thrée yéeres , or 〈◊〉 at the furthest , and when you sée the bodies waxe hollow● you may cut them downe for the fire , and fixe new sets in their places . the ozier to come to his true profit and season , asketh much pruning and trimming , as namely you must kéepe the stocke lowe , and neuer aboue halfe a foote aboue the earth , you must picke them cleane from mosse , and from the slime and filth , which the euer-flow of the water will leaue vpon them : you shall prune the small spiers , and make them grow single one by another , and if any shoote out a double stalke , you shall cut it away , you may head them euery second yéere at the fall onely , and though some head them once a yéere , yet it is not so good husbandry , nor will the ozier be so tough or long lasting . the best seasons for the setting of the willow , sallow , or ozier is , either any part of the spring or fall , and the best time to loppe the willow or sallow , is in the spring for fence , and in the fall for timber or fewell : but the ozier would be cut at the fall of the leafe onely . and thus much for the bréeding of wood in the rich champaine countries . chap. vi. of plashing of hedges , and lopping of timber . hauing alreadie sufficiently in the former chapter spoken of the planting of all sorts of quick-sets , it is méete now that i shew you how to order the hedges being growne and come to perfection . know then that if after your hedge is come to sixe or seauen yéeres of age , you shall let it grew on without cutting or pruning , that then although it grow thicke at the top , yet it will decay and grow so thinne at the bottome , that not onely beasts but men may runne through it , and in the end it will dye and come to nothing , which to preuent , it shall be good once in seauen or eight yéeres to plash and lay all your quick-set hedges , in which there is much fine art and cunning to be vsed . for this plashing is a halfe cutting or deuiding of the quicke growth , almost to the outward barke , and then laying it orderly in a sloape manner , as you sée a cunning hedger lay a dead hedge , and then with the smaller and more plyant branches , to wreathe and binde in the tops , making a fence as strong as a wall , for the roofe which is more then halfe cut in sunder , putting forth new branches , which runne and entangle themselues amongst the olde stockes , doe so thicken and fortifie the hedge , that it is against the force of beasts impregnable . now to giue you some light how you shall plash a hedge , though diuers countries differ diuersly in those workes , yet as néere as i can i will shew you that which of the best husbandmen is the best estéemed . first , for the time of yéere either february or october , is passing good , and the encrease of the moone would likewise be obserued . for the tooles which you shall imploy , they would be a very sharpe nimble hatchet , a good bill , and a fine pruning knife . now for the worke you shall enter into it , first with your bill you shall cut away all the superfluous boughes and branches which are of no vse , or hinder your worke , and then finding the principall stemmes which issue from the maine roote , you shall within a foote or lesse of the ground with your hatchet , cut the same more then thrée quarters through , so as they may hang together by nothing but the outward barke , and some part of the outward sap , and this stroke must euer be sloape-wise and downeward : then take those mayne bodies of the 〈◊〉 set , so cut , and lay them sloape-wise from you , as you would lay a dead hedge , and all the branches which extend from those bodies , and would spread outwardly , you shall likewise cut as before said , and fould them 〈…〉 into your head , and euer within a yard or two distance , where a pretie plant growes straight vp , you shall onely cut off the top equall with the height of your hedge , and so let it stand as a stake , about which you shall folde and twind all your other branches . now when you come to the top of the hedge , which would commonly not be aboue fiue foote high , you shall take the longest , youngest , and most plyant boughes , and cutting them as afore-said gently binde in the tops of all the rest , and so make your hedge strong and perfect : and herein is to be noted , that the ●●eser and thicker you lay your hedge ( so there be nothing in it superfluous ) the stronger and better lasting it will be . many vse not to binde in the tops of their plasht hedge● , but onely to lay the quick-set and no more : but it is not so husbandly , neither is the hedge of any indurance : many other curiosities there be in the plashing of hedges , but this which i haue alreadie shewed , is sufficient both for the husbandmans benefit and vnderstanding . the profit which ariseth from this labour , is the maintenance and defence of fencing , the preseruing and encrease of quick-set , and a continuance of amitie amongst neighbours , when one liues frée from offending another . it yéeldeth a good mast for swine , and with the ouer-plus thereof at these times of plashings , repaireth all a mans dead hedges , and brings good store of fewell both to the brewhouse , kitchin , and backhouse . next to the plashing , is the lopping of timber-trées , which in those countries which are bare and naked of wood , is of much vse , and though i cannot much commend it , because it oft marreth the bodies of trées , yet i must allow it for necessary , because it is a néedfull rate , which the trées pay to their planters . this lopping or heading of trées , is the cutting off of the armes and vppermost branches of trées , and suffering the body to grow still , and it may very well be done once in eight or tenne yéeres , either at the beginning of the spring , or at the end of the fall , as you shall haue occasion to vse the wood , and immediately after the moone hath new changed . now for the manner of the worke , there is small curiositie to be vsed therein , if your axe be good and sharpe , for you shall but cut off the armes and boughes , smooth and cleane without nickes , rifts , or gutters , or any thing which may receiue wet , whereby the trée maybe cankred and spoyled . also in cutting away of the armes , you shall haue a great care rather to cut them away ( if it be possible ) vpward then downeward , least when you cut them downeward , the waight of the arme sodainly falling downe , riue and teare the barke of the body of the trée , which is dangerous , and hath béene the spoyle of much timber : which to preuent , you shall euer before you strike any blowe aboue , make a good large nicke vnderneath , and then after cut it downe from aboue , and so the trée shall receiue no hurt . also you shall obserue to cut the armes close by the body of the trée , and neuer to desist till you haue made the place as playne and smooth as may be , for to doe the contrarie , is neyther workmanly , nor the part of any good husband . and thus much touching the plashing of hedges , and lopping of trées . chap. vii . of pasture grounds , their order , profit , and generall vse . hauing alreadie sufficiently entreated of errable grounds , gardens , orchards , and woods of all kindes , i thinke it most méete ( as falling in his due place ) here to write of pasture grounds , which are of two kindes : the first , such pastures as lye in wood land , mountainous , or colde climes , and are enclined to hardnesse and barrennesse , and therefore onely imployed to the bréeding and bringing forth of cattell : the other such as lye in lowe , warme , and fruitfull soyles , and are most fertile and aboundant in encrease , onely imployed to the fatting and féeding of cattell . and now to speake of the first sort of pasture , which being some-what barraine , is preserued for bréeding , you shall vnderstand that it is generally dispierced ouer all this kingdome , and particularly into euery countrey , for according to the veanes and mixture of the earth , such is either the richnesse or pouerty of the same , and of those seuerall mixtures i haue spoken sufficiently before in that part of this booke , which entreateth of errable ground . then to procéede to my purpose , it is the first office of the husbandman when he séeth and knoweth the true nature of his earth , and perceiueth from perfect iudgement that it is of very hard encrease , which as the temper and mixture of the soyle assures him , so also he shall better confirme by these fewe signes and charracters , which i will deliuer : as first , if he sée grasse flow of growth , and that no spring will appeare before may. if in stead of clouer grasse , dandylion , and honisuckle , you sée your ground furnished with penigrasse , bents , and burnet . if you sée much knot-grasse or speare-grasse , or if you perceiue the scorching of the sunne burne away the grasse as fast as the raine had brought it forth : or if you finde quarries of stone néere vnto the vpper swarth of grasse ; or if your ground bring forth lyng , bracken , gorse , whynnes , broome , bilburie , or strawburie : or if your ground be morish , full of quick-myers , mossie or full of blacke flint , any of these signes make it to be most apparant that the soyle is barraine and of hard encrease . and then as before i said it is the husbandmans first office to prouide for the bettering and perfecting of his earth , which he shall doe in this sort . first , if he perceiue that the barrainnesse of his ground procéedes from want of good plants , as from want of clouer-grasse , dandylion , honisuckle , cowslop , and other swéet flowers , then he shall repaire into the fruitfull countries , and there buy the hay séedes and swéepings of hay-barne-flowers , which he shall euery spring and fall of the leafe sowe , as thin as may be , vpon such pastures , as he shall either lay for meddow , or preserue for the latter spring after michaelmas . but if he respect not the goodnesse of grasse , but the abundance of grasse , as those husbands doe which liue in or about great cities , then he shall dung those grounds which he will lay for meddow at candlemasse ; or those which he will graze or eate in the first beginning of the spring , at michaelmasse before , with the oldest and rottennest meanure he can get , of which the best is the rotten staddell or bottomes of hay-stackes , or for want of it the meanure of horse-stables , swéepings , and scowrings of yards and barnes , the mudde of olde ditches , or else good oxe or cow meanure , any of which will bring forth abundance of grasse . yet thus much i must aduertise the husbandman ; that this meanuring of pasture grounds carries with it diuers imperfections , for though it occasion abundance of grasse to growe , yet the meddow or hay which comes thereof , is so ranke , loggie , and fulsome in tast , that a beast taketh no ioy to eate thereof , more then to holde very life and soule together . also the grasse thus meanure which you intend to graze or eate with your cattell , is by meanes of the meanure so loose at the roote , that cattell as they bite plucke vp both the grasse , roote , and all , which being of strong & ranke sent in the mouth of a beast , maketh him loathe and cast it out againe , and so not striue to eate to be fat , but onely to maintaine life . now if your spring be slow , and late in the yéere before your grasse will appeare aboue ground , it is méete then that you enclose your ground , and not only maintaine the fences with high and thicke quick-sets , but also with tall timber-trées , whose shade and strength may defend many colde blasts from the earth , and adde vnto it a more naturall warmenesse then it had before , for it is onely the coldnesse of the soyle which makes the grasse long before it grow . also in this case it is méete that you lay ( as the husbandman tearmes it ) all such pasture as you intend to graze at the spring following , in nouember before , & so not being bitten from that time till aprill following , no doubt but your spring will be both good and forward . there be others which helpe their slow springing grounds by stocking them in the latter end of the yéere with great abundance of shéepe , who although they bite néere to the ground , and leaue little grasse behinde them , yet they so tread and meanure it with their hot meanure , that it will spring after it commeth to rest , much more early and faster then it was wont . so that to conclude in a word , to make a barren ground spring earely , is to kéepe it warme , let it 〈◊〉 long rest , and meanure it well with shéepe . if your ground be troubled with knot-grasse or speare-grasse , it is a signe of too much colde moysture in the earth , and in this case you shall with a great common plough , made for such a purpose , turne vp great furrowes through your ground , and make them so descend and fall one into another , that not onely the moysture bred in the earth , but that which falls vpon the earth , may haue a swift passage from the same , and so your soyle being drayned and kept dry , all those wéedy kindes of grasse will soone perish . if your ground be subiect to the scorching or burning of the sunne , then you shall vnderstand that it is directly contrary to the last soyle we spake of : for as that by too much moysture is made barraine by colde , so this by too much want of moysture is made barraine with heate : wherefore the husbandman shall in this case draw all his draynes , to bring moysture into his ground , which sometimes watring and sometimes ouer-flowing the same , will in the end bring it to a reasonable fertility , for it is a rule , that where there may be ouerflowes , there can seldome be any hurt by sunne-burning , vnlesse that such soyles be vpon limestone ground , or néere vnto other quarries of hard stone , which lying néere vnto the vpper swarth of the grasse , doth so burne the roote , that the vpper branches cannot prosper . in this case the bringing in of water doth rather hurt then good , wherefore your best course is partly by your owne industry , and partly by the labours of others , who are traded in such commodities , to let forth your ground to stone-diggers or lime-makers , who digging the quarries out of the earth , and then filling vp the emptie places with rubbish and other earth , the soyle will in short space become as fruitfull as any other , for it is onely the want of taking roote ; or the burning vp of the roote , which makes this kinde of earth barraine . now if your ground bring forth ling , braken , gorse , whinnes , or such like : you shall pare off the vpper swarth of the earth , and lay it in the sunne to dry , in the height or heate of sommer , and being throughly dried , you shall lay them in round hollow heapes one sod ouer another , then putting fire vnto them , burne them into ashes , which done , spread the ashes , like a meanure , ouer all the ground , and you shall sée those wéedes will no more spring or grow in that ground . if your ground be morish or full of quicke myers , you shall then by small draynes or trenches draw 〈◊〉 the water , and turne it into some lower ditch or 〈◊〉 and so bringing the ground to a stability or firmenesse , there is no doubt but fruitfulnesse , will presently follow after . lastly , if your ground be mossie , and bring forth in stead of grasse onely a soft fussie and vnwholsome mosse , your onely best way to cure the fault , is in the winter time to tread it much with the féete of cattell , as by making of hay-stacks in diuers parts of such ground , and so fodring your cattell about the same , and so yéerely altering the places of your stackes or réekes to goe ouerall your ground , & without doubt the treading of the ground will kill the mosse , and the meanuring of the cattell , and the expence of hay-séeds vpon the ground , will soone bring the earth to much fruitfulnesse and goodnesse . now for the generall vse of these barraine grounds , it is to be vnderstood , that albe by the meanes before shewed , they may be helpt or bettered , yet they are but onely for bréede or encrease of cattell . whether the grounds be seuerall and enclosed , or vniuersall and common : whether they be woods , parkes , or pastures , or heathes , mores , downes , or other wilde and vnlimitted places , and these grounds shall be deuided into thrée parts , the first and most fruitfullest lying lowest , lying néerest to the riuer or some running streame , you shall preserue for meddow , and not suffer any beast to bite vpon the same from candlemasse , vntill the hay be taken from the ground . the second part , you shall graze or eate from candlemasse till lammas , which would be that which lieth most plaine and bleake , and most subiect to all weathers . and the third part , which is the warmest and safest , you shall graze from all-hollantide till candlemasse , and betwixt lammas and all-hollantide you shall eate vp your eddish or after crop of your meddowes . now whereas i speake generally , that these barraine grounds are for the bréede of cattell , yet you shall vnderstand me particularly , as namely , what cattell for what soyle , for euery barraine earth will not bring forth cattell alike , as some will beare a faire cowe or oxe , yet but a little horse : and some will bring forth a very goodly horse , yet but a very little horned beast , therefore you shall obserue that if your ground lye any thing lowe , or be subiect to much moysture , and so not extreamely barraine , but although the spring be late , yet after it springeth , it yéeldeth a reasonable bit , this ground is fittest to bréede cattell vpon , as cowe , oxe , and such like : but if it lye high and dry , if it be stonie or mountainous , haue much reflection of the sunne : or though it be some-what more barraine then the former earth , and in the best part of the spring yéeld but a short , yet swéet bit , this ground is fittest to bréede a faire and large horse vpon : but if it be extreamely barraine colde and moyst , stonie or mossie , so it be replenished with any good store of underwood● then it is fit to bréede small hard nags vpon , or geldings of a meaner size , goates , wilde-swine , or such like . and lastly , if it be extreame barraine , colde , and dry , and altogether without any kinde of shelter , but subiect to euery blast whatsoeuer , this ground is fit onely to bréede shéepe vpon , as we sée by daily experience in the seuerall parts of this kingdome : so that to conclude , you shall beare in your memorie , that where you bréede your beast , would be reasonable bit : where you bréede your horse good ayre and warmth , and where you bréede your shéepe , there much spatiousnesse of ground . and thus much briefly for the nature and vse of your barraine grounds . now to procéede to your fruitfull and rich grounds , whose very encrease and abundance of grasse , without any other curious relation shewes their fertility , there is little obseruation to be held in the ordering & disposing of them , for being naturally good of themselues , there néedeth little art to the maintainance of the same , onely to haue an especiall care to the fencing and safe kéeping of them , to the due time of eating them with your cattell , and to obserue a fit proportion of rest for them , in which they may 〈◊〉 and gather head for the maintainance of such 〈…〉 shall féede vpon them . and to these , as an especiall 〈◊〉 aboue the rest , must be added a carefull diligence not to ouer stocke or leade your ground with more cattell then it may conueniently beare , for if your ground be neuer so fruitfull , if it be ouer-prest with multitudes of cattell , it cannot by any meanes yéeld you the profit of your expectation , but returne you losse and dammage . these fruitfull and rich grounds would be deuided into two parts , the one pastures , or grounds for continuall féeding or nourishing of cattell all the yéere , the other meddowes , from whence you shall gather your winters prouision of hay , for the preseruation of your cattell , which are either for labour or sale in the market , and of these two parts i will speake seuerally . yet before i begin to speake largely of them , it is méete you know the generall vse of these rich and fruitfull grounds , which is indéede the féeding or fa●ting vp of cattell , either for foode in your owne house , or for sale in the market , to the butcher , droner , or men of such like place or profession . for indéede to bréede much vpon these rich grounds , is neither profitable to the husbandman , nor is the beasts so bred , either so comely or market-able , as those bred in the harder soyles , as wée may note in our experience , if we will suruay the bréedes of cattell in gloster-shire , sommerset-shire , and lincoln-shire , which for the most part are bred vpon excéeding rich and fertile ground : yet if we take view of them , we shall finde that albe they are tall and large , yet they are of slender shape , leane-thighed , crumple-horned , and oft tender and dry skinned , which is a fault very note-worthie amongst graziers , and indéede are nothing so eyely and market-able , as those beasts are which are bred in yorke-shire , darby-shire , lancashire , and such like , all which are bred vpon hard and barraine grounds , yet haue goodly , large , and round bodies , close trust , thicke , and well coupled together , faire heads● veluet skinnes , and as the prouerbe is , are so beautifull in horne and haire , that they are euery mans money , in ●uery market . so that i conclude , that albe vpon the rich ground you may bréede good . cattell , and it is necessary also so to doe for the maintaynance of stocke , yet the generall vse , and that which is the greatest profit to the english husbandman , is to graze féede the same . now to procéede to my former purpose , touching that part of rich ground which i call pasture , because it is onely for féeding , you shall first prouide that they be very well fenced , according to the nature of the country , either with ditch , pale , rayle , dead hedge , or quicke-growth ●pon shall also sée that they be well stored with water , that is swéet and wholesome , for putrified water bréedeth many mortall and infectious diseases amongst cattell . these pastures must euer be your highest ground , and such as lye safest from inundations . those pastures which you lay or giue rest to from the beginning of nouember , you may féede at candlemasse following with heilding beasts , or such as are but beginning to féede , but with your fat beasts not till our ladies day after : those pastures which you lay or giue rest to at candlemasse , you may very well féede at may following : those which you giue rest to at may-day , you may féede at midsommer , for then the spring is swift and plentifull : those you lay at midsommer , you may féede at lammas , and those you lay at lammas , you may féede in october , and generally all the winter following : onely you shall obserue , that those pastures which lye most in danger of water , or any other casualtie , be first eaten , least by too long delaying ●n vnseasonable time come , a●d so you be both preuented of your hope and profit . in the ●ating of your pasture grounds , are many things to be obserued , as first for the feeding of your fat cattell , you must by all meanes be sure that they haue full bite , which is to say , length of grasse : for cattell , whose tongues are the principall gatherers vp of their foode , neither can nor will bite néere vnto the ground , except it be extreame hunger which compels them , and then they take little ioy in their foode . next you shall oft ( as any fit ●ccasion will giue you lea●e ) remoue and shift them into fre●h grounds , and not expect that they should eate your grasse downe to the bottome , but onely as it were sc●mme and take the vppermost and choisest part thereof , and so they will féede both swiftly and throughly : and for that grasse which they shall leaue behinde them , you shall eate if vp after them with your labouring or worke-cattell , and lastly with your shéepe . it is very good also amongst your fat beasts euer to haue a leane horse or two : for your fat beasts taketh delight to féede with them , and sometimes to bite after them , there being as it were a kinde of sympathie or liking of each others tastes . after your grasse is fully knit , and hath receiued his whole strength , which wil be at midsommer , then you may suffer your fat beast to eate a little néerer vnto the ground till after lammas , because there is an extraordinarie swéetnesse therein , springing from the heate of the sunnes beames onely . these few obseruations well kept , there is no doubt but your cattell will féede well to your contentment , then when you sée that they are sufficiently fed , according to the ayme of your purpose , whether it be for the vse of your houshold , or the vse of the market , you shall forth-with imploy them accordingly , for it is both the losse of time and money , not to put them off by sale or otherwise , so soone as they are come to the end of your desire . for those rich grounds will sometimes make two returnes in the yéere , sometimes thrée , which is a great profit . and i haue heard sometimes of ●ours , but it is very rare , and the cattell so returned must be very well stricken with flesh before they be put vnto féeding , but if your ground will returne leane beasts fat twice through the yéere , it is commodity sufficient . now because it is not sufficient to say sell or kill your cattell when they are fat , except you haue the art and skill to know the same , you shall obserue these few rules following , and they will sufficiently instruct you in the same . first , when you sée your beast in the generall shape and composure of his body shew most faire and beautitifull , each member being comely , and each bone couered , in such sort as a perfect shape requireth , as no eye is so stupid as cannot tell when a beast looketh well or ill-fauouredly , you shall then guesse the beast to be well fed , especially when you sée his huckle-bones round and not sharpe , his ribs smooth , not rough , his flankes full , his natch thick , and his cod round . this when you shall perceiue , you shall handle him , and griping him vpon the neathermost ribs , if you féele the skinne loose , and the substance soft vnder your hand , you may be well assured that the beast is very well fed outwardly , that is vpon the bones . you shall then lay your hand vpon his round huckle-bones , and if that féele , vnder your hand , soft , round and plumpe , you shall be assured that the beast is well fed both outwardly and inwardly , that is , both in flesh and tallow : then you shall handle him at the setting on of his taile , and if that handle bigge , thicke , full , and soft , it is a true signe that the beast is very well fed outwardly : then handle his natch-bones which are on both sides the setting on of his taile , and if they féele left and loose , it is a signe that he is well fed , both outwardly and inwardly . lastly , you shall handle his cod and nauell , if it be of an oxe , and the nauell onely if it be a cowe , and if they handle thicke , round , soft , great , and plumpe , it is a most assured signe that the beast is very well tallowed within . and thus when any of these parts or members shall handle in contrary manner , you shall indge of the contrary effects . and thus much touching the knowledge of a fat beast . now for the second part of these rich grounds , which are meddowes , they ought to be the most fruitfullest and richest of all other , lying low and leuell , and being now and then in the winter season washt with inundations , yet not too too much drencht or washt with the same : for as the moderate ouerflowing of waters enricheth and fertiles the soyle , so the too much soking or long resting of the water rotteth the earth , & bringeth it to barrainnesse , neither is it altogether necessary that euery meddowe should lye so low that it might be ouerflowed , for there be some high grounds which are frée from those floods which will beare meddow in very sufficient manner , & although the lower meddowes doe abound in the plenty of grasse , yet the higher grounds euer beareth the swéeter grasse , and it is a rule amongst husbandmen , that the low meddowes do fill , but the high meddowes do féede , the low are for the stable , but the high are for the cratch , and that which is long will maintaine life , but that which is short will bréede milke . the chiefest respect you shall haue to your meddowes , is to defend and preserue them from moales , and such like vermine , which roote vp the earth , and destroy the swéet and tender roots of the grasse . next , that you note in what places of the meddow the water standeth longest , & from thence , by small furrowes or draynes , to giue it a frée passage , so that the meddow may as it were cleanse & be dry in one instant . lastly , you shall maintaine the banks of all such ditches & other fences bordring about your meddowes in good and sufficient manner , both for kéeping out of water after your meddowes begin to grow , as also for kéeping cattell from eating them in the night or other times , which is a great depriuation and losse of the profit you expect to come from them : for you shall vnderstand , that if any ouerflow shall come vnto your meddowes after may , it will leaue such a sandy filthinesse in the grasse , that except very moderate showers fall swiftly , and sodainly , to wash it out againe , the hay which shall be got of that crop , will both be vnsauorie and vnwholsome , and bréed in your cattell many dangerous and mortall sicknesses . the best times for laying of meddowes to rest , is , if the meddow lye high , as in vp-land countries , or if the soyle be cold , or the springing thereof slow , at candlemasse : but if the ground be more warme , temperate , & of some more fertility , then you may lay it at our ladies day in march : but if the ground be most fruitfull , then if you lay it at may day , it will be early enough . also in the laying of your meddowes to rest , you shall consider the state of the ground , as whether it be eaten néere and bare , and with what cattell , as horse , oxen , or shéepe : if it haue béene eaten bare with oxen or horse , then you shall lay it earlier in the yéere , for it will aske a longer time to grow againe : but if it haue béene eaten with shéepe ( although they bite néerest to the ground ) yet you may lay it so much later , because the meanure which they bestow vpon such good ground , will quickly hasten on the spring : but if your meddowes haue not béene eaten bare , but haue a good déepe fogge vpon them still , then you may lay them the latest . also in the laying of meddowes , you shall consider whether they be common or priuate , if they be common meddowes , and that no olde custome binde you to the contrary , you shall lay them to rest earely in the yéere , that recouering a forward spring , you may cut them so much the sooner , and so haue the better after-crop , and the longer time to eate it : but if your meddow be priuate , and at your owne particular disposing , then you shall lay it according to your owne necessitie , and the goodnes of the soyle , obseruing euer to giue it full time of growth , and not to cut it till the grasse be full ripe , for it is better to let it grow a wéeke too long ( so the weather be seasonable for the withering of it ) then to cut it two dayes too soone , because when it is too earely cut , it not onely looseth the strength and goodnesse , but also the substance and waight , and in the drying shrinketh and wasteth to nothing . touching the fittest time to cut or mowe your meddowes : if they be laid in a due season , it is held of all the best english husbandmen generally to be a wéeke or a fortnight after midsommer day , as namely about the translation of thomas , which is euer the seauentéenth day of iuly , and without question it is a very good time for all men to begin that labour , if their grounds be fruitfull and of earely growth : but in as much as diuers grounds are diuers in their growth , some being much more hastie then other some : and for as much as some meddow may as well grow too long as too little a time , as in high land countries , where the heate and reflection of the sunne will burne and consume away the grasse , if it be not gathered in a due season , i would therefore wish euery good husbandman about a wéeke before midsommer , and a wéeke after , to view his meddowes well , and if he sée them turne browne , if the cock heads turne downeward and stand not vpright , if the bels and other vessels of séede open and shed their séedes , if your honisuckles haue lost their flowers , and the penigrasse be hard , dry , and withered , then you shall truly vnderstand that your meddow is ripe and ready to be mowne , and the longer it standeth , the more it will loose of the substance , and when any of the contrary signes appeare , as when the meddow lookes gréene and fresh , the cock-heads looke vpright , the bels are close and hard , the honisuckles flowring and purple , and the penigrasse soft and moyst , then is your meddow not readie to cut , nor will the hay that is so gotten be other then soft , fuzzie , and most vnwholsome , no beast taking delight to eate of the same . now to these considerations , you shall adde a carefull obseruation of the state and inclination of the weather , and if you finde that the weather is disposed to much wet or incertaintie , then you shall forbeare to mowe , because that moysture will still maintaine and hold the graffe in his perfect strength so long as it groweth : but if it be once cut downe , then the wet will soone rot and spoile it : but if you finde the weather enclined to drought and fairenesse , then you shall with all spéede cut downe your hay , for one loade got and brought into the barne without raine , is worth two that hath béene washt , though but with the smallest shower . there be some husbandmen that in the mowing of their meddowes , will obserue the state of the moone , and other planetarie coniectures , but they are fitter for those which séeke curiositie more then profit , for mine owne part i would wish euery good husband but to know truly when his crop is ripe , and then to gather it in the most constant and fairest seasons , which the rules already set downe will most amply shew him . now for the manner of mowing your meddowes , although the generall act resteth in the hands of the mower , and that it is hard and impossible , in words , to expresse the art of the a●tion , nor is it néedfull that euery husbandman be a mower , yet for those rules which the english husbandman should know and obserue , i will in no sort omit them . you shall then know that in the mowing of your meddowes you shall mowe them smooth , plaine , and leuell , and as the husbandman tearmes it , with such an euen board , that a man may no more but discerne the going in and comming forth of the sythe : and this shall be done so close and neere vnto the ground , as is possible for the worke-man to get , especially if it be in publique and common meddowes , because the swap and first crop is all the maine profit you can challenge your owne : nay , you shall doe it also in your owne priuate and seuerall meddowes : for although an ignorant custome haue drawne some of our husbandmen , to say and beléeue that there is no loose in the fleight and insufficient mowing of priuate meddowes , because say they , what i loose in the barne , my cattell findes on the ground , yet they are much deceiued in that opinion , for what they so leaue on the ground halfe cut halfe vncut , is no good foode , neither pleasant nor sauourie , but dry , hard , and bitter , and indéede no better then sower fogge , which may fill , but cannot nourish , and who then will be so simple , as not to preferre swéet hay before such vnsauourie grasse ? therefore be carefull to mowe your grasse euen , and close by the ground , for it will make the fresh grasse spring vp with more ease , and be much pleasanter in taste . next after the mowing of your meddowes , followeth the making of your hay , which is a labour that must be followed with great care and diligence , for it is an old saying , that dearth beginneth at the hay-barne dore , and ●e that is negligent in that , can hardly be good husband 〈◊〉 any thing else , then to shew you how you shall make your hay , you shall first vnderstand that no one particular forme can stand for a generall rule , because hay must be made according to the nature of the grasse , and the soyle where it groweth , some being apt to wither and make soone , as that grasse which is finest , and hath in it least weédes , ●thers will be long in making , as that which is full of thicke , strong , and sower grasse , many wéedes , bunnes , and such like hard stalkes , which are not easily dried , therefore it is the part of euery good husbandman , either by his eye and knowledge to iudge of the nature of his grasse , or else to follow the customes of the country and soyle wherein he liueth , but the first , knowledge , is the better science . but to procéede to my purpose , i will in the natures of two sorts of grasse , the one fine , the other course , shew you the generall making of all sorts of hay . first , then for the making of your fine rich grasse into hay , if it grow in great abundance , thicke and close , and so lieth in the swathe , you shall haue one with a pitch forke to follow the mowers , and to spread and throw the grasse thinne abroad , that the ayre and sunne-beames may passe through it : and this is called in most countries ●edding of hay . the next day , after the sunne hath taken the dewe from the ground , you shall turne that which the day before you tedded , and then if you haue any more new mowen , you shall ted it also . the next day following , as before , when the dewe is from the earth , you shall turne your hay againe , and so letting it lye till the sunne be at his height , begin to stir it againe , at which time if you finde it is reasonably well withered , you shal then draw it into windrowes , that is , you shall marke which way the winde standeth , and the same way that it bloweth , the same way with forks & rakes one after another , gather in the hay into long , great , thicke rowes : then you shall make those windrowes into large cockes , of which the biggest is euer the best , for they will defend themselues from raine , if happily any shall fall , whereas the little small cocke lying light together , taketh in the raine like a spunge , and so makes the hay a great deale much worse then otherwise it would be ; when your hay is thus set in safe cocke , you shall let it rest a day or two , that it may take a little sweat therein , which will make the hay wondrous pleasant and swéet , then when the sunne is got vp to a pretie height , you shall open those cockes , and after the sunne and winde hath passed through them , you may if the grasse be cleane & fine of it selfe , without ranke grasse , load it , and carrie it either into the barne , or such other place , as you haue appointed for the receit thereof : but if it haue any ranke grasse , which you sée vnwithered amongst it , then you shall make it vp againe into safe cockes , and so let it rest a day or two more before you leade it away . and thus much for the making vp of fine hay . now for the making of course grasse into hay , which you must suppose to be grasse growing , in colde , moyst , woodie , and barraine grounds , full of wéedie , rough , and stumpie hearbage , long in growing , late ere it can be gathered , and therefore depriued of much of the sunnes strength , to swéeten and wither it . this grasse as soone as it hath béene mowne and tedded , as it before said : the next day you shall make it into little grasse cockes , as bigge as little moale-hilles , and so hauing layne a day or better , then breake them open , and let them receiue the sunne and winde , for they will heat and si●eat a little in the grasse , which makes it hay the sooner & better : then after the sunne hath spent all his power vpon it , you shall make it vp into little cockes againe , putting two of the first cockes into one , then hauing so layne another day , breake them open againe , and giue them the sunne : then make them vp againe , and put thrée or foure of those cockes into one , and so let them lye another day , th●● breake them open as before , if the sunne shine faire , and at euening make them vp againe , putting thrée or foure of those cockes into one , and so euery morning after the sunne is vp breake them open , a●d at euening ●ake them vp againe , till you finde that the hay is sufficiently well dried , and sweateth no more in the cocke : but in the morning when you breake it open it is dry , without stemme , smoake , or vapour arising from it , which both your hand and eye may perceiue in the first stirring or mouing , and then you may at your pleasure leade it home , and house or stacke it as you shall haue occasion . now for the vse of hay , it is two-folde , that is , either for the maintainance of bréeding cattell , or cattell for labour , or else for the féeding of cattell for the market , or for slaughter : for the maintainance of bréeding cattell ; or the cattell which are imployed in your plough or other labours , whether it be draught or trauell , you shall make choise of the swéet , and well-dried hay , which is of fresh and gréene colour , well withered , sound , and perfect hay , though it be long , loggie , and not excéeding much swéet , it matters not ; for being well inned and dried , it will serue sufficiently for those purposes : and with this hay to mingle sometimes wheat-straw , rye-straw , barly , or oate-straw will not be amisse for heilding , or bréede cattell : but for worke-beasts , except necessitie constraine , let them haue hay simple of it selfe , during the busie time of their worke , but when they rest , you may vse your discretion . for the times of giuing hay or fodd●ring to such cattell as are in the house , the best is in the morning before they goe to labour , in the euening when they come from labour , presently after their drinke , and at night when you goe to bed . but for those cattell which goe abroad , as shéepe , heilding beasts , and such like , to fodder them morning and euening , is out and out fully sufficient . now for the vse of hay for fat cattell , you shall make choyse of the fruitfullest , swéetest , finest , and shortest hay you haue , being full of flowers , pleasant and odoriferous to smell on : and although this hay be mixt with some roughnesse , yet it is not the worse , for though your fat beast make thereof great orts , yet is the losse not great , for those orts may be giuen to other heilding and hungrie cattell , which will eate them with great eagernesse . this hay would in the first gathering not be withered too sore but so stackt-vp with a little hartie gréen●esse that it may a little mo●●-burne , and alter the colour to a redish brounnesse , but by no meanes so moyst that it may mould , rot , or putrifie , for that is f●●some and v●de , but onely alter the colour , and thereby make the smell swéetee and stronger . this hay will entice a beast to eate , and will strengthen and inable his stomacke , and withall will bréed in him such a drought or thirst , that hardly any water will quench him , and the grazier takes it euer for an infall●ble signe , that when his beast drinkes much he féeds fast and his tallo● wonderfully increaseth . for the ordinarie times of foddring your fat cattell , if they be in the stall , and as we say , tyed vp by the head , the best is in the morning before and after water , at noone ; in the euening before & after water , and late in the night , when you goe to bed , but if they féede abroad , and take the benefit of foggs and after-grasse , then to fodder them morning , euening , and high-noone is fully sufficient . here i could speake of pease-f●●ding of shéep , swine , and other cattel , eyther at the trough , kée●●e , stacke , or such like , the seuerall manner of cratches , fashions of st●ls , and many other necessary rules appertaining to this mysterie ; but i am against my will confine● , and therefore must referre i● to some other occasion , being loath to spoyle an excellent discourse , with a tale halfe fould , and imperfectly spoken : and thus much therefore of me●owes , and their seuerall vses . chap. viii . a new method for the husbandly curing of all manner of cattels diseases . of this theame i haue written a whole ( or as some will suppose many ) histories , yet doubtlesse nothing too much , the cause is so necessary and co●●edious : yet this i must let euery reader vnderstand , that what i 〈◊〉 herein formerl● done , i did for a general and vncontrou●lable satisfaction to the whole kingdome , both the learn●● and vnlearned , and as well to satisfie the nicest 〈◊〉 most curious opinion , as the simple and playne 〈◊〉 creature : whence it came that i waded artfully and profoundly into the vttermost secrets of this knowledge , ●●●uing nothing vnsearcht , or vnset downe , that might 〈◊〉 way tend to the satisfaction of any iudiciall reader , 〈◊〉 therefore tooke liberty to make a large progresse , without sparing any paynes , to make my worke absolutely 〈◊〉 perfect . but now , hauing onely to doe with our 〈◊〉 playne english husbandman , who eyther cannot 〈◊〉 read , or else hath little leasure to read , at most but ● little memorie to bestow vpon his readings ; i haue 〈◊〉 for his ease both of memory , readings , and other ve●ao●s , drawne him such a method for the curing of all the diseases in cattell , as was neuer yet found out by 〈◊〉 man or authour whatsoeuer : and is worthy to be ●●●serued to all posterities for euer and euer . to beginne then first with the horse , which is the ●●●bandmans principallest creature , you shal vnderstand that he hath , of my knowledge , one hundred and odde disea●●● or infirmities , besides other hurts and blemishes for 〈◊〉 which , i haue seuerally shewed seuerall cures , as may ●●peare by the volumes which are much too great for 〈◊〉 husbandman to carry in his braynes , and therefore for his ease i haue drawne all those hundred and odde sicknesses or sorrances , into twelue , and will assure euery husbandman that with these twelue medicines following , hée shall perfectly cure all the diseases in a horse , whatsoeuer . to procéede then-in an orderly manner to the curer : euery husbandman must know that all diseases in a horse are inward or outward : inward as offending the vitall parts , or outward as troubling the members : to speake then first of inward sicknesse , i will diuide it into two branches , that is , eyther it offends the heart , or the brayne : if it offend the heart , we call them , feauers , yellowes , anticor , consumption of lungs , liuer , splene , gall or other intra●● , wormes , fluxes , belly-bound , and diuers other of like nature : for any or all which , you shall first let your horse bloud in the neck-veine , and then giue him , during his sicknesse , to drinke , eyther in swéete wine or strong ale or béere , if wine a pinte , if ale or béere a quart , two spoonefull of the powder called diapente , made of aristolochia root , gen●iana , myrthe , eboni and bachi lauri , of each equall quantitie , and let it be well brewed together , and doe thus euery morning fasting , and let the horse fast two houres after it . if it offend the brayne we call them appopleries palsies , staggers , colds , gl●●nder , to●gh●s , mourning of the chyne , migrims , dizzinesse , and a world of such like : and the cure is to take assafeteda , and dissoluing it in uinegar dip hurds therein , and stop it hard into his eares for two mornings together after you haue taken from him great store al bloud at his meeke-veine , and then giue him to drinke , during his sicknesse , euery morning a quart of milke , wherein the white and rough cankerrous mosse of an old oake pale hath béene sodden till the milke grow thicke , then strayned & so giuen luke warme , and if you finde that no heauinesse or dizzinesse appeare in his head , then you may forbeare the bloud-letting , and the assafeteda , but not otherwise , in any case ; and thus assuredly these two medicines alreadie declared will cure all the inward diseases in a horse , whatsoeuer . now for outward diseases , they are eyther naturall or accidentall : if they be naturall , they eyther grow from the generation , or bréede , from whence a horse is descended , or else from corruption of foode , or other vnwholesome kéeping ; if they grow from the bréede and generation of the horse , we call them the uiues , wens , knots , or swellings about the throat : and for the cure thereof , take a peny-worth of pepper , beaten into powder ; a spoonefull of swines-grease , the iuyce of one handfull of kew , two spoonefuls of uineger , and mixe them together , and put this equally into both the horses eares , and so tye them vp and shake the eares , that the medicine may sinke downe , and take good store of bloud from the horses necke veine , and temple veines , and vse this medicine two or thrée mornings together . if they proéede from corruption of foode , or any other vnwholsome kéeping which corrupteth the bloud , then we call them impostumations , byles , botches , fistulaes , polemill , and such like : and the cure is , to take the l●ame of an old mudde wall , strawes and all , but let there be no lime amongst it , and boyle this loame with strong uineger , till it belike a pultus , and as hot as the horse can abide it , apply it to the sore place , and it will not onely draw it to a head , and breake it , but also draw it , search it , and heale it . there be also other diseases which procéed from naughtie foode , and the corruption of blood , and we call them farcies , scabs , mangie , scratches , paynes , ma●landers , sellanders , and all of such like nature , and the cure is first to slit the hard knots , or rubbe off the scarfe , and make the fore places raw : then take yellow arsnicke beaten to powder , and mixe it well with fresh grease , and then therewith annoynt the sore places all ouer , which done , tye vp the horses head , so as he may not knappe or bite himselfe , and so let him stand an houre or two : then take strong old pisse warmde , and therewith bathe and wash the horse all ouer , and so put him to his meat : and in this manner dresse the horse or beast thrée or foure mornings , and it will be sufficient ; onely you must not fayle to take from him good store of bloud at his necke vaine . now if his diseases procéed from accidentall causes , as from wounds , bruises , straynes , galles , hurts in the eyes , excretions , or broken bones , then you shall to euery one of these take these seueral medicines which follow : as first , if they be wounds , in what sort soeuer taken or receiued , you shall take turpentine , waxe , and hogs-grease , of each a like quantity , and melting them together into a salue , dresse the wound therewith , and it will heale it , how great or little soeuer . if they be bruises , whether gotten by stroake , naughtie saddles , or other rushes , from whence procéedeth many times old , putrefied & most ranckorous vlcers , you shall first if the tumor be onely swelled and not broken , apply vnto it the fourth medicine of loame and uingar , but if it be an open old ranckorous vlcer , you shall take hogs-grease , turpentine , waxe , and uerdigrease , of each a like quantitie , and being well mixt , and incorporated together , dresse the sore therewith , till it be whole , for this medicine will abate and kéepe downe any spungie or naughtie dead flesh which arises and kéepes the sore from healing , and may therefore alwayes be vsed in such like cases , whether the sore be new or old . if they be stray●es eyther of ioynts or sinewes , in what part or member soeuer it be , old or new , take strong uinegar , patch-grease , and wheat-branne , and boyle them together till they be thick like a pultus , and then apply it very hot to the strayne , morning and euening , and it is a most certayne cure , and will kéepe the member from growing foule , knotted , or gourded , and will also take away all swellings or paynes of the limbes whatsoeuer . if they be galles , of what kinde or nature soeuer , whether on the backe , limbes , or any other outward part of the bodie , you shal take first fresh butter scalding hot , and with it first bathe and wash the sore , then take thicke creame , & mixing it with the soote of a chimney till it be thicke , like a salue , with the same annoynt the sore place morning and euening , and it will cure it without any feare of dead flesh : if you doe strow vpon the sore the powder of rossen it will be good also . if they be any hurts in the eyes , as strokes , inflamations , pinne-webbe , canker , or any other mischiefe whatsoeuer , you shall then take true ground-iuie , which otherwise is called of some ale-hoofe , and beating a good handfull thereof in a morter , with a spoonefull or two of white rosewater , or the water of eye-bright , then strain it through a cleane wet cloath , and with that water dresse the sore eye morning and euening : or if you can conueniently thrée or foure times a day , for the oftner is the better , and it will without all fayle cure any sore eye in the world whatsoeuer , eyther of man or beast , or any other creature . if they be excretions of bones , as splents , spauens , curbs , ringbones , or such like , in what part or member soeuer they be , you shall then take white arsnicke , beaten or ground to fine powder , and making a little slit vpon the head of the excretion , the length of a barly corne , or very little more , yet in any waies downe déepe to the excretion , & then with the poynt of your knife put the arsnicke vpon the excretion , and so let the horse stand with his head tied vp for two houres at least , for in that time the greatest anguish will be gone , and then put him vnto his meate , and in thrée or foure dayes after the excretion will fall away of it selfe ; and then with a little swéet butter you may cure the sore , which will not be great . if they be broken bones , or bones out of ioynt , you shall after you haue placed them in their due place , first annoynt them with the oyle of mallowes , or for want of it with warme patch-grease , and then clap about them a plaster made of pitch , rossen , and masticke , and so with soft and flat splents , so splent the member , as it may not moue , and so let it rest nine dayes ere you dresse it againe , and in any case so sling the horse or beast that he may not during that time , put his member to the ground , which a little diligence and payne will easily doe . if your horse haue any infirmitie in his hooues as quitter-bone , ouer-reach , pricke , crowne scabbe , rotten frush , or any such vlcerous disease , you shall first lay it open , and then heale it with the seuenth medicine . but if it be foundring , fretteshing , or such like , then you shall first pare all his hooues cleane ouer , so thinne that you may discerne the quicke all ouer , then let him bloud at the toes , and take great store of bloud from him , but in any case cut not the veine in sunder : then take the sixt medicine , and being boyling hot ( after hollow shoes haue béene tackt on his féete ) with flaxe hurds dipt therein , stoppe all the soales of his féete vp hard , and thus doe twice in sixe dayes , and it will bring his féete to their full perfection againe , without any great losse or trouble . as for the common infirmities in a horses priuy parts ; which are swellings , inflammations , incording , & such like , you shall but only swimme your horse in cold water morning and euening , and it is a present helpe , both for them , or the stifling of a horse in his hinder ioynt : thus you sée these twelue medicines will sufficiently cure all the diseases in horse or beast whatsoeuer , which who so will not carry in his memory , he is worthy now and then to be punisht for his sloath , and sometimes to suffer losse , which may make him more industrious to studie for his owne good and profit . and thus much for the cure of diseases . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e of rayne . signes from clouds . signes from the moone . signes from the sunne . signes from the lightning . signes from fovvle . signes from beasts . signes from things vvithout motion . signes of much raine . signes of snovv or haile . signes of vvinde . signes of tempests . signes of faire vveather . signes of winter . signes of the spring . signes of a hot sommer . signes of a long winter . signes of a forvvard or backvvard yeer . signes of a good or bad yeere . signes from christmas day . signes from the sunne rising . signes from the tvvelue dayes in christmas . signes from saint pauls day . signes from maudlin , and saint swythens day . if corne shall be cheape or deare . signes from thunder . signes of sicknes or health . the preseruation of health . the choyce of ground . the bettering of grounds . the trenching of grounds . of breaking the garden moulde . ordering of garden beds . of the fruitfull soyle . the necessariest ornament in a garden . of all sorts of pot-hearbs . of endiue and succorie . of beets . land-cresses . parcely . of sauory . of time. french mallovves . cheruill . of dill. of isop . of mints . violets . of basill . svveet marioram . marigolds . of stravvberries . of borage and buglosse . of rosemary . of penyroyal . of leekes . of onions . of gathering onion-seede , or the onion . of arag● . of lumbardy loueage . of fennell . of anise . of comin . of coliander . of rue . of organie . of vvhite poppy . of germander . of cardus benedictus . of angellica . o● valerian . of elecampana . of peppervvort . of philipendula . of lettuce . of spynage . of sparagus . of colvvorts . of sage . of purslane . of artichokes of garlicke . of raddish . of nauevv . of parsneps and carrets . of pompyons . of th● covvcumber . of the beane of egipt . of skerrets . a most necessary obseruation . of roses . of the damaske rose . of the red rose . of the vvhite rose . of the cinamon rose . to make the cinamon rose grovv double . of the prouince rose . to make roses smell vvell . generall notes touching roses . of lauender . of the vvhite lilly. to make lillyes of any colour . to make lillyes flourish all the yeere . of the vvood lilly. of the flovver de lice . of pyonie . of petillius . of veluet flovver . of gylliflovvers . of grafting of gylliflovvers . of the smels of gylliflovvers . of the wall-gylliflovver . of the helytropian . of the crovvn emperiall . of the dulippo . of the hyacinth . of the narcissus . of the daffadill , colombine , and chesbole . an excellent caution . a nevv manner of planting flovvers and fruits . of thunder and lightning . of caterpillers . of toades and frogges . of the field myce. of flyes . of the greene fly. of gnats . of pismyers . of moales . of snailes . of moathes . of cankers . of garden wormes . an excellent experiment . the conclusion of the kitchen garden . notes for div a -e wood better then gold. the excellent vses of wood. the plantation of wood. the fencing of young vvoods . when cattell may graze in springs . the vse of the clay ground for wood. a speciall note . the deuision of woods . the valevv of vnder-vvood . of the sale of vnder-vvoods . hovv to cut vnder vvoods . the fencing of salles . the woodvvards duty . what high woods are . the beginning of high woods . the plantation of high woods . of planting the elme . of planting the ash. obiection . ansvvere . of trees vvhich take vve● invvardly . of barke-bound . of hornets and dores . of the canker . of pismyers . of iuy , woodbine , and misseltoe . of thunder and lightning . of the sale of tall woods . hovv to chuse timbers . of mill timber . timber to beare burthen . timber for pales , wainscote , &c. timber for pyles or water-vvorkes . vse of th● elme . vse of the ash. vse of the wall-nut tree . vse of the peare-tree . vse of the maple , beech , and poplar . of char-coale . hovv to value timber . hovv to measure timber by gesse . best seasons for the s●le . the time for chap-men . when to cut dovvne timber . hovv to ●et all sorts of quick-set . planting of greater trees . of the setting of willowes , &c. the vse of willovves , sallovves , and oziers . ordering of the willow . ordering of ozier . what plashing is . hovv to plash : the time of yeare . the tooles . the profit of plashing . the lopping of timber . what lopping is . the season for lopping . hovv you shall lop timber . diuersities and vse of pastures of barraine pastures . signes of barrainnesse . battering of soyles . sovving of good seedes . for abundance of grasse . the imperfection of meanure . to helpe a slovv spring . to help knot-grasse and speare-grasse . to helpe sun-burning . to helpe quarries of stone . to help ling , braken , &c. to helpe morishnesse or quick-nyers . to helpe mossinesse . the generall vse of barraine grounds . what cattell are to be bred . of fertill grounds . the deuision of rich grounds . the generall vse of rich grounds . of pastures and ordering them . manner of feeding of cattell . hovv to knovv a fat beast . of meddovves and their ordering . preseruation of meddovves . when to lay meddovves . when to movv meddovves . the inclination of the vveather . the manner hovv to movve meddovves . hovv to make hay . to make fine hay . to make course hay . vse of hay for cattell to breed or labour vvith . the reason for this chap●er . horses diseases to be cured vvith tvvelue medicines . of invvard sicknesse . the first medicine . the second medicine . of outvvard diseases . the third medicine . the fourth medicine . the fift medicine . the sixt medicine . the seuenth medicine . the eight medicines . the ninth medicine . the tenth medicine . the eleuenth medicine . the tvvel●th medicine . diseases in the feete . diseases in the priuie parts , or for stifling . northern memoirs, calculated for the meridian of scotland wherein most or all of the cities, citadels, seaports, castles, forts, fortresses, rivers and rivulets are compendiously described : together with choice collections of various discoveries, remarkable observations, theological notions ... : to which is added the contemplative & practical angler ... / writ in the year , but not till now made publick, by richard franck ... franck, richard, ?- . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing f estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) northern memoirs, calculated for the meridian of scotland wherein most or all of the cities, citadels, seaports, castles, forts, fortresses, rivers and rivulets are compendiously described : together with choice collections of various discoveries, remarkable observations, theological notions ... : to which is added the contemplative & practical angler ... / writ in the year , but not till now made publick, by richard franck ... franck, richard, ?- . xxxix, p. printed for the author, to be sold by henry mortclock ..., london : . advertisement on p. . reproduction of original in library of congress. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fishing -- scotland. fishing -- england. scotland -- description and travel. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - mona logarbo sampled and proofread - mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion northern memoirs , calculated for the meridian of scotland . wherein most or all of the cities , citadels , sea-ports , castles , forts , fortresses , rivers and rivulets are compendiously described . together with choice collections of various discoveries , remarkable observations , theological notions , political axioms , national intrigues , polemick inferences , contemplations , speculations , and several curious and industrious inspections , lineally drawn from antiquaries , and other noted and intelligible persons of honour and eminency . to which is added , the contemplative & practical angler , by way of diversion . with a narrative of that dextrous and mysterious art experimented in england , and perfected in more remote and solitary parts of scotland . by way of dialogue . writ in the year , but not till now made publick , by richard franck , philanthropus . plures necat gula quam gladius london , printed for the author . to be sold by henry mortclock at the phenix , in st. paul's church-yard . . to my worthy and honoured friend mr. j. w. merchant in london . sir , as this compendious volume of my northern memoirs contains nothing of obscenity whereat i may blush , so i hope no absurdity worthy your reprehension : yet because modelized in the plain methods of an english dress , will perhaps occasion the sciolist to interpret me but a junior academian ; and truly so he may , if when to consider my slender education . however , i have endeavoured , as much as in me lies , to avoid all prolixity , and long parentheses , which possibly would relish unpleasant in your ear ; so have i abhorred repeated tautologies , lest fearing to nauseate and surfeit your appetite . for that end , sir , i 'll be brief in my description of scotland , and as concise as possible , in my contemplative angler ; so sum up both as compendiously as i can . in cambridg , it 's true , i had my education , but travel having the ascendent over me , i afterwards rambled the remote northern tracts of scotland ; where , to admiration , i inspected that little artick world , and every angle of it . it 's true , travel always affected me , and to travel by books , when nothing else presented to transport me , was a solitary kind of satisfaction , but no fruition . i must confess 't was in an ill juncture of time , when the nation was alarm'd by the fatal approach of an intestine war ( that perplex'd my anxious thoughts with various inquietudes ) because then to see a preternatural cloud arise , that neither men nor counsels were prophetick enough to consult , whereby to stop the deluge of this hostile inundation that threatned to involve the kingdom in blood. in this dilemma i left the university to seek umbrage in the city of london ; but my retirements contributed equal trouble , for now a smoak began to rise in every corner , and like a meteor , it blaz'd out at last into fuliginous flames , that overspread the beautiful prospect of peace ; which not only distracted the minds but the manners of men , because then to behold a storm rise out of a calm , that not only threatned prerogative and privilege , but a national exit , unhappily calculated to compel the people to see their own ruins wrapt up in the destiny of war. where some , because never enough satisfied by being well , endeavoured by inadvertency to make themselves worse , and striking their breasts with their own weapons , forced all the kingdom to bleed at last . so that now every man runs to seek a pleget to stanch , if possible , the reeking wound ; yet no man so propitious to find his own cure , by which he fancied all the rest incurable . that now so generally and epidemically the kingdom was diseased , that deliriated and distracted , they let one another blood. nor stop'd it here neither , for the cultivated fields stained all over with english blood ( beyond all precedent ) bled , till the life of that non-such charles expired . but now since england is so happily blest under the prudent conduct of a valorous prince ( whose heroick vertues like a corona surround him ) presents me an opportunity to step into scotland , to examine there her remoter stars , fed by the vital flames of our southern orb ; supposing it no riddle , to fancy any man ridiculous that holds up a taper to illuminate the sun : for if when to consider , that the beautiful cynthia sheds her nocturnal beam abroad , only to sprinkle the universe with cold influences , from thence we conclude that the major luminary ( viz. the sun ) adds to her obscurity his bright reflections , since she of her self is but a borrowed light , that can neither warm the world , nor cherish it with vegetation . but the light of the sun not only invigorates the creation with light and warmth , but is also a creational good in the ends of production . come then , whilst it is day , let us step into scotland , to rummage and rifle her rivers and rivulets , and examine her flourishing streams for entertainment ; there the rocks and the groves will be our solent reception , and the cities and citadels supply us with accommodation ; and there i fancy our time will be well enough spent to view the country , and give a description of all her curiosities : which i here present you , my worthy patron , in this short narrative , not doubting your clemency to absolve my stripling muse , though not fleg enough to elevate it self to the lowest elevations of your generous acceptation . but i 'll do what i can in these northern tracts , to bring you a discovery of some of her rarities , whose solitary shades strike a damp to my pen , because to behold there such unexpected landskips , meanders and labyrinths ( which i frequently met with ) as exposed my resolution to a farther progress , whereby to discover all her northern gaities that shin'd so splendidly in every fir-wood , as also in her lofty domineering hills , that over-top'd the submissive shady dales , and over-look'd the rapid torrents of rivers , and pretty purling gliding rivulets ; where the polish'd rocks , and imbellish'd fortifications , beyond belief , so surpriz'd my genius , that it puzzles me to report these remote curiosities . for you are to consider , sir , that the whole tract of scotland is but one single series of admirable delights , notwithstanding the prejudicate reports of some men that represent it otherwise . for if eye-sight be argument convincing enough to confirm a truth , it enervates my pen to describe scotland's curiosities , which properly ought to fall under a more elegant stile to range them in order for a better discovery . for scotland is not europe's vmbra , as fictitiously imagined by some extravagant wits : no , it 's rather a legible fair draught of the beautiful creation , drest up with polish'd rocks , pleasant savanas , flourishing dales , deep and torpid lakes , with shady fir-woods , immerg'd with rivers and gliding rivulets ; where every fountain o'reflows a valley , and every ford superabounds with fish. where also the swelling mountains are covered with sheep , and the marish grounds strewed with cattle ; whilst every field is fill'd with corn , and every swamp swarms with fowl. this , in my opinion , proclaims a plenty , and presents scotland , a kingdom of prodigies and products too , to allure foreigners , and entertain travellers . so that now scotland represents a star that reflects a beam on our southern orb ; but england is the magnet that attracts this northern chalybs by sweet influences , ( and mild condescensions ) whereby the fruits of peace and tranquillity protrude , and bud up to unite interests in one another . the orbs were made for the erratick stars ; and every star as a lesser orb ( destinated for light and discovery ) renders the creation beautiful to excess , by divine appointment of the divinest . for the sun we see is not impaired , because to lend us a ray of light ; nor does it lessen superiours ( in any degree ) to communicate their virtues to influence inferiours . do stars run retrograde to make subjects slaves , when the whole creation is but under subjection by divine condescension of the great creator ? nor is there any thing of slavery ( save only servility ) except man who enslaves himself to his lust ; or by tyranny imposed upon his fellow-creature . and now , sir , i have done , in doing my duty , not only to my country , but singly to your self : give me leave therefore to wind up my epistle , and solicit pardon if any thing be amiss ; supposing my language runs harsh and rugged ; but that i cannot help , because drawn from the rough draught of a martial pen , which shews my stile may be somewhat unpolished . nor can i flatter the times , for i never was a parasite nor a time-server ; so that errors excepted , i may hope a pardon and an easy penance from so mild , so moderate and judicious a patron , under whose patronage i lodg my sentiments ; and subscribe my self , worthy sir , yours to serve you , philanthropus . a dedication to the virtuoso's of the rod in great-britain's metropolis , the famous city of london . gentlemen , i was somewhat unwilling my angler should pass the press , till sedulously examined by some of your ingenious society ; and the rather , because it 's eminently known , that many amongst you are experienced proficients , in the mystical art and intrigues of angling : whose approbation will indisputably accommodate my design , provided it come time enough , before my angler encounter the press . however if it come short , i shall satisfy my self ( as if already confirmed ) that you 'l please to embarque in these my solitary examinations of those rivers and rivulets in england and scotland , where the fields in winter are paved with frost ; yet are the meadows in summer-time beautified with greens , and deck'd and adorn'd with redolent sweets , that perfume the air , whose delightful fords are furnished with trout ; and to advance recreation , the generous race of salmon : an entertainment perhaps not every where understood , nor is it by every angler ( i perswade my self ) throughly examined . but , gentlemen , i have brought you somewhat else ; which for ought i know may prove a friendly diversion , if you please to inspect this narrative and survey of scotland , where perhaps you 'l meet with such entertainment , as may not only benefit , but in some measure delight you , after your exercise of fishing for trout . what then if you step from the water-side , and contemplate nature ; so raising your scenes , you 'l admire the creator , in his rare and admirable creational work ; there you may see the operation of elements and stellate influences ; there also you may see the curious and various amalgamations of earth into cristaline forms , and opacous bodies ; and there you may see how the luminaries are adapted parents of polite stones , metals and minerals : how vegetables also protrude and bud up , because impregnated with prolifick vegetation ; and how the principles naturally operate in animals , inspired and animated by the soul of the world. we have also considered some moral duties , in reference to men of sober conversation : nor are we altogether barren of solitudes , and divine contemplation . the stars we consider as fiery objects , and he that made them thus gloriously to shine , made them also to influence and impregnate the universe : for god through wisdom hung up aloft these bright , shining and globical bodies , whereby to illuminate this stupendous creation ; and that by reason of their rapidity and circular rotation , they impregnate the earth with prolifick virtue : and as we see the stars surround the earth , the orbs beyond dispute immure the stars ; but the heavens encircling both the orbs and elements , plainly demonstrate that from the divinest , every created individual has both ends and means naturally and specifically appropriated to it self , whereby to make it visible ; and visibility terminates in time. which notion to explain in a philosophical sense , seems to imply , that both matter and form results in their own proper and natural beginning . know therefore that corruption is the child of putrefaction , and putrefaction is the prison and sepulchre of death ; death therefore precedes the resurrection , and the resurrection is the clavis that opens eternity . but , gentlemen , pray excuse me if i wander too far from the water-side , to gaze and admire these glorious metaphors , the divine oracles of him that made them , so not only lose my opportunity of angling , but endanger to lose my self in these solitary meanders ; rarely frequented and trod by the vulgar . give me leave therefore to retrieve my self , and introduct you into the slender margin of this my uncultivated book ; and examine the volume , if provided any thing may be found there worthy your ingenious entertainment , or the general acceptation of so splendid a society , that gives laws and rules to all the anglers in england ; that accommodates every county with rods for diversion , and inriches every river with hooks and lines , that circumspectly prescribes critical hours for recreation , and consults both the mean and elevation of angling , whereby to augment and quicken the spur of pleasure . but i 'm sorry i can raise my scenes no higher , to elevate this admirable piscatorian science , beyond the elizium of the angler's arcadia . for had i that preeminence of pen and fancy , to illustrate what the art of it self deservedly requires , i should impoverish england , nay it may be all europe , if not all the world , to select expressions , to express and decipher it's deserved encomium . but finding my self unable to accomplish this great undertaking , i 'll silently sit down satisfied , under the rhapsodies of contemplation ; inviting my associates so to do , when encountring the rocks and rivers for recreation . now , gentlemen , since magnetism is so little known among artists , i less blame the indigency of those that know not how nature by innare quality attracts her own likeness , than other inconsiderate rationals , that sport away their time in pursuit of their lusts. let the angler therefore ( if he please ) select contemplation , and pity such others that are destitute of those heavenly advantages , till the strokes of grace and a pious example or education , compel them to write memorandums of the glorious creation , in the fair and legible copy-book of wisdom ; so imitate nature in her daily progress , till ariving at the super-excellency of practical christianity , which truly to know , is wisdom in the abstract , that transmutes our nature into grace , and our humanity into divinity . but this you 'l alledg is heavenly transmutation ; and so it is beyond the mediums and discovery of art , or the indication of nature ( improper therefore to introduce undergraduats ) : it's true , it is so ; but what then ? can't they omit the thoughts of elements , to mingle sometimes their contemplations with things more sublime ? can't they relinquish their exercise , to converse with heavenly objects ? this i advise to , and my book will instruct them . now i have given you a plat-form for contemplation , which opens the windows of the mind to inspectulate ( if possible ) invisible objects ; but not to darken your sight by gazing too much at the sun ; for the more amiable and illustrious any thing is , the more astonishing is that thing , and ought therefore to be the more admired , consequently desired , before the methods of industry , or the lineal progress of art. but in as much as angling is a great part of our business , let me admonish the more ingenious artist to be mindful of experience , lest peradventure he slide into the slippery tract of an author , so unman himself of practical demonstration . against which hypothesis i exhort the angler , whilst capable to trace the silver sands , or florid meadows of thames and trent , to consort with ingenuity amongst rocks and meanders , where probably he may meet with his friend , philanthropus . a dedication to the academicks in cambridg , the place of my nativity . gentlemen , i present you with a fair opportunity to travel scotland , and stay at home : but then you 'l lose the benefit of tracing those northern tracts , where you may pick up admirable curiosities in every angle , because naturally replenished with great variety . but not that i commend the country to flatter her inhabitants , nor intend i to exceed in my method and stile , when only to describe her cities and citadels , towns and castles , &c. for that end expect an impartial account from a candid and ( i would , if permitted , say ) a regular pen , that neither profits nor loses by imbellishing or demolishing either her towns , cities , forts or fortifications . but the longer i comment upon this northern subject , the more arguments i bring to convince the incredulous , that scotland's national stores , and commodious maritime ports , will treat you with good accommodation and civil entertainment . nor do i seem to contradict my self , when modestly concluding every impartial examinant under the perswasion of my opinion : nor doubt i to convince him , that shall hereafter trace her delightful shores , and observe the various and distinct classes of her numberless numbers of fish and fowl , her lofty and domineering mountains , and mountainous ascents burdned with firs , her pleasant and fertil fields fill'd with corn , and her meadows and pastures crowded with herds of cattle , but that he will conclude with me , that her cities and sea-ports flourish under the conduct of trade and navigation . and where the gilded highlands are the lowlanders prospect , and the skirts of the hills sanctuary to the bordering planes , shading her plants from the fiery strokes of the sun in summer , that defends them against impetuous and immoderate cold in winter , incident there to in regard so situated , that it lies north latitude near fifty nine degrees , though reaching the cusp of our southern situations . formerly , i confess , i flattered my self with scotland's intemperance ; but my opinion is otherwise now , because having sufficiently examined to the contrary , and adjudg it an error in any man to denounce sentence before examination . are the artick and antartick poles at variance , because of distance and seemingly contrary actings ? or stand they in opposition one to another , because aristotle's philosophy could not reconcile them ? must it therefore follow that there 's no correspondency , no congruity nor harmony betwixt them ? when it 's evident they are exerted by the universal spirit of nature , whereby they act and react upon one another : else would the tides of themselves stand still , and because wanting motion , the ocean would stagnate , and at last result in putrefaction ; so by consequence invite a new creation . let scotland therefore be england's chalybs , and let england be unto scotland a magnet to attract , contemporate , and mingle those northern severities , by southern softned reflections of moderate heat ; lest peradventure the rose withers , and the thistle meet with the fatal stroak of the syeth . nature is but one in all her operations . so let these two famous and flourishing kingdoms survive their enemies , whilst i strip off some of scotland's sweetest flowers , to present them to cambridg , the place of my nativity , with this legitimate fair one ; intending her an academian there , because i fancy in time she may grow a proficient , when at present to appear so amiable in rags ; and probably deserves better ornaments than my slender education is capable to give her , whereby to manuduct her to point the ground , till she her self treads the stage of the world , as her heroick ancestors have done before her . in the mean time , let me flatter my self , that no gentleman will be so ingenteel to censure my survey , because not lineally artificial . i grant my methods might have been reformed by riper judgments , and my discourse placed in better order , which possibly merits a reproof : but i have this for answer , that i 'm but a young practitioner in the press ; and because finding my self obliged to conduct and pilot a northern princess ashore , i laboured all i could to bring her to the borders , expecting some others in readiness there to give her entertainment . but i found my self defeated , and this beautiful fair one neglected , notwithstanding all the shores were crowded with spectators , that viewed and reviewed her modest approaches , yet none had the manners to bid her welcome . however , since she is come , i 'll present her to the angler that treads the shady tracts and beautiful shores of cam : together with the rest of the fraternity of the rod , that ramble the margin of famous thames , trent , severn , owse , tweed , tine , eden , ask , dove , darwin , tees , yor , air , need , &c. now since no art more than angling elevates and advances the generous mind of the contemplative angler , let me invite and encourage him to patrole the solitary streams of trent , if he purpose to undergo the toil of the art , before he publish himself an artist : for the practicks of angling won't appear legible , whilst the theory remains paradoxically unintelligible , ( here 's a cypher prick'd down instead of a figure ) so that should i emblazon or intitle my self an artist , or a proficient of the rod , how can i avoid running the risque of being reputed ostentatious ? on the other hand , to remain silent after the periods of forty years exercise , every angler will censure me ignorant , and my silence interpret me wilfully obstinate . thus i steer betwixt sylla and charybdis . but as i cannot impede or hinder the thoughts or suggestions of any man , so by the law of retaliation , no man ought to hinder or misinterpret my modest resolutions , when but to challenge the degree of an undergraduate in the art. nor have i confidence to raise my ambitions higher ; than to superscribe my self an admirer of the rod , and a lover of silent and solitary streams . let my writings therefore remonstrate my experiments , and my experiments manifest my zeal for solitudes , and my natural affection to the place of my nativity , which can never be wanting whilst i 'm in a capacity to speak or write my name , philanthropus . a dedication to the gentlemen piscatorians inhabiting in or near the sweet situations of nottingham , north of trent . gentelmen , if to violate faith ( though but with infidels ) we forfeit not only our reason , but religion ; so not to dedicate some part of my experiments to your ingenious society , might justly prohibit me the freedom of tracing your flourishing fields and fragrant meadows , inamel'd with flowers , that perfume the beautiful suburbs of trent ; upon whose delightful banks i formerly used to spend some solitary hours , in pursuit of the scaly fry , and where the plenty and sweet situations invited me not only to contemplate , but improve this mystical art of angling : though it 's true , the rudiments ( in the minority of youth ) were laid in cam ; yet silver trent's orient streams graduated my juniour experiments , by unfolding her meanders , and making obvious the intrigues of her rapid fords , replenished with variety ; nay so great variety of fish , that only to express it would almost bring truth into suspicion ; when from the more profound and solitary deeps , the artist ( if expert ) may summons up lucit , and the generous race of salmon . but , gentlemen , i am not angling now , i 'm only telling you those original motives to this solitary ( and piscatorian ) science , that grew up with me when an adult ; for then i courted the shady streams of cam ; but trent ( as i told you above ) gave me education . to trent therefore ( and the place of my nativity ) i direct my influences , let malice do its worst ; nor are they extravagant notions , nor broken fragments , collected from foreign nor domestick authority , but lineal and practical experiments and demonstrations , drawn up and cultivated by the mediums of art , and the exact methods of observation ; which without vanity , i dedicate to your society inhabiting the flourishing ports of nottingham ; which i doubt not you 'l accept of , though not much to inrich you ; however you may taste of those solitary hours laboriously spent in great-britain's hellespont , ( the famous trent ) where i used to refresh my self , and ramble up and down her delightful fords , to gratify and satisfy others as well as my self with the fruits of experience . so that should i call sea and land elizium , it 's not altogether improper so to do , since earth and water compleat but one globe . in those florid fields , near the fords of trent , i frequently wandred up and down to crop the buds of experience ; yet i plundred no man's orchard to enrich my arbory , nor borrowed i other mens labours to adorn my discoveries : the bounty of heaven , that always blest me with benevolent success , restrained me from rifling the records of my ancestors ; when to put a rod in my hand , and place a river before me : so that i should offer violence to reason and art , if now to consult the authority of others , when such a large and legible folio to write by , as the great and stupendous volume of the creation ; which to contemplate , interprets the divine practice of solitudes , and becomes not only contributary to the present , but the future generations . to study contemplation is the high way to heaven , where the suburbs consist of a divine composition , and where you may read by those oracles the stars , the beautiful order of celestial bodies , and the great and lesser world all harmony ; for heaven and earth are correlates , which duly to contemplate , poises our passion , and baffles our pride ; which necessarily pursues the foot-steps of generation , as naturally as rust follows copper , which without dispute is the death of the compound ; consequently tradition , if penitentially admitted , and ignorance opposed to the mediums of art ; there uncultivated arts present no dispondencies , nor need a man solicite reality in practicks . but this i oppose , and confidently assert , he that licks up the fabulous fiction of slippery authority , to confirm his false and untenable position , brings unsound arguments to prop and support the slender faith his opinion leans on ; whereby he exposes himself to clamour and reproach , and the censure of every judicious examinant . give me leave therefore to remonstrate my resolution , since the arguments and allegations in my book are my own . yet had i rob'd virgil to adorn my muse , peradventure my fancy had been more fruitful ; but take it as it is , since so freely dedicated to the virtuosos of the rod , from whom in modesty i may reasonably expect some charitable censures of this my sober and contemplative angler ; advising them to direct to the gnomen of practicks , omitting theory , and the useless prescriptions of the antients . then shall no man need to grope the invention of others , but manifest every truth by plain demonstration . thus far i may safely sail under the angler's protection : but should i write marginal notes , and place them to the test of unpractical anglers , beyond dispute i should split on a rock , and wanting a pilot to bring me off , i might live without hope , and die in despair ; which i resolve against , whilst capable to write my name , philanthropus . the preface . courteous reader , let me manuduct you through the slender margin of my uncultivated book , to contemplate the evangelical sweets of reason and religion , two requisite and necessary priniciples for a christian. for since it hath pleased god , through infinite mercy , to breathe into man a rational soul , whereby he was made lord of all the creation , to govern and conduct the creatures committed to his charge , with respect of duty to his sovereign creator : this capacitates man to act prudentially ; for imprudent actions proceed from rashness , and the inconsiderate poize of reason . so to be religious , it 's the christian 's corona , that enables him to contemplate his present state and future felicity : which to accomplish , he must cruciate himself with his thoughts and his lusts , and strip himself of all imaginary vanities , to ruminate how the certain uncertain state of mortality in a moment breaks up and terminates in death . and it 's requisite it be so , since the body's solution displays the soul's glorious ascension out of this elementary tabernacle of earth and clay ; whereby with more vivacity she may elevate her self on the wing of faith , by divine attraction , to those glorious and invisible exaltations : which beatifical vision , no mortal tongue can well express , nor can mortality conceive nor enjoy here , save only by a divine faith , and a holy and heavenly speculation . now , how necessary is the study and practice of christianity , the true , noble , and the heavenly birth ! for a christian is such by regeneration , and to be regenerate is a child of god ; and a child of god is a saint here . for militant saints in grace here , shall be triumphant saints in glory hereafter , made beauteously to shine in the new jerusalem , and wear the royal badg of heaven , and that 's an immortal angelical crown ; to which is affix'd the diadem of the divinest , in legible and intelligible characters of the cross. god in love with his own image , beautifies and adorns the soul with immortality . it 's true , heaven knows no limit nor dimension ; but earth has periods . with what circumspection therefore ought we to travel through this mortal pilgrimage , to the sacred temple of piety and devotion , where the blessed sweets of eternity , are perpetually tasted by contemplating a preparation for death . and what is death but the key of eternity ? these and such like pious considerations , lift up the standard of the mind to the elevations of contemplation . for if the progress of life be but one single scene of a tragedy , of necessity the world must be the theatre , life the prologue , heaven the design , and death the exit . so not only to live , but to live well , imports a well-dying ; and to die to sin , is to live eternally . thus whilst premeditating the life of solitudes , give me leave to publish to the world this mystical art , and the intrigues of angling ; and because animated by the mediums of experience , i thought it argument good enough to gratify the age , and reward the industirous with trophies of the art , which indeed is the ultimate end and period of experiment . now tell me a better accommodation than what naturally flows from solitary hours solemnly dedicated to the divinest ; when to discourse with birds in shady bowers , and converse with fish in rivers and rivulets ; to obliterate the world and vain conversation ; so take our flight as high as heaven , by divine faith and heavenly contemplation : such a life as this explains the angler not only a monument of patience , but experience : so that ambition can never be a bait to ensnare him , that already is delivered from pride , and the arrests of arrogancy . o how sweetly does such a man's habitation smell , whose entertainment and salutation is the dialect of peace , where every action , if thorowly examined , reads harmonious lectures of concord and content , labouring what in him lies to stand a distance from this ambiguous world , whilst the world pursues her flattering admirers , and such only as vainly heap up accursed riches to perplex themselves , and blast posterity . but i fancy , and it may be but a fancy , that some prevaricating zoilist will arraign my hypothesis , and stigmatize anglers ( and the art ) with those black blemishes of barbarity and cruelty , when only design'd to kill a fish. to which i reply , that the creatures in the creation ( by divine appointment ) were appropriated for vse , and what may that vse be , if not the refreshment and nourishment of mankind ? adam had a commission from the king of heaven , impowering him lord over all sublunary creatures . will any one question this privilege ? and peter was commanded to arise , kill and eat ; when doubting with himself the legality of the thing , who disputes this commission ? now for any man to question these divine truths , ( except a banian ) be questions the scriptures , the authority of truth . the creatures in the creation ( we must grant ) were design'd for nutrition and sustentation ; yet no man had a commission so large to take away life upon no other account than to gratify his lust. then the next question arising will be , whether the rod or the net is rather to be approved of ? i have only this to answer , ( since both contribute to health and maintenance ) the apostles themselves they used the one , why then may not the angler plead for the other ? thus far i enter the angler's list , and resolve to encounter this critical age by promulgating the series of the art of angling . but to shape out rods , twist lines , and appropriate times and seasons , with variety of waters , and sutability of baits ; as also the making of instruments , arming of hooks , forming the accurate proportion of flies , shaping of corks , staining of quills , forming of swivels , and drawing out wiers , besides casting of plumbs , and moulding of shot , i resolve against ; for it 's nothing my business , though a task neither intricate nor tedious to the several and various artificers pregnant in the art. for that end you may dedicate your opinion to what scribling putationer you please ; the compleat angler , if you will , who tells you of a tedious fly story , extravagantly collected from antiquated authors , such as gesner , dubravius , &c. but i rather commend you to famous isaac owldham , whose experiences sprung from the academy of trent : so did that eminent angler , george merrils ; and as eminent as he was john fawlkner , whose known abilities to cultivate this science ( both for directions and manuels ) i modestly prefer before any other . yet how frequently is this art promulged by mudlers , and under the plausible pretence of anglers ? when upon examine you 'l find them deficient in practicks , and indigent in the lineal and plain tracts of experience ; yet so fortified with confidence and ignorance , enough i declare to make an artist blush , if only but to hear them assert , that from one river in a nation , all the rest may be nationally understood : which preposterous impertinent opinion , if i should not publickly oppose , it would seem to confirm and assign me a confederate with the rout and rabble so ignorantly opinionated . but i shall offer my reason , to avoid the suspicion of an imposture , lest i be thought to traduce my proselytes into the extreams of an error ; otherwise i had shrowded my self under a taciturnity , had not i dreaded the censure of other able and practical anglers , that in reason may expect a replication from me . for that end , i publish this treatise to the world , where my arguments are synonymous , connect together like links in a chain , in opposition to that inconsiderate opinion , that by one river all the rivers in england , &c. may be included for fish and diversion . which is alike probable , that an orchard without cultivation , should produce foreign fruit : or the peak in derbyshire , should assign us gold instead of lead , or the minera of oar. now supposing this eminent difficulty resolved , yet some will be solicitous to puzzle themselves about baits and seasons ; so that i foresee it will aggravate and fret their intoxicated patience : where note , such may search ( as already prenoted ) in the mouldy records of androvanus , dubravius , gesner , or isaac walton , whose authority to me seems alike authentick , as is the general opinion of the vulgar prophetick : for neither all nor one of them is an oracle to me , experience is my master , and angling my exercise ; yet moderated so , that i don't always employ my self with throwing in , nor haling out , as pochers do , that covet more than their panniers contain ; this makes the sweet of their labours unprofitable , when the angler only designs diversion the final end of his recreation . however , somewhat of this nature is expected from me , otherwise the prejudicate will conclude me ignorant , or affected with paucity : but i shall prevent that suspicion , by publishing to the world this treatise of angling ; wherein the practicks are manifestly divulged , though the contemplative be but in part express'd . and what hinders ( i pray you ) to withdraw sometimes from the trembling streams of trent , to dedicate your vacant hours to the shrines of solitudes ; to sit upon rocks , or in shady groves ; there to contemplate the beautiful creation , and meditate our present and eternal furture state ; so with a holy and reverentical fear , call to mind the creator and original of all things ; through whose wisdom kings rule , and princes decree iustice ? but doubting some may want other moral inducements , to such i have brought a glass of morality , wherein they may view the world's state of inconstancy ; but to the more religious and contemplative angler , a model of piety , ( jacob will struggle hard for a blessing ) where be may see the inamour'd and seraphick soul surmount the aether , whilst earth-worms like-otters prey below upon fish. now to such as love travel , i have brought them history , but to such others as love fish and pleasant waters , my treatise : for the studious geographer , here are cities and countries , but for the active engineer , castles and citadels . should thy fancy be mean , here are shallow brooks ; deep rivers require the skilful art of swimming . thus my book seems a mart , where a man may trade for trifles , or merchandise for things of greater value . the world is all purchase , and death the pay-master . think not therefore to naturalize earth into heaven , since every thing adheres and partakes of its own nature . i advise therefore the lovers of a solitary life , to study sobriety , temperance , patience and chastity ; for these divine blessings are the gift of god. so is contemplation , which never shines so clearly as when retired from the world and worldly incumbrances . woods , rocks , grotta's , groves , rivers and rivulets are places pick'd out for contemplation ; where you may consider creational work , and melt with the warbling notes of philomel , and the innocent harmony of musical birds , that deliciate the air , and delight the attention . or you may proportion your meditations with the pulse of the ocean , or the soft and murmuring complaints of purling streams , that imprint their passions as they pass along , when melting the smiling florid banks . nature consults no artificer to imbellish and adorn her illaborate works ; and shall the god of heaven , the great creator , draw his lines from the faint shadows of nature ? pray but consider , who makes the sea keep her regular motion , the constellations their rotations , and the erratick stars roll in their several orbs ? are not all the reins of government in the divine hand of him that made them ? is not the christian's diadem , and the purchase of the cross there ? liberty and freedom there ? the sweet tranquillity of peace there ? the blessed society of saints and angels there ? iustice and mercy there ? the results also of life and death there ? and where shall we be found if not there , in those everlasting arms of beatitude , that exert our souls by the divine ray of contemplation ? study patience , practise humility , and let repentance be our daily exercise ; since these with other vertues , are duties incumbent . then may we sing hallelujahs at an angelical pitch ; and that 's a strain above the world's ela. these , and such like divine impressions , we ought to imprint on our immortal minds , when with impatieney we pursue our exercise , either to the river , or solitary lough . for the taper burns , and the thread of life ( because lap'd up in this fine tiffany web of mortality ) like a meteor terminates sometimes in a blaze : too late then to confer with reason , or think of religion . so farewel , and be happy in the rules of friendship ; but happier to live in the amiable arms of vertue , ever honoured , and admired , by thy friend philanthropus . to my book . go , tell those men that bait their hook with gain , that plow the hellespont , and cross the main , to fish for gold in ev'ry muddy pit , and hourly wait for ev'ry paltry bit ; that make their shops the fishponds , and the fry , knacks of all sorts , to catch the standers-by ; that trole with silver hook , but use no rod , and freely strike , perchance the line but nod : that use no other links than such as are compos'd of golden threads , not stone-horse-hair : such mudling anglers , all the baits they lay tempt nothing more than arguments of clay . not well consid'ring , all this while they paddle in craesus wealthy ponds , their eggs prove addle . for when they come to scale their fry , and cook , ev'ry surprize reach'd them with silver hook ; they must conclude more fin than fish was caught , 'cause ev'ry action proves an empty thought . come , trace the angler's footsteps , he will lead thy genius to some grove , or rock : there feed thy thoughts with contemplation ; whilst most men think such retirements but a cave , or den : and i 'll assure thee when thou com'st to know those vertues that from contemplation flow , thou surely wilt conclude the whole creation was made for man ; man , but for contemplation . philanthropus . to my honoured friend capt. richard franck , upon his contemplative angler . i am no fisher , but a well-wisher to the game : and as oft as i look and read in your book , so oft i blame my minutes spent with frothy recreation , whilst others live aloft by contemplation . it s true , sometimes i read in cambden and speed , and sometimes mercator : yet in them i can't spy how the scaly fry floats in the water . we grant those anglers were elaborate to fish the world ; but you the anglers state. john richards . to my worthy and honoured friend , capt. r. f. on his contemplative angler . sir , you have taught the angler that good fashion not to catch fish with oaths , but contemplation . no man that 's wise , but out of good intention will hug your plot , and well-contriv'd invention . to take the fowl , and fowler let alone ; that 's not the killing two birds with one stone . but he that catches fish , and fisher too , has done as much as man or art can do . honour 's the bait for one ; but silly flies are mortal engines for the scaly fries . and he that thinks to scape the present danger , fastens himself , thinking to noose the stranger . for one or other's still catch'd in the net when politicians have the pool beset . and haling to and fro , to fill their dish , lites on a chub perchance , or some such fish , that dies without redemption , unless be amphibion-like , can live by land , or sea : but in the calms of silver silent trent , there 's no such danger in the turnament . for you may fish till sun-set , nay all night , find but your gamesters a fresh appetite ; and that a bait will do , when you would court your game ashore , that dies to see the sport. mercurius hermon . to my honour'd friend capt. r. f. author of the contemplative angler . i know , ingenious sir , that sol's bright rays make tapers useless ; so will be my praise of this your angler , for what i express can nothing add to that illustrious dress : except in this , as colours dark , we know , cause brighter colours far more bright to show . the garb it 's clothed in , indeed is rich ; made up of neatest ornaments of speech ; grac'd with most pleasant fancy , and the flow'rs of purest elegance , pick'd at such hours when you have sat to hear the muses sing on the sweet banks of the castalian spring : adorn'd with most curious observations , ioin'd with most sober contemplations : things both divine and moral , and withal pleasant descriptions geographical : full of ingenious variety , mixt here and there with dainty poesy . so that there 's scarce a line throughout the book that is not furnish'd with its line and hook , with which the reader will be caught , when 's eye is searching how to cheat the scaly fry. ladies will make it their companion , and learn by it to fish in hellicon . who , when that their fair eyes shall chance to view your active fancy , will with haste pursue after the same , to see its utmost flight ; and so involve a progress of delight . here 's nothing to offend their eyes or ears , nor fill their tender breasts with dismal fears . no horrid plots , nor base conspiracies , nor noise of arms from mars his nurseries : no fields of blood , nor air disturb'd with tones of harshest discords sent from dying groans . arnoldus , and theophilus will lead them in more pleasant paths : they now may tread on scotish ground with pleasure ; for that place looks brisk and fair , since you have wash'd its face . 't will please them when they do behold the state of this new structure bravely situate : and then immediately they 'l fall in love with that alluring , and delightful grove ; and those harmonious birds that sit and sing , whilst ev'ry pretty purling pleasant spring doth murmur as it glides , and loth to be depriv'd the sweets of such societie . here may be found those vertuous harmless sports , that far transcend the vanities of courts . here may be seen each hill's majestick brow smile on the amorous valley that 's below . here may a man enjoy such pleasant naps , as poets have upon the muses laps : whilst gentle zephyrus from rosie lips sends whispers , which through fragrant bushes skips vpon the gentle streams , that glide away whilst lambs do bleat , and pretty fishes play . and thus through paths that strewed with content , you bring the reader to the silver trent , vpon whose fertil banks methinks i see apollo's darlings making melodie : led by your fancies thread from their own spring , and in delightful tones sit sonneting : who when they mention you in their sweet lays , may th' angler eccho your deserved praise . john slator . to my honour'd friend capt. r. f. author of the contemplative angler . atlas i 've seen , and i have read your book , where ev'ry argument's a line and hook to catch the curious reader ; let him throw but to surprize the fish , he 's surpriz'd too . for whilst in shady streams the anglers watch to catch the fish , the silly purdues catch'd . nay i have seen , when i have seen you spread the trembling streams with neither silk nor thread , that you with horse-hair upon throwing in , has fish surpriz'd that never wagg'd a fin. mussles in trent , i 've seen them leave the water , and swim ashore as if 't were them you sought for . cheese after meat prohibits other dishes , and after shell-fish rarely other fishes . now anglers look about you , whilst you draw your game ashore , and preach the common-law of destiny , as if it were a favour to sentence death beyond all good behaviour : you know not but your selves in project may be angled for , whilst you devour the prey . if so , the fisher with the fish takes share , and both alike their fortunes equal are . richard johnson . the author to the poet. it 's true , you do allow a man may fish in trent's calm streams , and complement his wish . what then ? were trent all fish , without content i 'd neither covet fish , nor value trent . the glorious eye of speculation differs from airy things that 's hung about with ciphers . it 's not the man that 's rich , it is the mind that makes him happy ' cause it's unconfin'd . riches remonstrate horrid shades of night the day puts off , which phoebus puts to flight . and fear our flight pursues , so that where e're we lodg our fears , death he brings up the rear . but solace and content , is such a thing , and so divine ; it 's great jehovah's ring , with which he weds the world , to make earth's portal the celebration of things more immortal . for heaven and earth in unity repose , from thence our contemplation sweetly flows . the great and lesser world 's all harmony ; the spheres are vocal pipes , man 's but the key , that when jehovah's fingers touch to play , the ravish'd soul shakes off this mould of clay ; and hov'ring with her wings , at last makes flight vnto those endless cords of true delight . philanthropus . a brief description of the cities , citadels , &c. in scotland . with the contemplative angler . theophilus . it was in april when every bough look'd big with blessings , and the florid fields , and fragrant meadows ( adorn'd with green ) sent forth their sweet and redolent perfumes to refresh the universe . chanticleer then gave the day a summons , and the early lark , earlier than the sun , salutes the air , whilst blushing phebus paints and gilds the azure globe , whose celestial influence ( by refulgent magnetism ) blest all the world with prolifick blessings : so that the whole creation began to vegitate , and every vegetation sent forth sweet aroma's ; the birds began now to build their nests , and every bird to choose his mate ; whilst the groves and delightful springs , as also the forests and unfrequented desarts celebrated the fragrant spring ; when the frigid congelations of frost and snow were all struck dead by the blazing fiery strokes of the sun. arnoldus . what infer you from these pretty metaphors ? theoph. i infer thus much : the vernon ingress smil'd a blessing , when she sent the melodious harmony of birds to melt the air. the nightingale with her warbling notes , the blackbird , thrush , linnet , and golden-jay , besides the canary and delicious bulfinch , fill'd all the woods with their solitary strains : and because beating the air with such proportionable harmony , every bush became an aviary , and every grove a mellifluous consort , whilst the purling springs , and more shady rivulets , softned by the gentle breathings of zephyrus , seemed tacitly to express a secret , whispering , silent praise . arnold . to whom ? theoph. to whom think you ? unto iehovah the great creator . arnold . very well exprest ! proceed . theoph. things thus posited , under such a rectoral governance , my reason , and all my faculties were excited to contemplate the excellent beauty of this stupendous creation : but above all , when to consider man lord of this creational work , and invested with power to conduct the creatures , and intrusted with the cargo of the whole creation ; this i confess was very surprizing , when but to consider him in a natural state , and compare him with the excellency of celestial beings . arnold . what observe you from thence ? theoph. i observe him complicated , and compounded of elements ; and elements of themselves they drop in sunder . arnold . but what if you take him translated into a state of grace and regeneration ? theoph. why then i 'll grant the first death is past , and the second death shall have no power to hurt him . arnold . so far you 'll grant him to excel all created beings . theoph. yes : but not as he stands in a natural state. arnold . do but consider him a living monument of praise , inrich'd with all the endowments of natural perfection ; besides those eminent qualifications of piety , which intitle him excellent , and confirm him a creature adorn'd with all the signal marks and shining characters of this stupendous creation . theoph. why so ? arnold . and why not so ? does not the lion and the leopard , with the tiger , wolf , panther and vulture , pay their veneration to him ? does not his very aspect confound the crocadile ? and with one superficial glance of his eye , he mortifies the basilick . consider the composure of his face and features , together with the delicate frame , and his well-compos'd fabrick of body : do not these present him a composition of majesty ? surely it does : for all the creatures honour and adore him , which demonstrates him a monarch , and of such a princely soveraignty , that the whole creation pay their services to him . theoph. you wilfully misinterpret me , or prevaricate your own judgment , by taking wrong measures . that dignity and vertue ( you sum up ) that formerly shin'd as a ray about him , is now become a cloud , a promiscuous cloud to obscure him . arnold . how can i mistake my self , when to consider him in a most eminent state ; and such a capacity of beauty and excellency , that the maz'd world think him more than a monarch ? theoph. they may think what they will of his primitive state , but convinc'd by experience , he is not so now . it 's true , the time was , when all the creatures with a solid submission humbled themselves before him ; but that was then in his state of innocency , in eden's fair fields , before transgression , before he unhappily found out the art of sinning ; then and there it was they paid their veneration , but do they so now ? we experience to the contrary : for the beauty and majesty of that glorious image was so macerated and torn by the talons of sin , that it has grown up since to a flood , to deluge posterity . this act of disobedience divested our protoplast , and influenced his successors so , that every generation since adam , has laboured under the same predicament ; for that dethron'd adam in paradise , disinherited us , and adam's posterity ; there it was man lost his prerogative ; and here it is , sin makes us less than men. arnold . can one single act in our protoplast so vacate the royal grant of prerogative , to enervate the conduct of succeeding generations ? surely no. the glorious act of government shines universally in man , and will so to the succeeding generations . the whole creation was placed in a posture of servitude to adam , as he himself stood a subject in obedience to his creator . so that if i rightly understand creational work , the great end was to discover hidden things , and manifest idea's , with the consequent of production of their various species . so that , under submission , i may as rationally conclude , that the creatures in the creation have now , as then , a natural right to bend their submissions to man's princely soveraignty . theoph. i very much doubt it ; for no sooner adam lost his prerogative , but he he felt a trepedation invade all his vitals , and his soul began to blush within him , because afrighted with the aspect of sin , that at a distance presented him the picture of death : now the same death that strangled him , strangles all his posterity . thus it was when adam lost his government , and thus it is with us when governing imprudently ; for till then the creation was unacquainted with disguise ; nor till then did the creature relinquish his authority , till he relinquished his primitive simplicity . arnold . what happened then ? theoph. there happened a change in all the creatures , because they perceived a change in their conduct ; where note , ever since that general revolt , the creatures have been cautious to repose a trust under mortal protection , because destitute of power to govern himself . arnold . will you deny man a soveraign power and divine right , to intitle himself universal monarch ? theoph. that 's not the point in dispute : i have already granted , that adam's divine graces sprung spontaneously from the refulgent ray of the majesty of god. but what is that to us ? can we restrain our hands from blood , and our hearts from malice , and precogitated sin ? now every man knows the reward of sin is not death simply , but divine justice , and divine justice bars out all the footsteps of mercy . arnold . that 's undeniable ; however i 'm convinc'd , that could we but govern our own irregularities , our passions , our ambitions , and exorbitant desires , we should shine like stars ( among men ) and seem in some sort almost immortal . theoph. that word ( almost ) was well put in : but to the argument , as to point of government ; if unlike christians we govern our selves , we tacitly slide into the inconveniency of slaves ; and such we may suspect our selves to be , because to sink under the weight of every single temptation , by which means we sully all those excellent privileges that adorned our protoplast in his primitive state. arnold . what state then must we call this , a state of apostacy ? theoph. you may call it what you please ; for every man is in a state good or bad , but worst of all is that state that lifts up its hand to rebel against heaven : such were the giants in the days of old , and such are we now because overgrown in sin. how often have we violated the authority of our commission ? and how often have infring'd the liberties of the creation ? now in the primitive state there were no such proceeds ; for then the creatures flew as naturally to adam's hand , as terrified now they fly from ours . the turtle then was heard in every grove , now they coo no where except in aviaries : all the families of birds then fill'd the air , now they are compell'd to whistle in cages : then they exprest their gratitude with demonstrations of joy ; now they lament their destiny , because doomed to die . this was the golden age our ancestors liv'd in , but it 's the iron age we live in now . for innocency in effect is almost lost , and it 's well if we lose not our selves . arnold . however i cannot yield to this conclusion ; that adam's commands were so torn and macerated , that surviving posterity should neglect their obedience : for if when to consider how many generations have travelled through the map of time ( from our ancestors to us ) and time you know informs us of experience ; how rational is it then to conclude ( but i only offer it for argument-sake ) that was adam repossess'd of paradise again , and premonished of sin , ( as we are daily precautioned ) whether or no it might not be thought to raise a circumspection in him , to evade the serpent , the sin , and the woman's temptation ? into this opinion most ages have crept , and our modern assertors , and predicators approve on 't . theoph. that 's a point beyond my sphere ; i meddle not with why may not's ; however i allow you a privilege , and freedom of thinking or saying what you please ; but then you ought not to circumscribe bounds to another . however , this i assert , that such was the original purity of adam , in his state of innocency , that his graces then shined with heavenly rays , and heaven we know is all generosity . but every generation since adam , has so diminished that beauty and lustre , that from men we are almost dwindled into morts . arnold . ay , but my friend , have you well considered , how that the formal fabrick of man's natural body , doth represent unto us the world's epitome ? why not then by the glorious speculation of his mind ( under a renovating and regenerate state of grace ) he may represent something of the invisible glories ? theoph. you come near to the point ; did not the generations more and more degenerate ? but this beyond precedent has outdone all the rest . for by offering violence against all that 's good , will at last offer violence against it self ; and this is but just by the law of retaliation . arnold . why so ? theoph. because so vehement in the pursuit of sin , we outdo our ancestors ; and what 's the conclusion ? adam you see was made an exile , and compell'd to relinquish the sun-shine of paradise , he was forced to sit down under the shades of mesopotamia : but we renounce both law and gospel , to monopolize the world , and aggrandize posterity ; this is now our deplorable state , compare it with adam's , and give your opinion . arnold . my opinion in short is , adam comes short of us : for as he was the father of all his posterity , so , as father , we patronize all manner of impiety . now i have given you my opinion , how do you approve on 't ? theoph. i 'll sum it up thus . whilst adam stood in purity his beauty shin'd without deformity ; so that by the will of the divinest , had he kept his station , posterity had never been doom'd to die by the cold and icie finger of death . arnold . o theophilus ! that one single sin should so deform him that was elevated and exalted above the beauties in the creation ! theoph. just so it happ'ned to that bright star lucifer , ( and his aspiring conspirators ) whose ambition dethron'd him , and so it will us . he striving to get above that that was super-excellent , lost that excellency the supreamest had given him . so we placing our affections on exteriour objects , we but inamour our selves with our own similitudes : judg of the consequence . arnold . is the law of nature a standing rule or no ? if it be a rule , it ought to be obeyed ; for its natural in kind to answer kind . theoph. can nature , as nature , exert our zeal , to stir up in us the lively act of faith ? surely faith is no part of creational work , it 's rather a bough or branch that buds up from regeneration . the excellency therefore of the things that are , are not of themselves , but dependent on some other infinitely more glorious ; such is the creator . arnold . he that made the world had no need of assistance ; but all things that are made were made by him alone . creational work therefore was discovering hidden ideas , and making invisibles to appear visible . theoph. god the creator made himself manifest , in time , by his glorious act of power , in creating ; who by his eternal wisdom and providence upholds it , that it drops not asunder . arnold . that 's manifest by the eye of sense ; but he that sees by the eye of faith , sees beyond the creation , for he sees the creator ; and in seeing him , he sees his redeemer . theoph. why then struggle we so hard after superficial knowledg , to defeat our selves by the dull prospect of sense ; for if when to create inquietudes in our selves , we labour and toil with unprofitable anxiety ? arnold . what but the curse anticipates the blessing ? man and the creation were made in time , and time was drawn out by the wisdom of god ; but the understandings of most men differently discerning , differently distinguish , till time , the harbinger of eternity , eats out his character , so translates him to the shades of his silent sepulchre . theoph. what infer you from this ? arnold . solomon was a man inspir'd with wisdom , and endued with understanding ; and god gave him eyes to foresee the vicissitude and revolution of times and states . theoph. solomon had a divine soul , incorporated with humane nature , whose ambition ( if proper to say so ) coveted wisdom rather than wealth : and god answered his desires . in that day solomon was the jewish oracle : but every day is the almighty's holy-day , and time and the world like a globe in his hand . consider therefore , the same excellency of spirit solomon had , hovers still over us , like a glory about us ; and by divine permission over every generation : but because falling short of solomon's knowledg ( and divine speculation ) we do not as solomon , all alike discern . arnold . grant the argument admits of no contradiction , yet you will find it a task difficult enough , to study the art of self-resignation . theoph. solomon , you grant , he refused wealth for wisdom . but what think you of saul , that went as far as endor , and rak'd up the ashes of the dead , to enquire a victory ? arnold . i think the case different , both in nature and quality ; the one chose wisdom , but the other witchcraft : so to connect them together , draws on a false conclusion . theoph. then the consequence follows ; saul's reasoning with flesh and blood , as it was impious ; so his application to sorcerers and necromancers was also diabolical , who to accomplish the end of his conspiracy , consults not endor only , but the brood of infernals . arnold . he did so , who denies it ? i know what you 'll alledg , you 'll tell me the tree is known by its fruits . i grant all this , and what then ? yet i dare not interpret saul a son of perdition : god's mercy never wants wings to fly to the disconsolate penitent , whose mercy super-excels his divine acts of justice . therefore judg not saul , lest we judg our selves , when by the heart only things are legibly construed . theoph. it 's true ; the heart made legible , discovers a phenix or a vulture ; the first living , ( as hippocrates says ) and the last dying : so that neither physick nor philosophy can make mortal immortal . there 's neither energy nor excellency in the superficial form : vertue lies conceal'd , as a jewel in a cabinet : no man therefore can be read by his species . arnold . to grant your conclusion , proves the thing less difficult in knowing others , than to search within to know our selves . solomon had wisdom and divine discoveries ; and saul had courage to encounter the philistines . theoph. that authority that tolerates solomon to have wisdom , the same authority concludes saul inquisitive after witches . arnold . admit it does , ( what then ? ) that power that gives life a being , is indisputably more noble than the thing that has life . god created the world , and by wisdom animated it with life ; so that life shines every where , in every individual ; this is manifest to every man , and every creature that breaths in the creation . theoph. this i agree in , but i can't reconcile my self to your opinion , that solomon and saul's case run in parallel lines : lucifer and michael , though stars of the first magnitude , yet they paid not equal adoration to their sovereign superiour . arnold . i don't question but you will grant , that nothing has life of it self , but from something else that 's eminently superiour : that the world is governed by divine providence , and that every beginning is destinated to death in time . theoph. all this i grant , what infer you from thence ? arnold . i infer and observe you are somewhat too severe in censuring saul's sin by the rule of your judgment unpardonable . now for one man to take upon him to judg another , he betrays his rashness , because his judgment is not infallible . theoph. i know where it pinches , you 'll hinge upon mercy . arnold . i must tell you that god is a merciful judg , whose mercy , as recorded , is above all his works ; and a mystery so sacred and secretly conceal'd , that angels themselves dare not pry into it ; how then shall man discover this admirable arcanum of mercy , when lock'd up in the secret cabinet of heaven ? let us not assume such previous conjecturals , but rather consult and expostulate death , since death is the wages and the reward of sin. man and the world terminate in the arms of death , because they alike consist of elementary principles : but death will be found the extinguisher of life , except that life that 's lighted by the torch of regeneration ; that life will outlive the second death . theoph. but you 'l agree in this , that a vicious man living ( and reigning ) in sin all the days of his life , his life may be taken for a living death . arnold . i 'll comply with any thing except censoriousness ; for that end trumpet not solomon's praise too loud , lest the eccho resounding , ecchoes ostentation . on the other hand , not to hope an indemnity for saul , we straiten god's mercy , which is infinitely boundless . so let 's leave it to the judg of all the world : for if the world be left to determine this case , she 'll denounce a false judgment , because of her partiality . nay , she may be suspected uncharitable too ; and such are we , if children of the world , because subject to err by the rule of instability . theoph. you bear hard upon me , yet i 'm loth to give up the cause ; there 's little or no difference in the length of our weapons : but this i 'll say , so drop the argument . solomon was an oracle of wisdom and learning , and the blazing star that shin'd in ierusalem . and saul was a king , and the first king in israel ; but then he was that king god gave in his wrath , which was soon after removed , for david stood in saul's way . arnold . so did vriah in his , when inamoured on his wife . theoph. but david was a prophet , and a man of god ; and saul was censured for his impious exorcisms , as if the tincture of regeneration was obliterated in him . arnold . god forbid that the sting of sin should be so venemous a poison , that no antidote can cure it ! did not the lord of life die to conquer sin , and death , and hell , in every believer ? let us be so charitable as to parallel saul with sampson , who had his dalilah , as saul had his endor . here we read that david found repentance , after the prophet's reproof : and sampson had his satisfaction upon the lords of the philistines . these two had their pardon feal'd before death ; and fain would i be so charitable to conclude so of saul . theoph. ay , but saul's fault is writ in capital characters . arnold . that 's instituted for our admonition , and the reformation of succeeding generations . theoph. o arnoldus ! the generations to come will abominate this , that inflames it self to set the rest of the world on fire . arnold . then let them burn and consume one another ; for lust and pollution augment the flames . theoph. do not all the nations and kingdoms about us exhaust their treasures to indulge themselves , and devote their services to the hypocrisy of the times ? arnold . it 's rare ( to a miracle ) to find faith amongst men , especially such as daily expose conscience to the wreck of opinion : and he that makes a god of his belly , devotes all his services to his luxurious appetite . thus men , as by machination , traduce one another into the devil's school , to brazen themselves against the modesty of a blush , lest sin should be thought to be shame-fac'd : and others raking up the embers of revenge , fire themselves by quenching the flames . theoph. so let them . but what 's all this to our angling design ? arnold . stay a little till we come to the water-side : in the mean time i have a question to put , and that 's this ; how comes it to pass that the hinge and poize of politick states , move and turn about with such rapid motions , that kingdoms and potentates are dash'd in pieces ? theoph. the naturalist , we see him consult natural causes , and the judicial astrologer planetary events ; but the more religious devotes himself to the providence of god. is there not a time for frost , and a time for hail ? a time for rain , and a time for fair weather ? a time for revolution , dissolution and death ? and all these times and various changes are exercised by him that holds the poize and ballance of government . that naturalist therefore that concludes a divinity in celestial influences , does but grope in the dark ; and the astrologer pins his faith upon other mens sleeves . arnold . you tread upon the heels of my former assertion . theoph. what if i do ? i hope not to hurt you . the prince of this world rules in the air , insinuating himself into the heart of man , from whence comes war , and the rumours of war , as rapine , ravages , murder and blood. does not pride strut up in the face of piety , and hell presume to justle heaven ? and can good and evil ( think you ) run in parallel lines ? no arnoldus , i perswade my self , this age lives within one step of destruction , were it not upheld by an almighty providence . arnold . o the subtilty of man's heart , that nothing but arrows from the almighty can reach it ! theoph. he that reads his own heart , without a perspective , reads all the world ; but to know god is life eternal , and that 's more than the world knows , because wanting the key of knowledg . arnold . man is like a ship in a turbulent sea , where every wave threatens him with death , and every gust of wind one step to his grave . how mindful therefore ought he to be of well-living , which answers the ends of well-dying . theoph. divinely alluded ! man therefore by how much the more honourable he is than the rest of his fellow-creatures , by so much the more nobly and divinely ought he to be exercised in the piety of christianity and self-resignation . arnold . this is good advice , but still methinks i see a storm coming ; not that i prognosticate another revolution ; no , no , rather a desolation by sword or famine : for sin , like a granade , tears up all before it , and rips up the foundation of kingdoms and common-wealths . theoph. it is true , sin is the original cause of all national calamity ; and there is no satisfaction for sin , but the death of a saviour : the cross must purchase the crown : the old man must die to seal the regenerate birth . what have we to do but consider the transitory state of things , and the stability of that that gave them a being ? here 's nothing but rumbling and jumbling about us , till he come , whose right it is to reign , and subdue all monarchs , and make their thrones his footstool . arnold . by this prophetick discourse , methinks i smell a strong scent of invasion . but where the storm will fall , god he only knows . are not the nations about us like an acaldemy of blood , that darkens the air , and terrifies my pen to write such dismal and tragical apprehensions ? will not the sword , plague and famine contend for a victory ? o how sad will it be to see the father fall by the dint of sword , the mother crawl by the infected walls of a pesthouse , and the poor innocent and comfortless infant perish in the streets , and pine away with hunger ? three such meciless and unsatiable conquerors , and all to keep the field at once , will totter the strongest camp in christendom . theoph. then where 's our security , and what signifies the strength or the artifice of man , when god has a controversy with the kingdoms of the world ? the christian's arms then will prove the best security . he that cruciates his lusts , outlives the vice of impiety . arnold . what then becomes of him that throws vertue into the embracements of vice , and prostitutes justice before every clamorous derider ? that lifts up the standard of impiety , to justle religion , and profanes the altar by superstitious adorations ? that mounts ambition on the theatre of luxury and hypocrisy , and opposes the gospel and divine oracles to humane tradition , and the vain imaginary inventions of men ? that in defiance of heaven opens the portals of hell , and advances the curse instead of the cross ? what must we conclude from such dreadful consequences , but that god will tear the nations in pieces ? theoph. there was a time when the law shin'd bright ; yet at the same time the gospel shin'd behind the horns of the altar , ( but in this our time neither law nor gospel shines ) the divinest then had his residence in the sanctum sanctorum ; but hell is let loose now , and heaven violated with oaths and imprecations . arnold . the times were bless'd in those halcion days , when our patriarch iacob was clothed with innocency ; but in this our day we are all turn'd esau's , to pursue the world and inconstant vanities : and though no gospel-star then shin'd amongst them , nor was christianity known in their courts ; it 's well if we that are christian-professors live up to the practice of sound morality . theoph. we read in the sanhedrim , that the seed of hagar stood in opposition to the seed of sarah . but abraham's god will dwell in tents , rather than in temples with the prince of this world : yet rachel had her idols , who adds sacrilege to idolatry , by taking away ( or stealing ) those of her fathers . arnold . when the turk turns christian , there 's hope the persian will fight under the banner of the cross. theoph. then he 'll be fit to turn roman catholick , to stamp the cross on every service , and vengeance with a semiter on the breasts of protestants : to immure their proselytes betwixt stone-walls , so starve them to death under pretence of sanctity ; and because not to die a violent death , the anchorite fancies he dies not at all . is not this a fine way to mortify the flesh , when at the same time they 'll surfeit with fish ? that grope in the dark at noon-day , and hold up a taper to illuminate the sun ? that like spiders they 'll unravel their own bowels , though it be but to entrap a silly insect . arnold . i look on the hierarchy of the church of rome , like men that encounter a blasted fate : where priests are saints bells , but defective of sound ; and oracles at the altar , but dumb in explanation : that kindle their tapers to blaze in the temple , and consecrate sacrifices without a blessing ; so cover their nakedness with a babylonish garment : where mattins are metamorphosed into masquins , collects translated into collations , and st. anthony's bells into nocturnal cabals . these are the men that can mode religion , and dress it up to humour the times . theoph. religion of late is very much discours'd , and after some sort crept into most mens mouths ; but least in practice of any thing practicable . if they tell you that asians are athenians , you are bound to believe them : and that turks are christians , you cann't disprove them , since france and the port have been confederates . nay there are some blear-ey'd romanists , under pretext of christianity , will swear , that to worship images is no idolatry . and some others of such voracious appetites , that they 'll eat the horse , and digest the stirrups . and some amongst them ( i speak what i know ) are never satisfied till glutted with spoil , which exposes every man to the lust of his adversary , whose power is as equal to restrain his will , as the body to refrain from drought in a fever . arnold . i make no doubt on 't , we have copernicans amongst us , that can fancy the earth , as the orbs , turn round ; so rapid are the minds of some in this adultrous generation , to be winding and turning , till he comes that will overturn , and dissolve the elements like ice in warm water ; so melt down the creation with one single blast , and strike that dead that violates his regal commands : the all-glorious beatifical star of heaven's high tribunal is already risen in our earthly horizon , which virtually lifting up it self by magnetick power , lifts up our souls also by a magnetism of divine sympathy , whereby we shall ascend above these muddy cisterns of earth and clay , to blaze aloft in those illustrious and most illuminated mansions of beatitude and eternity . theoph. i grant what you say : there are a sort of men that flatter themselves with self-righteousness , and shape out condemnation as a reward to others ; that can spy the mote that deforms their brother's eye , but the beam that shades their own is no impediment . thus some gaze at their own pageantry , and too frequently answer their own petitions : that say to themselves , all is well , when nothing's well but what is ill : that live so near the portalls of death , as if there were no death in dying . such men as these think the sun shines blessings no where but in their chimney-corners : that build their habitation upon a sandy foundation : that judg and pre-judg both moralist and heathen , ( that rather deserves their pity and charity ; ) and censure all the world , when they themselves cann't live without it . arnold . what crazy props such men lean upon , that exchange their profession for profit . if christ be our foundation , let 's believe as christians ; not barely to honour the appellation of christianity , but live the life and practice of christians , otherwise we build on a sandy foundation , that sinks beneath the surface , or tumbles down in the storm . we daily observe the earth a fix'd body , yet it bears not the heavens , nor it self neither ; because it hangs by poize of its own , and the providence of god supports it : for our blessed saviour that made the world , is the support of the world ; for none less than he that made the world , had power to redeem man , and save the world. this is the water of life that 's drawn from the inexhaustible fountain of christ our redeemer . this is the true physician of life , that blots out the dismal characters of death . thus whilst the formal christian draws streams from the muddy cisterns of the ambignous world , his devotion reaches no higher than himself , and the gaudy titles of ambition and hypocrisy . theoph. shall i oblige arnoldus to entertain us with a contemplation of seraphick joys , whilst the silent night passes away , and the blazing torch of the sun appears , that causes an early blush in aurora . arnold . every day has a new birth , but time and the world had but one beginning . the night was made to shadow the day , but the sun to light and illuminate the universe ▪ and this was ordain'd by the wisdom of him that stuck the stars in this beautiful order , before whose triumphant throne the devout penitent prostrates his devotion , and pours forth his orizons and sweet adorations in the presence of that great and ineffable good , that made the glittering spangled orbs , and is himself the light of the world ; before whom every nation and kingdom must bow or break ; whose mercy infinitely excels all his works , and whose justice and judgment who shall dispute ? theoph. o arnoldus ! pray goon . arnold . the elements , nay the heavens contain him not , nor is he comprehended within the circular globe of the spherical orbs. these luminous bodies of sun , moon and stars , were ordained by him to light the creation : for he that made them gave them a being , and dignified them also with prolifick virtue , adapting them parents of vegetation , procreation , and prolongation of life , whereby to regulate and reform times and seasons ; as also to distinguish betwixt summer and winter . the greater light he made to govern the day , but the moon he made to patrole the night ; and that they have influence upon secondary causes , no man is so irrational , i hope , as to question it . theoph. for my part i do not ; pray proceed . arnold . thus the stars and constellations have divine order and influence ; and the celestial powers and principalities , as angels and arch-angels , thrones and vertues , have dominion also over humane frailties : and where the patriarchs and the prophets are with the apostles and evangelists , with the whole quire of saints , cherubims and seraphims , perpetually singing praises and glory to him that sits on the throne , and rides triumphant on the wings of the wind. o let the silent deeps and the ponderous mountains , with every thing that has breath , praise the lord ! for the earth is his , and the fulness thereof : by whose wisdom the world was made , and time begot ; and by whose infinite power the separated elements live still in harmony ; who form'd the fetus of earth , and made the firmament its swadling-band : and in the vast circumference of heaven he hung up the glorious creature the sun , whereby to illuminate and illustrate the world ; whose centre nor circumference contains him not ; nor the excellency of his glory that superexcels all creatures and creations ; from whom the deplorable sons of men wail for deliverance and redemption from sin. and now let 's contemplate the nocturnal muses . sleep first presents us with an emblem of death : yet is it the poor man's solace , tho the rich man's terror : a repose and recreation to the wearied limbs , but a disease of inquietude to the voracious mind : the body's requiem , and death's effigies . now death is the desired hope of him that truly contemplates the state of immortality : and as mortality is the end of sorrow , so by consequence it 's the beginning of joy : a period of misery , but the trophy of victory : the resurrection of life , and the bloomings of eternity . for as the barren ground thirsts after rain , so does the oppressed seek deliverance in death . great and good is our glorious creator , whose divine excellencies superexcel the creation ; whose infinite wisdom display'd it self before time and the world had as yet a beginning . pardon my presumption , most sovereign power , when to prostrate my humilities before thy sacred shrines , that with a holy reverence and divine piety all my devotions may be acceptable to thee . we are but finite , but thou art infinite : infinite in power , to create the world ; and infinite in wisdom and providence , to uphold it . thy government is in heaven , yet thou rulest upon earth ; but thy habitation here is the tabernacle in man. o sacred divinest ! direct us in thy paths of wisdom , to lead us the ready way to thy self : for thou rewardest every man answerable to his works , and our works ( as paul saith ) do certainly follow us ; then will they as certainly be an orb to environ us ; and because an object continually before us , we can neither evade nor shake them off , whereby they 'll delight or be a terror unto us . as the tree falls , so it lies ; and in the grave there is no repentance : therefore seek the lord early in a spirit of meekness ; for the meek are said to inherit the earth , whilst the proud that exalts himself , shall be abased . thy powerful arm has often reached deliverance , the righteous therefore shall rejoice in thy salvation ; and all that sollicit thy paths of peace shall be found in their duty as by wisdom directed ; but destruction as a judgment is prepared for the scornful : therefore let the pious rejoice in his hope , for the end of the wicked shall be an abomination . lord ! when we contemplate our mortal state below , and those invisible immortal powers above , blest for ever to behold the glory of thy majesty ; it brings us to consider the beginnings of time , and to ruminate where we were when the foundations of the world were laid and stretch'd out ; and who but thy self ( by infinite power ) fastened the ends thereof , and lifted up the curtains of heaven's glorious canopy , and caused the face of the firmament to shine ! who but thy admirable arm could separate light from darkness , the sea from dry land , and confine them with barrocades of rocks and sand ? who made those stormy winds to blow , and those boisterous hurricanes ( the rage of the almighty ) so tempestuously to roar , and roll themselves on the face of the deeps ? o what hand , except the divinest , could make mortal immortal , and bring salvation from the loins of iesse ! can the shades of darkness speak the wonders of thy praise , or the night discover the eye-lids of the morning , that when the sun prepares his course like a giant , will the clouds clap their hands , and the stars and constellations shout for joy ? but the dead shall arise , and mortality shall be clothed with an immortal livery , that shall never tarnish , nor never diminish , but survive and out-live the ides of time , and flourish when time shall be no more . then let us consider our present state , the shortness of time , the vanity of things , and how light all our services and best performances weigh in the ballance . let us also consider the morning-star , the illustrious aurora is rising upon us , and then it will be a perpetual day . let us imprint on our selves the characters of our eminent ancestors ; but above all , the lively sufferings of our blessed saviour on the cross , and no longer paddle in these puddles of sin , nor stumble in the face of the sun at noon-day : for wounding our selves by sin , makes our saviour bleed afresh . we have excellent precedents , that of david notwithstanding his integrity , and that other of solomon , tho the prince of wisdom ; of hezekiah too , tho a very good king ; of iosiah and others ; of paul a convert , of peter a devout reluctant , of iob's patience , moses his meekness , abraham's faith : all these were men , besides hundreds more in holy writ ) now eminent saints ; whose pieties like so many trophies hang up aloft in the new ierusalem , to adorn that beautiful and divine habitation , where the lamb is the light , and where no darkness can approach , nor night close the casements of their eyes any more , nor the pale aspect of death the second time seal the indenture of a profound silence . consider it seriously , for piety is good policy ; and a holy , devout and penitent life no impediment to a vertuous christian : and so good rest , theophilus , that sleeps in silence . theoph. silent i am , but not asleep ; nor do i dream when i contemplate the everlasting praise of the great creator . how quickly has the night dismantled her self of those shady sables that covered day , and concealed the flaming steeds of the sun , when advancing to approach our northern horizon ? arnold . come then , let us rise , and shake off security : for as sleep is no solid direction to point out to us the way to heaven ; so death ( tho at a distance ) is no long reprieve ( nor assured protection ) from the grave . theoph. our former ancestors lap'd not themselves in downy quilts , but made the earth their common reception : but this age degenerates from potentates to pedanticks ; and carnally devote their services to every idle and voluptuous fancy . do we not see with what eagerness some men pursue all dishonest actions , whilst some others under the consideration of riches , hug a conceal'd joy in their ill-got treasures ? whereby they contrive the calamity of the poor , and at the same time rejoice at the misery of the orphan , whose morsel they swallow down as greedily as they devour the widows habitation ? thus some contrive calamity , and sin by whole-sale , magnifying their ambitions more than men , when at the same time they dwindle into morts . arnold . but if beginnings have periods , as certainly they have , the poor will rise up in judgment against such ; and a jog of conscience , besides the consequence of blood , attend their door . their favourites and familiar flatterers then will dismiss themselves , and vanish like a mist , and the dark night of horror overshadow all their enjoyments : their delicate and delectable morsels will melt into moonshines , and themselves transform'd into dust and ashes . this is the lot , and will be the fate of all those that pervert blessings into profane impieties . but i forget my self , for the sun appears , and the day will suddenly gain ground upon us ; let us arise and fit our selves for a solitary march. theoph. we shall soon be ready , it 's only dismounting our apartments to mount our horses . what shady groves are those , and what wandring object 's that , that courts the sycamores , and talks to the silent rocks , as if there were a remorse in stones ? surely it 's agrippa . arnold . i 'm of your opinion , what makes him there ? theoph. i know not , except he 's come to summons us home . arnold . pray examine him ; i think it 's thrice three months since the last time i saw him . theoph. shall i call him to us ? arnold . prethee do . theoph. agrippa , from whence comest thou ? agrippa . from the flourishing fields in albion . theoph. what 's the news there , this is an age of inquisition ? arnold . so it is ; have you brought us any thing ? agrippa . i 'm no competent judg of the times , nor of national affairs ; but i 'll present you with some books and letters . arnold . have you no scheme of modern transactions ? nothing verbal ? agrip. what can be discours'd of the times , and the various projects of men of the times ? arnold . recollect your memory , and refresh your self ; but when the sun advanceth the meridian , repair to that solitary grove , where theophilus with me , will stay your coming ; besure you disappoint us not , and bring your narrative of all the proceeds . theoph. i question not he will be very mindful . arnold . come then , let us chat a while , and discourse rome divided among the romanists . nay , what will you say to see the church look asquint at the pope , and portugal to lift up his heel to kick against his elder brother of spain ? it 's madness rather than manners to hear them wrangle and jangle about religion , when there 's nothing left on 't but bare opinion ; which if you won't conform to , they 'll stamp the character of a stelletto upon you , or the bloody impressions of an inquisition . theoph. what , no better entertainments in the spanish court , than such rough salutes as inquisitions and stelletto's ! i should rather approve , that vertue in a prince is the richest diadem in his crown ; and clemency to his subjects ( the vital part of his kingdom ) more obliging than all the gilded baits of flattery . money , it 's true , is the sinew of war ; and honours and dignities gaudy accomplishments . what of all this ? when all comes to all , honesty is the best policy . arnold . let me tell you , theophilus , gold chains best become great men ; but not that gold makes goodness , nor dignity greatness , any otherwise , than a badg of honour makes a man truly honourable : nor is honour more legitimate than inherent worth ; both spring from one root originally , and live above the smiles or frowns of fortune . nor can such a man be perverted that hates the nauciating scent of a parasite , that disclaims against pensioners that pick his pocket , and abominates sycophants that fawn and flatter , and seem to adore the rising sun ; yet with impatience longs to see it set . not but that no sun shines without some cloud , nor any court is kept without some flatterers , till that time comes ( and i hope is at hand ) that vertue shall naturally flow from the streams of piety , ( and not from imitation ) which spontaneously spring from the celestial fountains of pure christianity . theoph. when democrasians dagger the crown , then the perplex'd native stands a tiptoe ( every minute ) expecting some fatal event : and so it is , when insolency justles justice , then the magistrate suffers affronts in his legal justiciary proceeds . such scorpions as these wound and infect the body politick . ar. from thence i observe , whenever pride is most predominant , there of necessity a nursery of war is planted , that in time will murder the blessings of peace . we have learn'd by experience , that fulness of bread ( without a blessing ) perverts into wantonness , so into a curse , that by degrees grows up into such a vice , that murders all it meets with , and kills without care ; it 's a vertue therefore to shun its acquaintance . th. come arnoldus , let us enter this solitary grove , here we may dwell among rocks ; consort with the creation , and keep time with the pulse of the fluctuating ocean . here we may refresh our ears with the relishing notes of tunable birds , and astonish our eyes with the beautiful model of heaven : where whilst we gaze on those glittering orbs , our hearts as inspired may breath forth flames . ar. a solitary life i always approv'd of , to trace the polite sands , to sit down under the shades of woods and rocks , and accost the rivers and rivulets for diversion , ( as now we do ) and trample on the beautiful banks , and florid medows , beautified with greens , that will not only refresh our senses with their redolent perfumes , but enamour us beyond express , when to see their banks bath'd by such silver streams . come and let 's pitch our tents in these delightful plains , where every shady grove as an vmbrella , will shelter us from the scorching fiery beams of the sun , till the earth sends forth her sweet aroma's ; over which the burnish'd and beautiful firmament of heaven surrounds all the earth ( and the blessed creation ) with melody like birds , and murmuring streams ; i fancy it a kind of counter-paradise for mortal content : and how sweet and sublime is that contemplation that surmounts angels for divine associates ! observe , theophilus , that little rowling rivulet , where every eye may evidence fish in those purling streams courting the sun , as if naturally enamoured with stars and celestials . such observations flow from our present state , let us therefore consider both the author and the end. th. if ends and beginnings have a like fate and period , ( as indisputably they have ) then time and our latter end contemplates eternity our future hope ; so that a retired life , of all lives in my opinion , will be most agreeable to our present condition : for i like not the aspect of our friend agrippa . ar. nor i neither , but be it what it will be , the rocks and the woods , if i calculate right , shall contribute to arnoldus ; any man may read in legible characters a discontented frown on his martial brow. th. what if it be ? it won't make new breaches in our loyal breasts . ar. nor cement old ones ; for here 's a breast ready to receive the charge of danger , tho death be conduct . i value not the swellings of my adversaries , were every one of them as great as goliah , as deep-mouth'd as the cyclops that roar in mount aetna , or as formidable as thunder , that cleaves the cedars , and the sturdy oaks ; yet the shrubs may escape , and live in hope to see a purgation of such eminent contenders . th. if ill omens presage fatal conclusions , i like not agrippa's aspect . ar. nor i that resolution , that only endeavours self-security . th. would you have me turn the point upon my self ? ar. no , nor your friend neither , by turgid repetitions ; come what will come , let 's talk no more on 't : high tides have their low ebbs ; and the higher any man rises , the greater is his fall expected . i know the world is such an inviting morsel , that attempting to swallow it , some have been choaked . alexander of all men bid fairest for the world , yet when he went out of it , a sepulchre of six foot serv'd to inter him . th. it 's just so now ; have not we a sort of senators , that , impatient of destruction , pull down the house upon their own heads , to noose other folks in the same snickle ? ar. there 's nothing can stand against the rapid torrent of a giddy multitude ; it 's good to stand clear of male-contents , that justle superiors , and call parliaments pick-locks , and robbers of the people , under the pretence of publick faith. th. such furioso's i must confess are of an odd kidney , that can silence justice , and sentence the laws ; that sit uneasy under governments , tho of their own contrivings ; that are angry with any thing that 's uppermost ; nay , they shall arraign themselves , if no superior to contend with : such men i question not will condemn us for victims , tho without breach of law , or affront to good manners . ar. that can never be done by any , except such as exchange their loyalty for luxury , that degenerate from native english men , and renounce their oath in baptism ; that swear they do not swear , and be religious to boot . but the great acts of former famous men , will live upon record on the stage of the world , whilst the world has a being ; more especially such great actions as drew life from vertue : such heroes we have had ( but asleep now ) whose memories still blossom , and after death smell sweet in the dust. th. what then ? must we despair of our selves , as poor silly birds do that are seiz'd in a gin , and wait deliverance from the wretched fowler , as if death would solace our captivated fears , and refer them and us to the grave for reconciliation ? ar. i am not ignorant that the rape of a sword results in a scar , and amputates sometimes to the loss of a limb , lest peradventure the whole body be hurried into a fever : for the sword you must know is death's cold harbinger , that depopulates kingdoms , and lays countries in waste , sucking the lives of the subjects and treasure of the nation , till at last like a cripple it creeps to its grave . th. but what if the banks overflow with plenty , and the nation superabound with luxurious inhabitants , may not a war in such case be thought requisite to purge the kingdom of superfluous vagrants ? ar. where excess and intemperance extend the veins by surfeit or pleurisy beyond their natural bounds , it 's better to bleed than blow up a kingdom . th. i 'm of your opinion in that matter : in all acute distempers , there ought to be adequate and expeditious expedients : but without offence , may i ask you one question ? ar. two if you please , if i can answer them . th. why those signal interruptions so oft invade you , that seemingly discover some odd apprehensions . ar. if they do , what then ? is it more than the consideration of distracted times ? th. sooner may the tides forget their natural course , than i forget to sigh a penance for my native country . ar. but then have you considered the passion of such corrumpant grandees , that think whole kingdoms gobbets not great enough to gobble down , to satiate their appetites , till compleatly made victorious over life and fortune ? th. the only way then to stop the glut of such furious drivers , is to interpose our selves , whilst others more innocent escape their fury . ar. you almost perswade me into a kind of pity . th. or rather it may be into a passion . ar. that 's a sin entail'd on posterity , as naturally as wax subjects it self to the impression of a seal : so that should i call affection passion , it but represents a moral glass , wherein every man may read his own face by reflection . th. and no sooner to retrieve or withdraw , when immediately he forgets both form and features . ar. then let all suspicions suspend themselves ; so steer your course to some other point , and call agrippa from behind that sycomore . th. i 'll step and call him : so ho , agrippa . agrippa . what voice do i hear in these unfrequented woods and solitary streams ? diana's fountain , nor was dodona's grove otherwise than an emblem of such mortal contents ; what rivers are enrich'd with trout and salmon , and trees burdened with the harmony of birds ; for such a life who would not covet banishment ? ar. what news agrippa from the coast of albion ? agrip. we have a generation of people , that can make as good papists to morrow , as themselves are protestants to day ; that if popery were but turn'd up trump , would produce you their charter in queen mary's days : they 'll walk to church with you , and lie in her bosom so long till they sting both her and you to death , which makes all mankind stand a tiptoe to see a tottering government sink , and press down it self under its own weight . ar. what! have the grandees no influence on the people , are they grown void of natural affections to themselves ? agrip. what charity they have for themselves i know not ; but this i know , they have none for one another ; nor will they contribute one single sigh for the kingdom 's calamity , but rather shove the burden upon the peoples shoulders . ar. this is forty one all over ; o the miserie 's that forty one brought upon the nation ! ( thus some cry out ) but not a word of the wickedness of the preceding years that brought the misery upon forty one. those barbarous stigmatizings , brandings , gaggings , pillorings , whippings , cutting off ears , like lopping of trees , oppressive judgments , unheard-of proceeds by the high-commission , and star-chamber-courts ; judicatories fitter for the spanish inquisition than free-born english-men and christians ; by which means liberty and property were invaded at pleasure . th. i remember what king ahab said to elijah the prophet , art thou the troubler of israel ? and i remember what the prophet replied to the king , no , but thou and thy father's house are , in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the lord , and followed after balaam . here we see the king charges the prophet , and the prophet he charges the king ; but the prophet proves the charge upon him . ar. this was the case in forty one ; the king demands some of the members of the house , and they return'd the king for answer , it was a breach of privilege of the house ; but if his majesty pleased to order a charge against them , they would proceed to speedy justice . th. was it in forty , or forty one , when the king with an army invaded the scots , and spent his money to little purpose ? ar. yes truly , it was about that time ; for then was the massacre calculated for ireland , and archbishop laud's publication of his book of sports for the profanation of the sabbath in england : here you see prelacy and policy went hand in hand together to murder religion and property , which brought them under the severities of justice . th. ay , but how came the king to be made a publick example ? ar. not because he had married with a popish princess , that gave great encouragement to the papists in england : not for sending a congratulatory letter to the pope ; not for abdicating himself from his parliament ; nor for advancing his standard royal at nottingham , and proclaiming open war against his subjects . there was something under his own hand appear'd against him , besides countenancing papists , and protecting delinquents from justice . th. the scots betray'd him ( i have been told so ) every body says they sold their king. ar. as much as you sold him : it 's true , the king threw himself upon the scots , and the scots threw him back again upon the english ; this is matter of fact , but few understand it , and fewer will believe it . th. for the love of friends , let us have the truth whate're it cost . ar. the naked truth is ; the parliament of england about that time , when the king at newark threw himself upon the scots , owed or was in arrear to them l. sterlin , for service done ; for which they had for hostage , newcastle , carlisle and berwick upon tweed : but upon paying them one moiety down , they resigned their hostage , and withdrew into scotland , tendring the king to the english commissioners , who at that time had no instructions concerning him , till they sent to the parliament to know their further intentions , who ordered the commissioners to apply themselves to the king to know his royal pleasure . th. and what was his answer ? ar. he desired to be removed to one of his southern palaces , in order to which they removed him to holmby . but the jest lay here , the english without instructions could not take him , and the scots by instructions would not take him : this was the critical time when no body would have him ; and the reason the scots gave for it was this , that he had made such breaches in the bowels of england , they were unwilling to take him into the bowels of scotland . this is the truth on 't , and this is the scots selling their king. but where 's agrippa ? what have you done with him ? and i would as gladly know what our proud superiors intend to do with us , except to spin out our lives with the wealth of the nation . th. agrippa , shall i ask you one single question ? whether is best , a petty king in every county , or a parochial bishop in every classis , to ride the people but half way to heaven ? agrip. i approve of neither ; though some oppose a single person to an eye-sore in the kingdom , and at the same time conclude a heptarchy more than enough totally to devour them . th. such a government would enervate the people , and such superiors live upon the spoil of the country . ar. is this the present state of things , and the project that prevails in every man's head ? what , is there no trimming nor neutrality left amongst ' em ? agrip. yes , there 's enough of that , and solicitations for peace among sober men and mechanicks . ar. but what say the people as to church-government ? is one religion or more in fashion ? agrip. religion is made a meer stalking-horse , to answer the ends of every design , and worn so threadbare , that there 's nothing left to cover it , save only the name on 't . it 's true , there 's some small alteration in the church , so is there in the state , by a late purgation ; the army also is decimated , and it 's thought the mystery of law will be made legible , to speak our modern dialect : but the priest paramount is the bravest fellow , because presbyter iohn struts a horse-back , whilst the proselyte like a pensioner holds the bridle ; but to speak plain english , most hold the stirrup . ar. what say mercurius , and publicus anglicus ? agrip. you have them both , and the national diary to boot , where you may read the various products of men , frequent tumults in every corner , general discontents in families ; heatings , but no healings , in their grand consults . th. what do they vary for ? agrip. something superlative ; but the generality cry , tempora mutantur . th. by this i perceive some dig deep to hide their counsels . ar. deep or shallow , it 's a tiffany plot ; any man with half an eye may easily see through it : who is it cries up peace , only those men whom the times court , and the constitution flatters ? such men as these may cry up for peace , while others sollicit an every day 's novel : no , theophilus , there 's nothing pleasant , every thing seems in a hurly burly ; and france and spain at sword 's point . th. o but then what becomes of our force in flanders ? and what prospect have we of the sweeds expedition ? ar. the sweed you may read looks asquint on the dane , the portugal in trouble , the venetian unsafe , and the turk infested with intestine war. poor europe , who can but pity thee ! more especially our native country albion , where every politician expects to be made a monarch ; and where every ambitious clown aspires to the eminency of a crown . th. now for a book and a brook , to contemplate , and recreate ; this rises to the standard of the philosophers solitudes . rocks and rivers with hermetick groves , shadowed with myrtles and purling streams , will for ought i know better answer our present occasion , than a foreign hope can insure us accommodation . ar. these elementary bodies , the beautiful rags of flesh and blood , what present they but moving shadows , that vanish in a moment at death's appearance ? th. and do not some men undermine themselves by supporting themselves on the crutch of mortality ? but the arm that shakes the foundation , cannot that arm shelter us from the storm ? ar. yes sure , since he that made the world gives it nutrition , who by his act of providence makes provision for its continuation . yet there 's nothing that had a beginning , but has its period , and in conclusion melts into invisibility . th. that 's certainly true , for the wages of sin is death ; all men therefore must die , so must that proud tyrant of france , whose sins above knee-deep have sunk him up almost to the chin : so that whoever comes within compass of his steerage , he splits the vessel , or inevitably oversets her ; exposing his natives and others to a malicious fate : therefore how difficult is it to sail betwixt sylla and charibdis ? ar. and as difficult almost to weather the times at home ; for whenever a state stands a tiptoe , the common people are threatned exiles . th. i would not be thought so rash to preanticipate before trial ; nor would i truckle to uneven tempers of men and times , by a supine complacency , so to be coaks'd out of my life by the sugared temptation of designers . ar. unthinking men whilst the storm is yet rising , rise before it , so fool away their lives : he that falls in with a discontented family , propounds to build on another man's ruin. the divine powers shake the arm of flesh ; and what is too difficult for god to do ? he that made the world , can throw it down and dash it in pieces . th. yes sure , and us too , if we stand within distance ( i mean in his way of justice against impenitents . ) o my friend , let 's remove further off . ar. what star must direct us ? and whither must we go ? th. into the solitary shades of scotland ; for every eye will trace us out here . ar. what! so unjust to our selves , to fly without an offence ! so condemn our selves before trial ! when our own innocency i should think were enough not only to clear us , but also to protect us . th. time's sandy glass slides swiftly into eternity ; and so may some of these eminent contenders slip into their graves . that wind blows high that makes our fortunes stagger . ar. nor could thunder shake the courage and constancy of david to ionathan : here we have for precedent two of the worthies in that age , the one no less than a king and a prophet ; and the other no less than the son of a king. come , let 's stand the charge , there 's no man knows what a day may bring forth . th. yes , i 'm so prophetick to foresee a stone doublet , or something worse ; why then to contribute such advantages to men of no faith ? nay , i wrong 'em not , to say faithless to themselves . ar. on the other hand , who would harbour or engender fear , which lively prefigurates a faint repulse , that never got honour by inches ? so that i resolve against preparing for flight , and alike resolve not to think of fear . th. such resolutions will stem the tide , and struggle with death ; but who can withstand the torrent of invaders , or stifle a mutiny that invades the camp ? ar. i should forfeit both my reason and discretion , to foresee danger approach , and run head-long into ruin ; want of foresight ( not to foresee ) argues to me but a purblind sight : and that resolution i always approv'd of , that 's best understood by a constant courage ; the morals of equity justify a cause , and the justness of a cause puts a period to doubts . th. the supreamest gives wisdom , and man a capacity to choose it ; which , if he refuses , it argues an irreverend neglect , both of the donor and the gift . ar. do we not see nature commissioned from the divinest , to dress up and beautify this stupendous creation ; and how wisdom and providence give a blessing to preserve it ? and do we act our reason to throw both away , wisdom that made us , and providence that preserves us ? th. it 's true , the limit and bound of nature , is by the sacred decrees of providence : and wisdom has no limitation , because essentially from the creator himself . ar. art imitates nature , and necessity is the mother of invention ; science also invites to study and practicks , but theory gives the prospect , and operation finishes the project . from whence it follows , that arts are sold to ingenuities , and the reward of labour and industry to experience , and the promulgation of health and maintenance . what tho caesar and pompey contend for an empire ? alexander magnus bids fair for the world. th. i have waded to the chin in the practicks of experience ; but never attempted knee-deep in the rudiments of politicks . ar. and i have liv'd under various dispensations of providence , by the divine power and protection of the divinest . th. nectar and ambrosia have fill'd my cup , almost to an overflowing ; while my associates were the pious and the penitent ( but not the politick ) with apollo sometimes to bear a part , with musical instruments that never spoke treason ; this is a life that lives above the world. arnold . o the heavenly raptures that flow from contemplation ; they 'r enough to raise the mind by divine faith , and a holy speculation , to the very suburbs and portals of paradise . theoph. and such is unity , for it 's the key of harmony ; which if but touch'd by the divine finger of the great iehovah , how quickly the world is put in tune . arnold . and quickly out of tune , where policy is planted in the room of piety . now i always thought piety the best policy , when beautified with the ornaments of true christianity . for since god himself has blest man with reason , and to his rationality added intellectual understanding , let us act above sense , for that enslaves us ; and once enslav'd , we 're captivated with fears . th. were i a wise expositor , i should interpret this sentiment by the rule of travel . ar. and whither would your fancy direct you ? th. into the very centre and bowels of scotland . ar. what would you propound to your self , when there ? th. the exercise of the rod , and learn to fish. ar. and who shall instruct us ? th. our selves , who should ? you shall be my tutor , and i l'e be your pupil . ar. must i be didactick to initiate this art ? th. no man ( than your self ) knows it better . ar. if so , you must arm your self for angling encounters ; for i best approve of a resolute combitant , whose conduct and courage equally strive against all vicissitude of fortune ; and smiles when at the precipice of danger . such a man bears the triumphant standard of constancy in all difficulties , and doubtful uncertainties ? th. are lectures to be read in features ? ar. are lovers by sympathy capable to feel those amorous flames , that scorch their hearts in each other's breast ? th. if that axiom be true , my breast has burnt long enough . ar. with what ? th. it may be with passion . ar. and it may be with suspicion . th. let all suspicion ( and the nature of it ) be for ever suspended . ar. if that be your resolution , give me your prospect . th. the flourishing fields , and the plentiful streams in scotland . ar. shall we ramble the highlands ? th. ay and the lowlands too , for i l'e hazard my fortunes with my friend , and share in his adventures . ar. is that your resolution ? th. yes , that 's my resolve ; i must confess i had rather go than stay . ar. stay then , and i l'e go with you . theoph. why now i 'm answer'd , doubts can have an end ; and so have mine , since lodg'd in such a friend to nature , human learning , sense and reason ; compounds of purest peace ; no plot , nor treason harbours in that calm breast , where art and science bud up like twins , and bid a bold defiance t' ignorance and prophaneness : let thy lot be what it will , and see if mine be not the same adjusted : know that i can bear the hazard of my fortunes any where to vie arnoldus ; if arnoldus lay commands on him that 's ready to obey . ar. this looks somewhat like a foreign doctrine . th. however you 'l find it an innate principle . ar. if so , then we run but one single risque ; which of necessity will incorporate us in one single adventurer : in order thereto , let us first dispatch agrippa , whose countermarch will very much advance our progress . th. that 's well consider'd , pray let it be so ; that without interruption we may ramble all scotland . ar. and the studious art of angling , must not we make that our employment ? th. yes sure , but how must we accommodate our selves with rods , and other convenient manuals and instruments , whereby to pursue this mysterious art ? ar. trouble not your self with that little affair ; here , agrippa , take you these letters , and sweeten your rhetorick with returns of arnoldus , so oft as enquired for by my dear constantia . agrip. can the tides forget their natural course ? i 'le court sun and moon to sprinkle the tracts with propitious beams , to return me prosperous . ar. but when you approach those harmonious ports where constantia dwells , be well advis'd what you say or express ; let not one word slip that may cause a tear ; for if one star falls , all the heavens lowre . th. and remember me ( honest agrippa ) to the vertuoso's in nottingham ; together with the generous society of anglers , that traverse the fragrant banks of those silver silent and murmuring streams of the famous trent . ar. near whose cultivated shores , and florid medows , shines the life of my life in the constant breast of my dear constantia . agrip. i 'le observe your punctims , and pay your respects . ar. do so . th. agrippa , farewel , and forget not theophilus , who petitions their welfare , and thy prosperous journey . agrip. heavens influence your designs . ar. now he is gone ( nor will he be long in going ) in the mean time let us contemplate the beauteous creation , and retire to those solitary rocks to defend us from the radient and refulgent beams of the sun , that direct their strokes upon us ; such retirements will moderate extreams : afterwards we may stretch our limbs to encounter our recreation , and sport our selves with the princely trout , in the flourishing rivers and rivulets in scotland , which probably may contribute as much satisfaction , as any other rivers in the promontories of great britain , if dextrously examined , and industriously managed with patience , and other requisites , sutable and agreeable to the methods of art. we may also in our progress , as we travel the country , take a survey of their towns , forts and fortresses ; the like we may do of their cities , castles and ciradels ; with their rivers , rivulets , and solitary loughs ; which will furnish us with fish enough , provided we can furnish our selves with baits . but to furnish every angler with a new bait , was the studious invention of isaac walton , author ( as you may read ) of the compleat angler , who industriously has taken care to provide a good cook , ( supposing his wife had a finger in the py ) which will necessarily be wanting in our northern expedition ; where the fry are numerous , ( nay numberless almost ) in some of those rapid and trembling streams ; from whence the artificial fly ( if that exercise be well understood ) will contribute as much as any thing , to court them ashore , and sweeten our recreation . but i speak more peculiarly to ingenious artists , not to those flegmetick fellows indigent of art ; such only i allot an accidental fate . th. methinks i grow impatient to attempt these silver streams with our harmless artillery ; here needs no auxiliary force to guard our approaches , when only to trample these delicious , pleasant and fragrant banks , enameled with flowers , and green coverings , where every chrystal purling stream is overshadowed with a stately fir-tree , or some spreading sycomore ; through which zephyrus inspires a softned breath of air to curl the surface of the milder streams , and where the glittering shores shine like peru , or the golden sands of the admired tagus , as if purposely erected for a tomb or sepulchre , therein to inter the generous trout ; which is the anglers trophies , and the ultimate period of art. reach me that rod , arnoldus , and furnish me with tackle to try my fortune . are these flies proper , and sutable to the season ? is the line tapred , and the rod rush-grown ? every thing answers to promise success , and now have amongst them ; for i resolve beyond dispute to approve my self an angler , or shame the art. ar. an angler ; an allegator rather , to rush so rudely upon a river , and forget your rudiments . th. my passionate zeal hurried on by avarice , confirm'd the difficulty of catching fish , no more , than a cast of my fly to summon them ashore . ar. that wou'd excuse your over-forwardness , to put a force upon your exercise ; the anglers direction and the mediums of art , are the pole-star you must steer by . th. you do well to reckon up my errors , and lay down rudiments to oblige me to reform : all that i sollicite , is to be master of my exercise ; that theory and practice be made legible and intelligible ; nature then will demonstrate her self obvious to the artist . ar. you have hit the mark , it 's true what you say : art at the best is but nature's imitation ; instructions made legible , gratify the ingenious , whilest the ignorant read but lectures in their abc . th. then i need not despair ; however as i 'am solicitous after the secrets of the art , direct me how to flourish a fly in a torpid deep and melancholy water ; such as this is . ar. stand close be sure , that 's your first caution ; and appear least in sight , that 's your second direction ; and dibble lightly on the surface of the water , that 's your third and final instruction : now order and manage the affair as well as you can . th. so i will ; and fancy that a city is more than half conquered , where resolution has got footing in the besiegers camp. ar. from your inference , i must conclude , that confident theophilus will approve himself an artist , because he 's so forward in the art of angling . th. i 'le observe the anglers axioms . ar. so you must , if you intend to be an artist ; but how will you flourish a fly in that solitary water , whereby to compleat your self lord of your own exercise ? consider it seriously . in the next place , you must mind the season of the year . small rains , fair weather , and intermittent sun-shine , all these contribute to your entertainment ; but snow-broth , and storms , stand in opposition to your recreation . you must also observe , the wrack of clouds , and the hovering winds that curl the streams ; these circumstances judicially observed , an ordinary artist may kill a trout , provided he purdue himself at a reasonable distance . but what must be done when the air is undisturbed , nor the least breath of wind to fan the sholes ? can you then kill a fish to recompence your labour , and sweeten your toil ? come , lend me your rod , and i 'le hazard my skill to puzzle the art , or lay a trout in your lap. th. that 's as much as to say , you will give me handsel . ar. and i do but little , if i do not do that . observe that bush , whose slender branches wantonly dangle , sporting themselves on the cusp of the water : there 's no stream you may observe , nor any thing of motion , nor the least breath of air to invade the calms . put case i kill a trout from that silent surface , what will you think on 't ? th. i 'le think you an artist . ar. when ? th. when i see your success . ar. have amongst them then — : now there 's what i promised you . th. and i 'le promise you , you are a man of your word . ar. i seldom use to be less . th. and i 'le never desire to be more . but one thing i observe , and that 's very remarkable : why so circumspect in making your approaches , when accosting the river , as an engineer approaches a fortification ? ar. there 's reason for that i do . th. then there 's reason you resolve me what i shall do , since trouts are so difficult to deal with . ar. you will tell me more ( i question not ) when you come to examine them . th. and that won't be long if i have my liking . but what an admirable fish is the trout for shape , beauty and proportion ? ar. such is the char ; next to him the umbar . th. and are they of as much agility of body ? ar. in every respect . th. of necessity then they must be excellent companions to consort with the angler , whiles the miser and avaricious hugs his bags , the epicure his luxurious voracious appetite , and the wretched and covetous angler his paunch and pannier . let art , industry and experience gratify the artist . but as fortune favours you in your second adventure , such are my resolves to magnify the art. ar. you do well i perceive , to do nothing rashly . th. and you do it better , by doing on 't advisedly . ar. then have at all ; and i think i have him , look how he leaps and struggles for life ; but this prognosticks a sign of death : for when the swan sings his own funeral-epitaph , which of the family of birds join in consort with him ? so when the trout dances coranto's to the angler ; what but the line rings his funeral passing-peal ? now see how he lies gasping for breath , though every breath of air is as bad as opium ; and laments his misfortune to be so unfortunate , because not to live out half his time ; where every cheque of the line challengeth death , and sends him a summons to prepare for the pannier . so that you see he is no sooner deprived of natural strength , but submits himself to the fatal doom of the angler , who assures him no better quarter than death . are not these terrible arguments to terrify the fish out of his element ? who whilest he endeavours to evade the angler , falls foul upon the art with equal hazard ; and designing flight , pursues the pursuer : so struggles with the artist to cheat his appetite , by proffering his life for a silly fly. by this you may see it 's not difficult to court him , when with little difficulty he comes to hand , nay to his grave , meerly for a mouthful ; for this simple novelty cost him his life . and what was it think you ? only a fly of another figure , and of a different complexion ; the one artificial , but this was natural , and there he lies naturally devoted yours , not daring to petition his judg's reprieve . where note , for your encouragement , i present you with my conquest ; and dedicate both my practice and experience to your self , purposing perhaps a farther examination . for since to find fish so prodigal as to meet me half way , what cause have i to doubt of carrying them to their journey 's end ? th. here 's lucky handsel for a young beginner . ar. and you are that young beginner ; pray accept of handsel . th. thanks , arnoldus , if thanks be argument good enough to retaliate your bounty . but what must we think of those hovering clouds ? ar. i think they 'l bring us summons of night , otherways i am loth to relinquish these pleasant streams , that divert the angler with such profitable entertainments . th. if the night approach , it 's time to withdraw ; but to withdraw from such sweet diversion goes against the grain . eden , farewel . nay i 'le repeat it twice ; farewel , eden . with what reluctancy do i relinquish thy smiling fords , though to solace my self in the fortress of carlisle . ar. you are shrewdly hurt . will refreshment incommode you after the toils of recreation ? and your observation of this late encounter invalidate the art ? ingenuously tell me , what your observation directs to ? th. this i observ'd worthy my observation , that it was a field fairly fought , but i cannot say without loss of life . ar. and i declare it a conquest of an easy purchase , where arms and artillery ( the rod excepted ) amounts not to sixpence . th. was it six shillings , what a purchase is that to experience art , and tantalize fish ? what 's the single hazard of a hook and line , ( a valuable considerable loss indeed ) to lose the value of two pence , to purchase a fish worth ten pence ? pray what is it more than earnesting the river with a hook and line , to stem the adventure ? which i value not a rush , was every hair a thread of gold , and the barbed hook of superfine silver ; i 'd expose the worth on 't for the fin of a fish. ar. this resolution surmounts the adventure . th. besides all this : here 's another observation , well worthy our own and the angler's consideration ; and that is , our labour and travel : it 's no more than a walk to trample the deliciated and cultivated fields , on the fragrant banks that bridle the meandring streams . o who would not solicite patience to crown such charming rewards , intail'd upon anglers , in their solitary recreations ? instruct me , dear arnoldus , in this liberal art , and ingenuously tell me how you took these trouts . ar. with nothing , upon reputation , but a natural fly , which i suddenly snatch'd from that slender twig : for if you remember my turning to that bush , i mean that hawthorn that flourishes behind you ; there it was i discovered some insects , which properly to consult , are as truculent as death , more especially in the ides of april and may. it was only with dracks that i kill'd these trouts ; nor is there any bait that excels it at the tail of a bush , or the brow of a bank , provided always you appear least in sight ; dibble but lightly on the surface of the calms , you infallibly raise him ; and the better to secure him , stand but close , and you certainly kill him . th. this plain discovery speaks both theory and practice . such instructions as these ( except to an indigent artist ) will indisputably compleat him an angler in an instant . ar. come then , if you please , let us lap up our lines , and trace these pleasant fields to the town of carlisle , where we may refresh our selves with the country curiosities . th. i think it very good and wholsome advice , to comply with your motion for a modicum : for when the water with exercise extimulates our stomachs , i fancy diet will relish better than discourse ; and when we have closed-up the orifice of our appetites , clean linen i fancy will be very acceptable . the for the morning-watch , trust to my diligence , for i 'll rise with the sun , or it may be before day , to be in a readiness to survey this ancient city , citadel , castle , cathedral , ports , vanports , curtains , counterscarps , bastions , redoubts , &c. of all which i purpose a brief description , and that you may expect before our departure . ar. you direct good measures ; but let me first advise you to observe access , situation and strength , the complement and resolution of their armed men ; their arms also , ammunition and artillery ; what stock of provisions is stored in their providors ; and whether nature or art challenges the superiority in her fortifications . this is part of the task you impose upon your self ; and by noon be in readiness for our departure ; about which time ( if i calculate right ) the tide will commode us for our northern passage over the trembling tottering sands . in the mean time , let not the night nor our sleep invade us , nor our watchings slide into wanton embracements : for the watchman of the night will declare against such , and a serpent conceal'd in the secrets of conscience , shall gnaw and devour our habitations with our selves . th. vainly and profusely to lavish time , we but flatter our selves with sordid delusions , that vanish if but touch'd by the cold icy finger of death . how in a trice honours become fugitive before us ; and mortality in a moment incorporates with the grave ; tissues and orris hangings become a prey to the moth ; and polish'd pavements of jasper , with those others of marble , how quickly time translates them into tombstones : nay , those delicacies and viands that surprized the palat , are by this also converted into nauseous excrements . so that upon the whole , this elementary composition in conclusion results in dust and ashes . ar. it 's very true : for did man but consider the instability of transitory enjoyments , he might read himself more miserable in living than dying ; but there is a state ( tho unknown to the ignorant ) that is too great and glorious for mortals to purchase : but christ hath already done that for inglorious man , whose longest progress of life on the stage of this world , is no more than a dream to the length of eternity . th. now the fair star aurora springs upon us , i must be stirring , arnoldus ; you know i have set my self a task to survey this city and fortress of carlisle , which i purpose to describe . ar. that will be time enough about noon . th. and it may be i can do it now as well . ar. come then , let us have it ; i see you 're in haste . th. carlisle , i have considered it but a little city , a little observation therefore shall serve to describe it . however , it 's a fortification ( that 's true ) tho it stands in a nook , or more properly to call it a corner of england , whose foundations are rocky , and surrounded with a stone wall. at the south entrance you may observe a small citadel fronted with stone , and such are the houses of the same material ; nor are they much elevated into the air , where the battlements are seen above the houses , which argues the wall a serviceable defence . in the midst of the market-place they parade their guards : and at the north-west end of the city stands their castle ( strong and formidable ) upon whose bulky battlements several pieces of cannon are planted , to scatter fury in every quarter . there is also a cathedral situated south from the bastions of the castle , worthy any man's description , were it not so torn to tatters that there 's little to describe , which only serves now as a monument to gaze at , because impoverish'd by the strokes of time. but the ports , and sally ports of this northern fortress are girt about with rocky stone ; and the wash of eden bathe some of her sconces ; that river i mean where arnoldus fish'd when he slew the trouts . ar. it 's very true , the river eden floats near the skirts , and the fortifications of carlisle . but then you must consider there 's another river , commonly known by the name of annon , ( of a more rapid motion , and more resolute streams ) which issues from the famous top of erricsteen , not far from as famous a mountain called tintaw . this annon glides along the southern marshes of scotland , which afterwards espouseth with the ocean westward , and gives name to a dale , commonly called annon's dale . but there 's another river the natives call ask , which juts just upon annon , on the scotish promontories , so tumbles into the sea at n. nor-west , as near as i can guess at the quaking sands . th. pray give us that relation ? ar. i remember on a time as i travelled these parts , to admiration i saw two thousand horse , all advance in divisions over those silly shores , which so prest and deprest the tottering surface , that not till then , nor before , i had ever seen sands shap'd into vallies , then again into mountains ; nay , such prodigious over-grown mountains as almost amaz'd me : because when to behold from such palpable levels , mountains as it were rais'd up in a moment ; and in the twinkling of an eye , all melted into vallies . and the nearer the bodies approached one another , the farther they seemed to be asunder . so that upon the matter the advance of this brigade , was little more than to make new hills , and depress and sink them again into dales . so that looking behind me when discharging the fords , there was nothing remaining but sea and sand , chequer'd as it were parte perpale . this is the first of our northern wonders , and the rarity is almost beyond belief , were it not so commonly experienced by almost every traveller that travels these northern remote parts : otherwise it might render me ridiculous to report it , and look too fabulous to gain a reputation . but he that has beheld this admirable prospect will credit my relation , whilst the more ignorant and prejudicate suspend their censures . th. and must we adventure to attempt these tottering sands ? ar. yes , indisputably we must . th. in my opinion then it 's requisite we summons a guide . ar. that 's well considered , for there 's no passing without one . th. so ho , iockey . servus . wha's there ? th. here 's one or two that want a good guide to pilot us over these sinking sands . servus . i se come belive . ar. prethee come now , and direct us over these quaking sands . serv. marry sall i , i se be your guide i tro , to speeroot the bliethest and the bonnyest gate i con : haud a plack , i se but fet my spere and cutrements , whelk in guid fa i may not won without . ar. then take 'em with you . serv. marry sall i , sa that now and then as i gang by the gat , gif the bourn be clear , and i se pre a guid blink ; i se wap a samon ore the crage i tro , than with a grip ore his luggs we my ene hand ; i tro i se hold him a bit , an for au his struggle , i se mar his march to sea any mare . come ben me joes , and won awaugh ; span y ar groond ore this silly bourn , i se pre it , and prieve it ; it 's guid enogh , come awaw , follo me now . whelk way won ye , ken ye i tro ? guid fa sirs , y ar misleard , won away thick way , mare and mare yet to thick hond : for an the quick sands get a grip au yor nagg's shakle bene , gude far sirs hee l womble doun the bourn ; an what au ye then ? but au's wee l enof now ; for now ye treed on bonny scotish grond . th. i know not what ground it is , nor what to call it ; but this i know , that i 'm glad we can welcome our selves on this side danger . what think you , arnoldus , have not we made an eminent exchange , to truck a southern rose for a northern thistle ? farewel old england , i shall venerate thy memory , and thy fertile medows , and never forget thy florid fields that glut the sithe , nor thy fragrant gardens that perfume the air. ar. and welcome scotland , i say ; for this night i purpose to lodg in dumfreez ; but who must carry our impliments and our fish ? th. let us catch 'em first , and then consider their portage . ar. that 's but little difficult to do , where every field is accommodated with rivulets , and every rivulet furnished with trouts , as we travel along this mountainous coast of galloway : look but before you , and view those ports ; such are the entrances into the decays of dumfreez , whose situation and buildings bespeak it spacious , and a town that will furnish us with fish and flesh ; where we may stay till to morrow , and solace our selves with her flourishing streams ; whose lofty banks barrocade the beautiful pontus arnotus , a pleasant portable river below the situation of the town ( unplundered of exercise ) that will recreate and recruit us with fish enough , if the season but serve to experiment the art. th. i approve very well of your motion , but a modicum first will be very seasonable . let us summons the cook to know what he 's got in the kitchin ; and give charge to the chamber-maid ( if there be such a thing in scotland ) to take care that the windows be deck'd and adorn'd with flowers , whilst the boards and floors are strewed with greens : for i 'll examine every thread in our beds , to see if they be cleanly wash'd , and throughly dried , the better to accommodate us in our northern expedition . ar. do so , and i resolve in the morning to examine your breviate of the various particulars of this night's entertainment , how you approv'd of your lodging , with the memorable apprehensions of england in scotland . the sauce also , you must tell how that savoured ; and the rest of your delicates , how they digested ; together with your linen , how richly perfumed . th. were not complaint a ridiculous orator , i would tell you the mutton was small , but good ; but cookery i perswade my self never worse contriv'd : and the linen was sweet , and clean enough , of a modest complexion , but not lavender-proof : then for their pewter ( the like was never seen ) it was tarnish'd with nothing but a face of lead . the beds i confess were soft enough , and if i don't mistake my self , short enough : yet every angler may without difficulty resolve how sweetly rest relishes after recreation ; and how grateful solace seems after good success . shall we spread the water this morning with our angling artillery , and examine the fords before we feast our selves ? resolve this morning's exercise my benevolence , only stand by and furnish me with directions . ar. your motion inclines me to promote the adventure , and the rather because to introduct you into the anglers society . hold forth your hand and grasp this rod , take also this box , and this dubbing bag of flies , and select a choice . the complextion of the water must also be considered ; and depths and shallows are necessary observations . but above all , mind carefully the clifts of those craggy rocks , from whence you must expect the head of your game , if you angle for trout . and be circumspect and cautious when and how you strike , lest peradventure passion provoke your discretion , so indanger the loss of what you labour for . th. these are soveraign admonitions . ar. mind therefore your directions , and fish like an artist ; for here if your line but reach the water , you raise a trout , or it may be a salmon . where note , if you be indigent of this generous art , and unskilful to manage so eminent an encounter ; perchance you 'l sacrifice your labours to loss , so in conclusion lose your reputation . th. i shall be mindful of that . ar. then direct your eye to those bubbling streams , at whose murmuring descents are most profound deeps . but then again there 's cataracts , and falls of water ; from whose fair invitations neither doubt nor despair of incomparable entertainments . that 's the sirenes seat of trophies , where trouts tumble up and down for diversion : don't you see them pick , and cast themselves on the surface of the streams , amongst those knotty stumpy rocks , almost drown'd in water ? lay but your line in at the tail of that stream , where it 's sheltred with craggy rocky stones , and manage your game with art and discretion , i 'le uphold you sport enough ; but be circumspect ( be sure ) and look well to your line , lest peradventure your tackle be torn to pieces . th. doubt not of my care and circumspection . ar. then take your lot , and cast in your line ; and flourish your fly , for it 's dub'd with bears hair ; and the point of your hook , it 's so snug and so sharp , that , as it ought , it must always hang downward . moreover , it 's proportioned of an excellent compass , wing'd also with the dapple feather of a teal ; a dangerous novel to invite a desperate fish ; and sutable to the day and season , in regard it 's bright . th. why thus to capitulate ? let us in amongst them . ar. two words to a bargain ; be better advised . th. it 's past that now , and i 'm past my senses , to feel such trepidations on a sudden invade me ; what 's the matter with me that i 'm thus out of order ? ar. i perceive you disordred , but not much deliciated . th. if i were , it 's folly to complain , when past all hope to expect redress . ar. how know you that ? th. i know you won't tell me what it is that tugs thus . ar. it may be a trout ; or it may be a salmon . th. or it may be both , for ought i know ; for it 's almost impossible that one single fish should raise the water to such eruptions . ar. and impossible for you ( i perceive ) to reclaim him . th. do but resolve me what it is , and then i 'le resolve my self what to do . ar. make your own choice , what would you have it ? th. i would have it a fish. ar. so it is ; and it may be a fish of the largest size : therefore look well about you . th. i may look which way i will , and despair at last ; what makes the water swell with ebullitions ? ar. nothing i suppose but a change of elements , the fish has no mind to come a shore . th. and i have as little inclination to go to fetch him . ar. then were your hazards equal ; and hitherto as i apprehend , you have much the odds. th. odd or even , i know not how to manage him . ar. would you put a force upon neptune , to compel his subjects a shore ? th. had i skill enough , i would certainly do it . ar. so i perceive ; but you 'r almost now at a stand ; pull . th. on the other hand he strives to pull all in pieces ; which he will certainly do , if i do not reclaim him . but where is he now ? ar. gone to the bottom , it may be . th. and it may be i begin to smell the plot ; he courts the deeps for self-security . ar. then you fancy the streams won't protect him ; because there 's no plot in them . th. plots for the most part you know lie deepest ; so he sinks to the bottom for self-preservation , and creeps to death as if of old acquaintance . ar. rash results reap repentance : mistake not your self by dooming his death ; he 's but slipt to the bottom to recruit himself , and indenture with stones to oblige their protection . th. what must we have now another vagary ? is my scaly companion surrounded and compounded of nothing but frolicks ? which for ought i know may cost him his life , if he is not mindful to look to his hitts . ar. and you must be advised to look well to yours ; for he 'l not come a shore to beg his life . stand fast therefore , and call to mind your former rudiments ; for trust me i shall give you no other supply than some friendly admonishments to reconcile you together . th. what , no directions ; nor any farther instructions ? ar. if two to one be odds at football , and against the rules and law of fair play , the very thoughts on 't would make me blush , and appear shamefac'd , if but to think two anglers should at once consult together to encounter one fish. th. then i 'le fight him my self , and run my own destiny . see where he comes tumbling and tossing , and volting himself in the stiffest streams . can no element contain his active violence ? will he twist his tail to cut my line for an experiment ? but this kind of cunning may perchance defeat him ; he may prick his chaps , and yet miss my bait. ar. and you may miss him , that won't stand upon a trifle . th. a trifle did you say ? i 'le trifle him no longer . ha boys ! he 's gone again . ar. i suppose he 's gone where you can't come at him ; and that 's to the bottom for another insurrection . th. so it appears , for he 's invisible in a moment . this is a kind of hocus pocus : surely i fancy he has out liv'd his time. ar. flatter not your self with that fly-blown opinion ; for i 'm apt to perswade my self he 'l live beyond the art of your exercise ; this i know and perceive by his working , that if you work not wisely , he 'l work a reprieve . th. then i 'le work with him , and trifle him a shore , to examine the point , and exchange of elements . i see he 's convulst by fluttering his fins ; and i 'm sure he 's half dead by rigling his tail ; nay , more than that , he lies still without motion : and are not all these mortal signs of submission ? ar. and if he submits , he dies without redemption : and death you know is a total submission . th. i 'le kill this fish , or forfeit my reputation . ar. take your chance , for i know you are resolute . th. i 'le take my chance , and return victorious . ar. but there 's no triumph you know , till possest of the trophies . th. and i am pretty near them , was it not that one or two stratagems strangely amuse me ; the one of them is the casting himself on the surface , as if designing thereby to cut my line ; and the other his fastning himself in the bottom , thinking , as i apprehend , to tear all in pieces ; which if he do , i lose my reputation : besides i grow weary , and would fain horse him out . ar. you may do what you please , you are lord of your own exercise ; the law is in your hand , manage it with discretion . th. i 'le manage it with all the industry i have . ar. do so , and you will see the event . th. then have at all . ar. and what have you got ? th. i have got nothing but the foot-steps of folly. ar. and nothing out of nothing is folly in the abstract ; was not i prophetick ? th. an oracle too true to confirm my loss ; for what have i left ? nothing but folly , to lament and condole this fatal conclusion : to be rob'd by a fish that i reckoned my reward ; is not this felony , to steal my tackle , and ruin an angler ? but he 's mark'd for my own , and let whose will take him , i 'le challenge an interest . ar. that 's very pleasant ; when another has catch'd him , you 'l put in your claim . th. so i will , where-e're i find him ; for his marks i am sure will certainly betray him . ar. as if he wore your livery to no other purpose than to describe his servitude . th. so he does ; for my hook i am sure hangs still in his chaps , and part of my line is entailed to it . ar. i thought all along what it would come to , for i knew well enough there was nothing wanting but the exercise of patience to kill this fish. th. what would you have done had it been your case ? ar. i would not have handled my play-fellow so rudely . th. what! you rather laugh at me , than pity my loss . ar. i pity the fish to feed upon such sharp commons . th. peradventure the hook may go near to choak him . ar. that it will never do , nor hardly check him upon a fresh entertainment . th. why so ; will the hook remain in his chaps without detriment to the fish ? ar. some small season it may remain ; but time and action soon discharges it . for if when to consider his frequent motion , his continual gliding and glancing against stones , it loosens the part without detriment to the fish , so that the hook of it self leisurely drops off . th. how comes this to pass ? it's incredibly strange . ar. yet not so strange as true that you have lost a line , as compleat a line as art could proportion : it 's well you kept your rod , for i 'le assure you it 's exactly taper'd ; and as streight and plient as ever flourish'd a fly to facilitate death by d●xterity . but this artificial novel you lost but now , gives no more satisfaction to a voracious appetite , than a witch's banquet ; or the unlimited desires of a wretched usurer , who never desists the pursuit of riches , till tantaliz'd , like your game , to death with a trifle . and now theophilus , i must reprove your precipitancy , because a great error in young anglers . patience must be moderated to promote the art , and time procrastinated to proclaim the angler an artist . these precepts i have laid down oftner than once , always provided your swim be clear , your line long , and strong enough ; then shall you see the fruits of your labour , and the fish himself act the part of a felon , that puts a knife to his own throat , wherewith he secretly murders himself : and that this desperado had certainly done , upon exchange of elements , so become his own executioner ; who beyond dispute had struggled to strangle himself ; which without difficulty is easily and the more expeditiously done , by frequently but cautiously exposing him to air ; for that suffocates his vitals , whereby he necessarily falls under very fatal cons●quents . and how little a thing blots out the character of life , every one knows , that knows air is as opium to force a sleepy pulse ; that deprives of motion , and makes passage for death . be mindful therefore to observe directions in handling and managing your rod and line , and cautiously keeping your self out of sight : all which precautions are requisite accomplishments , which of necessity ought to be understood by every ingenious angler . and so is that secret art of striking , which ought never at any time to be used with violence ; because with a moderate touch , and a slender proportion of strength , the artist for the most part has best success . another caution you must take along with you ; and that is , when you observe your game begins to make an out ; that is , when he bolts , or when he launcheth himself forth to the utmost extent of your rod and line , which a well-fed fish at all times frequently attempts , upon the least advantage he gains on the angler : be mindful therefore to throw him line enough , if provided you purpose to see his destruction ; yet with this caution , that you be not too liberal . on the other hand , too streight a line brings equal hazard ; so that to poize your fish , and your fore-sight together , is , by keeping one eye at the point of your rod , and the other be sure you direct on your game : which comes nearest the mediums of art , and the rules and rudiments of your precedent directions . but this great wound is easily solv'd ; for if when to discover your fish fag his fins , you may rationally conclude he then struggles with death : and then is your time to trifle him a shore on some smooth shelf of sand , where you may boldly land him , before his scales encounter the soil ; which he no sooner apprehends by the prospect of death approaching ; as a dying man that grasps every twig , because thinking thereby to save himself ; so will your game extinguish his strength , and blaze out the flames of his life with a struggle . another expedient is the landing-net ; or the landing-rod , which i rather approve of : let the swim be deep , or let it be shallow , we direct this artifice to amuse the fish , and facilitate his destruction , when he struggles with difficulties : notwithstanding all this , some hazards must be encountred , by the more ingenious that flies high at his game . incomparable sport the salmon makes ; and so did this , for he made me laugh . th. why so severe to run at my misfortune ? take the rod if you please , and display your skill , i 'le defy all your art to discover such a fish ; though unfortunate i must confess , to hazard my reputation , with such ill success ; whereby to lose such an eminent encounter : but i am come to that point of resolution now , that fish that comes next but to smell my hook , shall prize the scent on 't so long as he lives ; where an inch of my line shall cost him an ell of his life ; though he attempts to saw my line in sunder , with the ragged and jagged teeth of his tail. ar. and is this the earnest you intend to handsel us with ? such a small stock of experience will neither admit of general nor particular directions to instruct and initiate proficients in the art , to try their skill with a resolute fish. reach hither your rod , and that bag of flies . now should fortune contribute equal success , we need not despair of a hungry breakfast : however , i 'le adventure , and have in amongst 'em ; did you see him show ? th. yes , yes , i see something make a show ; and it may be fish. ar. what a fish with an it , and a may be too ? stand close , i advise you , for he 'l rise again , provided as hitherto he has made no discovery . th. what then , will you discipline and teach him the art of invasion ? ar. i 'le teach him to know that if one element won't contain him , another must ; so , so , i have him fast enough to distinguish the difference . and now for the landing-rod to measure his dimensions . see where he lies , and tell me how you like him ; can you think him as large as that you encountred ? th. it 's no matter what i think ; it may be he 's inferiour , or it may be superiour . ar. that 's modestly ingenious , to lessen your loss by advancing my reputation . th. and you more than fortunate to succeed so well : shall we lap up our lines , and return to dumfreez ? ar. with all my heart , for the clock strikes ten ; and the sun is in his elevation towards the meridian . this is no time for farther examination , till about four after noon ; except in an obscure and clowdy day : for the crisis and critical time for diversion , is late in the evening , or early in the morning . th. it 's enough i perceive ; your generous motion moves me to wave the present recreation . on the other hand , your experience i must confess promulges the art , and your self an artist . all this i grant , and more than this , since to confirm this evidence quickens my appetite . ar. ay , but what think you of the wing of an ox ? would not such a modicum melt sweetly in your mouth ? th. if luxurious dreams , and witches banquets are equally alike impoverish'd vanity ; then to contemplate england in the bowels of scotland will represent to us but fictitious delusions . rather would i have you tell me how you like the commons , and tell me then how you approve the cookery . ar. i like it so well , that i could heartily wish it had been better ordered for your entertainment ; but the difficulty is such in this northern latitude , that good cooks and good fish seldom dwell together . th. then let them dwell asunder ; however , it 's well it is as it is , better ill-cook'd than none at all . however , in the mean while reflect on your self , and give us a description of the town of dumfreez . ar. i fancy e're long you will change your note , when you traverse these pleasant northern tracts . in the mean time i 'll gratify you with a breviate of dumfreez , where a provost , as superintendent , supplies the place of a mayor ; a magistrate almost as venerable as an english constable . th. that 's wittily applied ; what comes next ? ar. nay , hold a little , i have not done yet with the eminencies and the remarks of the town of dumfreez ; for you are to consider it was anciently a town girt about with a strong stone wall : but the late irruptions , or perhaps some state-disagreement has in a manner defaced that regular ornament ; otherwise the cankrous teeth of time have gnawn out the impressions , as evidently appears by those ruinous heaps . nor is the arnotus in all parts portable , notwithstanding her shores are so delightful . th. what is there more yet ? pray go on . ar. in the midst of the town is their market-place , and in the centre of that stands their tolbooth , round about which the rabble sit , that nauseate the very air with their tainted breath , so perfum'd with onions , that to an english-man it is almost infectious . but the kirk is comely , and situated south-ward , furnished once a week with moveable spectrums , ( you know what that means ) yet the outside than the inside is more eminently imbellished , if sepulchres and tombstones can be said to be ornaments : and where death and time stand to guard the steeple , whose rings of bells seldom or rarely exceed the critical number of three . here also you may observe a large and spacious bridg , that directly leads into the country of galloway , where thrice in a week you shall rarely fail to see their maid-maukins dance coranto's in tubs . so on every sunday some as seldom miss to make their appearance on the stool of repentance . th. then it seems by your relation they keep time with their comers , that hazard their reputation for a country-custom ( or the love of liquor ) rather than omit a four-hours drinking . ar. that 's true enough ; and it 's an antient practice among the female sex , to covee together ( about that time ) as naturally as geese flock'd to the capitol . now the very name of comer they mightily honour ; but that of gossip they utterly abominate , as they hate the plague , or some mortal contagion . so that whether to conclude it a vulgar error , and an abomination among the scots to lick up an english proverb , it matters not : or whether to fancy a more laudable emphasis in the word comer , than there is in go-sip ; i leave you to judg of that , and those other abominable customs , that drink till they sigh to do penance for their sins . will this expiate the crime , and extenuate the fact ? th. yes , when oil quenches fire ; or fire forgets its natural force to burn . so let us leave dumfreez , and accommodate our selves with the country-curiosities : and to make our design yet more sweet and pleasant , let us rally what descriptions of places we can , not only to gratify our selves but others . in the mean time favour me with your bad fortune of the dish of sewins , and the duck moggy drest , when she flung it into the fire , to singe off the feathers . ar. why thus to reflect on the country-absurdities ? had you been then in place , distress'd as we were , i doubt not but that duck had gone daintily down , notwithstanding you think it so sluttishly cook'd . hunger at no time solicits sauce to incite ; and necessity as little as any thing disputes dainties . the landskip of want invades natural strength , and reads lectures legibly in any man's features . but the manner of their cookery , or rather scotish sluttery , i 'll tell you the story , and how it was . th. i shall be very attentive . ar. near the english promontories stands the town of iedard , whose skirts are wash'd by the famous tweed . but westward from thence ( and inclining yet more norward ) are the remarkable antiquities and ruins of boghall ; and not far from thence is the admirable tintaw , a prodigious mountain over-looking the marshes . from whence , or from erricsteen ( that 's not far from it ) there issue forth three eminent and considerable rivers ; as that of the tweed , loyd , and the river annon : but of these three rivers we shall discourse more at large , as opportunity presents in its proper place . and now let 's advance to our country cottage , since compelled by the extremity of rain , and encreasing waters . to which place when we arrived , like men in amaze , we stood gazing at one another , because to see the sheep grazing on the tops of those houses , where there was hardly grass enough to graze a goose in . by this you may conclude their buildings but low , and i 'm sure their doors and entrances were so strait , that they exercised our strength beyond our art. archimedes engines signified but little , till the souldiers set their shoulders to support the eves by which means the horse got an entrance in : and that horseman that was not throughly wet , was doom'd that night to go supper-less to bed. thus in a storm we stormed the town , and 't would make a man storm to be treated only with oatmeal , of which we made cakes ; for every souldier became a baker ; and the flesh-meat they procured us was drest without slaughter ; for none we had except my duck ( you formerly discours'd ) so that most of us roosted with an empty appetite : and every man that went that night to bed , was sufficiently alarum'd before it was day . oat-straw was our sheets , and port-mantles our pillows . it 's true , some had cloaks , and 't was well they had them , otherwise they had been constrained to use plads ; and he that used one but to cover his carcass , mustred ( i uphold him ) more gray coats than black coats , that claw'd him more perniciously than a middlesex bailiff . the next day we recruited with some country ale , but so thick and roapy it was , that you might eat it with spoons . besides , some small quantity of mutton was brought us , enough to discover the cookery of the country : and the linen they supplied us with , were it not to boast of , was little or nothing different from those female complexions that never washed their faces , to retain their christendom . but among the rest i had almost forgot to remind you , that the souldiers and the people were jointly agreed to part without the loss of one tear in the morning . th. i hope not to see , nor would i willingly dream of such bad commons , a hungry belly , and nothing to bite on ; nay , worse than that , more sluts than cooks : and in every house fowl women , fowl linen and fowl pewter ; yet in their rivulets such silver streams . what , not a bed , nor a thread ( but linsey lowsy ) to keep a man dry ! who could project or contrive worse entertainment for the worst of his enemies ? ar. why , how now , theophilus , is it that time of day ? he 's an early angler that angles by moonshine . th. mistake not your self , i 'm only groping for baits ; it may be i purpose to angle early . ar. who questions it , when you catch 'em so fast before sun-rise , what will you do when it's break of day ? th. o , arnoldus , i 'm almost worried to death with lice , my skin is all motled and dapled like an april trout . can you blame me to relinquish this lowsy lodging , when my batter'd sides are pinck'd full of ilet-holes ? one brigade pursues another , and flight i find the best expedient ; for my enemies i perceive are so desperately resolv'd , that they 'll rather die than quit the field . dangers foreseen are the sooner prevented , and i design to sleep in a whole skin as long as i can . zanker , farewel , i am glad to see thee behind me , and no need of a chirurgion . ar. did you think of boghall , when the vermin last night were so busy about you ? the story of my duck was pleasant to you , and so is this to me . those characters and impressions seal'd on your sides ( by these scotish interlopers ) will oblige you to remember zanker these seven days . you have not been used to such coarse entertainment , nor treated as i have been , with such scots commons . is this the fruits of private practice to compleat your self a graduate , tho you steal your preferment from a nitty corporation ? at the best you can be but batchelor of backbiters-hall . but now jesting is done , and you 're half undone i perceive ; what will you do now in reference to zanker ? can you give us a relation of that corporation ? th. yes , that i can , and will do , notwithstanding the difficulties i have encountred . zanker stands situate on a flat or level , surrounded as you see with excellent corn-fields : but more remote it 's besieged with mountains that are rich in lead-mines . the planets i fancy them very benevolent to influence this swompy rocky earth , and shine metallick blessings into them , to commode the indigent and almost uncultivated native . heaven it 's true , is always propitious , because never to impose the law of sterility , when to supply the whole world with the bounty of increase . and tho the people hereabouts are destitute of ingenuity , and their fields for the most part impoverish'd for want of cultivation ; yet are their rivers and rivulets replenished with trout , because undisturb'd with the noosy net , which augments the anglers , if not the artizans entertainment . ar. here 's no character of zanker all this while . th. i am just coming to tell you , that zanker is a town and a corporation too ; tho not bulky in buildings , yet there is a bailiff , master sometimes of a brew-house , whose entertainments ( in my opinion ) may easily be guest at , provided you reflect on our late accommodation . there is also a market-place , such an one as it is , and a kind of a thing they call a tolbooth , which at first sight might be suspected a prison , because it 's so like one ; whose decays by the law of antiquity are such , that every prisoner is threatned with death before his trial ; and every casement , because bound about with iron-bars , discovers the entertainments destined only to felons . now the market-place is less worthy of a description than the tolbooth ; for no man would know it to be such , were he not told so . there is also a kirk , or something like it ; but i might as reverently call it a barn ; because so little to distinguish betwixt them , and the whole town reads daily lectures of decays ; so do her ports , her avenues and entrances . where note , i call her the child of antiquity , by reason of her ruins and irreparable decays . it 's true , i was not murdered , nor was i kill'd outright , yet i narrowly escaped as eminent a danger , when almost worried to death with lice . ar. however , i am glad you escaped without scars ; and advise for the future , that you examine your lodging before you make your formal entrance . in the mean time , let me restitute some part of amendment , by an easy , tho solitary journy over this mountanous country , to sweeten your entertainment . and in regard of your unexperience in these northern tracts , i shall direct our course through the coast of galloway , a compendium of the highlands immerg'd in the arms of the low-lands : and i 'll appeal to your self , when you have seen her fertility , if you do not envy her blest inhabitants , because inrich'd with the plenty of rivers and rivulets , woods and groves ; besides , benevolent fields , and profitable pastures yet sometimes we must ramble o're some rotten bogs , as now we do ; and permit our feet ( as at other times ) to climb those knotty craggy mountains , that , like a gnomen , direct to the town of kilmarnock , a kind of a corporation , where we may expect the comfortable issues of good entertainment ; for worse than the last is madness to contemplate . th. is that the town that presents at a distance ? ar. yes , that is kilmarnock , an antient corporation , heap'd up and crowded with men and mechanicks : through the midst of whose crazy tottering ports , there runs a river replenished with trout , where we may treat our appetites , as already our apprehensions , with the entertainments of dumbarton , whose rapid streams when we come to examine them , are enough one would think to surfeit the angler . to which place it is now but one days journy , nor need we hackney it at more than an ordinary rate , before we discover those beautiful ascents , and the hostile habitation of our friend aquilla , that dwells in those western florid fields , who will bid us welcome , and rejoice to see us . nor will glasgow be any impediment in our way , whilst we only survey her beautiful palaces , so direct to the lofty turrets of dumbarton . th. let the sun , or his star the beautiful aurora , arrest me , if otherwise i arise not before break of day , and be in readiness for a march to the famous glasgow , where you purpose to refresh , and briefly examine the city-curiosities ; as also the customs of their magnificent situations : whose academick breasts are a nursery for education , as the city for hospitality . and let this be your task as we travel to dumbarton , to give us a narrative of the antiquities of cloyd , as also of the town of kilmarnock , where we slept this night , that so bravely refresh'd us . ar. that i can do as we ride along . th. do so , it will be very acceptable . ar. then to expostulate the antiquities of kilmarnock ; as it would puzzle the pen of an ingenious historiographer , so i for that end was thinking to evade it , and refer it to some other of more mature judgment ; since you your self , and consequently others that read my relation , will probably reduce me to the probate of a censure . on the other hand , the native who lives under an expectation , would equally condemn me for my taciturnity , should i silently pass by and imprint no remarks on their silty sands , and silver streams . to this dilemma i am driven by the censures of some , nor can i escape the clamours of others : so that i sail betwixt sylla and charibdis . however , i shall use my best endeavours to gratify both as near as i can , and consult the mean and mediums of veracity , so far as experience and discovery can inform me : so that i shall say but little more than to tell the world that kilmarnock is an antient corporation , crowded with mechanicks and brew-houses . th. but that 's not all . ar. if not enough , then you must have more it seems ; and not only for your self , but for those that are more inquisitous . and what will they say ? why you and they both will tell me , it 's only risling into ruins . nor indeed is it other , when in our progress we proceed to prove little more , save only a discovery of ruins and decays . th. be it what it will however let us have it . ar. well then , if to go one step further , surely it won't cripple me : let me tell you then , it 's an antient manufactory . th. and what of all that ? is this more than what we formerly knew ? ar. it 's more than i knew , that you knew so much . but this discourse , theophilus , better becomes an antiquary , than one that queries : for should i but step into her dirty streets , that are seldom clean but on a sun-shiny day ; or at other times , when great rains melt all the muck , and forcibly drive it down their cadaverous channels into the river marr , whose streams are so sullied then , that the river loses its natural brightness , till the stains are wash'd out , so become invisible . all which to examine , is enough to convince you , that the influence of planets are their best scavenger : for the natives in this northern latitude , are naturally so addicted to idleness and nastiness , that should not the heavens contribute the blessings of rain , they would inevitably surfeit with their own uncleanliness . th. all this we will grant you ; the footsteps are evident . ar. where note , these inhabitants dwell in such ugly houses , as in my opinion are but little better than huts ; and generally of a size , all built so low , that their eves hang dangling to touch the earth : nor are they uniform , nor hold they correspondency one with another : and that which is worse than all the rest , is their unproportionate ill contrivance ; because , when to consider a dwarf of a house , so covered over with a gigantick roof . by which you may imagine , our former projectors had but little project for curious contrivances ; and to speak plain english , as little costly . the next thing in course that falls under our consideration , will be their artificers . but the moors ( more than all the rest ) have gain'd the reputation for the temper of dirks , razors and knives , whose temper is so exact , that it super-excels all the mechanicks in scotland . where note , you may observe there are artists amongst them , though not one good structure to be found in kilmarnock ; nor do i remember any wall it has , but a river there is , as i formerly told you of , that runs through the town ; over which there stood a bridg so wretchedly ancient , that it 's unworthy our commendations any otherwise , than as travellers commend the bridg they go over . another part of their manufacture is knitting of bonnets , and spinning of scotish cloth ; which turns to very good account . then for their temper of metals , they are without compeer ; scotland has not better . and as they are artizans in dirks , so are they artists in fudling , as if there were some rule in drinking . so that to me it represents as if art and ale were inseparable companions . moreover , their wives are sociable comers too ; yet not to compare with those of dumblain , who pawn their petticotes to pay their reckoning . th. here 's a jolly crew of alemen ( but very few anglers ) crowded together in the small compass of a little corporation , curiously compacted . for the houses you may observe besiege the river ; and that river to divide the ruinous ports , left only as reliques that remain discoverable : however it 's my opinion that a stone wall has incircled the town , since hitherto as to observation , there 's rarely a town of any eminency in scotland , but is or has been beleagured with a strong stone wall ; but as to that i 'le silence my self . ar. well then , i 'le proceed to pilot you down these solitary descents , that direct to the eminent ports of air , near whose difficult entrances stands a strong citadel , formidable and spacious , in the base of a pentagon , erected on purpose to reduce insurrectors . th. must we dismount these hills , to traverse those valleys ? ar. yes , surely we must , if designing to trace the fertil fields and beautiful plains of the now famous and flourishing glasgow , where we may accommodate our selves with various guriosities ; for the days are long enough , and our journey no more than a breathing to dumbarton . now the first curiosity that invites us to gaze at , is a large and spacious bridg of stone , that directs to the fair lmbellishments of glasgow . but our next entertainment , is the pleasant medows , and the portable streams of the river cloyd , eminent in three capacities . the first is , because of her numberless numbers of trout . the second is , because of her multiplicity of salmon . but the third and last is , from her native original , and gradual descents ; because so calmly to mingle her streams with the ocean . not that we now consider her florid medows , nor shall we recount her nativity from tintaw , because so strongly opposed and presum'd from erricsteen , distant from thence some few odd miles . th. if you please , let that argument drop till farther opportunity . ar. i am thinking to do so , and proceed to discourse this eminent glasgow . which is a city girded about with a strong stone-wall , within whose flourishing arms , the industrious inhabitant cultivates art to the utmost . there is also a cathedral ( but it 's very ancient ) that stands in the east angle , supervising the bulk of the city , and her ornamental ports . moreover , there are two parish-churches ; but no more to the best of my observation . then there is a college ; which they call an university , but i 'm at a stand what to call it , where one single college compleats a university . now let us descend to describe the splendor and gaity of this city of glasgow ; which surpasseth most , if not all the corporations in scotland . here it is you may observe four large fair streets , modell'd , as it were , into a spacious quadrant ; in the centre whereof their market-place is fix'd ; near unto which stands a stately tolbooth , a very sumptuous , regulated , uniform fabrick , large and lofty , most industriously and artificially carved from the very foundation to the superstructure , to the great admiration of strangers and travellers . but this state-house or tolbooth , is their western prodigy , infinitely excelling the model and usual built of town-halls ; and is , without exception , the paragon of beauty in the west ; whose compeer is no where to be found in the north , should you rally the rarities of all the corporations in scotland . here the reader ( it's possible ) may think i hyperbolize ; but let him not mistake himself , for i write no ambiguities : truth stands naked in plain simplicity ; and partiality i abhor as a base imposture . he that reads my relation , and the morals of this famous glasgow , will vindicate my description , and place the fault to him that invents the fable ; for it 's opposite to my genius , as also to my principles , either to deface a beautiful fabrick , or contract a guilt by magnifying it beyond its due merit . i have , and therefore shall , as near as i can , in an equal poize ballance things aright . permit me therefore , as a licentiat , to read you but a short , yet pertinent lecture , and i 'le tell you what entertainments we met with in glasgow , as also what hopes we have to meet with the like in the circuit of our intended northern progress . but this i offer to the dubious only ; if peradventure there be any such as scruple , i 'le refer them to the natives to evidence for me , which i am satisfied they will with ten thousand manifesto's . in the next place , we are to consider the merchants and traders in this eminent glasgow . whose store-houses and ware-houses are stuft with merchandize : as their shops swell big with foreign commodities , and returns from france , and other remote parts ; where they have agents and factors to correspond , and inrich their maritime ports , whose charter exceeds all the charters in scotland : which is a considerable advantage to the city-inhabitants ; because blest with privileges as large , nay , larger than any other corporation . moreover , they dwell in the face of france , and a free trade , as i formerly told you . nor is this all , for the staple of their country consists of linens , friezes , furs , tartans , pelts , hides , tallow , skins , and various other small manufactures and commodities , not comprehended in this breviat . besides , i should remind you , that they generally exceed in good french wines , as they naturally superabound with fish and fowl ; some meat does well with their drink . and so give me leave to finish my discourse of this famous glasgow , whose ports we relinquish to distinguish those entertainments of dumbarton , always provided we scatter no corn. th. what to think , or what to say of this eminent glasgow , i know not ; except to fancy a smell of my native country . the very prospect of this flourishing city , reminds me of the beautiful fabricks , and the florid fields in england , so that now i begin to expect a pleasant journey . pray tell me , arnoldus , how many such cities shall we meet with in our travels ; where the streets and the channels are so cleanly swept , and the meat in every house so artificially drest ? the linen i also observed was very neatly lap'd up ; and , to their praise be it spoke , was lavender proof : besides , the people were decently drest , and such an exact decorum in every society , represents it to my apprehension an emblem of england , though in some measure under a deeper die. however i 'le superscribe it the nonsuch of scotland ; where an english florist may pick up a posie : so that should the residue of their cities in our northern progress seem as barren as uncultivated fields ; and every field so replenished with thistles , that a flower could scarcely flourish amongst them , yet would i celebrate thy praise , o glasgow , because of those pleasant and fragrant flowers that so sweetly refresh'd me , and to admiration , sweetned our present entertainments . ar. now the day-star springs , and the flaming steeds of the sun invite our departure . the smiles of the weather prognosticate we shall reach dumbarton in very good time ; where we may redress and refit such tackle , as shall serve to accommodate both our art and exercise : for near to those famous and flourishing ports , there glides a rapid and peremptory river , that gulphs forth of the bowels of loemon , replenished with trout ; and beyond all measure of incomparable salmon , ( if i calculate right ) where we may sport to day , and to morrow too , provided the season serve to our purpose . so from thence we may pass into the fields of luss , ( by fording the loemon ) where beyond dispute we shall gratify our selves with such solitary entertainments , as the angler most delights in : so from thence by crossing the loemon eastward , we arrive in the steril fields of bohanan ; a situation by some thought almost inaccessible , by reason of hills , and multiplicity of boggs . th. what lofty domineering towers are those that storm the air , and stand a tiptoe ( to my thinking ) upon two stately elevated pondrous rocks , that shade the valley with their prodigious growth , even to amazement ? because to display such adequate and exact proportion , with such equality in their montanous pyramides , as if nature had stretch'd them into parallel lines , with most accurate poize to amuze the most curious and critical observer ; though with exquisite perspectives he double an observation , yet shall he never trace a disproportion in those uniform piermonts . ar. these are those natural , and not artificial pyramides , that have stood , for ought i know , since the beginnings of time ; nor are they sheltred under any disguise : for nature her self drest up this elaborate precipice , without art or engine , or any other manual , till arriving at this period of beauty and perfection : and because having laws and limits of her own , destinated by the prerogative royal of heaven , she heap'd up these massy inaccessible pyramides , to invalidate art , and all its admirers , since so equally to shape a mountain , and to form it into so great and such exact proportions . th. then it 's no fancy i perceive , when in the midst of those lofty and elevated towers , a palace presents it self unto us , immured with rocks , and a craggy front that with a haughty brow contemns the invader . and where below at those knotty descents , neptune careers on brinish billows , arm'd with tritons in corslets of green , that threatens to invade this impregnable rock , and shake the foundations ; which if he do , he procures an earthquake . ar. this is the rock , and that which you see elevated in the air , and inoculated to it , is an artificial fabrick , invelop'd as you now observe in the very breast of this prodigious mountain ; which briefly , yet well enough , your observation directs to , both as to the form , situation and strength . moreover , it 's a garison , and kept by the albions , where formerly our friend foelecius dwelt ; who of late , upon preferment , is transplanted into ireland ▪ however aquilla will bid us welcome ; and if i mistake not , he advances to meet us ; look wishly forward , and you 'l see him trace those delightful fields from the ports of dumbarton . aquil. what vain delusions thus possess me ! nay what idle dotages and fictitious dreams thus delude me ; if these be ghosts , which i fancy men. o heavens ! it's our friend arnoldus , and ( if i mistake not ) theophilus with him . welcome to dumbarton . ar. thanks dear aquilla , thus friendly to salute us ; we are come to see you , and have deserted the beautiful tracts of albion , to trample the solitary fields in scotland . behold these evidences ; we have brought our rods , where note you may easily guess our design . aquil. above all men you are fortunate ; for had you studied an age to time your business for a day 's diversion , the heavens could not shine stars more propitious . do but see how the ground is chap'd and parch'd , and the streams so lean and barren of soil , as well they may , for no moisture has fallen to refresh the earth , nor drive down soil to recruit the rivers and feast the fish , this month or more , till yesterday ; and then the clouds began to dapple , the face of the firmament to lowre , the sky to discolour , the air to moisten , and the spouts of heaven seemingly to drop : yet when all came to all , it came to nothing ; for the tears of this storm converted into a calm ; so exhal'd into meteors , for ought i know : for when we expected a deluge of rain , there fell by chance but some few extravagant drops ; which for greediness made the fish almost forsake the water ; the complexion whereof being but a little changed , you may fancy , if you please , to fish under a colour . ar. notwithstanding all this i 'm for the fly. th. and i 'm for any bait , or any colour , so that i be but doing . aquil. then i 'm for the ground-bait , and i perswade my self it will turn to best account , and prove most profitable to answer my expectation : for with but three sorts of fish we must trifle our time ( viz. ) the active eel , the dextrous trout , and the incomparable salmon ; all which will as greedily pursue a worm , as a luxurious appetite pursues his paunch . bring but a brandlin or rather a gildtail , and try whether trouts be destitute of an appetite . th. they must have good stomachs sure , if they be always eating . aquil. you are waggish , theophilus , but really i am serious ; for now we begin to discover those silent and solitary deeps , those rapid and swift falls of water , besides those stiff and strong streams , that invite us to treat the family of fish. so that i conceive it is almost impossible to direct a line , and miss a reward : and the bottom , if you please , let us examine that with ground-bait , to prove the effects of our art and skill , to summons contribution from so generous an adventure . but if mid-water we consult , then i commend the canker , with the catter-pillar , or the grub ; or , if with a depinged locust , you will not lose your labour ; nor will you starve your cause , if to strip off the legs of a grashopper . all these are excellent baits , but the green monket of the owlder-tree super-excels them all . then there 's the pink ( which you call a minew ) if display'd with a swivel at mid-water ; or you may if you please drag him from the bottom of the deeps , so glide him all along through the region of limpid streams , the better to display this amorous charm , so obtain the point by the mediums of art , as already is advisable by consulting the artist . th. now i perceive we but trifle time , this tedious discourse obstructs recreation . let us stretch our limbs with the length of the streams ; we have day enough and pleasant weather , why then so vainly to procrastinate time with flattering thoughts of suggested enjoyments , which signify no more than honour in dreams ? come , my friends , let us reform that error by the progress of art. so that if our labours be spent to advantage , and our selves , like artists , sufficiently recompensed by the rod ; we may sport the day away , and lengthen our expectation , that to morrow's recreation , if the season favour us , may glut us with pleasure , and burden us with spoil . ar. we shall cross the old proverb i perceive , since no arguments are engines strong enough to convince theophilus , that haste makes waste ; whose unlimited zeal after recreation is boundless beyond measure ; insomuch that a grompus won't gratify him in point of diversion . come then , and trim up your line , and arm your self , and observe those translucid trembling streams that dash themselves against those rocks ; hazard your fortune there for once , and be sure you begin at the head of the stream , and so gradually pursue the extent of your colony , and fish by direction according to prescription , both with worm and minew ; then hope a prosperous issue , as i question not but you do . in the mean time let me caution you , that with circumspection you purdue your self , if intending to surprize and captivate your game ; for by this time i fancy you have already beleagured them : be advised therefore to repeat your discipline , and keep your distance . so i leave you to your fortune and a fair day , for i purpose to attempt the head of loemon ; and about four hours , or it may be five , let us make our rendezvouz in the caves of that rock . as for aquilla , he needs no direction , whose knowledg and experience is so general in these streams , that an age to examine them would not better improve him . now let us separate , and each man to his adventure ; but be mindful of the place , and the prefix'd time appointed : so that after the delicious toil of exercise , we may produce the issues and effects of our labours , when successfully we meet , as i hope we may . aquilla , farewel , and farewel theophilus ; to whom i contribute my wishes for thy fortunate success , to gain the laureat from the best of anglers that pursue the art. th. what , do you question it , that know so well my abilities ? here i 'le stand to my arms ; and in this solitary place , i 'le hazard my rod and line with my reputation and fortune . aquil. resolv'd like a vertuoso of the rod and line ; there you may mingle meditations with your recreations , whilst you consult those purling murmuring streams that rally from the top of those craggy mountains : see how they trickling tumble down those solitary rocks , whose descents , like diapasons , shap'd into musical sounds , must of necessity invite the fish to dance : so that sometimes they elevate themselves so high , that i have seen them throw themselves a foot above water . this we call the contemplative angler's harmony ; and it proves his harvest too , when they freely bite . so farewel , theophilus ; but remember the rendezvouz at the previous descent of that spacious rock , beautified with firs ; not far from thence stands a pleasant grove : through which there glides a glittering rivulet , begirt round about with admirable rocks : search well those meanders , and you 'l find me fishing . th. it 's very like i may , and what then ? in the mean time , here i 'm deprived of society , except to fancy fish my solitary companions , the cavities of rocks my sepulchre , and these shady flourishing trees an emblem of death ; for aquilla he is gone , and arnoldus has left me to lament my self , and five hours separation . but why so melancholy among these purling streams , that seemingly interpose betwixt my passion , and their silent murmurings ? do not these repeated ecchoes ( if i hit the key ) lively remonstrate the life-touches of solitudes , and the true imitation of sweet contemplation ? sympathy in affection , i call that amiable ; and the fair and beautiful prospect of the mind , that represents the real signature of friendship . but this pace i perceive won't carry on my design , nor are complaints proper engines or sutable instruments to surprize fish. how pitifully it looks for the angler to lie puling , whilst fish like allegators are pulling all in pieces , let any man judg that 's destinated to be undone . most unfortunate theophilus , but now too late to lament thy remissness ; and rather than unpunished , let thy shameful loss be enough to torment thee . what at once all vanished , nothing left but thy self ! so that were not i left , there was nothing to laugh at ; and i worthily deserve it , because to lose my reputation . what an opportunity have i lost in losing my rod , and an equal fate to lose my exercise ? but from twig to twig i 'le traverse the streams , and examine every bush to repair my misfortune : so that at leisure i may lie down , and lament my remissness ; for condemn'd by my self , there needs no judg to sentence me . hold a little ! i discover some thing , either the stock of my rod , or a counterfeit . so so , i shall patch up my losses by finding my rod , for it lay where i left it , and my bag of flies lies not far from it . and now i have a patent , i resolve to take toll , and examine what contribution these streams will advance me . however , lest precipitancy spoil my sport , i 'le preponder my rudiments ; and they prognostiate here 's a fish , or something like it ; a fair handsel for a foolish fisher. but here 's the old game again that we had at dumfreez . this capering , for ought i know , may cost him his life , for i resolve to hold his nose to the grind-stone : dance on and die , this is the way to your silent sepulchre ; for upon that silty gravelly shelf of sand , i resolve to land him , or lose all i have . and now i fancy him weary of life , as aged people that are burdened with infirmities ; yet i want courage to encounter him , lest fearing to lose him , which if i do , i impair my reputation . howe●er , i 'le examine my stock of confidence , and see how far that will go : but then i want a landing-hook , and he is resolute to make an escape ; and i would be as resolute to restrain , and if possible to confirm him my prisoner : so that what progress to hope for in this solitary adventure , i know not , till farther examination . however , here 's no body but trees to reprove me , except these rocks ; and they 'l tell no tales . well then , as he wants no agility to evade me , i 'le endeavour with activity to approach him : so that the difference betwixt us will be only this , he covets acquaintance but with one element , and i would compel him to examine another . navigators report , that fish can fly , and so shall this , or i 'le forfeit my discretion ; and if it succeeds well that i conquer this fish , matriculation falls in course from the vertuosos of the rod. now he runs to divert me , or himself ; but i must invite him nearer home , for i fancy no such distance . though his fins fag , his tail riggles , his strength declines , his gills look languid , and his mettle decreaseth ; all which interpret tokens of submission : yet the best news i bring him , is summons of death . yet let not my rashness preingage me to a loss of my game . for to neglect my rudiments , is to ruin my design , which in plain terms is the destruction of this resolute fish ; who seemingly now measures and mingles his proportion with more than one element : and doom'd to a trance , he prostrates himself on the surface of the calmes , dead to apprehension ; save only i want credit to believe him dead , when calling to mind my former fatal precipitancy , that invited me to a loss ; and so may this adventure prove , if i look not well about me , to land and strand him on that shelf of sand , where i resolve , with my rod , to survey his dimensions . then have at all , or it may be nothing ; however it succeeds well , for i 'me insured of a victory . welcome a shore my languishing combitant , if only to entertain our friend arnoldus . i am fast again , or have hold of another fish ; but i 'le undermine his design by an old stratagem : for now i have got the way of catching them , i only want the knack of cookery to dress them . the exercise of angling obliges me to love the art ; and i see it 's good to hearken to counsel ; for had i neglected that , i had run retrograde to reason , so lost my reward . but this fish i fancy is not so resolute as the former ; this yields himself captive upon slight summons , so dies by the law and force of artillery . my hook i perceive has divested him of power ; and i shall deny him capitulation for life , who must also change elements with his late predecessor , or i 'le lose all i have to compass my design . i fancy i have hold of another fish ; if so , i shall want arguments to express the sweets of this exercise , and the pleasure of solitudes to the contemplative angler . by this you may perceive , it 's necessarily requisite at all times , especially upon emergencies , to hearken to counsel ; for indisputably had i pursued irregular measures , and slighted arnoldus his solid instructions , so followed the dictates of my former resolution of making fish fly , all had flown in pieces : and how fondly then had i betrayed my own folly , by exposing my self and my reputation to a loss ? on the contrary , i can triumph , and say all is well ; and tell what execution my minews have done , that my rod and line and swivel's secure . where note , i think now to pack up my impliments , and hasten to the place we formerly agreed upon ; approving it necessary in all societies to observe the punctilio's of promise among friends . another thing secretly affects me ; and that is , to think what an artist arnoldus will extol me . aquil. this is the place , and the prefix'd time of agreement is at hand ; yet on these glittering sands there 's no tract to trace the impress of the feet of arnoldus or theophilus . surely angling's all charms , to break the links of the golden chain of promise . but whither will these rash presumptions hurry me ? what , to suspect friendship , the diadem and darling of human society ? yonder he advances , to the place appointed ; i 'le step and salute him , and make a present of my fortunate successes . these are the toils and the fruits of my labour , which i freely dedicate to our friend arnoldus . ar. where kill'd you these trouts ? with what artifice did you surprize them ? aquil. with nothing but a minew , some call it penk . ar. i understand your meaning ; but where did you fish ? aquil. in those purling streams , at the foot of that rock . ar. i should have thought it impossible , did not these evidences convince me , that so small a rivulet should lodg and harbour so large a fish. here 's a salmon aquilla , that i but newly tickled to death with a fly ; accept my adventure , i have another for theophilus when he comes up with us . aquil. he is yonder , i see him coming , and could heartily wish he had seen but the death of this brace of salmon , to put a zealous spur to his exercise . ar. besides these salmon , i have two brace of trouts , that would make a cockney's teeth stand a water and spring a leek , for no other purpose than to tap his mouth . aquil. our fortunes are unequal , the garland is yours , and never may it wither from your heroick brow. now we shall see what improvement theophilus has made in this piscatorian negotiation . yonder he comes , let us hasten to meet him . ar. welcome theophilus ! are our fortunes equal ? what phenomena of pleasures spring from solitary rocks ? how fancy you this inoffensive life , to sit in the sun-shine , then remove into shades near the brinks of bubling murmuring rivulets , that sigh a pleasant silent softness , whilst the birds harmoniously deliciat the air , and fish in frolicks dance coranto's to the angler ; whilst man ( lord of the creation ) is captivated with divine contemplation ; fancying to himself a kind of an elizium , representing the shady fragrancies of paradise ? th. o arnoldus , i was certainly enamoured to see how the shady trees hung dangling about me ; whilst the murmuring streams through the lungs of zephyrus , made musick to my fancy , tho not to the pitch of the melodious philomel , and the chorus of birds that beat the air with their mellifluous quires , which springs fresh thoughts of the non-age of time , when the constitution of the creation was a composition of harmony . ar. but the luxurious angler admires another consort . he loves no musick but the twang of the line ; nor any sound , save the ecchoes of the water ; no rest nor pause , but impatient till they bite ; no flats nor sharps , but solitary pools and rapid streams ; no beats nor shakes , but strugling and strangling : and , in short , no close except that of the panier . so that i may properly call his harmony their haltering . th. just such success i had ; for art was useless to catch such fish , as careless of their lives , they cast them away . look here arnoldus , i have brought my evidences ; this brace i caught , and this catch'd me . ar. here 's sutable diversion , our exercise has equaliz'd the ballance of success : not an artist amongst us barren of sport. aquil. nor the water out of temper ; if it hold so to morrow , we may flatter our selves the town 's our own . ar. it may be so , if all hits right : what , two sundays in one week ? don't you observe it rain already ? however let us trace these glittering sands , to those solitary fields that direct to dumbarton : we have spent the time to sufficient advantage , had there been nothing more in it than initiating theophilus , whom i perswade my self will consult the art , and manifestly in time approve himself eminent . th. come gentlemen piscatorians , and vertuoso's of the rod , dumbarton begins to present unto us ; where like heros we may triumph , because from these fords to carry off such trophies , as will evidence for us the remarks of spoil ; and where the inhabitants must be indigent of civility , if not civilly to treat us , whilst we commode them with the choicest treasures of loemon . what think you gentlemen ? your opinion on the measures i have taken . aquil. i approve on 't very well . ar. so do i. but first if you please let us enter their ports , and examine the distinction betwixt diet and disease . as also we may consult if their beds are burdensome after exercise ; which i desire to experience , and the rather , in regard ( as i perceive ) by those signals , the sprinkling of rain , we must be forced to depart to morrow morning . aquil. a sentence too severe ; we cannot morally separate so soon . ar. morally or naturally , it must be so ; for when the coverings of rain shut up the casements of day , and darkness as a pavilion overshades the night , it 's madness to contemplate recreation in angling , when the rivers are hourly recruited with rains. aquil. i approve not of hasty resolves , as prognosticate a parting before we meet ; the law of friendship binds it otherwise . th. a very bad handsel to earnest our separation . aquil. so it appears : for should every man measure his present occasion by the rule of necessity , my duty compels me to the turrets of dumbarton : and how disconsolate shall i be to discourse rocks and stones , when deprived the society of my friends and associates ? th. one day more , arnoldus , will break no squares ; let time arrest us , i 'le put in bail. aquil. here 's a friendly advocate to furnish us with fresh arguments , that may bring about , for ought i know , new and fresh results after the series of second thoughts : who so unkind now to frame a parting , or denounce the sentence of a farewel to morrow ? ar. that must i , to wander in the fields of luss by sun-rise ; otherwise we shall not reach bohannan by sun-set . th. so then , my mouth is stop'd i perceive ; nor have i any thing more to offer by way of argument , only my lamentation for our so sudden separation . aquilla , farewel ; arnoldus and i must jog on together : but assure your self , if my stars are but so propitious as to favour my return by the way of dumbarton ; no body i 'le assure you shall be more soilcitous than theophilus , to redouble a trouble upon our friend aquilla ; and for more than a night : and so farewel . aquil. i cannot part . ar. then go along with us . aquil. that 's morally impossible ; how can i leave my charge ? ar. then pray discharge us ; for we are upon duty ? aquil. be prosperous and propitious , i 'le pray your welfare ; and contemplate your enterprizes in all vertuous actions . ar. this your kindness obliges me to retaliate , with as much piety as becomes a christian. so farewel . th. and with as much religion as becomes an angler , accept of my charity : so farewel . ar. now theophilus , let not sleep circumvent us ; the loemon , i perceive , begins to swell . we must rise with the sun , or sooner , if possible : we must not triste nor delay the time in crossing the loemon , if we intend to stretch up the lofty mountains in the island of luss. th. i see 't is day , for the blazing torch of the sun begins to paint the universe . let us mount our horses , to mount this mountanous country of luss , where the hills represent the lofty alps. ar. look back on those inferiour fabricks in the low-lands ; whilst we ascend these eminent high high-lands , that supervise those shady valleys below them ; which we now relinquish , though beautified with rivers and pleasant rivulets . th. what little mediterranian is this ? ar. the large and spacious loemon , so generally discours'd for the floating island ; but it floats not here in these solitary western fields as fictitiously supposed by the ignorant reporters . but our travel will reform that error in time , when we come to trace the mountains beyond badanoch . th. is this lough , as reported , so numerous in islands ? ar. yes sure ; however i shall give you but a short description . this loemon , as you see , is immerg'd with the high-lands . on the west it 's bounded with the island of luss ; but on the east with the barren fields of bohanan : norward it 's begirt with the pass of inchcallow ; and southward by dumbarton , and the bounds about it . but the length of this loemon is twenty four miles ; and twenty four islands the natives will tell you are lodg'd in the arms of this spacious lough . her breadth , in the largest place , not to exceed three leagues over ; and in the narrowest part , some two or three miles . this small mediterrane ( as you are pleased to call it ) is surrounded with woods , mountains , rockey , boggy , sandy and miry earth : and is the greatest inland sea in scotland ; nor is it parallel'd with any southward ; and all the north inferiour to it ; excepting only the lough called ness. now from loemon under the bray of these lofty hills , we pass to the kirk of drummon , that leads to aberfoil ; a more remarkable pass than that of inchcallow , if designing to make inroads into the bowels of the highlands . th. what place is this ? ar. beautiful bohanan besieged with bogs , and barrocadoed with birch-trees ; the highlanders landskip , and the lowlanders prospect ; whose boggy swamps incommode the traveller . however , the natives in the winter-season , employ themselves only to recreate swine there , because a people uncultivated in agriculture . where note , the accommodations of this solitary country is so rarely understood by the natives and inhabitants , that strangers for the most part are left destitute of a report . th. what other fabrick's that , distant about a mile from bohanan ? ar. that 's kilmarnock , the only relique of the dukes of lennox ; a very strong stone house , that stands most sweetly situated on the very brinks of famous leven ; whose fields are inhabited by the clan of the stewarts . th. a royal name ; but a loyal poor clan , as i am told . ar. it 's true enough ; so let us relinquish the suburbs of leven . to trace the flourishing skirts of calvin , whose smiling streams invite the angler to examine them ; for here one would think the stones were steep'd in the oil of oespres , to invite the fish to come ashore : where you may observe every bubling stream reflect a smile on the amorous banks , covered with green , and enamell'd with flowers . here also the sylvans upon shady bushes bathe themselves in silver streams ; and where trouts to sport and divert the angler , will leap on shore , though with the loss of their lives : so that if demonstration be truth , and eye-sight evidence to convince the incredulous , there 's not a rivulet in scotland , upon the angler's examination , superexcels this calvin , for diversion with small trout ; whose translucid streams , because so rich in themselves , and so numerous in trouts , make them not over-curious of self-preservation ; for with a rod in my hand ( but i almost blush to report it , because suspecting the incredulity of some incredulous persons ) i have ushered to those pleasant and delightful shores , ten or twelve brace of trouts in an hour . distant from calvin about some two miles eastward , stands dull dunkeeth , upon the head of a slaty rivulet , that 's replenished with eel , and plenty of small trout : but more southward yet is craggy cragbarnoch : from whence north and by east we discover the ruinous battlements and unpolished turrets of sooty glorret . it 's true , the natives call it a castle , but i fancy the name of a house would have served as well : near to which place glides the glittering kaldar ; a large and spacious rapid river , accommodated both with trout and salmon : but the access lies too open , more especially amongst her pleasant gliding streams , where the angler , if lord of his exercise , may expect incredible entertainments : whose foundations are laid in gravelly sand , and interchangably mix'd with shining stones that look not unlike to golden granulaes : but were they such , i should fancy tagus but a toy to it . because to imprint in the angler's memory those remarkable characters of shining rocks , glittering sands , and falls of water , which 'tis morally impossible he should ever forget . not far from this dingy castle of glorret , stands delectable kilsieth ; in whose martial fields , marquess montross defeated his country-men . north-west from thence we must top those burdened mountains of compsy , whose weeping rocks moisten the air , representing the spouts ; and are a lively emblem of the cataracts of nile . from whence we descend to the kirk of compsy ; near to which kirk runs the memorable anderwick , a rapid river of strong and stiff streams ; whose fertil banks refresh the borderer , and whose fords , if well examined , are arguments sufficient to convince the angler of trout ; as are her deeps , when consulted , the noble race and treasure of salmon ; or remonstrate his ignorance in the art of angling . besides this anderwick , there are many other small rivulets that glide up and down these solitary parts , omitted in this paragraph , because not having time to insert them . th. this travelling state ( arnoldus ) reminds me of the old proverb ( viz. ) a rolling stone gathers no moss , nor we any money ; which runs somewhat parallel . but it 's all one in time , for time must be untim'd in the cusp of eternity ; then shall we be found in an eternal state : and as eternity is infinite in it self , so is it the ray of the majesty of god , who created the heavens , the elements and orbs ; and gave unto them perpetual motion and rotation , predestinated to the ends of time , unmeasurable by any except himself . whilst thus contemplating what 's sacred and divine , we trace along the gliding streams of anderwick , guarded with trees , and knotty rocks ; as delightful and pleasant , for ought i know , as were the myrtle groves , so sonneted by poets . ar. as i am of your opinion in that , so i suppose you 'r of mine in this , that though sin untune the strings of the soul , yet sin cannot unstring the soul ; the faculties are left still , though in such disorder , that all the wit of man can no more tune them , than the strings of an untun'd lute can dispose themselves for harmony , without a skilful musician's hand . by this we know god governs the world , who also rules in the heart of man , and makes it a temple for the holy ghost . so let us pass on with our travelling design ( by the house of cardrus ) to the ports of sterling ; where stands a beautiful and imbellished castle , elevated on the precipice of an impregnable rock , that commands the vallies , ( as well as the town ) and all those habitable parts about it : those are the turrets that present before us , let us enter her ports , both strong and spacious ; whose incircling arms surround a city , ( but not a great one ) that 's built all with stone ; so is her castle ; and situated close by the river firth , as above explain'd , upon lofty , craggy , and mountanous rocks , almost inaccessable . more southward yet the city spreads it self into many sweet situations , that invigorate the inhabitants , and accommodate the low-land merchant rather than the mariner with profitable returns from the hills , by the highlander . the firth runs here that washeth and melts the foundations of the city , but relieves the country with her plenty of salmon ; where the burgo-masters ( as in many other parts of scotland ) are compell'd to reinforce an ancient statute , that commands all masters and others , not to force nor compel any servant , or an apprentice , to feed upon salmon more than thrice a week . th. is there such a law in force now ? ar. yes sure , for ought i know it remains to this day : and the reason of it is , as i conceive , from the plenty of salmon in these northern parts ; that should the inhabitants daily feed upon them , they would inevitably endanger their health , if not their lives , by surfeiting ; for the abundance of salmon hereabouts in these parts is hardly to be credited . and the reader i fancy will be of my perswasion , when he comes to consider that the price of a salmon formerly exceeded the value of sixpence sterling , which i suppose no english man will grudg , nor think it unreasonable to give at any time ; so that the danger , in my opinion , lies most in the diet : for as salmon is a fish very apt to surfeit , more especially fresh salmon , when only boiled ; which if too frequently fed on , relaxes the belly , and makes the passages so slippery , that the retentive faculties become debilitated ; so suffers the body to be hurried into a flux , and sometimes into a fever , as pernicious as death . which is much better prevented by abstinency , than to stand the test of uncorrected physick . this famous firth is the most portable river in scotland , whose streams because meandring , make it deep and torpid ; so fit it for navigation : for below bridg there are neither streams nor sharps : but above bridg there 's enough , more especially towards the flourishing fields of montieth ; which i rather prefer , than alan and althrwery , for the anglers diversion , except frith and koak ; the one for pearl , but the other for trout . th. what town is this ? ar. dirty dumblain ; let us pass by it , and not cumber our discourse with so inconsiderable a corporation : our itch after mockeny puts a spur to quicken our expectation : for who knows but the various alteration of weather may in some measure frustrate those expectations we may have of those admirable streams to answer our designs ? th. do what you please . ar. truly i think it but time lost , to survey the reliques of a ruinous heap of stones , that lean o're the verge of a river , facing the mountains . the houses it's true are built with stone , but then to consider them low and little , it plainly demonstrates there 's nothing eminent but narrow streets , and dirty houses ; a convincing argument there 's no scavengers amongst them . and for their houswifery , let that alone ; for if you touch it , you sully your fingers . there is a market-place , such an one as it is ; but as for merchants , there 's no such thing in nature : but a palace there is , and a cathedral too , otherwise dumblain had nothing to boast of . but there is one thing remarkable , and that 's the house of domine caudwel ( a formal pedagogue ) that absolv'd the thief , and conceal'd the theft , so lost his breeches : for you must know the good woman his wife was a notable comer , one of the first magnitude ; who with two more of her consorts ( as i was told at a four-hours drinking ) guzled down as much ale and brandy , wine and strong waters as amounted to the sum of forty pound scots . but wanting money to pay her reckoning , she liberally pawned her husbands breeches ; and he like a fop to redeem his wife's reputation , would never redeem his breeches , lest suspecting they should smell of the tears of the tankerd . and here , as reported , was celebrated that famous union of doh and doris , stark love and kindness , a custom inviolable . here also resided jovial bille sinclear . now you are to consider , that this pittiful pedling corporation of dumblain , has little or no trade amongst them , except now and then a truck with a brandy-man , a tobacco merchant , or a brewster-wife ; for ale , tobacco and strong waters are the staple of the town : and so let us leave them to pursue our intended design for minever , and dromon-castle , that stands distant about some three miles from the bridg of ardoh ; where there runs a small rivulet of a rapid motion , paved with a slaty bottom ; but the access difficult . and here we cross the moor to mockeny , whose limpid streams are pleasant beyond report , and her fords generally furnished with trout , as if nature had there designed to entertain the contemplative angler , in those liberal streams : where the artist in a storm may shelter himself under shady trees , elevated upon lofty mountains , over the melting amorous smiling banks ; as if the boughs were barnicles , and ready to drop into the silent glittering streams , that glide softly along a delightful meadow ; excepting here and there some small cataracts of water that tumble down a precipice of rocks , that encircles and surrounds great stones in the sandy foundation of this mystical mockeny ; whose glittering sholes are gently moved by the soft breathings of zephyrus , that dash the smaller waves a shore , and discover to the angler the intricate angles of mockeny ; so that here we assume a poetick liberty , in some sort to call scotland , arcadia . th. this is a pretty romantick notion . ar. call it what you will , you will find it so , when you come but a mile below the bridg , over which we must pass from dromon to tillebarn ; there you 'l see a large and spacious rock , that surrounds the water on every side , so makes a dam near the stern of a mill , on the skirts of mockeny ; where swiftly , yet sweetly , the water glides along those knotty craggy torrs and cliffs , till at last ariving at an astonishing precipice ; where dilating it self , yet as if unwilling to be divided , on a sudden you shall see such trepidations on the surface , as if the streams were sensible to apprehend a fear ; and waters not separate without grief at parting . th. now you begin to be metaphorical . ar. there 's no metaphor in 't . have not you seen burdened clouds embodied with the treasures of rain , ready to distil ? if so , then look on the top of that craggy mountain , and there you may see , as if the waters by a prophetick foresight had foreknowledg of a disjunction , exprest by their melting drops : nay , the rocks themselves are heard to murmur , and the very winds to whisper rebellion . this is the place of those harmonious descants , which i fancy musical , and syrenical charming notes betwixt neptune and aeolus . so that i 'm of opinion waters make musick ; and he that doubts it , let him angle for anchovies . th. surely you fetch'd this notion a great way from home . ar. it 's no matter where i fetch'd it , it 's here now . this natural precipice shall evidence for me , at the sun's declination , when he shades his beams in thetis lap , and the purple pavilion of night overspreads the creation ; then you may see a chequered rocky pavement emboss'd like the firmament , with spangled stars ; where those elevated waters ( emblems of clouds ) no sooner approach this natural precipice , but boreas bustles to curl the softned streams , with such surly salutes as force a separation , so makes obvious discoveries of nature's artifice , so naturally delineated , that the more ingenious observer would conclude it artificial . over which precipice the waters pass with a swift , but silent motion to a cristaline fountain guarded with rocks , and the ornament of trees ; at whose descent runs a rivulet , that divides a medow worthy a description , could we but describe it , by reason of the variety it naturally affords . th. i am still in the dark . what mean all these metaphors ? ar. you will know the meaning of them by and by . look up to those solitary mountains , situated south , and you shall see them send a pleasant smile towards the north. yet because wanting the beautiful ornament of trees , a sheep in a shower cannot shelter her self . but on the north side , there stands inaccessible torrs , with cliffs and rocks well burdened with timber , resembling , as to my fancy , a hermit's cell ; or a solitary reception for the rosy-crucian . but nature ( and not the native ) appropriates them to other uses , where a country seems barren of so great devotion , i had almost said charity , but some will say humanity ; however these holes serve the foxes to earth in , the rivers for fish , and the otter to swim in ; the meadows and pastures for sheep to graze in ; the trees reception for innocent birds , and the shrub protection for the timorous hare . th. there is something yet behind the curtain i perceive . arnoldus . mockeny , o mockeny ; must i leave thee when thy banks o'reflow with pleasure ? must i then be banish'd from those pleasant draughts that i have often stoln , when as thy streams stole by ? besides , those pleasant sleeps that i have had vpon thy rocks , until thy skies were clad almost with darkness ; when the angler's art exprest a grief ; nay , double grief to part and leave such harmless toils : tell me , can those that never knew the art , the art disclose ? how shall they know what patience is , and write of mysteries they never had a sight ? none but the anglers can ; and this i 'le say , none have the gift of patience more than they . th. now it is out . ar. and now you think you have it ; let us relinquish the sweet streams of mockeny , and steer our course for dromon ; and there you shall see the majestick brow of a rock , and a castle inoculated to it . th. and what of that , if they are undistinguishable one from another ? ar. there you 'l see how the artist form'd this formidable structure to imitate nature , but the natural strength defaceth the ornaments of art. however let us step one step further into the garden ( demolished with age , or rather neglect ) to view the curiosities of those remaining reliques . th. what must we expect there ? ar. a beautiful arbour adorn'd with primp hedges ; and a sumptuous dial , to tell us the hour of the day . th. a wonderful piece of curiosity . ar. so it is , in this angle of scotland ; for dromon lies just at the foot of the highlands , surrounded with woods of fir , ash and elm ; but sycomores grow here to an amazing bigness , whose spreading arms shade the soil about them ; and their bole and brisk burden the earth . th. what else is there here remarkable ? ar. the rills , rivers , loughs and rivulets that meander not far from dromon . and leadnock , as i take it , is the first small rivulet , and rothwel the next ; both of them furnished with delicate small trout . but continuing our course , we advance to lough ern ; immerg'd with moors and mountains , yet it floats on the skirts of the highlands : from whence rusheth forth a violet torrent , whose boistrous streams are suddenly converted into a river , which bears the name of the lough : whose streams , if well examined , are never unfurnished with trout , nor are her more solid deeps unaccommodated with the race of salmon , besides pike , and perch ; and for silver-bellied eels , scotland has none better ; nor do i believe any part of the world has . so that the river ern , for variety and choice of fish , is inferiour to no other river in scotland . th. now you say something to purpose ; pray go on . ar. here we must cross some of these fords , if we intend to touch at lough minever , whose flourishing deeps charm the angler , and enchant the fish. nay , i must tell you , that this lough minever is plentifully stored with pike , that contributes to the artist , the largest lucit in scotland ; on the skirts of whose rotten foundations , there remain as yet the reliques of an antient castle , but so tatter'd and torn , and o're-grown with age , that nothing is left on it now worthy a description ; nay , probably in its flourishing times there was but little to describe . a little more than a mile from this lough minever , and nearer yet to the body of the highlands , lough torret tumbles down her rapid streams that melt into a river , and is called glen-torret ; because , as i suppose , having its original from the glen , and the craggy clifts and tors to which it is espoused , where the angler may accommodate himself with eel and trout : but for more varieties , he must fish somewhere else . beneath the descents of torret , are the swelling banks of kelthy , in whose rocky bowels the trouts shine yellow . distant yet more north , and inclining west , beyond this craggy kelthy , there runs a rivulet which the natives call shaggy , the only rivulet in scotland for the contemplative angler ; not only by reason of the great quantity of trout it contains ; nor is it because it 's so narrowly begirt with delightful hills and flourishing trees , that hang dangling about them ; nor is it because of her rocky mountains , through which the waters continually issue , and tumble down like the cataracts of nile , though they make not such a noise ; but here it was that i found my self surrounded with fountains , and mellifluous aviaries of sweet singing birds that melted the air. and here it was above the kirk of moinee , where methought i only envied the rude inhabitants , because so happily bless'd with such sweet accommodations . but below this kirk of moinee stands a tottering bridg , and below the bridg there 's a most pleasant level , where the sparkling sands seem gilded with glittering streams : and the river so naturally fretted and beautified with stone , as if nature intended there also to compensare the contemplative angler . here also the trouts shine with a glittering blackness , and swell with thickness ; yet never arrive to that magnitude of proportion , as to parallel and vie with those in pitloyl . more south from moinee , runs the river almont , a derivative from the mountains , and not from the rotten and spungy foundations of the moors , through which it glides : nor has it any claim or title from the lough minever , as superstitiously surmiz'd by the unintelligible inhabitant . now besides this almont , there 's not another river or rivulet hereabouts worth our mentioning , except the poe , in whose little pools there are perch and pike , and now and then a lusty trout . but i had almost forgot the lough called balloh , at the foot of drumon , wherein there is perch , but not a trout ; and truly i question if there be a pike . th. o arnoldus , who could ever have imagined such charming temptations amongst a people so unpolished in art , and a country without cultivation ? here 's all miracle of rivers and rivulets , and as miraculously furnished with fish. what shall i say , or what shall i think , if not to contemplate these solitary fields , as pleasant and delightful as fools paradise , by fondlings called elizium ? who can deny himself such diverting associates , ( though in a rude part of a country ) when their rivers and rivulets are so liberally furnished with trout ? what pity is it to leave such entertainments behind us , to ramble the remote northern tracts of scotland , where the eves e're long will hang with icikles ? ar. it may be so , for here we cannot stay to inhabit , nor any longer enjoy these solitary recreations ; we must steer our course by the north pole , and relinquish those flourishing fields of kintire and innerary ; the pleasant bounds of marquess argile , which very few english-men have made discovery of , to inform us of the glory of the western highlands , enrich'd with grain , of the the plenty of herbage . but how the highlander will vindicate bowhider and lohabbor , with reven in badanoch , that i know not ; for there they live like lairds , and die like loons , hating to work , and no credit to borrow , they make depredations , so rob their neighbours . but let not kintire , like an ignis fatuus , lead us out of the way , our stars direct to tippermore . th. why to tippermore , is there any thing remarkable there ? ar. yes , there 's this remark as a monument , ( fatal to the covenanters ) for here again it was that marquess montross routed his country-men . but our next stage is to the town of st. iohnston's ( very little different from those imbellishments of sterling ) ; east from the town lie those flourishing meadows they call the ince , where a citadel was erected and surrounded by the navigable tay , ( that washes those sandy banks and shores ) which no sooner mingles her streams with dundee , but she loseth her name by espousing with the ocean . th. is this the river tay , so much discours'd by the highlanders ? ar. they have reason to discourse it , for it leads into the hills : moreover , it supplies them , as all the inhabitants hereabouts , with fresh fish , to whom she contributes all her accommodations . now over this tay , at the north end of the town , there stood a stone bridg that leads to kennule ; a mountanous place that tantaliz'd the taylor with an invisible stone : it 's a pleasant story , but i 'm unwilling to tell it , lest fearing to draw the maleson of the natives upon me . th. never trouble your self with that ; was it my task , i should venture a relation freely , with all the circumstances , whatever came on 't . ar. i think i dread their clamour as little as any body ; therefore i 'le proceed , and tell you the story . in this town of st. iohnstons liv'd a pragmatical taylor , ( as taylors you know for the most part are ) but here they call a taylor master-fahioner for sooth , and that you must know makes him one step higher . but to the story ; this infatuated taylor , with some other idle coxcombs , in all respects as conceited as himself , went on a certain time to these mountains of kennule , to search thereabouts for an invisible stone , that accidentally slipt from a stranger's hand , as he carelessly rid along to view the country . this strange accident made a horrible noise all here about ; and all diligence possible was used by the taylor and his nitty companions to find this stone ; yet the stone was invisible . now amongst the rest of our admirers , the lady of kennule entertains the novel ; and resolves an adventure for the invisible stone , who with her female attendants several times surrounded the hills , and stooped to take up every shining stone ; so that for the most part they were always in motion , except at other times upon the removal of stones , with responses to one another in the scotish dialect . i see ye , see ye me , till almost every body see them all . so asham'd at length to prosecute the design any farther , ( since stretch'd so far , it was ready to break ) despairing of their enterprize , and the recovery of the stone , they left their successes to the indefatigable taylor , and his prickear'd crew ; that day after day so hounded these hills , as hitherto no church-yard has been haunted with goblins . but on a certain sun-shiny day ( in the evening ) as some townsmen were returning from the ports of dundee , and espying the taylor inspecting the stones , one of these townsmen ( i 'le warrant him a wag ) dismounts from his horse , having dealt with his companions to take him to town : who the better to manage his contriv'd design , and put a trick upon the nitty taylor , kept at a distance behind him ; till at length he calls aloud , as the lady and her women had formerly done . i see ye , see ye me . but the taylor on a sudden , because seemingly surpriz'd , replies , in fa sir i tro i see ye . however , the townsman pretends to be serious , ( and the rather , because seeing the taylor all alone ) till at length the taylor concludes him in earnest . so that now being freed from suspicion on both sides , they jog on together ( like tory and trimmer ) the uneaven tracts of these mountainous ascents ; till the taylor stooping to take up a stone , and confidently bleating aloud to the townsman ; i see ye sir , see ye me ? in gude fa sir , no , the townsman replied ; where are you won sir i can no see ye ? i am here , quo the taylor , and can ye no see me ? i would you were any where the townsman replied , so that i could but tell where to find ye ; and smiling to himself looks another way ; then repeats it again , but whar shall i find ye ? now for certain , quo the taylor , i have got the stone , by which means , beyond measure , i 'le inrich my self , for i have tryed all ways to do it without a court of conscience . how many people have sought for this treasure , but no man so happy as my self to find it ? i may go where i will , for no man can see me ; and stand where i please , for no man can find me ; and take what i list , ( for taylors are thievish ) and no man detect me ; and if fear affrights me , yet no man can hurt me . to convince the world therefore , and mankind in general of this rare and admirable invisible stone , i 'le strip off my clothes and go stark naked through the streets of the town , and so mist all the eyes of the people about me , that no body shall see me , nor any body know me . know you , says the townsman , no body can see you ; then how should they know you . say you so , quo the taylor ; can no body see me ? no , says the townsman , since you made your self invisible . why then , quo the taylor , i may do what i will , and go where i list , and no man the wiser . so you may , says the townsman , since now you 'r invisible . but favour me i beseech you this small request , that before we depart i may once again see you . with that the proud taylor transported with joy , discharged both his hands , and laid down the stones . which his subtile associate no sooner observes , but presently he cries aloud , now sir i see you . and more to strengthen and confirm the miracle , on a sudden the taylor snatch'd up the stones again , lest fearing his companion should by some trick deprive him ; and fancying himself , as formerly , invisible , they both advance towards the town of st. iohnston's . but the taylor went naked , who no sooner entred the ports of the town , but the mob and the rabble having combined together to pelt the poor taylor into his senses , if possible , who run the gantelop through thick and thin , young and old , for every boy had a switch at his breech ; and those at a distance that could not reach him , assaulted him with stones ; which so claw'd the poor taylor , as by the marks on his buttocks , conviced him at last to believe himself visible . th. i think the taylor met with his match . ar. so think i , if he was not overmatch'd . and so let 's leave him to lick himself whole , whilst we return to the bridg of the town of st. iohnston's , where a coker-boat serves now to transport their merchandize into the county of angus , and some other parts ; which looks somewhat odly , but it concerns not us , for we can't redress it ; those that are compell'd may suffer by it . so let her sleep the sleep of oblivion , whilst we direct our course towards the river errit , where we may inform our selves of a practice amongst the natives there , that murder a salmon without a rod , net , or speer ; and cook him almost as soon as they catch him . th. how can that be ? pray unfold the riddle . ar. it 's discours'd by every body , when a stranger comes amongst them , that the inhabitants presently run and fetch a pot , which they circumspectly place upon some part of a rock , and then dextrously convey some live coals under it , ( or it may be turf ) which is no sooner fan'd by the breath of air , but immediately the flames fly all about . now you are to consider that the race of salmon , especially the female in the vernon aequinox , is for the most part picking and casting against the rapid and in this river errit it 's always observable , there are plenty of stumpy knotty rocks , to which the native , without difficulty , can pass and repass from one rock to another ; and the rather to facilitate this mortal design , they set the pot on some seeming floating rock , to which ( as i am told ) their observation directs them ; which rock , it may be , is almost drown'd in water . now this artifice is no sooner perform'd by the rude engineer , but the salmon , because casting after her usual manner , often casts away her life , by leaping into the pot instead of the pool . th. i cannot approve of this murdering artifice . ar. nor i neither ; but the manner of action is thus performed . for the salmon you must know , by reason of agility of body , ( and considerable strength ) so bends and contracts her self , by taking her tail ( as suppos'd ) in her teeth ; then , like a well-tempered spring that suddenly and smartly unbends and flies off ; even so doth the salmon with a strange dexterity , mount the air ( out of the water ) an incredible height ; but because unprecautioned how to distinguish the elements , and perhaps wanting foresight of this imminent danger , she frequently encounters the boiling water , which no sooner she touches , but her life is snatch'd away by the suffocating fumes , that immediately strangle her ; and thus the poor salmon becomes a prey to the native , when only in the pursuit of nature's dictates , whose laws and rules are circumscrib'd and bounded by the soveraignty of him that made the creation . th. this i must needs say is a barbarous practice , but a quick way of cookery . ar. such kind of cookery will serve a scots commoner , as lives on the bray and skirts of the highlands . but we relinquish these pleasant streams of errit , to patrole the fields of cooper in angus , where scotland's great general ( the earl of leven ) was born promiscously of obscure parents . in this little corporation of cooper in angus , the chief magistrate is a bayliff , master sometimes of a brewster-house ; where we may refresh our selves , before we trample the sands of ilay , imbellished with rocks , and lofty trees that shade her shining murmuring streams , and shelter her numerous sholes of fish , especially towards her source : where you may observe the shores shine of a golden colour , resembling the glittering sands of tagus . and the river dean so fam'd for pike ( though unfortunate for trout ) gulphs into ilay near mighill-bridg . th. what place is this ? ar. old drumkelbo , an ancient supernnuated castle , that adjoins to a certain moor called tipprosin ; which in my opinion resembles the stygean lake , ( rather than the elizium fields ) whose solitary bounds are large and spacious , mossy and boggy , full of pits and horrid blackness ; a resemblance ( to my fancy ) of the courts of death . now this tipprofin got its name from an unfortunate priest , that travelling those unfrequented tracts , accidentally fell into a mossy moorish , boggy pit ; which sudden disaster surpriz'd the priest , and the rather , because , when to see himself plung'd into the arms of death , without any prospect of timely relief , this made the poor priest unlock the doors of his lips , that like double diapazons unlock'd the air sooner than the ears of the obdurate native , that inhabited the verge of this solitary moor. so that by this time finding his complaints insuccessful , only the repetition of his dolorous cries from reverberating rocks and cavities of earth , it stirr'd up a sorrowful silence in the priest , which at last led him into a profound contemplation ; fancying to himself he liv'd now in his grave , and every object a caput mortuum . th. the priest , i perceive , was in a very bad pickle . ar. and so would you , had you been in his case ; but this meditation no sooner expires , when the bogs and moors ecchoe again with such hideous shouts , and dismal cries from the terrified priest , as if some evistre or apparition had presented before him the horrible and terrible apprehensions of death : but it hapned otherwise ( and it 's well it did ) for some natives and inhabitants of the fields in angus ( were breaking of earth , and digging for turf ) who hearing a noise , and an imperfect sound , as they thought , breathing from the bowels of the earth , it dreadfully startled them at first : but after some time , deliberating among themselves , and resolving , if possible , to sum up the cause of these horrible cries ; their ears were a second time assaulted , by a fresh supply of miserable lamentations that sprung from the repeated complaints of the poor pensive priest , who was almost come to a period , and winding up the bottoms of his dolorous howlings . th. but the priest , i hope , got relief at last , who it may be till then had forgot how to pray . ar. you cannot forbear jerking the priest , who by this time seem'd destitute of all moral comforts , and as little hopes of relief , notwithstanding his breathings forth of a formal penance , lamenting his unfortunate , unlucky mischance , that threatned his exit , if no more priests in scotland . so in a fainting fit , he faintly cries out with an articulate voice , because his breath began now to expire , which certainly had in a very short time extinguished , had not the inhabitants pursued the ecchoes to that dismal pit where the priest lay bogg'd ; imploring the deity , with eyes and hands held up towards heaven , using these and the like expressions , ex profunditatibus te inclamavi , iehova . and though the people understood not his latin , yet their lenity and common charity , with other requisite endeavours , brought him relief , and hal'd him sorth out of his formidable confinement . since which remarkable time , to this very day , the natives and inhabitants that inhabit thereabouts , do call this moor by the name of tipprofin . th. why then it seems he christned the moor. ar. and you seem here to christen the priest , for the priest gave name to the moor of tipprofin ; and the witches ( if there be such ) gave name to pitloil : as if priestcraft and witchcraft were inseparable companions . th. what 's amiss now at the lough of pitloil ? ar. you shall have it when i can come at it , and that won't be long first . south and by east from these mountanous elevations , we discover two large and spacious loughs ; the one of them is called by the name of loundy ; but the other lough is called pitloil , divided from each other by an isthmus of land , or the interposition of a small mountain . i frequented them both to fish for perch , because to my experience the largest in scotland , if twenty inches and better can be thought a large perch : and having to my curiosity examined them apart , more especially pitloil , i declare it as my opinion from several examinations ( and approved experiments ) that both of them super-abound with plenty of perch ; which infinitely augments the angler's entertainments : nor do the waters mingle one with another , when each of them find a different passage , to discharge themselves into the streams of tay. but in this narrative i thought requisite to inform you , that lundy exceeds by much in plenty , though pitloil to a miracle exceeds in largeness . but van helmont tells you , in fol. . that in the lake of lemane , a trout doth oftentimes ascend unto an hundred pound weight . and the natives that inhabit this solitary part of angus , will tell you of trouts of such vast dimensions , that i dare not report without being suspected ; so render my self and relation ridiculous . a trout also was taken in the river at ware , and presented to charles the first , then king of england , which trout was of such a vast proportion , as would seem incredible for me to report ; which for any man's satisfaction the figure of it as yet remains ( for ought i know ) at the george-inn in ware , to convince the incredulous , if any be suspicious . a pike also van helmont tells of , that a sign hung on him is noted to have lived three hundred years , and to have grown to an amazing bigness ; nor then to have died , but by a vioient death . great pikes i have also observ'd to be taken out of the lough of minever , that have measured more than a yard and a half ; and such were surprized with a hook and line . so in the rivers of lire ( nigh the village rumst ) an eel was taken , which was sent to bruxels , unto the emperour charles the first ; which was observed to have been seventeen foot in length . another notable relation i have from a gentleman , born in nottingham-shire ; his name is armstrong , whose grandfather very much affected the rod : and trolling in some river there-abouts , but whether in trent or the river soar , he remembers not ; however he encountred a lusty pike that disarm'd him , both of his hook and his hopes at once : so melancholy he left off his recreation for that time , but the ensuing day presented an occasion for our angler to travel ; and as his custom was , after dispatch of business , he mingled some solitary recreation with his employment . so steering his course to the water-side , and viewing the fords , he observes a shole of fish fly to the shallows for sanctuary ; by which he imagined the fry was assaulted : so that presently near the deeps , he lets his bait drop ; which unexpectedly was suddenly encountred ; and he like an artist , gave his examinant the law of fair play , so destroyed his assailant : and having by this time landed his adventure , he presently goes about to discharge his arming , but reaching forth his hand to disgorge his captive , he becomes suddenly surpriz'd , because then to find in the late conquered fish , not only one hook , but another also ; which he certainly knew to be his own , that but the day before was forced away from him ; which after examination , he found it was . now this fish was observed to have travelled fifteen miles in twenty four hours . for that end i offer this discourse , that the travelling fish never arrives to that maturity of growth , as does the fish that is idle and slothful ; for by how much his motion is in the river , by so much the better and more nutritious is the fish. now that witches inhabit near this lough of pitloil , i am of opinion , provided there be any . but whether there be , or be not , such mortal demons , i suspend my judgment , and proceed to the adventure . th. i long to hear it , and you are loth to come at it . ar. have patience but a little , and you shall have it . early one morning ( before the sun had adorned the day with his beautiful beam of light to gild the azure firmament ) i set forward , as at other times , to this fatal lough of pitloil ; and riding along , observ'd a large and lusty hare ( but they call her maukin ) sitting upon a large and gritty stone , washing and furbishing her face with her feet ; and on the bought of her near buttock ( as to my observation ) was branded a remarkable patch of an obscure blackish colour , altogether different from the rest of her fur ; which appeared to the bigness of a five shilling piece of new minted silver : but dismounting my horse , she discovered me approach her with my greyhound-bitch , which i suddenly slipt ; and she as suddenly forsook her station , but trusted so little to the nimbleness of her heels , as if her life was but of little value . on the other hand , my bitch was so slow in her motion , as if they had mutually combined not to hurt one another . so leaving that pursuit to pursue my first intention , i left the mountains to trace vallies to this unfortunate lough of pitloil ; for what hapned afterwards will commission me , i question not , so to intitle it : where i found my greyhound bitch , but no fur in her mouth . th. what of all this ? pray be brief . ar. i 'le be as concise as i can . that very time , i remember , a peer of the realm went ( with me ) in company , to this lough of pitloil , to which place , when we arrived , and dismounting our horses , to imprint our feet on the silver sands , ( it 's a liberty i assume to call them so , in regard of their glittering whiteness ) and searching for the boat , we found it was removed into a more remote and solitary part of the lough : so we sent some attendants to seek for the man that rowed the boat ; nor were they long in their inquisitions before they found him , as they unluckily passed by the doors of some ill contriv'd huts , or obscure caves , that resembled dungeons rather than habitable houses ; where sometimes he usually reposed himself , there , or thereabouts , because in expectation that some or other would come that day to visit the lough : which happened accordingly to his apprehension . now by that time our attendants were come up with those female infernals that inhabited those hutts , and enquiring for the skipper to pilot the boat , he makes himself known , that he was the man that paddled in the pool with a bad and crazy weather-beaten boat. so they desired him to hasten away , with such tools and instruments as he had to assist their design . to all which he readily seemed to comply with , in hopes of a gratuity which he afterwards obtained . but before they departed from those ugly earth-holes , an ill-contrived urchin , or a cur out of shape , and deform'd , ( as they described him ) but we call him a tarrier , and they by the name of a whitwratch , ( bastard-brood of the fox ) as the servants apprehended ; so might any man as well as they rationally conclude , as by the circumstances given us by their description . a beautiful spannel i had at that time ( propined me by the lady of an eminent peer ) followed after the horsemen ; which the elph in pursuit of , had fastned on him , but was suddenly rescued by my greyhound-bitch ( formerly discoursed ) and peradventure with some small detriment to this ugly elph : which when the hag had enviously observed , she hastned in the elph , and suddenly after was heard to express unsavory words , very diabolical , with charms and threats ; besides various antick gestures and postures , both with her head and body ; that at present occasioned abundance of laughter among them ; as it did after their departure from those sordid infernal huts or habitations . th. we shall have something on 't by and by i perceive . ar. doubt it not ; for no sooner the boat touched the sands , but as soon i committed my person to the lough , as calm and as smooth as a sea of glass ; and so it continued , till the sun 's advance to climb the meridian : but afterwards , my fortunate success became unsuccessful , for after his declination the scene was changed ; and then my labours prov'd all abortive , for the beautiful prospect of my morning's diversion , was changed and clowded with tragical conclusions . it 's true , i went ashore to refresh my self , in regard a cold capon , and some other good provision was provided for me , and this noble man's refreshment ; who sat down with me under the shades of rocks , not far from the brink of this lough of pitloil : where we both eat and drank together , till finding our selves sufficiently refresh'd ; and then i arose , and took leave of this honourable peer ; so returned to the boat again , to steer my former course ; as also to observe what interest the lough would now afford me for those hooks and lines i left behind me . but no sooner i had committed my self to the boat , and rowed to the place where i left my tackle , but on a sudden , and unexpectedly , i was interrupted by the loud acclamations of some on shore , that shouted and made signals , by beck of hand , ( because by this time i was almost out of distance ) advising my return : which i no sooner interpreted , but hastned to the shore as fast as i could ; for by their seeming disorder , as i then apprehended , some unexpected accident had hapned amongst them . so that i forcibly forced my passage through the thickest waves ; and being by this time arrived on shore , i was entertained with the unwelcome news of my land-spaniel's indisposition ; but too late i found to rescue him from death . so reflecting on my self , that beginnings have conclusions , i directed my steps back again to the boat , to recover my armed tackle left behind , on purpose to surprize such fish as were shame-fac'd to bite before me . now this was the third time i entred the boat , in order to pursue my angling enterprize : when a fresh summons alarms me from the ecchoing shores , to come back and testify another strange accident , not inferiour to the former ; because to stand by as an evidence , and see my greyhound-bitch lie a dying ; whom i presently found as stiff as a stake , ( or a stump ) whilst as yet her body was as warm as wool : nor could i say she was totally dead , yet i 'm sure she was altogether depriv'd of motion . so i hastned from the morts , and returned to the lough , to draw up my lines which i left behind me ; and though having met with too such fatal discouraging accidents ( with solicitations from this honourable person ) i pursued my first intention ; so brought off my lines , and left the lough in a foming rage ; and now you shall hear what hapned on shore . not far from this lough , stood a small mountain , whereon some inhabitants had built a kiln ; to which place we directed a servant for fire , that presently brought it , but we hardly knew the use on 't , before the kiln was all in flames ; and burnt so vehemently , that in a short space the whole fabrick was consum'd and burnt down to the ground : so i left my recreation , and took my leave of the unfortunate pitloil . and now give me leave to return to drumkelbo-castle , and tho but ill contrived , and as ill situated , in regard it stands near to the moor of tipprofin ; yet not far from thence are the flourishing fields of mighill , beautified and adorned with stately sycomores ; as are her meadows surrounded with rivers and rivulets . in the midst of whose plains stands a parochial church , wherein lies interr'd the royal corps of king arthur's consort ; with the reliques of some other weather-beaten monuments that age has almost blotted out ; but the queen's tomb i observed was surrounded with martialists , that when living so , in death paid homage at her princely sepulchre . these are those cultivated fields of mighill , where king arthur's stone stands to this very day . it 's true , because traditional among the antiquaries , and why not as true because a superstition amongst the inhabitants , who will tell you with as much confidence as they mumble their pater noster , or with as much impudence as you can credit with ignorance , that that very stone was king arthur's table , when his royal campaign encamp'd in those fields ; which he left behind him as a relique to posterity ? th. or rather because he could not take it with him . ar. you will have your joke , i perceive ; however i 'le proceed to the pleasant banks of ilay , where the angler , without difficulty , may take a view of a large and spacious river of translucid streams ; where a storm seldom invades the shores , nor any immoderate winds much to incommode them , in regard the water runs most on a level , and the banks very blough ; more especially when attempting the head of reven , where the angler may observe most rapid falls and stiff streams , which are seldom or never unaccommodated with trout , besides the generous race of salmon , the nature of whose sex and species ( this opportunity presenting ) invites me to discover a most admirable secret. for as i was angling one time on a sun-shiny day , in these limpid and transparent streams of ilay , i was constrained , in regard of the excessive heat , to relinquish her inflam'd sandy shores , to seek umbrage ( where i could get it ) from some shady trees : but none i found there to harbour and relieve me . however , by this time , i recovered a meadow , which generously commoded me with a hauthorn-bush that nature had planted by the river side ( which served me for sanctuary ) whose dilating boughs , spreading as an umbrella , they defended me from the scorching strokes of the sun , where also i lay closely conceal'd , the better to inspect nature's curiosities . for whilst reposing my self under this tiffany shade of diversified leaves and flourishing twigs , that hovered over the brinks of this amorous ilay ; on a sudden i discovered a very large salmon , leisurely swimming towards the leeward-shore : and having considered the sun at his meridian , i thought it needless to provoke her with fly , or any thing else , more especially at such a time when i knew her indisposed to divert her self either with food or frolick . where note , the more circumspectly i traced her with my eye to pursue her , the more and greater still was my admiration , because to mark her from place to place , till at last i saw her arrive on a bed of sand , which scarcely to my apprehension , covered her with water ; for i am confident it exceeded not the depth of one foot ; where with her tail she rigled to and fro , so long and oft , till i visibly discovered a flat slaty blewish stone ; over which she oft-times contracted her body ; nature provoking her to eject her belly , which at last she accomplish'd , to my surprizing amazement . but this was not all ; for as soon as that project was performed by the female , with most accurate swiftness , she lanched her self forth into the more solid deeps ; which was no sooner performed , when as suddenly i recovered the view of another , as afterwards will appear by the following circumstances : for out of that solitary and profound depth of water , wherein the female had concealed her self , there sprung up a male ( or something like him ) that swam directly as if hal'd with a cord , to that very place where the former fish had ejected her belly , ( but some call it spawn ) and there performed such an admirable office , as you will hardly believe , though i tell you the truth . th. however , this is remarkable , pray let us have it . ar. the female i have told you , has shot her belly upon a large and blewish slaty stone ; and the male , as by instinct to discharge his office , dilates his fins , and futters about , till at last he directs himself over the ejected matter ; where with his nose , as i then apprehended ( though i will not warrant fish to have a scent ) rooted as a swine , or something like it , yet were the waters at that time undisturbed ; when on a sudden , and with a violent motion of body , he throws himself about , invading the calms with such a strong ebulition , as if some pondrous stone had struck the surface : but it was not long e're i see him again , though for the present he seem'd to me invisible . and then my observation led me curiously to observe him direct his head to the former place , and contract himself after the same manner which the former fish had formerly done . this i visibly and plainly saw ; which , together with his active and exerting motion , a spermatick whiteness of a milky substance issued from him , not much unlike to jellied cream : all which remarks i signally notified , and by all the circumstances my judgment could direct to , i concluded him the milter , because there to shed and scatter his milt upon the ejected forementioned belly ; which with my eyes i then beheld , and visibly saw ; and therefore take the boldness confidently so to report it . believe it that will , refute it that can ; i know no better evidence than eye-sight . but lest any man , through obstinacy , or a vain incredulity , arraign the truth of this my observation ; i 'le direct him a precedent , and go no farther than the brood of perch , because both are barrel-bellied fish ; and answerable in some measure to the race of salmon ; which if he do , he may rationally conclude that nature's laws are alike to both . now the milter , because having discharged himself with some little labour , and as little trouble , suddenly recovers again the depth of the water , with most accurate swiftness ; nor have i rarely seen a more violent motion : whose absence in a trice invites the female fish , and she no sooner returns to the place , dictated beyond dispute by the mediums of nature ( which i think no wise intelligent man will deny ) works a trough like a cistern in sand or gravel , and as near as i could guess of about her own proportion ; into which trough with nothing save the spring of her tail , she jumbles and tumbles in the prima materia , according to aristotle ; but proxima materia , if you credit sandivogius ; who allows , a visibility of the second matter , but not of the first : so gently she cover'd it over with sand , and then left it to the great luminaries for vivification , and the seminals , because having a prolifick virtue , and life-quality innated in them . life inevitably shines forth after certain days , accidents omitted ; because the lustre of life is a thing so sacred , that the lubeck of conspiracy strikes to blot it out . thus much therefore as relates to the progeny of salmon , i being an eye witness , do boldly testify ; and as boldly divulge ; if seeing be a good basis for any man's belief . and this i believe , and confidently assert , and therefore report it to the world for a truth . th. o how rare and admirable are the secrets of nature ; who useth no engine nor artificial prescriptions ! your former relations seem prodigies in nature ; but this , as if beyond her , surpasseth admiration . ar. nature made naked is nothign but wonder , and scotland is a kingdom and country of prodigies . look forward and behold that tott'ring bridg , we must pass over it to the town of eliot , a small country-village , one would think it dropt out of the skirts of the highlands . and this is the town where famous leven ( scotland's great general ) was surpriz'd in his quarters by the english cavalry . not far from this bridg of reven , the streams being translucid , you may see under water irregular rocks , and knotty broken stumps of trees , that stand in the streams of famous ilay . where the swiftness of the current undermines the sand , and delves great pits that secure the salmon from the sentence of death , except such as are destinated to die by the decrees of age , or their own extravagant prodigality , in pursuit sometimes after fictitious novelties ; as when they relinquish the rocks in a bravado , to challenge death by a different fortune . for then is the time the prejudicate native consults his opportunity to put in execution that barbarous practice of murdering fish by moon-shine , as at other times to martyr them with the blaze of a wisp and a barbed spear . th. what , are these canabals , or murdering moss-troopers , to surprize fish by the engine of fire-light ? such dark conspirators sprung from the mines in florida , fawks , or cataline ; or some infernal incubus . ar. these are those amorous banks of ilay , so famously extoll'd for diversion ; for in those solitary streams you see before you , by industry of art , and dexterity of the rod , i have had trouts come ashore , and leap in my hand . th. that 's by reason they could leap no where else ; but how far have we now to the bridg of dean , discours'd every where for the plenty of trouts ? and if fame be a true oracle , they tumble up and down there , till the artist pleases to exchange their element , and court them ashore by force of arms. ar. that 's the place , near those glittering sands , and rocky foundations ; where you may observe the trembling streams swiftly , yet sweetly glide along ; but not as cataracts to terrify the fish , by reason their fall is so gently moderated , amongst those knotty stumpy rocks . i call it a river enrich'd with inhabitants ; where rocks are landlords , and trouts tenants . for here 's not a stream but it 's furnished with trouts ; i have angled them over from stem to stern , and drag'd them forth brace after brace , with nothing but a hackle , or an artificial fly , adapted to the season , and proportioned to the life . humor but the fish , and you have his life ; and that 's as much as you can promise your self . o the diversion i have had in these solitary streams ! believe me , theophilus , it surpasseth report . i remember on a time , when the clouds let fall some extravagant drops , which in a manner discoloured the surface of the water , then it was that amongst those stony cisterns , where you see the tops of the rocks make a visible discovery , a little above that trembling stream , if you mind it ; there stands a stumpy craggy rock , peeping perceptibly out of the water . from thence , and above those slaty foundations , i have struck , and killed many a brace of brave trouts ; a reward beyond my labour and expence . th. i question it not ; but what 's here , the arcanum of angling ? ar. yes sure , and the treasure lies in those trembling streams that come tumbling down to wash the cheeks of those pallid rocks ; from whence they gently glide along with generous dews , to moisten the florid marly banks ; and tinged as you may see with a rubido , they strike a vivid tincture into the flourishing streams : and thus the complexion of the water was changed , ( once upon a time ) when i fished those streams , where the trouts , to divert me , and augment my entertainment , came ashore to court me ; and courteous beyond curiosity , laid their lives in my hand . th. then they gave you handsel i perceive but this is some aenigma , pray explain it . ar. it 's no more an aenigma than a trout is a trout ; for you must suppose him an active fish , who no sooner finds himself intangled , but he plunges , and breaks the surface of the streams , thinking thereby to disintangle himself , and reprieve himself from the danger of death , that already has laid an arrest upon him . thus by picking and casting , he casts his life away ; so swims ashore to hear the angler's doom , in whose breast lies the sentence of life and death . on a certain solitary and gloomy day , the face of the firmament was sullied with clouds , that roll'd to and fro , but did not melt . i remember i armed with a glittering fly , the body composed of red twisted silk , intermingled with silver , and an eye of gold , the water in temper ( as you now observe it ) but the wing of my fly was the dapple feather of a teal ; the day , as prenoted , promiscuous and gloomy ; and the clouds , as i told you , stained with blackness ; but no noise of thunder disturb'd the air , nor was there any symptom or appearance of rain , save only some sprinkling scattering drops that trickled down the marly banks , and moistned the cheeks of the craggy rocks ; so amalgamizing the mollified earth with water ( to my observation ) invited the fish from their habitations ; insomuch that the streams were not charms strong enough to contain them , for in frolicks , as i apprehended , they made haste to meet me ; and that was as much as to complement death : but the landing , i confess , was difficult enough , by reason of distance , and the hazardous passages i frequently encountred , because of rocks ; which with difficulty i evaded . but that i need not recount , when only designing to recite the executive part of angling , in order to which my ensuing discourse will instruct you in the art , and in the mystical intrigues of the angler also . th. ingenious instructions will signalize the art easy , and impregnate the artist . let the luxurious furfieit with the sins of the age , i 'le trace the angler's footsteps , and pursue this inoffensive life , and silver streams , to propagate and cultivate the art ; so compleat my self an artist in this mystical artillery : for i can raise my ambition no higher than the device , fashion , and form of flies ; with advice also for their management , together with seasonable time and use. ar. that was my intention , had you never mentioned it : but were it to another , i should rather refer him to our modern assertors . for indeed the frequent exercise of fly-fishing , though painful , yet it 's delightful ; more especially when managed by the methods of art , and the practical rules and mediums of artists . but the ground-bait was of old the general practice , and beyond dispute brought considerable profit ; which hapned in those days , when the curiosity of fly-fishing was intricate and unpracticable . however isaac walton ( late author of the compleat angler ) has imposed upon the world this monthly novelty , which he understood not himself ; but stuffs his book with morals from dubravius and others , not giving us one precedent of his own practical experiments , except otherwise where he prefers the trencher before the troling-rod ; who lays the stress of his arguments upon other mens observations , wherewith he stuffs his indigested octavo ; so brings himself under the angler's censure , and the common calamity of a plagiary , to be pitied ( poor man ) for his loss of time , in scribling and transcribing other mens notions . these are the drones that rob the hive , yet flatter the bees they bring them honey . th. i remember the book , but you inculcate his erratas : however it may pass muster among common mudlers . ar. no , i think not ; for i remember in stafford , i urged his own argument upon him , that pickerel weed of it self breeds pickerel . which question was no sooner stated , but he transmits himself to his authority , viz. gesner , dubravius , and androvanus . which i readily opposed , and offered my reasons to prove the contrary ; asserting , that pickerels have been fished out of pools and ponds where that weed ( for ought i knew ) never grew since the nonage of time , nor pickerel ever known to have shed their spawn there . this i propounded from a rational conjecture of the heronshaw , who to commode her self with the fry of fish , because in a great measure part of her maintenance , probably might lap some spawn about her legs , in regard adhering to the segs and bull-rushes , near the shallows , where the fish shed their spawn ; as my self and others without curiosity have observed . and this slimy substance adhering to her legs , &c. and she mounting the air for another station , in probability mounts with her . where note , the next pond she happily arrives at , possibly she may leave the spawn behind her , which my compleat angler no sooner deliberated , but drop'd his argument , and leaves gesner to defend it ; so huff'd away : which rendred him rather a formal opinionist , than a reform'd and practical artist , because to celebrate such antiquated records , whereby to maintain such an improbable assertion . th. this was to the point , i confess ; pray go on . ar. in his book intituled the compleat angler , you may read there of various and diversified colours , as also the forms and proportions of flies . where , poor man , he perplexes himself to rally and scrape together such a parcel of fragments , which he fancies arguments convincing enough to instruct the adult and minority of youth , into the slender margin of his uncultivated art , never made practicable by himself i 'm convinc'd . where note , the true character of an industrious angler , more deservedly falls upon merril and faulkner ; or rather upon isaac owldham , a man that fish'd salmon but with three hairs at hook ; whose collections and experiments were lost with himself . th. that was pity . ar. so it was , but to thee theophilus so well improved , if salmon or trout be your recreation ; remember always to carry your dubbing-bag about you ; wherein there ought to be silks of all sorts , threads , thrums , moccado-ends , and cruels of all sizes , and variety of colours ; diversified and stained wool , with dogs and bears hair ; besides twisted fine threads of gold and silver : with feathers from the capon , partridg , peacock , pheasant , mallard , smith , teal , snite , parrot , heronshaw ; paraketta , bittern , hobby , phlimingo , or indian-flush : but the mockaw , without exception , gives flames of life to the hackle . thus arm'd at all points , with rods rush-grown , hooks well temper'd , and lines well tapered , you may practise where you please in any river in scotland ; provided always the season be sutable . and forget not be sure to purdue your distance , always taking the head of a stream , and leisurely fish downwards ; lest your game discover you , and flie before you . another observation , is the various change and complexion of the water , occasioned sometimes by immoderate gluts , intemperate and violent gluts of rain , issues of land-floods , soil and silt from off the shores. these and the like observations ought to be the consideration of every ingenious and practical angler . and this is the proper season to exercise with the ground-bait ; for should any man , under the pretence of an artist , remain destitute of these prenoted qualifications , proclaim him a block-head ; let him angle for oisters . th. but what must we do when the fords are discoloured ? ar. i have already told you , that the ground-bait then is most profitable for diversion . but imagine it like this adapted for fly. observe those insects , and flender emits that accost the streams and bubling fords ; not doubting , but with diligence , you may easily surprize them ; which if it succeed not to your intention , traverse with your eye those landskips of rocks , that at a distance lie buried almost under water ; or from those knotty brows of broken banks , that stand within distance ; otherwise clap close down on some flat or level , which equals the surface of the gliding streams : where it behoves you to condescend and stoop sometimes to your knee , or it may be closer order , if need so require ; always observing the hovering fly that flutters aloft to allure the fish , how wantonly he sports himself with death , when to court a familiarity with that that destroys him . th. but what if this design prove abortive ? ar. you must then clap down beneath some rock , or you may shelter your self in the cavities of earth : so with curious inspection , and diligent observation , the brightness or the gloominess of the day considered , fashion your device according to art ; considering the general cure for proportion , as also the season , by the rule of contraries . for the brighter the day is , the obscurer your fly ; but the more promiscuous the season is , by so much the more ought your fly to be bright and shining . i also advise you to prepare the ground and body of your fly with bears-hair , as at other times from the obscurities of wool ; but then let the head be obscure and dark , since generally most flies their heads are blackish . the wing also you may strip from the pinion of a teal , which above measure allures the trout to destruction . but if novelties affect , as frequently they do , you must then consult your flies to excel one another , if provided you design to advance your recreation . but presupposing the day be gloomy , as frequently it happens from melancholy clouds — th. what 's then to be done ? ar. you must then consult a brighter fly , which is better understood upon serious practice ; for i extol no man a proficient in the art , that is undisciplined in the academy of experience . th. but some men i observe are more ingenious than othersome . ar. otherwise i should allot them an accidental fate : for convinc'd by observation , i am easily perswaded that some artists gain experience with little difficulty ; when as othersome acquire it not without great industry : for where natural endowments accommodate the highest form in arts , their theory and practicks seldom justle for precendency . thus the day and the season always considered , the artist , i fancy , may sport at leisure , provided he design angling his recreation . th. are there no mediums set down as a standard in the art ? ar. yes surely there are , but considering your capacity , it will add but little to those instructions . however i 'le discover another notable secret , though less practicable , yet probably more advantagious than adventuring a fly according to fashion . th. pray unriddle the mystery ; it 's some aenigma i fancy . ar. the paradox explained ; first take a trout , rip up his belly , and examine his maw to see what remains unconcocted ; and if it be in fly-time , you will find some there ; for he loves to insinuate himself among insects , ( for flies are insects ) and are upon the main the matter he preys on . procrastinate no time , for the digestions are swift ; be quick therefore , and you will find some there ; and as near to the natural form as your ingenuity admits of , contrive such another in figure and proportion , which without delay , make an experiment by spreading the streams with your artillery : and if it answer not what in reason you expect , take the freedom to proclaim me no projector . but be cautious and circumspect in all your approaches , and be dextrous and diligent when and how you strike . fish by direction , but put no force upon your exercise ; so that when you observe your game advance , and raise himself to encounter his prey , fix diligently one eye to attend his motion and keep the other on the point of your rod ; avoiding all silly and foolish circumstances ; only remember to answer a foot exactly with that hand that reacheth forward , beginning always at the head of a stream , and so patrole to parsue your game downwards ; otherwise you may confidently assure your self , the fish becomes fugitive , so flies before you . th. i shall mind your directions , and pursue your instructions . ar. well then , i 'le proceed . a calm air you know prognosticks a cessation of winds ; and a breez being wanting to furl the deeps , by what art will you contrive to raise a trout in a deep , torpid , and solitary river ? mind what is said ; be sure you stand close , and prudently conceal your self behind some rock , or some shady bush : then , with the hazard of nothing but a drack , which if not attainable , then search out some other natural fly , and dibble be sure lightly on the surface of the deeps , you raise him beyond dispute , and as certainly kill him ; for this natural novel has no compeer ; and the artificial is but the representation . where note , the green drack pleads the precedency , then the gray ; the former from the issue or product of a codworm ; but the latter as to observation proceeds from the straw-bait . th. a very significant and proper distinction . ar. now besides close order , great curiosity is requisite in tackle : for the more accurate the artist is , by so much the more will the art be express'd . for that end , let your rod be shap'd like a rush , the line exactly tapered ; your hooks well tempered , and as well compassed ; not too stiff , nor yet too pliant ; their points well drawn out , and as sharp as needles , but their birbs as stiff and as strunt as bristles ; the wing of your fly also well flourishd , and well pinion'd ; and so snug as to carry the point always downward . these are necessary observations in trout-fishing ; more especially to the contemplative and ingenious artist , rather than to those paper-scull'd buffoons , devoid of reason , and as indigent of patience , as the man that hang'd himself , because the hangman was not ready ; that confront the art , because fish won't meet them half-way ashore , and leap into their laps before they come near the water-side ; where you may see them stand like so many star-gazers , gazing on the fish , and the surface of the streams ; whose aspect , if possible , would terrify a grampus , that seldom or never satisfies their appetite , till their avaricious desires have victualed the pannier . th. these mudlers shall never merit the title of anglers , nor their arguments a better reputation than affronts ; mercenary slaves , that murder all they meet with , and hunt like otters to accommodate the paunch . ar. thus our discourse of the river dean has diverted us to the fields on the north of reven , which indeed was a considerable part of my design ; because i might not only be said to convince you , but use you as an argument to convince others , that the trouts in these solitary streams , are for largeness , beauty , size and proportion , nothing inferior to any in scotland ; and such have i hal'd out of these purling pits , with nothing save only a natural fly. th. but the day declining , what becomes of us now ? ar. why now we must relinquish these rolling streams , and those pleasant flourishing fields of reven that direct to ingleston , and the antiquities of castleton , formerly inhabited by the english martialists : but castleton you must consider was only a fort , and ingleston ( as i am told ) their assigned locality . distant some two miles from these weather-beaten reliques , stands the house of glames , and the fair feneven , situated amongst rivulets . more norward yet we advance upon forfar , where we may expect as good entertainment as the country is capable of ; and that is good enough , since eating and drinking is not the main of our design : but there stands the town of forfar , tell me what you think on 't ? th. i think it 's a town ; what would you make on 't ? ar. not only a town , but a corporation too , how're you approve on 't . th. i approve on 't well enough , where lies the objection ? here 's nothing that i see presents uncomely : but how goes the story of the good man's cow ? and what became of the old wife's liquor ? ar. i matter not much if i give you the relation , as neatly drest up as the circumstances will bear ; for there was , i 'le assure you , a very hardy adventure , hapned betwixt the brewster wife , and puggy the cow of billie pringle . th. pray let us have it , i grow impatient to hear it ; i 'le remark the beginning , and diligently attend the conclusion . ar. then i 'le begin . once upon a time ( for so i was told ) within the walls of this little corporation of forfar , there lived an ancient brewster wife , more eminent in her art for brewing of good ale , than all the brewsters that lived about her ; who upon occasion of some solemnity , had boiled up a cauldron of stinging stuff , to hum the noses of some jolly good fellows , that by country-custom and rules of their own , had made an appointment to meet there to morrow ; which they punctually performed , but were all disappointed , because not to meet with what they came there for . now you are to consider the custom of the country , which in short was this . no sooner the alewife brews her ale , but presently she exposeth it to the open air , in certain vessels which the people call coolers , ( always provided it do not rain ) though not so much to moderate the heat of the liquor , as to ripen and prepare it for a present draught ; which they fancy it does , and fancy you must know surpasseth beauty . th. very good , pray go on ; i fancy we shall have a pleasant story . ar. but so it hapned , that moggy her maid , was the person appointed to attend this liquor ; whilst the guid awd wife was cumbring her sen to deft her house , and put it into order . now the careless lass steps casually aside , ( whose absence was not long ) when by accident & most unfortunately a deep-wem'd cow of jolly billy pringles came stragling that way ; who assail'd the liquor , nor could she well help it ; because when so provoked by the alluring steem , that sent a summons to her voracious appetite : and the poor cow as if invaded by some feverish indisposition , and because knowing no law of limitation , seem'd wholly uncapable to satisfy her self , so long as any ale was left in the cooler ; for she drank , and puff'd , and then took wind , and too 't again , so long , and so oft , till at last she surveyed the dimensions of the tub , where the liquor in a short time was almost consumed ; which any man of sense might rationally conclude so , because the cow could not see her face in the bottom . th. but here lies the question , whether or no the cow's natural draught was so large an allowance ? or what unnatural spark of heat had then occasioned such immoderate exceedings ? ar. i confess i neglected to examine that circumstance ; but this i remember , and every one can tell you , because so remarkable , it can never be forgot , that the cow when examining the smoothness of the ale , and finding it , as i conceive , moderated to her temper , without a coag she drank all off : which no sooner hapned , but presently in a rage comes out the awd wife that brewed the ale , and troubled beyond measure at the loss of her liquor ; besides , it touch'd , as she thought , her reputation , because to disappoint the jovial crew that had celebrated that day to solemniate bacchus , and observing how the cow stood puffing and blowing , and her ale as concluded past all discovery , grows immediately horn-mad ; so le ts fly at the cow , by thundring on the ribs and the sides of the beast , with a formidable bastinado , or a good oak sapling , like iohn at the giant ; who became extream angry , because that the giant would not run away from him . at length comes billy pringle that owned the cow ; and he forsooth , like an advocate , useth arguments to pacify and moderate the awd wife , against such violent and immoderate proceeds ; which nothing availed , for she gave him the hearing , and that was all . but standing a while to recover fresh breath , she presently lets fly at the cow again , by redoubling her blows on the sides of the beast , till at last the awd wife became as weary with cudgeling , as the insensible poor cow was at that time with fudling ; whose sides were already so stuff'd with strong ale , that made her proof against the awd wife's artillery ; which so incapacitated the cow for flight , nay i might as well have said , not almost , but altogether uncapable of motion . all this while billy pringle he labours in vain ; and though no provost , nor laird of a manour , yet was he forsooth a venerable commander , who endeavours what he may to pacify the awd wife ; but she was so inconsiderate , nothing ballances her passion ; his arguments , she interprets them all affronts ; and his pacifications but inducements to aggravate her revenge . whereupon he resolves no more pleadings , but to use silence as the best interpreter . which she observing , stood still a while ; and though out of wind , and not answering a word , yet the storm was not over ; for no sooner she recruits , and recovers fresh breath , but le ts fly at him like george at the dragon . this rais'd such an uproar all the town over , and a general confusion among the spectators , that now my lord provost displays his authority ; who to pacify , if possible , the bulk of the rabble , that were at that time all in an uproar , came puffing and blowing , almost out of breath , commanding the peace ; asking them , if they longed to be hanged for a riot ? get ye home , quo the provost , every man to his house ; and that quickly too , or i 'le send ye packing . but observing the tumult make no haste to disperse , he commands the peace in their majesties name , whilst he lays about him with a sturdy oak-saplin he had in his hand ; telling them all the while , that if they would not be quiet , he would make them quiet , and keep the peace too , and their houses to boot . and for your part , guid wife ( quo the provost ) seek your remedy at law , it 's a friend's advice , and the best course you can take . and for billy pringle , he may do the like . the words drop'd savourly from his worship's mouth , so took effect . and now the guid wife arrests billy pringle , because that his cow drank off her ale. and he like a man to purge himself by law , traverses the action at the court at edinburgh , where the case was opened , and pleadings on both sides . but the woman's counsel pleads hard for satisfaction ; when an advocate for billy pringle solicites the judg , that an award be allowed to his client pringle : for , my lord , quo he , they produce no precedent ; nor was it ever known in the kingdom of scotland , that a cow paid a plack for a standing-drink : nay , more than that , she never call'd for 't , and doh and doris is the custom of our country ; where note , a standing-drink was never yet paid for . with these and the like circumstances he made the court merry , because utterly to exceed and confound their practice ; so that now every lawyer became a mute , and every auditor a silent admirer . during this silence there rush'd into the court a crew of sawcy surly fellows , that proffered to swear for the guid awd wife , that the cow drank the ale brewed for them to drink : and it 's thought they would have sworn through a double deal-board , they seem'd so enraged for the loss of their ale. this you must conceive warm'd the woman's counsel , so that they moved the court for satisfaction , and prayed a more strict examination of the matter . upon which the records of the court were called for , but no precedent was found to punish a cow for drinking of ale , sitting or standing . besides , it was adjudged beyond the practice of the court to determine any thing wherein the laws were silent . yet notwithstanding all this , and a great deal more ; the woman's counsel moves again for satisfaction , which proposal was quash'd by sentence of the court , almost as soon as it was propounded , because to refer it to the provost of forfar . th. why so ? ar. can you think him a man of that capacity , to decide a controversy so foreign and intricate , that all the law in scotland could not then determine ? th. why so , was the nature of the thing so rare and difficult ? ar. was it not , think you , to take all the proofs , to swear all the witnesses ; and as near as possible to ultimate the difference , with this proviso to both parties satisfaction ? th. i confess it was intricate ; but how did he behave himself ? ar. very well , i fancy , and the manner on 't was thus . first , he calls a hall ; but admits no man to speak a word save himself ; and as his gravity directs him , puts a question to the woman ; which in short was this . he demands to know of her how the cow took the liquor , whether she took it sitting , or if she took it standing ? to which the brewster-wife , after a little pause , answered , by making this reply ; in guid fa sir , quo the wife , the cow took it standing . then , quo the provost , your e'en words condemn ye , to seek satisfaction for a standing-drink . this annihilates the custom of doh and doris . for truly sike another ill precedent as this , were enough to obliterate so famous a custom , as stark love and kindness for evermare . where note , guid wife , ye have wronged billy pringle , for prosecuting the guid man contrary to law ; and have done mickle damage to puggy his cow , because to chastise her but for a standing-drink . th. is it a romance , or a real story ? ar. do you doubt the truth on 't ? th. peradventure i do , but it serves us to laugh at . ar. and will not our beds serve as well to lie on ? th. who doubts it , when summoned by the sweet influence of sleep ? ar. can men in dreams whisper security , when their eyes are guarded with troops of shades , and separated from the glorious beam of light ? th. death 's a separation , the night but a short privation . it 's true , we grant sleep an emblem of death ▪ but death the solution of complicated elements . ar. how beautifully glorious do the constellations appear ? th. so does aurora , that ushers in day , and adapts it for man and negotiation . ar. o the sweets of contemplation ! have you ruminated to morrow's journey ? th. do rusticks calculate an early seed-time , and not prognostick a forward harvest , if not unseasonably prevented by malevolent accidents ? ar. from whence we may rationally conclude refreshment after recreation , as requisite and necessary to propagate health , as a salubrious arcanum is to retrieve the body , when invaded or obstructed by preternatural indisposition . th. you paraphrase physically under metaphorical tropes . ar. and you philosophically , to tell us that the sun no sooner shades his beams in thetis lap , but aurora suddenly begins to blush , and make visible discoveries of the oblique lines of sol impending . th. so it appears ; for this short night's progress , though defeating our senses , yet has it in some measure sweetly refresh'd us . ar. why then do we loiter , and procrastinate time ? th. it 's only till we mantle for a march , and discharge for our entertainment . ar. that 's but reasonable and requisite , otherwise we deviate from the morals of honesty . th. must this day 's invention be to morrow's expedition ; so arm with our artillery to practise at brechen ? ar. no , by no means ; though brechen be a town of very good accommodation ; yet we must melt these hills into valleys . th. here 's another town presents , what must we call it ? ar. this is fetter-carn ; but that before us is carlisle-mount , elevated in the air , where the people , to my fancy , dwell in the clouds , and inhabit , as it were , another region , representing terra nova . th. yet methinks here 's sweet streams glide up and down this mountanous country . ar. and don't you think the trouts in these streams naturally high-minded , to climbe such lofty hills for preferment . but what think you of these barren fields , burdened with sterrility , where the inhabitants , to my apprehension , feed upon famine , or a morsel of moss . it represents to me the suburbs of poverty , if when to consider their scarcity of accommodation . th. come then let us break the heart of these hills , and bless our eyes with a landskip of the lowlands , that serve as a sanctuary to shelter us against storms , and protection against impetuous rains. but what eutopia's this that dwells below us ? ar. it 's neither sir thomas moor's , nor bacon's atlantas ; here we have already made a fair discovery , but when you come to trace the firtility of dean , whose flourishing streams enrich the shores , then you will tell me of the angler's entertainment . th. what place is that , that directs northward to the pole ? ar. that 's kinkarn oneal ; beyond which , the foundations of pitriffny and bovena scout , as you may see , beneath the skirts of the highlands ; obvious to any man that tramples her moors , that direct to the source and beginnings of trespey whose boistrous streams glide along through murryland ; a pleasant and plentiful part of a country , that 's beautified and adorned with spacious buildings , rivited into rocks , and cemented with stone . th. must we pass through murryland , or take it in our way when returning from ross ? ar. we shall only pass by it now , to describe the country of reven in badanoah , that 's totally beleaguer'd and besieged with bogs , whose ruinous decays are unworthy our discourse ; nor are her fields so fertil as those in feneven , yet are her valleys surrounded with rivulets , and every rivulet replenished with trout ; beautified and adorned with stately fir woods , that shade the earth from the scorching sun ; and shelters man and horse in impetuous rains and storms : where nature , but not the native , is generous and prodigal in all her entertainments . th. what new inviting object have we now discovered ? ar. the famous lough-ness , so much discours'd for the supposed floating island ; for here it is , if any where in scotland . nor is it any other than a natural plantation of segs and bull-rushes , matted and knit so close together by natural industry , and navigated by winds that blow every way , floats from one part of the lough to another , upon the surface of the solid deeps of this small mediterrane : and here it is , in these slippery streams , that an english ship , by curious invention , was haled over the mountains to this solitary lough ; brought hither on purpose reclaim the highlander . th. do you romance , or not , to tell me that an island swims in the midst of the ocean , and a ship fluctuates in the midst of the highlands ; where every rock represents a charibdis , and every wave threatens an inundation ; where there 's no harbour without hazard of life , nor sea enough to promise security to the mariner , when the winds mingle themselves with the waves , that wash the pallid cheeks of the polish'd rocks ? now tell me that can , where the mariner must have birth ( and the passinger supplies ) in this fluctuating ocean , when a storm arises to ecclipse his eye from a land discovery ? ar. if eye-sight be good evidence , there 's enough to convince you ; behold the ship. th. how came she here ? was she not built in some creek hereabouts ? ar. no. th. by what means then was she moved into this small mediterrane ? i solicite advice , and you can solve the doubt . ar. art was both engin and engineer to invite this ship into this solitary lough . th. if so , it 's strange that a vessel of her force should leap out of the ocean , and over the hills , to float in a gutter surrounded with rocks . ar. not so strange as true , for here she is . th. was there a possibility of her sailing from the citadel , to this eminent lough ness , when a boat of ten tun can't force her passage half way up the river ? this looks romantick beyond the ingenuity of art , or possibility of invention . ar. let it look as it will look , i am sure it was so . th. you are sure it was so , then pray resolve the point . ar. why thus it was ; in the time of war betwixt the king and parliament , this navigate invention was consulted by maj. general dean ; who to compleat a conquest over the highlanders , ( in regard hitherto the law of a foreign power had never bridled them ) he accomplished this new navigation of sailing by land : who contrived the transportation of this fair ship ( that you now see ) into these torpid and slippery streams . th. what , without sails ? ar. yes , without sail , pilot , card or compass ; by dividing only the ambient air , as formerly she plowed the pondrous ocean . nor was she compell'd to encounter sea or land in all her passage ; which by some may be thought a ridiculous report . on the other hand , for a ship of this burden to transport her self , or suffer her self to be transported without ordinary , nay extraordinary means , looks like an impossibility ; however here you find her , nor is it to be denied that she had a passage to this solitary lough . th. but how ? ar. first , you must conclude no vessel , without a miracle , could remove her self so far from sea ; and i 'le assure you in this here 's nothing miraculous . then you are to consider that so eminent a ship could never shove her self to reach this limit , as extends from the orchean seas to this obscure lough ness , without probable endeavours , and very considerable assistance . lastly , to admit of a violent motion , were a kind of madness ; because to impose a contradiction upon the design . th. pray explicate the aenigma . ar. a motion must be had ( that you 'l grant ) and means considerable to move by , ( this you must allow ) which to accomplish , the sailers and the souldiers equally contributed . for a regiment ( or it may be two ) about that time quartered in inverness ; who by artifice had fastned thick cables to her fore-castle , and then they got levers and rollers of timber , which they spread at a distance , one before another ; whilst some are of opinion these robust engineers framed a more artificial and politick contrivance : but thus it was , and no otherwise , i 'le assure you ; save only they fastned some cheeks and planks to the solid sides and ribs of the ship , the better to secure her from crushing upon transportation . th. and did she pass in this manner as you tell me , to this famous ness ? ar. yes , she relinquished the brinish ocean , to float in the slippery arms of ness. but to keep her steddy in her passage , and preserve her from rocking and rolling by the way ; they consulted no other project than what i tell you : save only some additional supplies from inverness , that with ropes and takcle haled her along to this very place where you now observe her . for you are to consider , she no sooner got motion , but by industry and art she was steer'd without a compass , to this remarkable ness ; where now she floats obvious enough to every curious observer . for let me tell you , that strength , artifice and resolution , are indisputable arguments to reach the possibility of any thing possible ; a threefold cord is not easily broken . motion therefore was no sooner begot , but the whole mystery was almost accomplished ; the plover you observe never breaks the shell , before the lapwing is ready to run ; nor will the sailer spread the sails , until he observe a wind presents . nor got our ship the mediums of motion , but by argument of force ( not of artillery ) which forced her by graduate means , till arriving in this ness , obvious to all men. and this is that famous and renowned lough ness ( loemon excepted ) inferiour to none in the kingdom of scotland ; whose streams are strewed with eel and trout , whilst her deeps are saluted with the race of salmon ; whose fertil banks & shining sands are hourly moistned by this small mediterrane : which i fancy is besieged with rocks and mountains ; whilst her polite shores are forzen in the winter , by the frigid lungs of blustring boreas , that perplexes her banks , and masquerades her rocks with a cristalline hue of polished ice . where the tritons & sea-nymphs sport themselves on the slippery waves , sounding an invasion to her moveable inmate ; supposed by some , the floating island . th. do these fair mountains that interdict the dales , survey the forcible streams of inverness ? ar. yes surely , these torrents , which you now discover , frequently wash the walls of inversness ( a derivative from lough ness ) at the west end whereof stands a diminutive castle , about a mile distant from that magnificent citadel , that subjects those precarious northern highlanders . this inverness , or model of antiquity ( which we now discourse ) stands commodiously situated for a highland trade ; defended with a weather-beaten tottering wall , that 's defaced with age and the corruptions of time , where yet there remains two parish-churches : but i remember a third that was a kind of a cathedral or collegiat-church , that now like old troy sleeps in dust and ashes , as part of the walls do , charging time and neglect with their tottering decays . north and by east , near the forcible streams of the ness , stands the fortress , or pentagon , drawn out by regular lines , built all with stone , and girt about with a graff , that commodes it with a convenient harbour . the houses in this fair fortress are built very low , but uniform ; and the streets broad and spacious , with avenues and intervales for drilling of foot , or drawing up horse . i must confess , such and so many are the advantages and conveniencies that belong to this citadel , it would be thought fabulous , if but to numerate them : for that end i refer my self to those that have inspected her magazines , providores , harbours , vaults , graffs , bridges , sally-ports , cellars , bastions , horn-works , redoubts , counterscarps , &c. ocular evidence is the best judg , and gives the plainest demonstration ; which , without dispute , will interpret this formidable fortress a strength impregnable ; and the situation , as much as any , promises security , by reason it 's surrounded with boggy morasses ; standing in swamps , on an isthmus of land , that divides the ness from the orchean seas . yet here is one thing more among our northern novelties very remarkable ; for here you shall meet with a wooden bridg to convoy you over the rapid ness ; but certainly the weakest , in my opinion , that ever stradled over so strong a stream . however , it serves to accommodate the native , to those pleasant and fragrant meadows , north and north-west , that direct to the demolishments of the castle of lovet , near to which stand the antiquities of brawn , planted upon the brow of a considerable bank , that hangs , one would think , o're a spacious river , above all in scotland , replenished with salmon : whose numbers are numberless , if not improper to say so ; and careless of their lives , they cast them away . i must confess , the strength of such strange reports , oftentimes meets with a foreign faith , that raises more scruples than arguments can answer . and so it hapned to me at first , till convinced by some persons of considerable reputation , that when the fisher-men with their sanes have drawn these streams , they have counted many times five hundred at a draught ; the truth of which relation , should any man doubt of , they are ready to assert and vindicate the truth on 't by pregnant demonstration . however it shaked my credulity at first , though possibly it may remove the jealousy of another , if when provided with patience he can suspend his suspicion till better inform'd , or confirm himself of the plenty of salmon in these remote northern parts . for i grant , others with my self of a like perswasion may question this report , till convinc'd by the truth of ocular demonstration ; that these northern rivers are the riches of the country . here the salmon relinquish the salts , because by the porposses pursued up the freshes ; just so the shad is chased by the sturgeon , and so are the smaller fry by the revenous pike : nature directs self-security , and nothing stands in competition with life . where note , the salmon are compell'd to desert the deeps , and seek sanctuary from the sandy sholes ; as i my self and others have often observed the porposses pursue them in the frothy foming waves of the ness , for it may be some two or three miles together ; till their strength imparing , which oft-times compels them to court the shores , though with hazard of life . and sometimes they meet with a precipice of rocks ( as these at brawn ) which with an impossibility they perpetually attempt , though to no purpose as to self-security . this oracle explicated , who so incredulous to doubt or dispute the truth of my relation ? for no man certainly was more averse than my self , to affix a credit upon a single report : but when opposed by such eminent evidence , it forced my obstinacy to yield a compliance : more especially when approaching those frothy streams ; no other argument then need to convince me but eye-sight . truly i stood amaz'd to see such companies of salmon in these northern parts ; which demonstration made such impressions in my hesitating breast , that now i 'm convinc'd ; i am ready to publish my conviction to others , upon manifest experience . for what can i do less than certify a truth so often opposed , and doubted by my self . in this pontus cambrosia ( in the famous ness ) you shall observe three tides meet every twelve hours : and when they meet , by reason of their interchangeable streams mingling together , make such convulsions and violent eruptions , as dam up the shores , and make the passage exceeding hazardous ; especially for small boats that cross the ness , if there do but the least impetuity of winds hover in the air. th. this is very remarkable , for the porposses to pursue the salmon ashore . ar. but so it is : besides , in the midst of cambrosia is a white spumation , or a frothy foming sparkling spry , that resembles via lactea ; occasioned , as you see , from luxuriant tides , and aggravating winds , that violently contract the surff of the sea , and so amalgamizes them together , that neither the one nor the other can divide , nor expatiate it self , till inevitably suck'd up into the bowels of the ocean . th. i fancy this hellespont of pontus cambrosia , a representation of the chalky mount in barbardoes ; because of its polish'd glittering whiteness . ar. i remember as we pass'd this hazardous charibdis , the vessel that conveyed us was in danger to overset , by reason the porposses vented so vehemently at the stem of our boat , insomuch that one of them had almost invented his passage amongst us ; which if he had , there was no way but one ; and that way was unequal to exchange of elements . but at last we concluded if the boat should miscarry , to lanch forth into the deeps , and hero it over . th. some then i fancy would have made brave ducks and drakes . ar. it 's no matter for that , the use of bladders had been out of fashion . now no sooner we arrived at the desired shore , but with friendly congratulations we saluted one another ; discoursing our hazardous passage , and this pleasant country ( or isthmus of land ) besieged with sea ; because having portus salutis on the north and by east ; cambrosia on the south ; and the western parts all guarded with inaccessible rocks and mountains facing the fields of stranaver . th. here 's another hellespont ; must we cross this also ? ar. yes surely , we must cross this rugged ferry , especially if intending the bounds of innerbrachy , in the cultivated fields in the country of ross ; where the rocks are undermin'd by the sea quellem , that serves for a filtre to riddle the ocean , and separate her saline brinish taste , from those more sweet and luscious fountains ; where the inhabitants will flatter you with an absurd opinion ( an old tradition received from their ancestors ) that the earth in ross hath an antipathy against rats , as the irish oak has against the spider : and this curiosity , if you please to examine , you may , for the natives do ; but had they asserted there were no mice in ross , every tongue had contradicted them . now mice and rats are cousin-german , every body knows that knows any thing , and for the most part keep house together : but what difference has hapned amongst them here , as to make such a feud in this country of ross , that the rats in ross should relinquish their country , and give possession wholly to the mice ; this is a mystery that i understand not . besides this fond opinion of the natives hereabouts , some others more remote ( as ignorant as themselves ) transport the earth of ross into most parts of scotland ; perswading themselves , that if they do but sprinkle it in the fields , fens , moors , mountains , morish or boggy grounds , ( all is one as to that ) for it alters not the property , nor does it diminish the quality , nor impair the virtue , but that still it retains a certain antipathy against that enormous vermin the rat , nay , the very scent on 't shall force him to become an exile . this odd kind of creed they had when i was resident amongst them ; yet to the best of my observation , i never saw a rat ; nor do i remember of any one that was with me ever did : but for mice , i declare , so great is their plenty ; that were they a commodity , scotland might boast on 't . and that they have owls with horns , some favour the report ; yet are they not horns , but as like horns as any thing that are not horns ; nor is it any other than a sort of feathers , that 's clung'd and twisted so naturally together , that represents the idiom or form of a horn , if when to observe them at a reasonable distance , which seemingly beautifies the ivy-bush , as horns adorn the head of a buffulo . the next curiosity to entertain you with , is the country of southerland ; which we enter by crossing a small arm of the ocean from tain to dornoch . so from thence we travel into cathness , and the country of stranavar ; where a rude sort of inhabitants dwell , ( almost as barbarous as canibals ) who when they kill a beast , boil him in his hide , make a caldron of his skin , browis of his bowels , drink of his blood , and bread and meat of his carcase . since few or none amongst them hitherto have as yet understood any better rules or methods of eating . more north in an angle of cathness , lives iohn a groat , upon an isthmus of land that faceth the pleasant isles of orkney ; where the inhabitants are blest with the plenty of grass and grain ; besides fish , flesh , and fowl in abundance . now that barnicles ( which are a certain sort of wooden geese ) breed hereabouts , it 's past dispute ; and that they fall off from the limbs and members of the fir-tree , is questionless ; and those so fortunate to espouse the ocean ( or any other river , or humitactive soil ) by virtue of solar he●t are destinated to live ; but to all others so unfortunate to fall upon dry land , are denied their nativity . th. can you credit your own report ; or do you impose these hyperbole's ironically upon the world , designedly to make scotland appear a kingdom of prodigies ? ar. no certainly ! and that there is such a fowl i suppose none doubts it ; but if any do , let him resort to cambden , speed , or gerhard's herbal , and there he shall find that in lancashire , thousands were gathered up , adhering to the broken ribs of a ship wreck'd upon that coast ; but these are not like the barnicle geese that i speak of : the like accident hapned in kent sometime past , and in many other parts of england , &c. so that few ingenious and intelligible travellers doubt a truth in this matter ; and the rather , because it sedulously examined , it discovers a want of faith to doubt what 's confirmed by such credible authority . but if eye-sight be evidence against contradiction , and the sense of feeling argument good enough to refute fiction , then let me bring these two convincing arguments to maintain my assertion ; for i have held a barnicle in my own hand , when as yet unfledg'd , and hanging by the beak , which as i then supposed of the fir-tree ; for it grew from thence , as an excrescence grows on the members of an animal : and as all things have periods , and in time drop off , so does the barnicle by a natural progress separate it self from the member it 's conjoin'd to . but further , to explicate the method and manner of this wooden goose more plainly : the first appearing parts are her rump and legs ; next to them , her callous and unploom'd body ; and last of all her beak , by which she hangs immature , and altogether insensible ; because not as yet having any spark of life hitherto discovered to shine about her . then , like the leaves in october that leisurely drop off ( since predestinated to fall ) even so the barnicle drops off from the twig of the tree to which nature had fastned her , and gave her a growth , and an inanimate being . where note , to so many as providentially fall into water , protection is immediately sent them to live ; but to all others as accidentally encounter dry land , such i presume are doom'd to die without redemption . and though some of them are commissioned to live , yet how difficult is it to preserve life when hourly sought after by the luxurious devourer ? th. however , let not our discourse of geese discover us ungrateful to the inhabitants . for it were madness more than good manners , not to acknowledg civilities from a people that so civilly treated us . ar. civility wanting , we are wanting to our selves ; when too much of self bars the fruits of society . now we tread on the borders of southerland , that of right belongs to the earl of southerland ; whose eldest son is born lord of stranavar . on the top of that little hill , stands little dun robin ; it 's a castle , though but a small one ; where the earl himself inhabits . but that other great house , or rath●r some piece of decays , they call it skibbo ; but there is yet another ruinous castle that stands on the brow of a lofty hill , and that they call skelbo . these are all the castles , and most eminent fabricks in southerland , to the best of my observation . the next thing we meet with is the lough broroh , that spouts forth a river into the bowels of the ocean . this lough is deep , but not so large as the ness , ( elevated in degrees north latitude ) but very full of salmon ; and though the river seems to have rapid streams , yet the tides influence them every twelve hours . i mention this broroh , for no other purpose , than to reflect on her plenty of salmon , where they barrel up for france , and other parts annually , ( as reported ) so much salmon as amounts to three hundred pound sterling a year ; and the price of a salmon ( among themselves ) seldom exceeds one single denare . where not the profits of this contemptible broroh , are farm'd by the inhabitants inhabiting hereabouts , but the propriety belongs to the earl of southerland . but dornoch is all the corporations in southerland , of which iusticium i have but little to say . th. and where are we now ? ar. on terra firma , where should we be ? and this is the town of tayn in ross , that equallizeth dornoch for beautiful buildings ; and as exemplary as any place for justice , that never use gibbet nor halter to hang a man , but sacks all their malefactors , so swims them to their graves . now the most spacious and eminent fabricks in ross , are tarbot , situate near the sea ; mees , bordering upon lough loon ; balnagoon , a strong fabrick on the brinks of clowd ; fowlds , a great house not far from brawn ; innerbrachy , a mannor near portus salutis ; milton , a castle opposite to cromerty . these fabricks are the strength , and ornament of ross. besides here are eagles , signets , falcons , swans . geese , gossander , duck and malard , teal , smieth , widgeon , seapyes , sandelevericks , green and gray plover , snite , partridg , curlue , moorgame , and grows ; but i remember no pheasant in this bill of fare . this is that famous portus salutis , accommodated with fowl to that degree , as their numerous covies darken the firmament ; and so replenished with fish , as no part of scotland can boast of . oysters the best in the north , are dragg'd forth with drags from her owsey bottoms . and for crabs , lobsters , perewinkles , &c. in regard so plentiful and common , are but of little value . but what have i to do to discourse a country , where eggs are sold for twenty four a penny , and all other accommodations proportionable ? this i presume is no dear entertainment ; nor ever expect to have it cheaper when we leave these plentiful borders of ross , to traverse the more southern parts of scotland , as our gnomen directs to the fertil shores of cromerty . th. and why the fertil shores of cromerty ? ar. because their shores are uncapable of freezing , for no snow lies here , though bordering almost on the frigid zone ; nor does ice incrustate the earth near the shores : for the very sands are so contempered from a natural innate quality of warmth , occasioned it's possible from the salinity of the ocean , which suddenly dissolves the snow that falls , preanticipating the formation of frost , or any such like coagulum . and this is the reason her shores are enrich'd with fertility , were but the people polish'd with art and agriculture ; for were it so , i should then conclude them blest with a delightful prospect , that flows from the fluctuating generosity of portus salutis . th. is this the castle , and the coast of cromerty ? how do the people do to free themselves from the depredations of the highlanders . ar. well enough ; it 's morally impossible it should be otherwise , except nature run retrograde : i know no other distinction , than below and above stairs ; but i should have told you ( since a received opinion ) that the greatest plenty of fish and fowl that belongs to scotland , falls in or near this portus salutis ; where lobsters are sometimes sold for bodles a piece ; but for crabs , perewinkles , and various other shell-fish , as cockles , and mussels &c. the natives are not nice to share such entertainments amongst strangers ; meaning such as cruise all along their coast , till the season of the year compels them off . th. it 's a pleasant part of a country , i confess , though methinks it stands almost out of the world. ar. let it stand as it will stand , it stands well enough , by reason it borders so near the highlands . th. why then it will look further off from home . for these highlands to my thinking but represent a part of the creation left undrest : as some great and magnificent fabrick is erected , you know abundance of rubbish is left to remove ; so i fancy those highlands appear to me , because wanting ornament , and destitute of cultivation . ar. you shall have it on your own terms , as void of form as the natives are indigent of morals and good manners . however , from these eminent rocks we descry the ocean , and the ships sometimes as they cruise upon the coast. but now the air that was serene , is thickned , i fancy , and struck with impressions of cold ; for the wrack of clouds begin to roll about , variously intermingled with a rapid motion ; and the lower region swells and looks big , but the nights direct to an equal proportion with the days : so that observing the summer in a declining posture , what think you of fixing our inclinations southward ? and in our countermarch , take a breviate of all the rivers , rivulets , cities , citadels , castles and corporations , that lie in our way , till we face their magnificent metropolis of edinburgh . th i approve of the motion well enough , it comports with my inclination . ar. let us then proceed methodically , and commence with the castle of cromerty , where the laird vrquart lived in his life-time ; who had twice twenty children standing at once before him ; but thirty were sons , and ten of them daughters ; and all at the state of men and women , yet not one natural child amongst them ( as i was told ) . now this venerable laird of vrquart lived to the utmost limit and period of life ; whose declining age invites him to contemplate mortality , and cruciate himself , by fancying his cradle his sepulchre , wherein he was lodg'd night after night , and hal'd up by pullies to the roof of his house ; approaching as near as the roof would let him , to the beautiful battlements and suburbs of heaven . th. was not this that vrquart , whose eldest son writ a treatise in honour of his pedigree ; wherein he describes his genealogy from adam ? ar. it 's the very same , for he traced his descent from the garden of eden . th. why then was his book domm'd to be stuff'd with nothing but fantastical fabulous fictions ? ar. because his country-men thought it too ambiguous for any man to trace his pedigree from paradise . th. was that all ? had they no antiquaries amongst them ? but hold a little , what place is this ? ar. old chanery , hung about with charms , that inchanted a crampus to come ashore , whose bulk ( some fancied ) burdned the sands : but he became a prey to the english infantry . now we trace the flourishing fields of murry-land ; and thi● is old ern where marquess montross engaged his country-men , and totally routed them . this next town is forres , famous for nothing except that infamous vermin the rat ; because so numerous in these northern parts , that a cat can scarcely get a living amongst them . th. why don't they send and fetch of the earth from ross. ar. that i know not ; but this i know , that they snatch'd the meat off of our trenchers , 〈◊〉 churm'd the stockins and apparel of the souldiers ; who projected lines to hang their clothes on , upon which these vermin would dance and totter , as if invited by the dull sound of a northern-country bagpipe , their natural musick , and most congruous to their kind . th. i have been told , that these vermin politicians storm the town once or twice a year , to the terrifying amazement of all the inhabitants ; and that cats durst not be seen to scout abroad , lest hazarding their lives whenever they encounter . ar. that 's matter of fact ; who doubts the truth on 't ? th. that should i , were i not convinc'd to the contrary . but what remarkable monuments are these like pyramids in the ambient air ? ar. i know not , except some signals of victory ; it may be some field has been fought hereabouts : otherwise i should fancy them unintelligible mutes , left only on purpose for strangers to admire them . th. what town call ye that , that presents unto us ? ar. the famous elgin , situated on a level , and besieged round about with flourishing corn-fields ; whose spacious ports surround a cathedral , blotted and blurr'd by the dates of time. th. however it appears that some eminent characters are left yet to evidence the footsteps of superannuated curiosity , and inform us the antiquity of her original lustre . and that is all ; but not lustre enough left to vie with the gaity of those famous imbellishments of westminster-chappel : that oracle strikes all structures dumb , and is the nonsuch of europe , nay , all the world ; models of it have been transported into foreign parts , and equally admired , with oliver's medals . th. elgin was once a beauty , nor is it now an artificial deformity ; yet such is the unconstancy of men and times , that this fabrick is defaced , and prelacy thrown down : methinks i could almost lament her ruins ; these marginal notes on the frontispiece of elgin intitle her cathedral a northern beauty . ar. but not to parallel that unparallel'd curiosity , the illustrious chappel-royal of king's-colledg in cambridg . th. yet is there a beauty in elgin's antiquities ; therefore it 's a vanity beyond ignorance , and a presumption beyond pardon , should any pretend to outvie it in scotland . ar. i must confess that imbelish'd fabricks are more my admiration that perplexed controversies . what profit is there in unprofitable disputations ? that genius to me seems disingenious and turbulent , that is always angling in tempestuous streams . our occasion invites us to recreation , not riot . to a description of the country ; not to register her faults , and obliterate her favours . what have we to do with secular affairs ? the management of kingdoms and national concerns is nothing our business ; nor need our curiosity inspect the artificers of the law that fleece the country , whilst presbyter iohn writes his funeral-epitaph with iure divino . th. our discourse i perceive , if we be not mindful , will bring us about ; however , the best on 't it , here are no hedges to turn us . ar. no , here 's an open passage to the glittering streams of trespey , that generously accommodates the angler , whilst the natives frequently consult the net , for the treasures of pearl , studiously concealed in the gravelly deeps . why should nature's ornaments want admiration , or the industrious angler the fruition of contemplation ? th. what fair fabrick is that which stands before us ? ar. bogagieth , the marquess of huntly's palace , all built with stone , facing the ocean ; whose fair front ( set prejudice aside ) worthily deserves an english man's applause for her lofty and majestick towers and turrets , that storm the air ; and seemingly make dints in the very clouds . at first sight , i must confess , it struck me with admiration , to gaze on so gawdy and regular a frontispiece ; more especially when to consider it in the nook of a nation . nor do i know any reason , but that every english man should advance a due proportion of scotland's fame , as freely and candidly as of his own native country ; provided the kingdom of scotland deserve it . i have told you that the name of this house is bogagieth , alluding , as i fancy , to the nature of the place , by reason the ground appears so boggy ; whose battlements on a fair day display themselves to the portals of elgin . but more southerly yet are the fortifications of straboggy , bordering on the tracts to aberdeen ; which also belongs to the marquess huntly , the chief of the clan of the gordons ; as is earl seaforth , chief of the mackenzies . now this bulky straboggy has an invincible tower , so large and stupendous that it burdens the earth , and is without precedent the largest in scotland ; situated on a flat , begirt with bogs , amalgamiz'd with loomish marly clay , and cemented into rocks , makes prospect by a short interview to the skirts of the highlands , whilst the elevated tarrasses of beautiful bogagieth overlook the ocean , and is as eminently discours'd for a stately palace , as elgin is admired for a sumptuous cathedral . th. are these those savanna's so enrich'd with rivulets , and every rivulet stock'd with trout ? do these purling streams proclaim a plenty , and does not every shore shine with silver sands , whilst the craggy cliffs stand burden'd with trees ? ar. it answers your description ; as the tower of straboggy seems impregnable , yet marquess argile once earth'd so deep in 't , that all the clan of the gordons could not undermine him , notwithstanding their popularity , and residence about it . th. what caused the difference , could not the law reconcile them ? ar. no nor the gospel neither ; if when to consider their difference in opinion , for the gordons you must know are profest roman-catholicks ; and scotland , nay all the world knows that the campbels are presbyterians . now the first won't live without a universal bishop , and the last can't live without a parochial priest ; what think you now , are they like to agree ? th. no , i think not , if they hold to the point . ar. let the point be what it will , these are the stately turrets of straboggy , where i fancy the bogs would baffle our horses , did not a countermarch towards our native country sweeten the toil. so our delicious fragrancies , were they stuck in these northern fields , would certainly perfume them . th. you have eminent thoughts of home ; but how will it happen to us here , coming so unexpectly upon our landlord ? ar. trouble not your self with that affair , for he is never unprovided of good entertainment . th. nor i of an appetite , for my stomach stands sentinel . ar. so does mine , to encounter good commons . th. how vainly do we flatter our selves , that in these solitary fields , immur'd with mountains and besieg'd with bogs , where heath and haddir are the height of our horses , there to expect moor-fowl and manchet inseparable companions ? no no , let a dish of sewins serve us for supper , rather than dream of a delicious regalia ; and instead of an olio , a broil'd haddock ; or it may be a scots collop , if we can get it . but i 'le welcome any thing that comes seasonably to thaw the icicles that flatten the edg of my appetite ; so that now if only to find the people courteous , tho not over-curious , and their pantries provided with meat , tho themselves be destitute of manners , it matters not . we are capable enough to distinguish academies from ale-houses , and change-houses from a royal exchange . what matters it then for cooks , where every man may dress his own commons ? and let the provision of this day's exercise ( if trout and plover be food fit for travellers ) be my care ; and i 'le supervise the roast , whilst you rest your self , and send you summons upon the first savory scent . ar. you have very well contriv'd to salute our mouths with a modicum , lest our appetites alienate ; for if fasting too long brings equal danger with a riot of feasting , a surfeit of either may impare the mediocrity of health : for as the one ushers in fevers that terminate in flames , so the other , in regard of its moist frigidity , melts all the members into a deluge , by extinguishing the irradiating vital heat ; which insensibly draws on a deprav'd ferment , preternatural to the archeus or rector of the ventricle . thus we range the world , by rifling scotland , to refresh our selves ; and blot out those limpid streams of trespey , that glide so smoothly near to the famous foundations of bogagieth ; which beyond dispute discovers the glory of scotland epitomiz'd in this short day 's expedition . th. now should the flaming steeds of the sun touch the cusp of the horizon before we rise , would not all mankind conclude us affected with ease and idleness ? and if so , then mark the conclusion , the sluggard he is ravished with ease and long nights ; and the epicure in raptures at a luxurious table . now see what follows ; but as disease is the child of intemperance , and idleness the parent of penury and want ; disease therefore is the reward of repletion , and death the final captivator of mortals . ar. this discourse i perceive has brought something to bear ; for now i see the world's great luminary gild the rocks , and polish the surface of the smoother streams . the heavens shine their blessings most propitiously upon us ; but the earth beyond dispute will prove rugged and knotty , ( since reflecting on my self ) that from straboggy to aberdeen , there 's not a more irregular path in scotland . th. we must take it as it falls , and be thankful for it ; however we are in our way for england . ar. there 's the magnet that attracts the chalybs , the root of the matter i perceive lies there ; england is the end , and scotland the mean. however we must pass by the flourishing streams of dee , so much discours'd by every angler , where the generosity of every ford furnishes him with trout ; as do her solid and more torpid deeps accommodate him with salmon , had we leisure to experience them ; but time , like us and our occasion , rides post. th. if opportunity and importunity strike difficulties dead , then why do we ramble these rolling streams , and produce nothing ? th. yes but we do , if only to tell the world that the marquess montross , a peer of the kingdom , and a general of incomparable conduct and courage in these solitary fields ( though with but a small brigade of souldiers ) fought with his country-men , and totally routed them . and to make the miracle yet more miraculous , this famous martialist obtained another signal victory ; though when under those ill circumstances , as not to reinforce himself ; yet with that bravery he redoubled his resolution , and fought them under the very walls of this flourishing aberdeen , from whence he brought off the trophies . and this is that famous aberdeen , whose western suburbs are guarded by the hills ; as are those levels more easternly saluted by the ocean . th. is this that aberdeen so generally discours'd by the scots for civility ? ar. yes , and humanity too ; for it 's the paragon of scotland . th. why do not you call it by the name of a city ? ar. it matters not much for that , since the general vogue of a town serves as well : however it 's a corporation , and that 's enough ; and i 'm convinc'd it stands in a cultivated country , that never knew the force of sterrility ; whose banks are bathed with the glittering streams of dee , and her walls shaded with fertil corn fields , promulgates plenty ; for heaven , by the law of generosity , certainly has bless'd her : for here the sun so moderates the cold in winter , that it seldom or rarely freezes her sands ; whose increase is multiplied from the generous breasts of the ocean . and from whence both mariner and merchant accumulate treasure , because to drag it forth from the solid deeps of the sea ; when at other times they import their goods into the highlands , as they export commodities into remote countries . th. but the harbour , i fancy , that 's somewhat too strait ; and the entrance , as i conceive , much too narrow ; however it 's examined secure enough . ar. peradventure it is ; yet these rocks at the entrance terrify the pilot , as her harbour , when entred , exhilarates the passenger . now the buildings of this city are framed with stone and timber ; facing the sun , and fronting this pleasant harbour : the streets also are large and spacious , and the walls strengthned with towers and buttresses of stone . so that nothing , in my opinion , remains defective to compleat them happy ; for if not to waste by an overpluss , they can never pine away by a want. th. i fancy this place situate in a pleasant part of a country ; and so was that relique of antiquity we but newly past by , when approaching the suburbs of this flourishing city . ar. you do well to remind me , for i had almost forgot it ; that was old aberdeen : things that grow ancient , grow out of fashion ; however , it 's the mother city of new aberdeen , and a university to boot , wherein stands an old weather-beaten cathedral , that looks like the times , somewhat irregular : but of that i have little to say , since others before me thought requisite to erect such publick places for private devotion , when this present generation conform themselves , by contracting their congregations to lesser now . th. is this old aberdeen an old university ? why then a sophister may pick up as much ethicks and politicks as will serve him to stuff out a pair of lawn sleeves . cathedrals in some countries influence the inhabitants , as planets you know have government over the vital parts . ar. you must have a slash at the gown i perceive ; but what think you of the church in new aberdeen , ( that 's no cathedral ) where the magistrates sit under the soveraignty of the mace , and every merchant in his peculiar pew ; where every society of mechanicks have their particular seats , distinguished by escutcheons , sutable to their profession ; so that confusion seldom or rarely happens amongst them , in quarrelling for places : where strangers are unsuspected for informers and intruders , and the civility of the people such , that no man is left destitute of a seat to sit on , but every one entertained answerable to his quality ? th. this is something like ; for it far exceeds the custom of england , where a man may stand in some churches till his feet are surbeat , yet no body proffer him a remove , or a stool to sit on . ar. but this is not all neither ; for here you shall have such method in their musick , and such order and decorum of song-devotion in the church , as you will admire to hear , though not regulated by a cantor or quirister , but only by an insipid parochial clerk that never attempts further in the mathematicks of musick , than to compleat the parishioners to sing a psalm in tune . th. you have concisely characterized aberdeen , with her inhabitants ; but what have we here ? cawses uncartable , and pavements unpracticable , pointed with rocky stumpy stones , and dawb'd all over with dingy dirt , that makes it unpassible ; and the fields , as i conceive , are ten times worse , because o'respread with miry clay , and incumbred with bogs that will bury a horse . ar. for better for worse , we must through it , if intending to climb the southern elevations . now at the foot of this pavement there 's a small little harbour , which they call steenhive , but i take the liberty to call it stinking hive , because it 's so unsavory ; which serves only for pirates and pickeroons ; but it bravely accommodates the highlander for depredations . th. what fabrick is this that peeps out of the ocean ? ar. donnotter-castle surrounded with sea , and waves for recreation dance about it : it 's a house so inoculated and cemented into rocks , that a man would fancy it to swim in the ocean ; and the natural strength so impregnable , supposeth the artificial but inconsiderable , whose rocky foundations , like atlas's pillars , support the bulk of this gaudy fortress . for art and artist are but nature's substitutes ; where-ever therefore nature ceaseth to operate , then is the time for the artist to begin his progress . but nature has finished what she had to do , and has left nothing for the artist to practise , save only to adorn the natural excellency . after this manner is that artificial imbellishment , for the rock it self is the natural strength , then the castle can be but the artificial . from when we conclude , that nature and art have form'd such a fabrick for strength and beauty , that amuzes and amazes every beholder . th. i behold and consider this invincible castle , lifted up like a cloud into the ambient air. i have also considered the gaity of her galleries , and those ornaments that adorn her gaudy frontiers . i have also considered those opposite mountains , whose formidable aspect are no pleasing prospect to those imbellish'd battlements , that seemingly float in the arms of the ocean . ar. you have hit the key , and now let me tune up the instrument ; those mountains mar all : yet in this fair fortress they conceal the regalia's of scotland , from such sacrilegious hands that would steal diadems to adorn their ambitions ; so rob their prince to inrich themselves : for here it is in this solitary rock besieged with sea , that scotland has conceal'd both ornament and treasure ; and what greater ornament to a prince than a crown ? th. that i can believe as an article of my creed , yet all is not gold that glisters ; for should all reports pass muster for realities , truth it self might be brought into the scandal of suspicion . that the crown has been lodg'd in donnotter , i dispute not , yet dumbarton i should think in all respects as secure , and edinburgh-castle as secure as either , to conceal that treasure from degenerate mercenaries , that would violate their trust though they venture to hang for it . ar. you are in the right on 't , but the road i fancy runs not so rough as it did ; nor are my apprehensions of england so remote as they were : both the way and the weather favour our designs in this southern expedition : for england's our prospect , now propound you the object : and as we ride along to the town of montrose , signify your opinion of the flourishing aberdeen . th. you impose a little too hard upon me , i can scarcely express my opinion of a place , but i must be sentenced too much to commend it . on the other hand , should i lessen or impair their civilities , then you challenge me to reflect on our civil entertainments . this dilemma i am driven to . however you cannot deny , but acknowledg , that aberdeen is sweetly situated , and under the government of well-regulated magistrates : no complaint of poverty , nor luxurious supersluities ; where the houses are fill'd with hospitality , not with prophaneness ; their streets and allies cleanly swept and paved , and their church and state-house very curiously kept , after the best methods of the scotish mode . but how montrose will represent unto us , that i suspend to determine till farther examination . ar. trouble not your self with that affair , for montrose will murder all your suspicions . her generous entertainments in every angle , like radiated beams of the sun that invigorate the earth , so naturally do the inhabitants influence their civilities amongst strangers ; which remonstrates montrose a beauty that lies conceal'd , as it were in the bosom of scotland ; most delicately drest up , and adorn'd with excellent buildings , whose foundations are laid with polish'd stone , and her ports all wash'd with the silver streams that trickle down from the famous ask. this is montrose in the county of angus , antiently known by the name of caelurcha . tell me how you like it , whose gaity and gallantry springs from the nobility and gentry ; but the wealth of the city , from her merchants and manufacture : and though you see not her harbours deck'd with delicate shipping , yet she contents her self with a pleasant river , that commodes the inhabitant with the blessings of plenty , and that 's enough . so to sum up all in a compendious narrative , we intitle montrose , the mount of roses . th. what encomium more elegant , or what character more eminent for these sweet situations , than the rosy mount of our northern latitude ? nay , what expressions could be added more compendiously significant to characterize the beautiful elevations and imbellishments of montrose i know not : then let this short derivation answer all objections ; whilst we enter her ports , and use arguments of refreshment to our hostile appetites , in regard so famous a river as the famous ask salutes her banks and flourishing shores with daily supplies , to relieve her inhabitants , and accomodate strangers . ar. now our next advance is to the town of dundee : but give me leave to call it deplorable dundee , and not to be exprest without a deluge of tears ; because storm'd and spoil'd by the rash precipitancy of mercenaries , whose rapinous hands put a fatal period to her stately imbellishments , with the loss of many innocent lives , altogether unconcern'd in that unnatural controversy . ah poor dundee ! torn-up by the roots ; and thy natives and inhabitants pick'd out at the port-holes . can honour shine in such bloody sacrifices , to lick up the lives of inhabitants , as if by a studied revenge ? can nothing sweeten the conquerours sword , but the reeking blood of orphans and innocents ? blush o heavens , what an age is this ! there was wealth enough to answer their ambitions , and probably that as soon as any thing betrayed her . could nothing satisfy the unsatiable sword , but the life of dundee to atone as a sacrifice ? english men without mercy , are like christians without christianity ; no moderation nor pity left , but parcelling out the lives of poor penitents in cold blood ? who must answer for this at the bar of heaven , before the judg of all the world ? but he that doom'd dundee to die , is dead himself , and doom'd e're this ; and dundee yet living to survive his cruelty . th. is this dundee ! disconsolate dundee , where the merciless conquerour stuck down his standard in streams of blood ? ar. yes , this is that unfortunate and deplorable dundee , whose laurels were stript from the brow of her senators , to adorn the conquering tyrant's head. here it was that every arbour flourished with a fruitful vine ; and here every border was beautified with fragrant flowers . yet her situation seems to me none of the best , for if bordering too near the brinks of the ocean proves insalubrious , or stooping too low to salute the earth , incommodes health by unwholsom vapours ; then to stand elevated a pitch too high , suffocates with fumes , that equally offend and infect the air , by blotting out sanity with the soveraignty of life . th. this somewhat answers my former opinion , that neither honour nor riches , nor the ambitions of men , stand in competition with the mediocrity of health ; nor is there any blessing under the sun adequate to the soveraign sanctions of sanity on this side eternity , but the radies of sanctification from the sun of righteousness . the world 's a fool , and none but fools admire it : yet not that i prophane the beautiful creation ; when only censuring that fictitious and imaginary world in man. go on with dundee , i overflow with pity ; and could wish my reluctancy penitency enough to weep her into a religious repentance , but not with rachel never to be comforted . hark arnoldus ! don't you hear the bells ? ar. yes i hear them , and what of that ? bells and bonfires are two catholick drumsticks , with which the church beats up for volunteers only to debauch them . for what end were bells hung up , if not to jangle ; and bonfires kindled , if not to blaze like an ignis fatuus ? thus people uncultivated are like land untill'd , and arts unimprov'd print the footsteps of penury . but arts are improv'd by industrious ingenuity ; when through want of ingenious industry they slide into a non-entity . as no man can be truly religious without good morals , so no man without good morals can be in any measure religious . not that i assert religion is morality ; but morality is the porch that lets into the temple . th. you paraphrase upon bells ; i wonder how you miss'd bag-pipes , since the one has as much the root of the matter in 't as the other . by these mystical metaphors , if i hit the mark , you present england an emblem of canaan , and scotland but a piece of english imitation . ar. you don't hit the key right , but i perceive england lies close siege in your bosom ; however there ought to be some charity for scotland , that so generously entertained you withall sorts of varieties . th. scotland'tis true has variety enough , to confuse and confound all the cooks in england . ar. all this i 'll grant . th. then you must grant their butter but little better then grease we usually grease cart-wheels withal ; which nauseates my palat if but to think on 't , or remember the hand that made it up . i know there are men that have maws like muck-hills , that can feed as freely upon tainted flesh , as you and i upon pheasant and partridge . ar. what then ? th. why then you argue as if you had lost your english appetitie , and i would not for all the varieties in scotland , that the resentments of england should expire in my palat. ar. does hunger make any distinction in dainties ? if not , then why should scotish kale blot out the character of english colliflowers ? th. i shan't dispute the point , but the very thoughts of england sweetens my apprehensions , that possibly e're long i may taste of a southern sallad : however , this i 'll say in the honour of scotland , that cold and hunger are inseparable companions , but their linens are fresh ; and were not their beds so short , they would serve well enough for weary travellers . ar. then i fancy they will serve well enough for us , whilst we trace the fragrant levels of fife . for now we relinquish the beautiful ports of dundee , to transport in boats that are steer'd with a compass of straw , by reason of the embodied mists , to which dundee is as incident as any part , because standing in a bottom that 's besieged with mucky miry earth ; from whence there insurrect such pernicious vapours , as nauseate the air ; whereby it becomes almost infectious . th. why so ? ar. because it debilitates both the native and inhabitant , and would certainly incapacitate them of health and long life , did not custom and a country-habit plead a prescription , both as to physick and diet : insomuch , that neither gass nor blass , nor any nauseating suffocating fumes , nor hardly death it self can snatch them from scotland ; where some natives have lived to a prodigious age. th. but to the country of fife , i fear you 'l forget it . ar. no , no , doubt it not , nor would i have you startle the mariner , who because destitute of a card to pilot us over by , is compell'd to make use of a compass of straw . th. a very ingenious invention ; pray tell us the manner on 't . ar. don't push too hard upon me ; and i 'll tell you this new way of navigation . when cloudy mists arise that darken the face of the firmament , and threaten danger without any disturbance , you shall then see the seamen stuff the stern with straw , as now they do with little trusses , which they successively expose one at a time ; and so supply it time after time from the stern of the vessel , till at length they arrive at the desired shoar , as now we do : and thus have i past and repast from dundee . nor is there any difficulty nor danger to any man more than hazarding his carcase in timber . now welcome ashore to the fields in fife ; where we must exchange our navigable horses for hackneys . th. what must we call the name of this town ? ar. cooper in fife : it 's a corporation . th. and what other town is that yet more eastward , that seems to lean on the skirts of the ocean ? ar. that 's antient saint andrews , their metropolitan university . upon the same coast lie creel and petenweems . more southerly yet lie cockly carcawdy facing the ocean , and the frontiers of leith : we shall only take a view of the palace of faulkland , though her fair imbellishments outlustre dumfermling . th. what 's our next stage ? ar. brunt-island : but i must remind you of the magnificent palace of scoon , forgot as we past by the ports of saint iohnstons , near whose elevated turrets there stands a kirk , that stands upon all the land in scotland ; which kirk is immur'd with a fair stone wall ; and in that kirk they crown their kings , and perform the formalities of all other royal duties ; which regalia are the sword , spurs , purse , crown , globe , scepter and bible . now he 's a dunce that knows not this duty , because it's incumbent on all the kingdom of scotland . th. but how stands the kirk upon all the kingdom ? ar. there 's not a royalty in the kingdom of scotland , but has sent some part of earth ( from every angle ) to this place called scoon ; which earth was dispersed by laborious industry ; upon which the foundations of the kirk were laid . so that now you are to consider this variety of mould represents but one uniform and compact body of earth : which earth represent the great volume of scotland in a breviat , or as i may term it , a little compendium . thus our discourse of the kirk of scoon has accompanied us to a view of pleasant carcawdy , a little pretty maritime town ( built all with stone ) that stands in the face of the ocean , and the frontiers of fife . but the time and our occasion constrains us to pass by carcawdy , where the inhabitants live more upon fish than flesh ; from whose slender ports we must hasten to brunt-island , otherwise we endanger losing our tide , which will much incommode us ; nor can we stay there to examine their curiosities . th. what 's this that so naturally represents the ocean ? and what are those ships , under sail ? or must i fancy them a landskip of moveable mountains ? ar. if you fancy them ships fluctuating to and fro on those solid deeps to attempt that harbour , you are not much mistaken . th. is there any town on those rocky foundations ? ar. yes surely there is ; for we now discover the pleasant shores of beautiful brunt-island guarded with rocks , that front the harbour and the pier of leith ; over whose rubified sands we must plough the ocean , to those delectable flourishing ports ; provided the vessel be tite and unleaky , as questionless this is , design'd for our passage . th. however i 'll remind you of our hazardous passage from innerbrachy to the famous ness , as at another time our personal hazard , when fording over forres , and the rapid trespey ; besides other great rivers and rivulets in our march , of very swift and violent motion ; which we often discharg'd without the artifice of boats : and yet i cannot help that natural antipathy and aversion , that i find against timber fortifications ; nor can i think them such soveraign security , but that sometimes they are accompani'd with difficulties and danger . it 's true , i grant that no man has an infallible protection for life ; nor a pre-knowledg of sickness , nor sudden solution . ar. well then , if so , transplant those fears into foreign parts ; for we must certainly , and that suddenly , expose our selves to the mercy of the sea , by the providence of god. nor is the danger more than imagination ; for the fear of death to some men is more dreadful and terrible than death it self ; which great sea we must all sail through , before we cast anchor in the port of eternity . th. you have sodred the breach , and salv'd the wound , that now i itch to be floating on the ocean . however before we embark for leith , let us give nature a philip in the arms of brunt-island . ar. all this we may do , and view the situations too , which stands on a flat and flourishing level , back'd by fife , and the mountains of mirt , whose foundations are laid in rocky stone , and beautified with the regularities of art , where there 's a small but secure harbour , to rescue the retreats of the terrified passenger , when pursued with the furious hostility of neptune , whose waves storm the shores , insinuating themselves into every creek . but the beauty of brunt-island lies most in her market-place , which serves for an exchange , fronting the harbour , and facing the ocean ; where all or most of her merchants houses stand gazing on the beautiful pier of leith . th. is this the vessel design'd for our passage ? i fancy the waves begin to work , for my belly i 'm sure begins to wamble . see how the wrack of clouds thicken the air , and the unlimited winds rend the sky . who can judg the result of these surly beginnings , or hope a good issue in the conclusion ? the very body of the sea divides , and opens like a sepulchre to swallow up the rocks , in whose concealments lie the terrors of death . the deeps to my fancy are broke up ; for my nauseating stomach ebbs and flows with as strong irritations as the ebulitions of the ocean . ar. those tides i confess must run violently swift , that are hurried along by such furious agitations ; but for two tides to meet in one sea together , one would think them enough to make an inundation . yet how soon these lofty winds are supprest by a calm , and every mortal preserv'd to a miracle . so that the results of this impetuous storm , proves only a fresh and flourishing gale , occasioned by the conflict of winds and water ; which forceth the sea in some measure to be sick , and compels her to vomit , as now she does those neuseous ejectments , which for ought i know constrains your stomach to lower and strike sail ; so keep time it may be with the trepidating ocean ; whose irritations quickened by the universal motion , measure proportion with the rest of the creation . so that this kind of physick , if i calculate right , may protract your tampering with physicians in the fall . th. of what i 'm assur'd , there 's no need to doubt ; you talk like a physician ; but not that i think you a plagiary , that robs the dead to adorn the living : nor a medicaster upon whose good deeds the sun always shines , but the earth covers all his bad ones . ar. you have nick't it now i think ; however there 's the pier of leith , and the beauty of scotland in a little epitome ; let us enter her ports to refresh our selves . th. shall our pinnace drop anchor here , and the seamen refresh , whilst we step ashore and accomodate our selves ? ar. will you close up the orifice of your relaxed stomach with a glass of brisk claret ? so mingle some liquor with your maritime labours , and thank generous neptune to act the part of a physician , to shave off the foreign ferment from your crude and indigestive ventricle . th. i think it not amiss to recal those spirits , whose continued absence would enervate my digestions , which now i perceive begin to feel warmth ; and my stagnated unactive blood grows more vigorous and active in circulation . my pulse also that beats with an equal motion , and my body begins to summon supplies , to gratify and satisfy a craving appetite . ar. as these are certain symptoms of health , you put a delay to what you solicit . th. if i do , what then ? there 's a superanuated custom kept up among the antients ; that to gratify the appetitie violates the creation . this was of old the brachmans creed , and is to this day the banians alcoran , except of late they have changed their opinion : for they assert , that nature would be unnatural to her self in the destruction of any thing wherein she favourably had breathed a life . ar. was this the primitive practice of our former ancestors ? th. i don't say it was , i discourse the brachmans that offer this argument . no man has a commission to create life , no man therefore by any law or custom ought to take life away ; which if he do , he makes himself an instrument of unnatural cruelty , and his body a sepulchre to bury dead carcasses in . ar. but had they consulted our great oracle moses , and considered the great ends of the great creator , they would speak i fancy another dialect , and render unto us a different interpretation . th. why so ? ar. the iews you may read had a sanction among themselves , to celebrate sacrifices according to the law : and the christians have a sanction among themselves also , to celebrate their devotions according to the gospel . but the banians comply with neither of these sanctions , because placing a sanctity in custom and opinion , not well considering that the world was made for man , and not man for the world ; meats for the belly , and not the belly for meats . this in some measure might reform their error , and undeceive deluded posterity , hudled under the false gloss of custom and opinion . on the other hand , as every man has a natural right and creational privilege , as lord of the creation ; so no man has a creational right , nor natural priviledge to make his appetite the rule for destruction . providence allows due supplies to every man ; but no man can warrant or justify his riot . th. were this argument approv'd of , it would , i suspect , overthrow our design of angling . ar. not at all ; for my opinion is , the argument it self manifestly strengthens it . the text calls to peter , arise , kill and eat ; and peter objects against what 's common and unclean : but peter was answered by a voice from heaven , nothing was unclean that god had cleansed . sacrifices and oblations were under the seal of the law , but the last supper and miracles shined under the sunshine of the gospel . adam stood unlimited , the forbidden tree only excepted . nature was unconfined , and the creation blest with multiplicity of blessings , till adam's transgression . but as nature operates the will of the creator , so the nations shall bow to the son of god. th. so let the argument drop ; only give us a description of the situations of leith . ar. leith stands , as you see , situated on a level surrounded by sea on the north-east ; and guarded on the south with neals craigs , and arthur's seat , that hangs over edinburgh . but the fabricks of leith are built with stone , hovering over the pier , and fronting the ocean , almost drown'd under water ; and that which is worse , if worse can be , those nauseating scents suckt greedily from the sea , bring arguments of disease , and sometimes summons for death . on the other hand , scotland cannot present you with a more pleasant port ; for here the houses and structures are large and lofty , and the pier like a gnomen directs to the tolbooth . here also stands a substantial cawsey that leads to the bridg , that brings you to a citadel that was , but now is not , because hudled in dust , and ruinous heaps ; yet not ruin'd by age , nor torn with the scars and impressions of war ; but policy , and not piety , laid her surface in the sand. th. what merchandize doth she trade in ? ar. for the most part she trades in foreign commodities ; except some manufactures of their own ; as ticking , bedding , tartan , pladding , scots-cloth , &c. so that leith for trade , with her merchandize for treasure , excels most , if not all the maritime ports in scotland . th. pray what other accommodation hath she ? ar. she has fish and flesh in abundance , viz. oysters , cockles , muscles , crabs , craw-fish , lobsters , soles , plaice , turbet , thornback , cod , keeling , haddock , mackrel , herring , &c. then there 's salmon , trout , pike , perch , eel , &c. but their flesh are beeves , veals , porks , veneson , kid , mutton , lamb , &c. and their fowl are eagles , signets , hawks , geese , gossander , duck and mallard , teal , widgeon , cock , pidgeon , heath-game , moorfowl , curlue , partridg , pheasant , plover grey and green , and many more that i cannot remember . so great is their plenty and variety , that did not the popularity in edinburgh render things more chargeable than other parts more remote up the country , a man might live almost without expence . and now we relinquish the flourishing ports of leith , whose foundations are daily saluted by the ocean . o how sweetly the weather smiles , the horizon looks clear , the sky is serene , and the birds you may see them beat the ambient air with their tunable notes . come theophilus , let us mount our horses , and lift up your eyes to behold those lofty imbellishments of edinburgh . th. they are obvious enough , half an eye may see them . ar. welcome to these elevated ports , the princely court of famous edinburgh . this city stands upon a mighty scopulous mountain , whose foundations are cemented with mortar and stone ; where the bulk of her lofty buildings represent it a rock at a reasonable distance , fronting the approaching sun ; whose elevations are seven or eight stories high , mounted aloft in the ambient air. but the length , as i take it , exceeds not one mile , and the breadth on 't measures little more than half a mile ; nor is there more than one fair street , to my best remembrance . but then it 's large and long , and very spacious , whose ports are splendid , so are her well-built houses and palaces , corresponding very much to compleat it their metropolis . th. what fabrick is that on the east of edinburgh ? ar. hallirood house , the regal court of scotland . th. but there 's yet another great fabrick , that presents westward . ar. that 's edinburgh-castle , elevated in the air , on an impregnable precipice of rocky earth , perpendicular in some parts , rampir'd and barrocadoed with thick walls of stone , and graffs proportionable , to contribute an additional strength . so that you are to consisider this inaccessible castle shines from a natural as well as an artificial product ; because part of it you see contiguous with the rock ; but the other part , because affixed by cemented stone , which inoculates and incorporates them so firmly together , that the whole mass of building is of such incredible strength , that it 's almost fabulous for any man to report it , or sum up the impregnable lustre and beauty of this fair fortress , that defies all attempts , except famine , disease , or treachery be conduct ; so that culverins and cannons signify but little , without bombs and carcasses . on the other hand the defendants must not be too liberal , lest their water forsake them sooner than their ammunition ; so inevitably draw upon them the foregoing consequence , and incommode them with a thousand inconveniences . true it is , many arguments of art and artillery have been sent to examine this impregnable castle , but none were ever found more successful than hunger and disease , or the golden apples of the hesperides . such kind of magnets muzzle mercenaries , and make them a golden bridg to pass over . th. is this fair fabrick the parliament-house , where the grandees sit on national affairs ? ar. yes , this is their palace where the parliament sits to accommodate the kingdom ; whose famous ports we now relinquish to take a review of the bars of musselburg . but that on our right hand is delicate dalkeith , surrounded with a park ; and that on our left hand is preston-pans , where the natives make salt from the brine of the ocean . that other town before us is the corporation of haddington ; and this is the brill ; but the bass you may see is a prodigious rock , that makes an island on the skirts of the ocean . th. is this the place where the solon geese breed , that are flesh in hand , but fish in the mouth ? a mystery i fancy not inferiour to the barnicle . ar. you say true , it 's a great mystery , if seriously to consider the footsteps of nature ; which i shall explain without a paradox . do but observe that elevated rock that breaks the air , in that seeming solitary floating island ; it 's upon that rock , and only there , that she hatches and initiates her young ones into the world , by exposing her egg to the open air , and the utmost extremity of stormy winds ; and those eggs , or the squirts ( with other fowls ) are so fix'd by contact of a glutinous specimen to the remote points of the rocks , that they seem conglutinated , and so intirely inoculated , as that no extremity of weather can separate them asunder , and where the female never hatches more than one single egg at once : and that egg she plants so evenly in the web of her foot , by placing her body exactly over it ; that when she relinquisheth the rock for relief , with admirable circumspection she raises her self , by cautiously dilating her web , as the aspry does to circulate the air , who after the same method as when she leaves her egg , so she falls by circulating the air , and dilating her web in the same order and decorum as above ; with such an exact poize and evenness of body to cover her egg , that no art nor industry can imitate or accomplish . so that the egg no sooner sprits , but it tumbles down into the brinish ocean for nature to nourish it . after this manner she hatcheth her young ones ; and after this manner i am authorized to publish it . th. so much for geese , this was a rarity indeed ; but not so eminently remarkable as the six great patriots of the english nation . ar. you push too hard upon me , however i 'll name them and no more : there were four great harries ( viz. ) ireton , vane , nevill and martin , and one marvelous andrew , or andrew marvel . th. still here is but five , what 's become of the sixth ? ar. you will find him at dunbar swadling the scots . th. what! england's great general , the most renowned , valorous , and victorious conqueror , oliver cromwel . ar. yes , that was he that swing'd off the scots in those solitary planes , and swelling hills , near the ports of dunbar : there it was that cromwel and lesly disputed by dint of sword , and the formidable terror of gun-shot , in which fatal engagement the scots were routed , and fled the field ; whilst the conqueror's army sprinkled the earth with bloody sacrifices ; converting the green meadows into purple planes . th. and did not that great general then take in tamtallon-castle ? ar. presently after he did ; and that 's the place ; how do you like it ? th. not at all , i fancy it a place but of little strength . ar. however it covers the pass of copperspeth , that we now pass through to ascend these dirty miry moors , which direct to the beautiful battlements of berwick , an english town upon scotish ground , whose banks are bath'd with the sturdy torrents of tweed , that descend from a mountainous elevation , in or near to erricksteen ; distant about some eight or nine miles from the famous tintaw , whose eminent ascents face the english frontiers , standing on the borders or south marshes of scotland . so that from erricksteen , though some alledg from tintaw , runs the glittering and resolute streams of tweed . however tintaw is a prodigious mountain , whose lofty broaches break the burdned clouds . and such is errick , if fame be a true oracle , that spouts forth three large and spacious rivers that wash the pleasant banks of scotland ; one of them is tweed ( as above express'd ) that runs east directly to the town of berwick , and espouseth her self with the ocean there ; gliding along the english promontories , and is the original of tweed's dale . another river is annon , that bathes the fertil and florid banks of england , and creates a dale , called annon's dale ; so glides along towards the quaking sands ; and not far from carlisle lancheth forth into the ocean . but the third is cloyd , and is the last mentioned ; yet is it nothing inferior to any of the former . this river directs her course north and by west , towards the lofty and domineering turrets of dumbarton ; near unto those famous elevations she mingles her streams with the profound depths of the ocean , and is the author of cloyd's dale . now all these spacious and peremptory rivers , are derived from the springs in the mountain of errick ; but some alledg from tintaw , on whose top stands a capsula , on the front of the hill directing southward ; from whence those smaller streams separate themselves , through craggy passages and cavities in rocks ; so trickling down , they sprinkle the moorish meadows , admitting of many other small rills and rivulets to mingle with them , in their more resolute passage . th. what have you there ? ar. an aenigma of the famous tintaw ; which with much difficulty i procured from the collections of a scots antiquary , that lived sometime in the town of kilsieth ; who to answer my solicitations concerning tintaw , gave me , as you may read , this following paradox . on tintaw top thar dwells a mist ; and e'en that mist thar is a kist. spere in that mist , thar stands a cop , and e'en that cop thar is a drop . take up the cop , drink oot the drop ; than put the kist intul the mist , on tintaw top. th. what stuff 's here ; riddle me riddle me , what 's this ? ar. it is a riddle , and stuff'd with varieties ; and so let it remain till explicated by such as travel those solitary tracts ; or solicit acquaintance with some of our solent society . and now scotland i bid thee farewel , to advance great britain's southern territories , ( the magnet ) only berwick upon tweed we select for this night's accommodation , where we need not doubt of english entertainment . that 's the town that discovers it self by those lofty turrets ; let us sleep there this night , and bid scotland farewel to morrow . th. rest and refreshment seem relatives to travellers . ar. so discourse and discovery of objects and prospects claim a like privilege , to plant the sweets of diversion in anglers and others . th. yes surely , otherwise i had lost my expectation ; and this day 's journey broke the heart of a traveller . ar. then to cement it again , what if i proceed to instruct you of all those eminent rivers and rivulets , in our passage southward , till we arrive at the beautiful streams of triumphant trent ; whose florid and fertil banks , with a majestick brow , smile on the amorous fields , and england's elizium , the forest of sherwood ; whose shady trees , as a pavilion , shelter and solace the contemplative angler : there it is that philomel melts the air in delightful groves ; there the hills will shelter us , the rocks surround us , and the shady woods relieve and retrieve us , whilst nottingham , that non such , doth sweeten our ears with delicious consorts , & our eyes with variety of buildings , that stand in a serene and wholsom air. but their cellarage , beyond compare , is the best in england , and most commodious , and the whole town situated on a pleasant rock ; where the streets are adorned with beautiful houses , the florid fields fill'd with sweet aroma's ; and the exuberant meadows enrich'd with fragrant perfumes , that will ravish the angler , if when to trace and examine the gliding silver streams of famous trent . th. rome was not built in a day , nor are my resolutions so precipitant to build without materials ; for if rash results reap repentance , it 's good and wholsome advice , to look before we leap ; an old proverb is a good premonition , and a timely premonishment prevents a premonire . i cannot say where to settle , but am desirous my lot may fall in or near to the forest of sherwood , that mingles her shades with the florid meadows that adorn the beautiful streams of trent ; on whose polite sands and murmuring streams , i could freely espouse my vacant hours . ar. in the mean time as we travel these northern tracks , give me leave to inform you of the names of those flourishing rivers , and gliding rivulets , till our eyes make a discovery of the beautiful and solitary shades of sherwood , whose amorous bowers nature her self has curiously drest up to adorn the delightful meadows , and translucid streams of the famous trent . where we may gratify and satisfy our selves with the rod , and inrich our selves with the sweet progress of peace : for having the forest of sherwood on the north , the vale of belvoir on the south , and the transparent glittering streams in the centre , what can we propound to sweeten our recreation more , than to mingle our sober thoughts with the divine prospect of contemplation ? th. i approve of your contrivance for a solitary life , which gratifies and compensates both labour and study . ar. and will it not furnish us with arguments against immoderate excess , and the violent pursuit after recreation ? besides , it will sweeten our lives with the life-touches of vertue , and the property of such things as may best conduce to the present occasion ; as also for our future advantage . as for example ; when returning from trent triumphant with spoil , what hinders us to refresh with rhetorick from apollo ? i know that you 'l grant piety the best expositor of a holy life ; and if so , it gives us the most lively and amiable prospect of eternity , whilst the world , and malicious men , like ravenous vultures , unnaturally tear out one anothers bowels . th. it 's true , i acknowledg that sin , like a cart-rope , draws down destruction on every generation : and is not that generation ripe enough for destruction , where the streets are storm'd with oaths and impieties ; and the houses blackned with blasphemous imprecations ; not a sin cruciated , nor a lust mortified ? surely that nation stands a tip-toe that leans upon the rotten props of pride ; and will not pride ( think you ) sink it self , so inevitably fall with its own weight ? look but upon the foundation of national piety ; and you 'l see how it lies in the arms of national polity . will this suppress the vice of the times , and work a reformation in religion and good manners , such as cruciat christ every day , vilifie christianity , by putting christ to open shame , and a rape upon conscience to gratify their luxury . so not only endangers themselves , but that nation , and those natives so unhappy to live with them . ar. though a spark of fire shine bright , yet every shining spark is not a star ; nor does the orderly laying the sacrifice on the altar , merit the descent of fire from heaven to kindle it : that man that acts by the law of his lust , imprisons his faith , and murders his reason . there is a generation of men that call the sacred scriptures a scare-crow of religion , to frighten people from the duties of christianity ; nay they 'l tell you , that faith , hope and charity , are useless instruments and arguments to explain the mind of god : but such men approve themselves proficients of hell , that run besides the text to become disobedient to all the commandments . man blown up with the blast of ambition , makes it a rule of faith to study revenge ; so puts a sword to his own throat , and yet cries out some other hurts him . hypocrites of all men are dip'd in the deepest die , and doom'd to a lower hell than either scribe or pharisee : whilst the more religious contemplate vision , and seek the seraphick life of angels , which inclines me to an hermetick life , that speaks more piety than pageantry ; more religion than prophaneness ; more services than sacrifices ; more adoration to god , than to temples built with hands . but where are we now ? see here theophilus . th. what shall i see ? ar. beggarly belgrade , the first post-stage in england . th. indeed i took it for a remnant of scotland , but am glad to discover my native country in any dress : i fancied i felt english air , before i touch'd english earth . ar. here 's another object . th. what 's that ? ar. the ruins and remains of an antient castle , whose beautiful impressions are almost blotted out , by the shady strokes and impressions of time , that writes marginal notes on her tottering battlements . and such is the town , crazy and weather-beaten , standing upon stilts ; and because besieg'd with an unweildy wall , makes it look not unlike a pilgrim ; or rather an infirm penitent , that moves slowly and creeps to his grave ; so do her antient ruins slide into dust : these are her ports , if you please let us enter . near to this alnwick runs the river aln , or rather a rivulet . distant from hence about some seven miles southward stands felton-bridg built all with stone , under which there glides most limpid streams that accommodate the angler . th. shall we touch there ? ar. not now , time won't permit us ; but as we descend these mountains , we discover morpeth , whose banks are bath'd with the river mor , where as yet remain the reliques and ruins of an antient castle , whose beauty is almost blotted out with age , or some other irregularities , that prognostick time or war the fatal instruments to deface her battlements . th. what fair object is that before us ? ar. this eminent object that we now discover , is the town of newcastle , rich in merchants , and many other gentlemen of valuable estates ; the wealthy walls of this town are wash'd with the profitable streams of tine ; a river that 's not only considerably deep , but proportionably large and spacious , whose banks and shores are sullied with coal ; whose product supplies all the southern parts , and accommodates england , which otherwise would be all ice , were not newcastle sun enough to thaw it ; and london i perswade my self would be but a cold constellation , did not this ignis fatuus shine in every corner of her beautiful palaces . nay most of our maritime towns , and all her cinque-ports , would coagulate into a concression , did not this blazing comet shine in every chimney . but i must relinquish this mundane star , to climb up the south , to those most pleasant and beautiful galleries of albion . th. what town is this ? ar. this is durham ( and a palatinate ) where you may see an eminent but antient cathedral , begirt with the self-same wall that encircles the town ; whose foundations are wash'd with the streams of weer ; and where the palaces are pleasant , and in some parts beautiful , because shadowed with art , and polish'd with industry . nay the whole country presents a scene of pleasure , because plentifully stock'd with corn and cattle . moreover it is very well supplied with coal , but not to ballance with the stock of newcastle . th. whereabouts are we now ? ar. our course directs us to dirty darlington , and that 's a town that stands in stiff clay , yet centred in a plentiful part of a country . more southward yet , and about some three miles off , glide the glittering streams of the river tee , whose fords are furnish'd with incomparable trout , as are her deeps with the race of salmon . but our next post-stage is the town of north-ollerton , ( a northern situation ) famous for nothing that i know of , except a weather-beaten castle , demolish'd with age , and the ruins of time ; which serves as a reception now for bats and buzards , owls and jack-daws . however the town stands sweetly situated in a rich soil , and fertil fields ; witness her plenty of corn , and her fair and large-headed cattle . more southward yet , and about some seven miles from hence , stands the town of topliff ; but at the south end of the town stands a bridg of stone , that straddles over the sullen swale . there is little remarkable here besides the river , except the soil and solitary meadows . th. whereabouts are we now ? ar. why now we are come to burrough-brigs ; at the north end thereof runs the river yor , into which falls the trembling streams of neid ; so incorporating together , they gulf into owse . in these solitary fields , there stand seven great prodigious stones , elevated like pyramids in the ambient air , of such vast magnitude ( and regular proportion ) that they strike deep impressions into the solid body of earth . i curiously enquired after the meaning of these reliques , but no man was found to answer my inquisitions : from whence i concluded these signal remembrances might remain as trophies or monuments of victory ; and that the natives and inhabitants that dwelt thereabouts , but little busied themselves to rifle into records . further than this , i can give no account . th. whereabouts stands york ? ar. the city of york stands distant from these pleasant fields , about some seven or eight northern miles : the foundation of whose flourishing ports are washed with the mild and moderate waves of the navigable owse ; whose owsy shores , and silent sullied streams mingle themselves with the more resolute torrents of trent , and so gulph into the spacious arms of humber . in this city you shall see a sumptuous cathedral , imbellished with art and polish'd stone : every one that sees it , admires and commends it ; and so do i for a rare piece of art , and a beautiful fabrick . th. and what then , is it ever the better for your admiring on 't ? ar. it 's never the worse , nor is weatherbee neither , through which runs warff ; where there stands a stately bridg of stone , over those rocky foundations that secure her scaly inhabitants , viz. the trout and salmon . from hence we fadg to ferry-brigs ; but in our passage , we meet with a knotty stony cawsy that accommodates the traveller , when the banks o'reflow those florid meadows . about three miles southward there runs a rivulet , but i call it a rill , that gives name to the town ; where note , the inhabitants call it went-bridg . th. whereabouts are we now ? ar. on the skirts of doncaster , so called from the river dun , portable sometimes to the verge of the town ; at other times hardly water enough to turn a mill , or float a cock-boat . it 's a corporation , and a manufacture ; if weaving and knitting stockings , and wastcoats will warrant it : now you must know that this town stands in the post-road ▪ where a man may be welcome that brings money ; otherwise he may step by the borders of bawtry , and consult the melancholy streams of idle , whose banks are burdned with segs and bulrushes . but these glittering streams over which we now pass , flow from the sharps of merry merial . th. why then we touch on the skirts of the forest. ar. we have pass'd through the heart on 't ; for now we discover the weather-beaten walls , and the ruinous battlements of the town of newark , whose flourishing fields are bath'd with the slippery streams of silver trent , that glides along through the fragrant fields , to wash the foundation of her florid meadows ; so tumbles down , but with a soft and murmuring noise , from her more remote and westerly fountains . thus trent slides along through diversified mixtures , and various soils , ( besides polite and glittering sands ) amalgamiz'd with marly oakry earths , alabaster rocks , red and discoloured clays , and polish'd pavements of transparent stones . so that from the west , with a strong and swift current , trent drinks up the torpid surly sow that floats near the walls of the town of stafford . and then the timorous tame falls in , that glides below the town of tamworth : the silent dove also , that melts the smiling banks of tidbury , mingles her streams with trent below monk's bridg. and the resolute darwin that salutes the ports of derby , falls into trent below wilden-ferry . so the sullen soar that leads through leicester , glides into trent near to red hill. besides , the little leen , whose limpid streams wash the beautiful rocks and the shores of nottingham , she also pays tribute at trent-bridge , and the smooth faced snite that scours the vale of belvoir , slides into trent near the sandy foundations of newark . but nearer the marshes falls in the merial ; so does the idle in the isle of axholm . the portable streams of owse also salute the torrents of trent , before her espousals with the spacious humber ; for till then trent retains her original name , notwithstanding the various and complicated mixture of streams , which are many more that glide into trent , and would swell my volume if but to name them . th. if they be nameless , let them alone ; and proceed if you please with the corporation of newark . ar. newark , you may see her antient ports stoop with age , and her bulwarks lie buried in sandy earth , and amalgamiz'd together with the surface of the soil , whose banks are saluted with the torrents of trent , and whose sandy foundations , and cultivated fields sweetned with the fragrances of her florid meadows , adorn the north ; but most pleasant and delectable pastures adorn the east , whilst her southern fields are fill'd with the treasures of corn ; besides the fertility of the flourishing vale of belvoir supplies her granaries ; as her western fragrant meadows reach up to nottingham . so that upon the matter this town of newark ( but not noahs-ark ) is besieged with plenty . in the center of this town is an exact pavement , quadrangular , regular , uniform and spacious ; and in the center of this center stands a market-house , piazza'd or bolstred up with wooden props , commoded with a roof of lead and tile ; but the general scope of this fair pavement requires a more exact method of pen than mine is , to describe it . for that end i proceed to some other particulars , as their gates ; because when to consider that this town of newark ( to my observation ) has but one fair street , which is called by the name of todman-street ; but the gates are miln-gate , middle-gate , kirk-gate , castle-gate , nor-gate , appleton-gate , barnby-gate , bolderton-gate and carter-gate . there is also beamont-cross , potter-dike , hell-end , and cotes-bridg . from the south-west end of this maiden garison , stood the queen's sconce , facing the trent , but the king's sconce ( or sconce royal ) was to the eastward . so that the whole town seemed almost invincible , ( as it was defensible ) because so well defended with men , arms , ammunition and artillery , besides such deep grafts , bastions , horns , half-moons , counter-scarps , redoubts , pit-falls , and an impregnable line of sadd and turff , palizadoed and stockaded , and every fort so furnished with great guns and cannon , that this bulky bulwark of newark represented to the besiegers but one entire sconce ; and the two royal forts , the formidable flankers : nor was there a tree to hinder her prospect . at the north end of newark , supervising the trent , ( and her redolent meadows ) stands to this day the relicks and ruins of a fair castle , whose solid foundations were cemented with stone ; and all the walls , buttresses and battlements with the same material ; whose imbellished front overlook'd the fragrant meadows of trent , and was the last reception for king iohn ; who after his return from swinsted-abby ( where the monk poisoned him ) lodg'd within the portals of this fair palace . there it was that he seal'd the decrees of death that compell'd him to take leave of the world. another curiosity is their collegiate church , beautified and garnished with fair free-stone . the quire or body , and the isles , very large and spacious ; the roof covered all over with lead , but the broach and tower excels in height , because to vie with most parochial churches in england . this maiden garison had her ports guarded with artillery ( as above exprest ) and was made equal in success with the most fortunate garisons relating to the royal interest . here are four fairs quarterly proclaimed every year by the mayor and aldermen of the town of newark ; besides the weak-day market , and a running trade with the country round about them . from the north come those large and fair fronted cattle , that fill newark folds ; and on wednesday every week their market is duly observed , where you may see this large pavement as 't were overspread and crouded with corn , and the shambles , as any market in the county , furnish'd with flesh : besides in the very front of this general exchange , the stalls are as well burden'd with fish. moreover , fowl , with fruits , and many other entertainments , they have in abundance . but now i think it high time to relinquish the ports of newark , to scale the famous ascents of trent , whose generous streams invite us westward . th. this corporation ( i perceive ) by your relation , has been a fortress almost impregnable . ar. there was none beyond it northward , and i 'm sure southward there was none comparable to it . so that above and beneath this town of newark , as we ride along , you may observe mighty blough banks , and incomparable deeps , with pleasant slaty and secure fords , polished with gravel , and enamel'd with sand ; but in some other parts , you shall observe but little disproportion betwixt the surface of earth , and the level of trent ; when on a sudden again , some knotty coagulum of incrustated earth ( sometimes rocky and sometimes marley ) steps up to secure the continent , and rebuke her swelling murmuring streams , seemingly discontent to leave the amorous shores in their more rapid and violent precipitation . th. what town call you this , about some two miles from newark ? ar. this is farnton , which fares very well from the benevolent breasts and amorous arms of trent ; whose shores are saluted with her silent streams , as her meadows are enrich'd with the soveraign soil of trent , that makes glad her inhabitants . so that from farnton about a mile or two stands stoak in a sweet soil , whose banks and shady bowers are perpetually bathed with the solitary gliding streams of trent , that smile on her florid fields , whilst the beautiful fragrant meadows are constantly courted with soft salutes and embracements from the mild and moderate streams of our western fountain . th. what a pleasant part of a country is this ! ar. pleasant do you say ! do but propound what pleasure is , and see if any place in england excels it . this is the place that 's call'd hazelford-clift , from a stately imbellished flourishing wood , that borders south on the side of trent , that climbs up a rocky and mountanous elevation , facing the north , and the delectable shades of the forest of sherwood ; whose beautiful banks and delightful shores , are celebrated to the pleasant amours of trent , defended on the south by the vale of belvoir , and guarded from the north by the shady trees of the forest : but her east is refresh'd by fragrant meadows , cultivated fields , and delightful pastures , adorned with most excellent rills , rivulets and fountains . this is our inamouring northern prospect , the anglers arcadia , the greatest aviary , and the most mellifluous consort in nottingham-shire . nay , it 's england's elizium , if elizium be any where . of which if any doubt to trace or find out , it 's here to be found , if any where in england ; otherwise he may conclude that elizium's but a fiction ; for if not understood in these fragrant fields , pardon me to think , nay i dare to assert it 's no where else . th. indeed it 's a sweet place , i have never seen the like before ; but what town is that ? ar. this town we call knieton ; it stands yet more west , elevated on a rocky precipice of albaster , and red marly earth , hovering over the streams of trent ; and borders on the skirts of the vale of belvoir , facing the forest ; and bridgeford lies much on the same level , west south-west , guarded with rocks and stately mountains , opposite as i take it to the inundations of trent . but the town of gunthorp stands directly north , blest with flourishing and florid meadows ; whose fragrancy oftimes perfumes the shores , as trent's proud waves besprinkle her sands . shelford you may see inclines yet more westward , whose foundations i have considered lie so low and flat , that they level the very surface of trent ; but burton and bulcoat stand north of her ruins , and are shaded by the flourishing trees of the forest. th. what have we here ? ar. gedlin and carleton , these lie yet more west , and incline , if i mistake not , two points to the northward ; but the palace of holm-peirpoint adorns the south : from whose beautiful elevations we discover the battlements , and some part of the situations of famous nottingham ; whose odoriferous gardens perfume the air ; and whose florid fields , and fragrant meadows , glut the scickle , and satiate the sithe . th. grant my allowances , and i 'll give you my opinion ; and not stick to tell you , that trent surpasseth tagus , notwithstanding the boast of her golden sands ; whose transparent and translucid streams , strike deep impressions , and ravishing refreshing resentments , inviting the contemplative angler to consider the plenty , and the great variety that are daily drag'd forth out of her bountiful and well furnished streams , enough one would think to cause admiration , which formerly i could never believe : but now i 'm convinced beyond opposition . ar. nay 't is true , and i can tell you more ; that speed and cambden , both of authentick authority , will also tell you , that the swelling breasts of admired trent , hourly relieve thirty sorts of fish ; and that her arms embrace as many market-towns , and as many castles are implanted on her cultivated suburbs ; and that thirty rivers also mingle themselves with trent's more resolute and sturdy streams , and with the loss only of their virgin names : which report if any one question it , you shall find recorded in voluminous history . but had they practically and experimentally consulted trent , as my self ( and some others ) have done , they had without dispute met with more variety of fish than they inserted , or modestly included in their publick impressions . th. that 's strange ; pray untie the knot . ar. what great difficulty is it , think you , to prove that , that every angler frequently experiments , if he but take pains to examine her fords , or seriously peruses this catalogue of fish ; where he shall find twenty two sorts of edible fish that daily accost the silver streams of trent . now the rest you are to consider , especially some of them are never to be dealt with by the trembling rod , nor the feeble force of a slender line . such fish , i must confess , as are more than ordinarily resolute , are doom'd to die by the law of the noosy net. th. you have the catalogue i presume , pray accommodate me with it . ar. that i 'll freely do . here — hold forth your hand , and take this little book ; and when you fish , on your directions look ; till theory speak you master , then you may compleat your self in practicks day by day . so understand the various change and season , how to catch fish , and after give your reason . there 's few that fish these streams know all the fish the trent affords to anglers , and their dish : here 's pickrel , barbel , burbolt , rud and roach , graylin , flounder , cheven , perch and loach , bream and tench , carp and gudgeon , dace and ruff , eel , lampre , bleak , minue , some silk , some stuff . twenty in number i have here exprest , some daily taken ; season for the rest . there yet remain two nobler sorts behind , to make them twenty two ; but then their kind are trout and salmon , those are fish that waste in time of travel , besides they lose their taste and sweet complexion ; chiefly at such time when out of season ; what remains in prime summer and winter , spring and autumn flees : the blooming leaf drops from the fading trees . nature appropriates each thing to its kind , as well in fish as flesh , this truth we find by daily observation ; provide we search but the records , and the mysterie of mother art , by nature first instructed , from whence all finite beings are producted . th. now i 'm convinced . ar. then it 's your duty to labour to convince others . th. so i will , if the anglers catalogue can do it . ar. and if that won't do it , let it be undone : however it may serve some iuniors for diversion . th. ay , and seniors too , had we but your additional supplement of the residue of fish ; which being wanting , will in my opinion render the residue of your discoveries imperfect . ar. that i resolve against , though we drag them forth from their holds and fastnesses by violence . and first , i 'll begin with the sturgeon , then the shad , the porposs , the congar , lampern , fluke , the aromatick smelt , sandeel , craw-fish , bulhead , and that little supernumerary the bant or stittlebag ; which needs no net to drag him out . th. nor an arithmetician to sum them up , for my calculation compleats them to thirty three ; besides some foreigners , to most unintelligible . now as we trace the beautiful banks , and the amorous shores of famous trent , that invites to solitudes and experience , we may mingle rewards among our recreations , and sweeten our labours and industry with divine contemplation ; a study the indigent world is ignorant of . what are these ! the stupendous fabricks of nottingham , whose foundations are laid in rocky sand , and so firmly rivited into the bowels of the earth , that neither age nor time can hardly decay them ? and was this that impregnable castle , elevated on a rock , and lifted up so high as to storm the air , and supervise the bordering inhabitants that dwell in the florid vale of belvoir ? was this that great ornament that adorn'd the country , that sleeps now in dust ? ar. these are the relicks of that famous antiquity , where art and industry discovered themselves inseparable companions . let us approach her beautiful ports , inrich'd with three parish churches ; but one of them of late was torn in pieces with martial treats . but to speak the truth , it was by provocation : for the pulpit you must know vied with the peerage for superiority ; and that made the souldiers commit sacrilege , and undress this beautiful relick , that lies now in silence , and hudled in ashes becomes her own sepulchre . now the cellerage in these situations of nottingham , are the most commodious that i know in england ; whose descents you may trace twenty or thirty foot from the surface of the soil . but there are other cellars that almost court day , where they make their malt , and lodg commodities either for a domestick or foreign trade . for so great is the plenty she draws from the breasts of the country , that were she wanting in her self , they would want themselves in wanting her . another rarity it behoves the reader to observe ; and that is , upon examination her wells will be found as deep , if not in some places deeper , than their cellars . yet amongst all her stately imbellishments , we petrole as i remember but two fair streets ; the rest are gates , allies , rows , lanes , marshes , &c. but the prospect as we advance , presents to the south , and the generous streams of silver trent , directing to the leen-bridg , facing the hollow stone ; or rather , as i may term them , habitable rocks , through which we ascend to consult those splendid inhabitants , that live under a well-polished government , and those other circumstantials of civility and ingenuity . now this avenue of fishergate , we leave on our right hand ; and that on our left , is the marshes , as we ascend to climb up the hollow stone , and mount the elevations of a large and spacious street , called the high pavement : but stony-street and pepper-street , are all the streets in nottingham . the rest are either lanes or gates : as mary-gate , pilcher-gate , fletcher-gate , well-gate , boyard-lane , swinegreen , saint-iones's , and hockly in the hole , &c. but the week-day shambles we leave on our right hand ; and on our left , those sandy foundations that face the south ; whose skirts are moistned with the generous leen , and there live the tanners , tawyers , fell-mongers , parchment and vellum-dressers , besides the glutiners , that dwell in houses contiguous with the rocks ; but the buildings are not under-ground , though stooping so low as to level some part of the very surface , refresh'd with fragrant aromas , sent from the florid meadows of trent . but this terra nova , or terra incognita , they generally call it the narrow-marsh . th. whereabouts are we now ? ar. now we descend to the lower pavement , by dividing the town-hall from the leaden well , near unto which the week-day cross is frequently crowded with country curiosities : but advancing forward in a direct line , we encounter the fronteers of castle-gate , and leave the broad marsh , and grayfrier-gate on our left hand . towards the upper end of which , and not far from hungate , stood the imbellishments of nicholas church , associating with some inconsiderable lanes , allies and caves ; but inclining yet more westward , and nearer the castle , remain the bogholes , and the brewhouse-yard . but i forgot to tell you , that in the very centre , or division of the pavement , there stands a bow ( or a fair port ) opposite to bridle-smith-gate ; adjoining to which , is girdle-smith-gate ; and next unto that , is peter-gate , a derivative from the church that fronts the west angle , and directs into hungate . but presupposing your station at the north end of bridle-smith-gate ; immediately then you face hen-cross , which in a direct line leads on to cow-lane-bar ; but if otherwise you incline to the left , then you leave the saturday shambles , the fruiterers and the cage on your right hand , and peck-lane that directs to peter's church , on your left ; but if pointing your passage towards the western angle , you then enter the sands , and also the sheep-market , which is commonly kept upon timber-hill . now advancing more westward , you enter the friers , but on the left hand of your entrance , is wheeler-gate ; and on your right , is the beast-market that fronts the long-row , into which , and from the skirts of the forest , there presents a small avenue , some call it sheep-lane ; opposite to which is saint iohn's-lane , but that descends in a direct line , either from the castle , or boston-bridg ; so that the ornament , gaity and beauty , is the long-row . beauty did i say ? all the town is a beauty , if you consider her stately buildings . now as you pass through the long-row , it directs to bar-gate . on the left hand of whose ruinous antiquities , and upon a rising elevation of ground , the standard royal was advanced by charles the first , near to the reliques and remains of that sumptuous castle , not far from the obscurements of mortimer's-hole . i must confess there needs no great noise to trumpet the fame of this non-such nottingham , whose plenty , if i mistake not , fills every neighbouring county ; and whose generous breasts recruit not only travellers and foreigners , but send supplies to all the villages that border about her ; whose granaries commode the british continent ; and whose liberality extended to adjacent parts , interprets nottingham to be no town , but rather the inland mart and store-house of great-britain . th. but how will the reader descant upon all these eminent encomiums ? ar. it matters not a rush how any man resents it , since nottingham of it self so well deserves it . for if with freedom i may declare my own opinion , i must confess my fancy too flatulent , my strain too torpid , my pen not elegant , nor my stile polite enough to illustrate the beauty of such stately inbellishments , the admired subject of every man's praise ; which more worthily deserves the applause of an ingenious historiographer , rather than the character of so weak a surveyer . however , i have done what i was able to do , and shall now leave the scenes for some other to decipher , that 's more intelligible , and capable to perform such a work than my self . yet give me leave once again to drive the nail a little further ; when to evince the dissatisfied that nottingham ( as prenoted ) is no town , but rather a beautiful and imbellish'd seraglio , where every street , nay every port , represents as it were the new face of a court. th. or a comet . ar. then what if i call it our northern star , to influence and reflect on the southern elevations , and because being bless'd with the blessings of trade and fertility ; but could i say she liv'd without the vanity of prodigality , then would i stile her a vertue as well as a beauty ; where art and invention have supplies and encouragement ; and where new fabricks are hourly lifted up into the ambient air. so that a man would think her to sprout and vegetate , by the daily progress she makes in her buildings . so that when you come to fee her arbours and aviaries , so naturally dress'd up in the shades of the forest , and perfum'd with fragrancies from the redolent meadows of trent ; besides the pleasant prospect it has into the cultivated fields in the fruitful vale of belvoir , then would you say that nottingham is the magazine for cheshire and lancashire ; and the daily supply of those mountainous parts in the peak of derby-shire . these are those ports , where the angler ( and ingenious ) never yet entred without sober accommodation , let us therefore first consult the virtuoso's of the rod ; afterwards sweeten our ears with rhetorique from apollo . th. as you have given us a fair and large character of nottingham , so have you been as copious in your practical experiments of angling , and brought to test the undeniable assertions of truth , not imaginary fragments , nor romantick fictions , stoln or suggested by plundring plagiaries . now every one knows that ignorance emulates art ; and impiety above all things abominates devotion . tradition also that truckles under forms , and hypocrisy and flattery are time's apostates : but science and experience are the confirmation of eye-sight ; and truth the standard of divine speculation . by these we proportion the measures of vertue , which is found by him that treads the tracks of wisdom , and wades through the profound depths of patience : for as he that devotes himself to a solitary life , lives a life most congruous to devotion ; so he that devotes himself to piety , lives a life analogous to contemplation . for what signifies the court , but to remonstrate the prince his magnificence ; and the palace , but to heighten his enjoyments ? on the other hand , where humility is celebrated to piety ; there content dwells every-where in an humble breast ; and humility and penitency , like links concatinate , content themselves with the garb of a cottage . thus we may read the state of the world : but that which i always approved of as the best state , was to seek the blessings of content in every condition . then welcome woods , rocks , rivers , groves , rivulets ; nay it 's possible the very shades of a forest , in some measure answer to the comforts of life ; and life answers to the ends of the great creator . consider therefore that the soul 's great diadem is christ ; and christ , by wisdom and sanctification every christian knows , is god. and who but god created this stupendous creation , and drest up this imbelish'd fabrick of heaven and earth , when he made the majesty of his invisibility visible , and placed man in this sublunar orb , to conduct and manage his fellow-creatures . but man imprudently transgressing , in not answering the glorious ends of his divine creation , in obedience to the commands of the sovereign decrees of god , the almighty discharged him the soveraignty of government ; so exil'd him from the glorious sun-shine of paradise . of whom if you please , let us have an account . but i wonder at one thing , to me it 's a paradox . ar. what 's that ? th. you writ your book in , and spread the net to . ar. what if i do ; i lived in the reign of five kings , and in the time of four great worthies . th. was o. p. one ? ar. i leave that bone for you to pick. but this i assert , that great english hero was exemplary in piety , eminent in policy , prudent in conduct , magnanimous in courage , indefatigable in vigilancy , industriously laborious in watchings , heroick in enterprize , constant in resolution , successful in war ; one that never wanted a presence of mind in the greatest difficulties ; all the world owns him for a great general , that influenced all europe , gave laws to all neighbouring nations , and disciplined france with english arms. th. these are great encomiums . was the lord r. one ? ar. that great man of worth and honour , was truly vertuous ; the patriot of his country , and the glory of the court , beloved of the people , and a lover of piety ; who left legacies of love to the surviving natives , when he sealed his death with noble english blood. th. was col. a. s. one ? ar. that great soul was too great for the world , whose life in a manner was a continued death , signified by those trophies of war he carried about him . he died but to teach his country-men the easy methods of honourable dying , to the astonishment of mankind , and foreign ambassadors . th. was alderman c. one ? ar. that brave and worthy citizen , to his eternal praise , sealed london's magna chart a with a christian exit , and a voice from heaven . therefore put no more questions , for the aenigma is explained , but begin where you left off , so let us conclude . th. then i 'le only desire a description of man. arnoldus his meditation . ar. adam as an angel in the shades of paradise , typified his creator : then it was that this mortal state seemed immortal ; and man , because a signature of this admirable creation , was made to live by that life that made him ; for it was the will of the supreamest that made him , to shine a ray of the majesty upon him , and generate in him the glorious beauteous ray of himself . but this was done when the divine majesty made man absolute lord , and commissioned him conduct over all the creatures . so that adam was now a divine substitute , because the divinity had divinely inspired him , and stamp'd the impress of his royal signet upon him , the lively emblem and character of himself ; whereby to demonstrate in him a sovereign power over all the families of creatures that god had made , and by wisdom bless'd in this stupendous creation . so that you may read , adam was made in the likeness of his maker ; but he begot in his own likeness . this was once the blessed state of adam , and a regenerate state ( to be born again in spirit ) is the same with us now : for primitive purity can never be blotted out by national impiety . nor shall age , nor time , nor death it self vacate the lustre and glory of christianity : for as the donation of purity is the royal act of him that 's pure , and lives for ever ; so the piety of christianity shall out-live all ages , to the utmost limit and period of time. where note , the primitive times have liv'd till now ; and that that begot time in the bosom of eternity , is christ in us the hope of glory . why then do christians violate their faith ? does it become us to enslave it by lust ? a proud faith is as great a contradiction , as an humble devil . the glorious hope we have of paradise , incites and invites believers to the duty of repentance ; and repentance leads on to a humble submission , to cruciate our selves and this temporal state , that naturally resigns upon every assault of death ; for all complicated elements melt into obscurity . shall the clay rebel against the potter that moulds it ? shall man resist his maker that made him ? shall the vice of the times vote against heaven ? and impiety provoke us to mutiny against the deity ? must we learn no language but oaths and imprecations ? and denounce no dialect but the rhetorick of hell ? can no bounds be put to luxurious ambition ? nor any limit to the impudent impostor ? who has not considered the body sometimes diseased , and how death stands ready to blot out the character of life ? so that if ill symptoms but happen to invade us , the grave immediately stands gaping to devour us . nor can our limbs any sooner be touched with the cold and icie finger of death , but our vital fires begin all to extinguish ; and the glorious shining sparks of life look languid and dim ; and so by degrees lose their sparkling lustre . then it is that the natural artifice of men and means suddenly forsake us , and the secret subtilties of our deceitful hearts basely and cowardly renounce and desert us . and then it is , that our truckling faith prostrates a false heart on the cold and frozen altar of despair , which formerly was the common factorage , and receptable of impure flames , where we used to offer up adulterated sacrifices , with impious adorations , as the athenians did to unknown gods , prophetically prognosticating our merited destruction . so that now in a clod , or lump of clay , the lustre of life is silently sealed up , and secretly conveyed to the sepulchres of death ; and because translated from the beauteous creation , is made to cease from a natural state , and embrace corruption , and the putrid grave in eternal silence ; where we shall never see light nor day any more , nor with sorrow or reluctancy look back upon the anguish and anxiety of those we formerly persecuted by unjust sentences ; when as judges we sat and perverted judgment , yet would seem to appear as angels of light. but strip'd and stark naked the world now inspects us , and all those graces that naturally adorn'd us , discover themselves but personal deformities . so that disease finds as little difficulty to attempt us , as death to encounter and overcome us . for have not our sensual guards all declin'd us , and the arguments of sense and reason revolted from us ? every instrument and organ has reclaim'd its natural function , whereby we perceive our selves deserted by the active shining motions of life ; and doom'd to death by the law of sin , we subscribe to the fatal decrees of mortality . o fatal flattering impiety , where 's all those specious pretences of purity that link'd and intail'd our suborn'd inclinations to the gaudy temptations of luxurious honour ? what if every man had the wealth of a monarch , and as great as alexander in empire and dominion ; and suppose his domesticks as numerous as the world , yet death would arrest him , and send him summons to appear before heaven's high tribunal , where he must answer for himself , and not another for him ; whilst conscience , as a bold and daring accuser , will accuse him for the deeds done here in the body . so that as our work was here upon earth , such also will be our reward in heaven . but how sad will it be , when to behold the portals of the new ierusalem firmly bolted and barrocaded against us ; when to hear the dreadful and irrevocable sentence of eternal excommunication pass upon us , to be utterly secluded society with the saints , and denied community with the blessed angels , that perpetually triumph with seraphick hallelujahs , as the seraphims and cherubims with heavenly ejaculations , whilst we are made to grope in darkness unutterable , and to lament there the impiety of life ; and debar'd repentance after death , because to reject it when proffred unto us : for in the grave there 's no contrition ; nor after judgment is there any revocation . this is a sad and deplorable sentence , beyond the reach of sorrow to contemplate : for if but to consider the janglings in hell , and the murmuring complaints of the damned in torments , that belch out blasphemies to confirm their impieties ; and by spiritual pride prophane the beauty of holiness ; and would , if possible , corrupt the creation , prostituting to idols , and the ides of time ; and as much as in them lies , pervert and poison the sacred oracles of judgment and justice . but what tongue can express the glorious raptures , and beatifical visions the saints enjoy , with the seraphick harmony of the blessed hierarchy ; whilst penitents pass by the gates of hell , to the heavenly triumphant joys of eternity . o what love so convincing and stupendously manifest , as a saviour to die for unregenerate sinners ! to affix himself to the cross of death , to fasten our souls to eternal life ! to load his body with the burden of sin , to purchase for sinners the seal of redemption ! this is that great and sublime elixir , that transmutes our nature into divinity , time into eternity , and our souls into himself ; from which supereminent heavenly state , there 's no relaxation , but an intire unity and community with god , for ever and ever to all eternity . for as light is inseparable from it self , nor can darkness co-mingle or incorporate with it ; such is the soul that is truly sanctified and sprinkled with the blood of this miracle of mercy , that never for the future can be separated from its saviour : but as sin hates the light , because the light discovers its darkness ; so light , because it 's the standard of truth , not only discovers but dissipates the darkness . the lamb of god is the light of the world , that for ever shines , and for ever frees the penitent soul from the shades of darkness . how great therefore must that light be , that enlightneth the world , and every man that cometh into the world ? now the true state of felicity is only attainable by faith in christ ; and faith directs to the portals of humility ; humility to piety ; and piety leads on to the duties of charity , by a religious resignation of our inglorious will , to the glory of his will that bore our burden of sin on the cross. here let us sigh down , if possible , the sins of the age , as christ by the virtue of his pure divinity depress'd those mountains of sin in the world : then in obedience to this great example , let us cruciate our selves , the better to enable us to triumph over death : for to conquer self , forceth the devil to recoil ; and to render the vanities of this world contemptible , is to lead hell and captivity captive ; which none but christ can do , and has done : yet ought we to imitate our leader , as true volunteers of the cross , if we hope to imbrace the royal sanctions of him that bore his cross in a bloody shower , for the redemption of mankind . this i recommend to the christian reader that follows the lamb the captain of our salvation . th. by this most excellent description of man , he labours , i perceive , under great anxiety , till christ affix him by his sovereign ray of light , whereby to illuminate and sublime his immortal soul into the everlasting arms of himself , the glorious being of his all-glorious father , where time shall be no more : for time is but the child of eternity , as is generation the child of time. generation therefore devolves in time , and time results in the arms of eternity . but eternity is the beam of the majesty of god , whose divine centre is love essential ; and love is an attribute so divinely connected to the infinite wisdom and goodness of him that never had beginning , by whom all things were begot in time. whereby he made his invisibility visible , which he eminently did when he manifested his glorious inside , by the excellency and beauty of the external outside of this stupendous and most admirable creation . ar. you have sum'd it up right , and said nothing but truth ; and truth is the alpha and omega ; the beginning of all beings , and the end of all times ; the infinite invisibility made visible ; the immaculate humanity clothed with divinity ; the glory , beauty and wisdom of the father , the beatisical vision , the light of the world that now is , ever was , and for ever and ever will remain so to be , when death and time shall be no more . and now give me leave to recommend unto you ( most worthy your observation ) these general rules for fish and fishing , with directions also for baits and seasons . th. be you my tutor , and i 'le be your pupil . the salmon . ar. as the salmon is a monarch and king in the freshes , so he is the ultimate result of the angler's conquest . this royal game ( all the summer-time ) has his residence in the rapid and forcible streams in rivers ; but the sea is his sanctuary most months in the winter : so that a man may rationally conclude , without a parenthesis , that he is always to be found , though not always in season . besides , the salmon is incident , as other fish are , to various accidents ; more especially if we consider the female fish , who in the spring ( as other females do ) drops her eggs ( but some call it spawn ) which makes her infirm : and if it so happen that she lags behind her natural mate in the fall of the leaf , she is then prohibited the benefit of salt-water to bathe her fins , and carry off her slimy impurities , which is the natural cause of her kipperish infirmity , that alters her delicate proportion of body , and blots out the beautiful vermilian stain and sanguin tincture of blood , which vividly and transparently shines through her rubified gills ; so that now she begins to look languid and pale , her fins they fag , and her scales by degrees lose their natural shining brightness ; as also her regular and well-compos'd fabrick of body , looks thin , lean , and discoloured : and her head that grows big , and disproportionable , as if distemper'd and invaded with the rickets ; over whose chaps hangs a callous substance , not much unlike to a falcon's beak ; which plainly denotes her out of season , and as plainly as any thing demonstrates her kippar . now i come to nominate some eminent rivers in england , that accommodate the angler with the race of salmon . first therefore i prefer the river trent , because of her rapid and oriental streams ; that never sully themselves , till arriving near to the shores of gainsborough , where trent oft washeth her banks with the eagre , so glides immediately into the arms of humber . next unto trent , we present you with the translucid glittering streams of severn , that not far from bristol mingle themselves with the ocean . nor shall we omit those torpid and melancholy streams of owse , that gulph themselves into trent-fall . but of all rivers that glide through the cultivated fields in england , the bountiful , beautiful , and most illustrious thames has the soveraignty of the rest ; because her streams influence not england only , but all the banks and shores in europe ; and is without precedent , because of the excellency and delicacy of her fish , more especially below bridg ; where the merchants turn anglers , and throw their lines as far as both indies , peru , the ganges , mozembique , barbary , smirna , alexandria , aleppo , scandaroon , and all the wealthy ports in the universe . these are the fish that feast the nation ; otherwise england would be unlike it self , if unhappily wanting such provident anglers . but scotland has already received a character of most of her eminent rivers and rivulets , that wash and moisten her sandy shores ; nor have i nominated more than four metropolitan rivers in england , that bathe her fertil and florid banks ; because having a mind to step into wales , or the suburbs of it , to discover there a singular curiosity , which probably may puzzle the opinion of artists and others . now one of these rivers in called wye , but the other is known by the name of vsk : both which rivers , as i am told , incorporate themselves on the southside of monmouth . but the reason why i mention these two eminent rivers , is only in regard of their various entertainments , by reason the salmon there are always in season ; for the one supplies the defects of the other . as thus for example ; if when to consider wye flourisheth with salmon , vsk as if no river , is rarely discours'd of . on the contrary ; when as vsk sends her supplies to the bordering inhabitants , then is wye as little as any thing thought of . by this contrariety and diversity of nature , the natives may conclude that winter and summer give not only the season to salmon , but rather that they have laws from the streams they glide in ; or wales differs from all the world. the next thing that falls under the anglers consideration , is the bait or charm for the royal race of salmon ; which i reduce under the classis of two generals , viz. the fly for frolick , to flourish and sport on the surface of the streams ; and the ground-bait for diversion , when designing to drag at the bottom . but what if i direct you a central way , that in my opinion upon approved practice will intice him ashore in mid-water . now if the angler design that for his exercise , ( in such case ) let him make provision of fair and large minews , small gudgeons , or a diminutive dace , ( with the artificial use of the swivel to flourish his bait ) the brightness or gloominess of the day considered : but if the ground-bait be intended , which always succeeds best in discoloured waters ; then in such case , prepare for him a well-scoured lob-worm , or knotted dew-worm , drag'd forth of the forest , or any other sterril or barren soil , which as soon as any thing ( with dextrous management ) will compel him ashore though it cost him his life . i write from experience , for i am not unacquainted with the multiform variety of terrene animals ; as you may read more at large in my following appendix : more especially of those worms , that are taken and drag'd forth out of a hard and skirrous earth , which ought to be well depurated ( or scoured ) two or three days in the finest , cleanest , and sweetest moss that fastens it self to the root of the ash-tree ; sprinkling it first with new and sweet ale ; afterwards remember to squeeze it forth , so operate like an artist : but that which is better , and more concordant to my approbation , is fleeted cream , from the benevolence of the dairy ; which to admiration makes your worm become viscous and tough ; and that which yet is more to be admired , they also become bright , and almost transparent : for that end i counsel and advise the angler , when designing to approach the deeps for diversion , that he take some always with him to heighten his exercise , or influence and inamour his game . it is not so difficult to put some in a box made of wood called lignum vitae , perforated with holes , besmearing or anointing it over first with the chymical oil of bays , sulphur , barbadoes tar , ivy , cornu-cervi ; or indeed almost any other oil that has but a strong and foetid empyruma , will serve well enough , where the oil of oesprey is generally wanting . with these requisite circumstantials we approach the deeps , and the strongest descents and falls in the stiffest streams ; the like we do in eddies , and turns in back-waters ; for the salmon you must know loves a solitary shade . arm well be sure , and fish as fine as you can , ( isaac owldam used to fish with but three hairs at hook ) and forget not the swivel , as above precautioned ; and the running line be sure you remember . stand close i advise you , and keep your distance , especially when approaching the rapid fords , because there , for the most part , the streams run clear , and you with design come on purpose to destroy him ; as it 's probable you may , provided your art , skill and ingenuity do but serve to manage so eminent an encounter . now give me leave but to step from the water-side to numerate and describe the various brood of salmon ; so to distinguish them according to mode , or as some will have it , the custom of the country . where note , in the south they call him samlet ; but if you step to the west , he is better known there by the name of skeggar ; when in the east they avow him penk ; but to the northward , brood and locksper , so from thence to a tecon ; then to a salmon . now to recreate with the fly , ( meaning the artificial ) that 's another sort of exercise for the angler's diversion ; which ought to be considered , and diversly consulted , in regard of so great variety of form , lustre , beauty and proportion . for that end let me advise you , that the ground of your fly be for the most part obscure , of a gloomy , dark and dusky complexion ; fashioned with tofts of bears-hair , blackish or brownish discolour'd wool , interwoven sometimes with peacocks feathers , at otherwhiles lap'd about with grey , red , yellow , green , or blewish silk , simple colours , or colours sometimes intermingled . for instance , black and yellow represent the wasp or hornet ; and a promiscuous brown the flesh fly ; so of the rest . for that end consult the humour of the fish , who to humour your exercise puts himself out of humour , chiefly and principally when he parts with his life . these requisite precautions ought to be the study of every studious and ingenious angler , together with the knowledg of time and season , when to resort to the river for recreation . the next thing necessary is the shape of your rod , which ought in all respects to represent the rush in its growth ; for that end we call it rush-grown : and be sure it be streight and plient . your line also that must be accurate and exactly taper'd ; your hook well compassed , well pointed , and well barbed : and be mindful that your shank exceed not in length ; i mean not so long as when you drag with the ground-bait . nor is it proper for the artist to court a stream , except he be always provided of his dubbing bag , wherein are contained all sorts of thrums , threads , silks , moccado-ends , silver and gold twist ; which are of excellent use to adorn your fly , and in a great measure quicken the sight of your game ; provided the day be promiscuous and dark , occasioned by smooty and discoloured clouds . now should i enumerate the multiform variety of animals , the various colours and proportion of infects , with the diversity of flies , it would but redouble my labour and trouble ; since already i have discoursed them in another place ; where the artist also , if he be ingenious , may consult and examine the methods of experiments , so make himself master of this solitary mystery : otherwise let him remain silent among proficients , and a profest ignoramus among practitioners . and among the variety of your fly-adventurers , remember the hackle , or the fly substitute , form'd without wings , and drest up with the feather of a capon , pheasant , partridg , moccaw , phlimingo , paraketa , or the like , and the body nothing differing in shape from the fly , save only in ruffness , and indigency of wings . another necessary observation , is the wing of your fly , which ought to proceed from the teal , heron ; malard , or faulcon . the pinion and wing thereof ought to lie close , and so snug as to carry the point exactly downward . but the last thing material is , the moderate stroak ; which always proves mortal , and best succeeds if used without violence : the line also , keep that streight as occasion requires , so that nothing be remiss , nor any thing wanting ; and the necessity of the wheel be sure you remember . the salmon loves those rapid rivers , where the craggy rocks above the streams appear . in deepest waters , and in strongest streams he lives ; yet like a martyr sometimes dies in flames . the trovt . i have already told you that the salmon is king in the freshes : and now i must tell you that the princely trout has his residence and principality in the same fluctuating element , partaking very much of the nature of salmon , admiring stiff and rapid streams in the vernon ingress ; but he accosts the solitary deeps most months in the winter . in the spring , you shall observe this active animal scud to the fords , where he flutters his fins at every silly fly ; for that 's his rendezvouz , and there you 'l find him , picking and gliding against stones in the bottom , to scour off , if possible , the slimy substance and scurf from his sickly sides ; frequently occasioned through want of motion . so that when the sun vegetates and invigorates the creation , then is he invigorated with motion and activity , which argues a very great and unpardonable absurdity in the ignorant and incredulous angler , to fancy that peregrination debilitates and weakens him ; when apparently it adds an additional strength ▪ not well considering they were only told so ; or peradventure they had read it in some printed book , concluding from thence an infallibility in the press . but as i intend not to burden you with circumlocutions , for brevity sake , i shall range the trout under the consideration of the first classis of fish. for that end , i must signalize his vivacity and vigour , his activity and courage , how naturally they spring from the nature of this fish , till age or accident indispose and deprive him , not only of activity , but of natural ability ; who struggles with himself to out-do motion , and out-live , if possible , the law of his life . so that to prohibite him travel , you totally destroy him ; since he is a fish that can't live under confinement . and thus it happens to the race of salmon , for nature's laws are alike to both . in the summer's solstice he accosts the fords , making inspection and inquisition after the variety of emmits and insects , hovering his fins in every murmuring purling stream in rivers and rivulets , which not only puts a spur to the angler's exercise , but his expectation also : and this , if any thing ▪ is the angler's elizium ; which i shall not insist upon here , because having inlarged upon it sufficiently already . in this place i shall only treat of the ground-bait ; which most commonly is a knotted or budled dew-worm ; much of the nature and kind of the former , but not usually so large as that we procure for the salmon . now as every angler concludes the trout a delicate fish for diversion , so others , as artists , consult him a delicious entertainment . but the trout to entertain himself , as eagerly sucks in a well-scour'd red-worm , as the wide-mouth'd humber swallows up a full spring-tide . for that end , grudg him not what he loves , and give him time to digest it . your business is only to stand sentinel , and to keep a vigilant eye and a diligent hand over him ; for patience is not only an exercise but an excellency in anglers , provided they fall not asleep at their exercise ; especially when angling or troling with the ground-bait , which upon probate proves most profitable after gluts of rain and discoloured waters . nor is this ground-bait otherwise than a worm , variously discours'd by me at several times , and in sundry places . for that end ( to avoid repetitions ) where the worm fails of success , make trial of the minew , in sharps or scours , by dragging at the bottom , or in mid-water ; which if dextrously performed ( with the swivel ) by the hand of an artist , he shall seldom or rarely fail of success . but for the fly-fishing , if that be the artist's intention ; let me soberly advise him to solicite moderate winds , rather than intemperate and violent gusts . rally my reasons , and sum them up ; you will find them more copious in my former conference , where at large i discourse and decipher both the shape , colour , and the proportion of flies ; for i hate tautologies , because hateful in themselves ; and there 's nothing more troublesom to an ingenious artist , than to be glutted by telling a story twice . the trout therefore judicially considered , his mouth is not by much so large as the salmon's ; nor requires he so copious nor so large a hook , nor need his tackle be so robust and strong . but for the rod and line , take care , that they in all respects be exactly tapered . and to hit the mark as near as may be , let care be taken that the line in every part be equally stretch'd , and the steel of your hook of an even temper ; nor matters it how light you are arm'd at the hook ; so that on the surface , when you flourish your fly , be sure that you gain the head of the stream ; and if possible , the wind , to facilitate your cast. but if the ground-bait be your exercise , then let the length of your line seldom or rarely exceed the rule of your rod : whilst the fly-diversion grants a larger charter , distance and dimension also come under the consideration of every artist that is mindful to measure exact proportion , by concealing himself from the streams he sports in . so that if at any time the fly fails of success , as frequently it has happened to my self and others , let the angler then have recouse to the ashtree-grub , the palmer-worm , caterpillar , green or gray drak , the depinged grasshopper ; or that truculent insect , the green munket of the owlder-tree . but if none of these baits presented , succeed to profit ; and the water as we apprehend to remain discoloured ; let him then assault the trout at the bottom , with that mortal allurement which i call the gild-tale : for that of all worms allures him ashore . the generous trout to make the angler sport , in deep and rapid streams will oft resort . where if you flourish but a fly , from thence you hail a captive , but of fish the prince . the pike . the pike is a voracious ravenous fish , that frequents the waters , and lives always upon spoil : for moss-trooper like , he murders all he meets with . and as it is impossible to find him without an appetite , so is it as improbable to proffer him any thing that he 'l refuse . one would think him a graduate by his various appellations ; as that of jack , pickerel , pike , and lucit ; which makes him look big and swell with titles , as westminster-hall look'd blough with dunbar trophies . now the angler that consults this formidable desperado , must search him in the spring by examining the ditches , narrow grips & gullies , where probably he may find him poaching after mice ; and in the avenues in marishes hunting after frogs , with which he trucks his life for a trifle . but the yellow frog , of all frogs , brings him to hand , for that 's his dainty and select diet , wherein nature has placed such magical charms , that all his powers can never resist them , if fastned on the hook with that exactness , that his life may shine , and the bait seem undeprived of natural motion . which if dextrously performed , the angler will be convinced , that a ledger of all baits is the most truculent destructive morsel in the world. but march expiring , and april on the ascendent , his eye-sight clears up , and his appetite too , for a brighter bait ; and then a small roach , or a bream will down ; so will a bleak , and a small young dace , or for variety the head of an eel . but if a junior perch be strip'd of his fins , or a fresh plump gudgeon neatly link'd to the arming be but laid before him , he shall never refuse it , when so greedy of a worm that he 'l hazard his life for it . but then i prescribe it no approved bait , rather a fortunate accident in my successful adventures . but his winter-quarters are the sullen deeps , where he burdens himself with clouds of water , as aged people do that heap on apparel ; when in the spring he is all gaity , and like the prodigal , scorns that his life should out-live his patrimony . but the summer approaching , we then consider him more circumspect , more cunning , more cautious , and under better guards ; for then in a deep you may search him , and probably find him ; but then you must have it at the tail of a ford : when in autumn you shall find him lap himself in candocks , at other times in bullrushes ; and where-ever the fry is , there is he , if not in the midst , yet he 's never far from them . i have known this fish deluded with a trout ; a trout did , i say ? there 's no fish that swims in the freshes is such an alluring temptation ; nor can the pike any more resist this charm , than he can resist his natural disposition after diet. the consequence proves true upon the angler's examination ; for the pike has strong inclinations after any thing that swims ; who as seldom as any fish wants an appetite , and by his good will would always be eating . after this manner we discourse the pike ; who dwells almost every where , except in the ocean , or in brackish waters ; but in the lough , you shall find him there o're-grown , sometimes to an amazing bigness ; when in the river , and translucid streams in rivulets , his taste is from thence transchanged to a more excellent sweetness , and upon proof will be found much more nutricious . but his way of germinating is the same with the salmon , to answer the ends of procreation , as for the most part all barrel'd fish do , who rises early in the infancy of the year , and admires all changes that the season presents . the pike or lucit , is a mercenary ; or anglers seem among themselves to vary . he loves no streams , but hugs the silent deeps : and eats all hours , and yet no house he keeps . the carp . the carp is a fish complicated of a moross mixture , and a torpid motion , one that loves to live in melancholy calms , rather than to ramble in the rapid rivers and translucid streams . ponds and pools are generally his palaces , where he loves good eating , but seldom or rarely travels far to fetch it : who as seldom as any fish exceeds the compass of his colony , nor ever attains to that maturity of largeness , where there 's rapid rivers , and swift gliding streams , as he does in the lake or solitary lough . the antients were of opinion , and so am i , that travel extenuates and lessens growth ; and that in the rivers and spacious rivulets , every master fish pleads a right of possession ; whereby acts of hostility are hourly commenced , with the loss of life to the weaker sort ; at least of his habitation , when a stronger than himself claims a right of possession : for when to consider the antipathy in fish , as the secret animosity that lurks under the flesh , it 's no wonder that the great ones eat up the little ones . and this our daily experience , as a monitor , discovers unto us , the antipathy and animosity fish have in the ocean ; for antipathy will be antipathy as certainly as sympathy is sympathy , notwithstanding the nature of climat , constitution , or element . since therefore we have signified the residence of the carp , it 's but requisite to proceed to tell you what he loves ; and that is soon done , if you cast but your eye on the blooming hauthorn ; for then your carp-angling begins to commence , which terminates in august , as the vulgar would have it : but this rule admits of too many exceptions ; for all the summer-season , more especially in a dropping and moist air , he bites without dispute , if he likes his commons , and you but cautious enough to conceal your self , who as rarely as any fish quarrels with the fineness or coarseness of your tackle ; which deserves a serious consideration , in as much as neatness and fineness are requisite and necessary accomplishments in any thing of art , more especially that of angling : and the bait to surprize him is less difficult than any thing , because by every angler so generally understood ; which will shorten my discourse , and invite me to a conclusion . but before i close , let me tell you what he loves ; and that 's the unctuosity of the purplish dew-worm , provided you depurate him from all impurities , to remonstrate his beauty and lustre of life . examine him but with this bait to free me from suspicion , and remove the censure of clamorous anglers , that oft-times repine at their own undertakings ; but that i cannot help , they may use the lob-worm if they please , which if they rightly order , will ( i 'le assure them ) turn to good account , more especially if perfumed with the oil of annis . but my observation leads me to another curiosity , and that is paste . but of pastes ( let me tell you ) there are as many sorts among anglers , as there are saints-days in the pope's kalendar : but this hinders not but that pastes may be effectual , more especially when commix'd and compounded with fine bean-flower , english-honey , and poudred sugar , amalgamized or mingled with the yolk of an egg ; and if the fat of an heron be supperadded to it , it makes it not the worse ; but the marrow of a heron makes it much more the better . besides , sometimes he loves a taste of the dairy-maid ; as at other times he affects the smell of the shambles , because a great admirer of clotted blood ; or almost any thing when he is in humour . now as operation in artifice is the corona of art , so demonstration in science is the ultimate end of experience . i forfeit neither my reason nor opinion in this assertion : nor do i in my arguments undermine those artists that practically and experimentally understand the right use of the worm ; though some with honey and other dulcids have sweetly allured him , and some others with tar ( supposing him a tarpolin ) have summoned him ashore ; yet i declare upon practice , that if the worm do not pleasure him , the angler may mingle despairs with his sports . but then let him consider the complement of licorish , or the homogeniety of the oil of annis , cummin , or assafetida to furnish it with a hogoe , which in my opinion surpasseth the camerial oil of oespres : yet not that i altogether doubt the truth of so famous a secret , celebrated by the antients , but rather the rarity of so admirable a discovery ; such another some fancy is that of the phenix . the carp's no courtier , nor a country guest ; yet answers both , all after as he 's drest . he loves the silent deeps , in ponds and pools ; a dish for states-men , or a mess for fools . the perch . the perch is a well-disciplined martial fish , of much more mettle , gallantry and courage than the carp ; though not almost , but altogether of as slow a motion ; and though as free from the taint of controversy , as the wax is free to submit to the impression of the seal , yet he never enters the list but he always arms himself . it 's true , he 's a volunteer that lives above fear ; nor dreads he that any thing of art can invade him : nay though he see himself surrounded with danger and difficulties , and immured with rocks and ruinous decays ; yet he will shew himself as prodigal of his stock of life , as any fish living that floats in water . it is true , i must confess , that he is a great admirer of smooth rivers , but the rapid streams in rivulets he seldom or never frequents , notwithstanding him so bold and daring a fish ; nor is he of any great activity in the solitary lough ; and would to his liking use as little exercise in the river , did not the streams sometimes invade him , which makes him more active than otherwise he would be , because of self-preservation . which still strengthens my opinion of preferring the river-fish in excellency to exceed those in the pond : though peradventure travel mitigates growth , ( as we formerly discours'd ) yet it most generously compensates the gusto ; for every fish that comes cautiously by his commons , is by so much the more confirm'd delicious , and if i mistake not as nutricious also . now would not any man think those conceptions very sordid , to prefer the goose to the gossander ; and vie the hog with the hind ? it 's true , some hug and imbrace the vision of remote novelties , because to fancy that distance and difficulty make things rare ; so it may well enough , for it makes them dear . and what would it signify to a rural palat , was that palat by foreign curiosities daily impos'd upon ? besides , it 's treason in the abstract , against the law of bounty , for any man to imagine partiality in nature , since every thing is destinated by an immutable decree , to answer the primary ends ordained . the great work-master needs no contribution from the mine to enable him to infuse virtue into the creation ; nor needs he to borrow any thing from the creature , since the creature is only the marginal note of the universe ; the creation it self being the stupendous volume . but as every thing naturally adheres to its own like , and semblances partake of their own properties , stars then were not made meerly to gaze at , nor elements but as vortrices for corporeal reception ; otherwise how could birds divide their ambient air , or fish force a passage through the fluctuating ocean , where sometimes the treacherous net betrays them ? yet so resolv'd are they with contempt to cruelty , that they scorn to petition a reprieve for life , but rather submit themselves to be tortur'd to death , by the tormenting hand of the scarifying cook , that dispenseth with art to elevate the appetite , if when only to make it pleasant to a generous acceptation . but to look for the perch , you need not go far to seek him that is to be found almost any where , if you please but to step to the suburbs of the streams of trent , or the solitary deeps near the rapid streams in most rivers and rivulets in the circle of england ; if examined at the bottom , for you may search and find him under hollow banks , eddies , pools , miln-pits , turns of streams , at the tales of sluces , flood-gates , and back-waters , near to the stumps of trees , wier-heads , stanks , candocks and bull-rushes ; but if there be any ruinous decays , there you will certainly find him that is to be found : indeed one would think him a piece of an antiquary , because he loves to be rifling among ruins . now presupposing you have found him , what is next to be done ? that ought to be considered , in regard it 's the angler's care and study to accommodate him like an artist , with what he loves . but you will ask me what that is ? and i readily answer , and tell you , not with coarse tackle , nor a slovenly bait : for though the carp is not squeemish , nor the perch shame-faced , yet he hates rudeness , coarse tackle , and slovenly commons ; greatly admiring dew-worms if well depurated , cankers , caterpillars , cod-worms , grubs , brandlins , minews , and the junior fry of small fish ; these novelties affect him to a change of element , who lays down his life for what he loves . but the charm of all baits that invites him ashore ( as fancy is seldom unfurnished with invention ) is that truculent mortal the gild-tail ; which sooner than any thing sends him a summons of death ; for which at any time he shall give you his life , and that is as much as the world has to part with , nor hath he any more than himself to give . now let the angler that would fish for perch , the turns in rivers , and back-waters search . in deepest lakes the largest perch you 'l find : and where the perch , is kind will answer kind . bream . the bream , though we grant him a flegmatick fish , and a fish as naturally as any fish addicted to ease and idleness , yet he enjoys himself as much in limpid streams as other fish do that seek sanctuary in solitary lakes . and as he hates rambling far from home , so he abhors correspondency with those that do ; contenting himself with torpid streams , and hugs his fancy in solitary deeps . trent i have observed for the race of bream , may challenge all england , nay all europe for ought i know , more especially near those streams that wet the ports of gainsborough ; where sometimes he washeth his fins with the eagre , and arrives there to that amazing bigness , that i blush to report it , lest the reader should suspect me . indeed the bream is an excellent companion , if you can but get him into humour to bite ; which may easily be done , if you do but treat him with the compost of paste ; for that will insinuate him into the pie , where his bones will absorp , and his flesh amalgamize with fresh sweet butter ; which being dissolved , will entertain you with a nutricious liquor , that for phlegmatick humours is both physick and diet. i never knew any angler ( except it was one ) that singly devoted himself a whole day's diversion , in order to court and entertain this fish ; nor do i remember him inroll'd in the angler's catalogue , among the first classis of dignified fish. for that end therefore , as i intend brevity in his description , so give me leave to shew you the readiest way how to surprize and take him . but then you must consider him no constant companion for all constitution of rivers and rivulets , though our southern streams frequently enjoy him , except otherwise they prove too rapid and forcible ; for if so , then he takes up his residence in calmer streams , that enamour him with bull-rushes , at other whiles with candocks : whose recreation is little more than the limits of his confinement ; from whence he seldom extravagants himself , until compell'd from thence by the mediums of art , as at other times by inundation , or deluges of water , that send him sometimes a goal-delivery . but the variety of baits to allure this fish being so numerous and various , i shall confine my self only to a few ; which upon examination will be found effectual . compound therefore a paste as formerly described , of honey , intermingled with a little brandy , bean-flower , and the yolk of an egg ; which you may , if you please , tinge with gambogium , vermilion , &c. this bait sometimes , as soon as any thing , entices him ashore . but in regard he is a fish inconstant as to diet , some therefore feed him with gentles , and not without good success ▪ some others with grubs , and othersome with caterpillars ; but better is that of cod-worms : and sometimes any thing will do , if he be in humour . but then you are to consider he loves early rising , and is ready for breakfast by break of day : so that if his commons affect him , and you so fortunately happy to meet with a cloudy gloomy morning , you may engage him for ought i know , to keep you company till the solitudes of night ; which a well-scoured red worm will sometimes do , and so will cheese , for he loves the dairy : but all the world cannot make him fly-proof ; yet a brandlin makes his teeth water . but the gild-tail , as above , is such an invincible charm , that all his powers cannot withstand it ; but he will come ashore in despight of death . now if the angler fish in thames for bream , or famous trent ; ne're let him search a stream : deeps most allure him , so do eddies too ; for near to banks and stanks he lies purdue . tench . the tench of all the families of fish is both physick and physician ; of a balsamick , nutricious and medicinal nature , that fortunately cures when others kill ; and distributes more good than hurt in his colony . it 's true , he is sought for by every angler , though obtained by few ; and the diseased fish that finds him , finds a cure , and that 's a reward answerable to diligence . now as every stream courts this physical fish , yet but few rivers in the nation enjoy him , who for the most part inhabits the pool ; yet are not the rivers denied him for a publick good. i cannot deny that he loves deep waters , more especially those that are of a torpid and slow motion ; such upon examination he greatly admires : nor shall any man over-rule him , nor at any time perswade him to be out of conceit with flags and bull-rushes . i have already told you that he is medicine and physician ; and now let me tell you he 's a delicious morsel . that angler that knows any thing of angling , must of necessity know that the tench of all fish is no fish of prey , and one that lives upon as little food as any fish that wags a fin ; but then he must have it choice and delicate , wholsom and juicy ; and truly he well deserves it , since so little serves his turn . search well therefore in the solitary deeps , and there as soon as in any place you 'l find him , as if by nature destinated to a cynical life , which the ignorant impute to a want of exercise ; not well considering it 's no part of his business to ramble in the rivers , to expose himself to ruin : which makes me fancy that but a few junior piscatorians have thorowly consulted this aesculapian , who beyond dispute is of a balsamick nature ; whose slimy sides administer relief , if when but to glance upon his fellow-creature . so that i think it worthy my management and undertaking to draw forth some directions how the angler may surprize him with our innocent artillery of hook and line ; which will be enough , as i conceive , to convince him , if in season he please but to make a trial . in the south of england , where the fields are fertil ( so in the north , though more uncultivated ) this piece of curiosity is frequently discours'd among anglers , meaning such as out of a fancy , or foreign curiosity , have undertaken to feed him with tar and rye-bread , supposing him a tarpollin ; and not without success , whilst some others have diverted him with various pasts , using 'em as an argument to make him pie-proof . then again some have fed him with english honey , the yolks of eggs , and the oil of annis , commassated and mingled with fine bean-flower ; this bait is better approved of than rudely to choak him with toasted cheese . i own i must confess there be many ways to feed him , though to my certain knowledg ( except in the pond ) there are but few places to find him in . he therefore that solicites a sight of this physical fish , and impatiently longs to hear him rumble in the panier , let him follow my advice , with well-scoured dew-worms , kept very sweet in cleanly moss ; and if that prove ineffectual to answer his design , then let him provoke him with the flag or dock-worm , which will certainly answer the angler's intention ; otherwise let him blame both me and my directions . the tench best loves those torpid waters , where the deeps are shaded well with reeds ; and there the wounded fish that could not long endure the smart and pain , finds him , so finds a cure. barble . the barble , though experienced a resolute fish , yet is he as shame-faced as any of his fellows : and as he hates to quarrel , so he abhors an affront ; but reserves his strength , activity and agility , till the rod or the net prove his examinant ; whose belly or spawn may be eaten as diet , but then it proves in operation but churlish physick ; not that i assert it my opinion only , let experience upon examination better instruct you . now when the angler comes to the water-side , and brings what he loves , he courts a familiarity , though his credit of late has been much impair'd in the cook-room : which possibly may proceed from the ignorant order of such as study rather to gratify their voracious appetites , than the curious methods of the art of angling . however , isaac walton has provided a cook , that in his opinion can dress him well enough , whose arguments beyond dispute , had indubitably miscarried , had not his wife had a finger in the pie. thus he , and some others , dress fish before they catch them ; but i approve it requisite to catch them first , and then at your leisure dress them afterwards . the barble , so named from his barbs or wattles , most passionately admires the depth of the river , at the tale of a stream : where you shall usually find him sucking of soil , and lying purdue for worms and insects , or any thing else that is sweet and edible . and by how much the stronger you observe the stream , by so much the more strength has the fish that inhabits therein . and if there be rubbish , or any sort of lumber , for his part he likes it never the worse ; and if ruinous decays , or great stones in the bottom , so much the better for his security , whose provision is rarely any thing else , save only what nature daily provides him . nor is he numbred among the fish of prey ; nor is he a glutton , yet he knows how to eat ; nor is he over-curious to court for varieties , though some feed him with paste , and their liberality he retaliates ; and some proffer him cheese to close up the orifice of his stomach , them he also gratifies : and some give him worms well depurated and scoured , for which modicum he contributes his thanks : but he that would feed him to death with a dainty , must bring him a dish of salmon spawn . the barble courts the rapid torrents more than solid deeps : strong streams remote from shore oblige him most ; because the strongest streams bring him supplies , the rod brings only flames . cheven . the chub or cheven is a fish of a supine nature , yet of a robust and rural disposition , had he but a heart to manage his strength ; who upon examination is by every one understood better for diversion by half than diet : a coarse feeder , and himself as coarse to be fed on ; yet of such a voracious appetite , that he scorns to see any thing that he cannot eat , if another fish can ; but my modesty constrains me to forbear mentioning it . now the spring approaching , every thing inamours him , for then he haunts the fords for fashion . 't is true he 's an early riser , that will sport the angler at break of day , provided he furnish him with codworms , cankers , caterpillars , cow-dung-grubs , gentles , pastes tinctured with cambogium , &c. but then you must cautiously obscure your self , and appear like an angler least in sight . yet still there 's another way much better to surprize him , that is by dibling on the surface of the water , if circumspectly you conceal your self behind a bush , or the more private and solitary shade of trees . but your engine for this encounter , is a natural fly , either the flesh fly , the bank fly , the gray or the green drake ; but the green munkit of the owlder-tree excels all the rest , as the sun in excellency outlustres the stars . moreover you shall find him gaping after grass-hoppers , or any other insect that presents in season . and since nothing comes amiss , so nothing distastes him ; and where the locust is , there is he ; which if well examined to the center of the calms , he shall recompense the examinant with the reward of his life ; always provided he but separate the body from the leatherish wing , which by reason of its viscuosity is rarely digested ; nor is it otherwise by him well accepted . 't is true , with green cheese some anglers do treat him , but then it succeds best at the tale of a stream ; at the fall of fords , into the solitary deeps . and that you may know he affects variety , let the artist at discretion exchange the dairy maid's commons , for the beauty of a bright and well-scoured red-worm , or the head of a frog , in april or may , or a black snail sometimes in a dewy morning . these invitations make his teeth stand a water . but for salmon-spawn if you bring him that novel , you do your business , and his too ; and shall have no cause i 'll assure you to repent it , when upon so fair an exchange , he trucks away his life for a trifle . but september approaching , you must bring him beef pith , for which he shall sacrifice all he has , and give you his carcase in exchange for his commons . what 's more to be desired by the rule of discretion , except the angler be so indiscreet as not to accommodate him ? the chub of all fish in the silver trent , invites the angler to the turnament ; where near a stream you 'l always find him ready to meet the bait before it meets the eddy . grailing . umbar or grailing is an amorous fish , that loves a frolick as he loves his life , whose teeth water after every wasp , as his fins flutter after every fly ; for if it be but a fly , or the product of an insect , out of a generous curiosity he is ready to entertain it . smooth and swift streams more than any thing enamour him , notwithstanding he declines the force of a torrent : nor shall you perswade him to quarrel with the gliding streams , provided they be sweet , clear and shining . it is from these translucid streams that the hackle , and the artificial fly court him ashore . but of all natural insects that accommodate the art , the green drake is that sovereign ophthalmick that opens his eyes , and shuts them again , with the hazard of his life , and loss of his element . yet for this fly-admirer , there is another bait , and that is the munket , or a seagreen-grub , generated , as i take it , amongst owlder-trees . the like product issues from the willow , so does it from the sallow ; nor is the primp-fence denied this vegetable animal , save only they are different in splendour and colour , as also as different in shape and proportion . take then this insect from the owlder-tree , to refute the hypothesis of the incredulous angler ; which if ingeniously cultivated by the art of angling , will upon proof of a well-manag'd examination , invite umbar or grailing from the top , or mid-water , to kiss your hand , or i 'll break my rod and disclaim the art. well then , as we consider the umbar not over-curious of deeps , we must consider him also not over-cautious of shallows , contenting himself with a middle fate , that directs him to the smoothest and stiffest streams , dedicating and devoting himself to motion , because a great admirer of peregrination ; and though not so generally understood as the trout is , yet give me leave to tell you , if you fish him finely , he will keep you company , either in darwin , so in dove , or in the glittering silver streams of trent : pray therefore when you fish him , fish him finely , for he loves curiosity , neat and slender tackle ; and , lady-like , you must touch him gently , for to speak plain english , he is tender about the chaps , otherwise perchance you defeat your self , so lose your design . a brandlin , if any thing , will intice him from the bottom ; but the gild-tail , of all worms , upon change of water , will invite him ashore , tho it cost him his life . vmbar or grailing in the streams he 'll lie , hov'ring his fins at every silly fly. fond of a feather ; you shall see him rise at emmits , insects , hackles , drakes and flies . bvrbolt . the burbolt is a fish so rarely discours'd , and of so little conversation with other fish , that it 's as difficult to find him , as it is to describe him , who differs in nature from most other fish ; so that if the angler be not very ingenious , well educated and disciplined in the rudiments of angling , he undertakes a task he can hardly perform , either to describe his nature or his haunt . i know there are some rodomontadoes of the rod , that wilfully and extravagantly will arraign their faith , and rest it upon the mouldy records and frothy opinion of slippery authority , whereby to confirm themselves in the vanity of tradition , as also to gratify the zeal of putationers . for that end i must tell you , and you may tell others , that the silver streams of triumphant trent , as frequently as any streams , stroke the scaly fins of this famous fish , who loves to live by them , but cares not to live in them , rather absconding himself in eddies , and sometimes in arches , not far from streams and torrents of water , where he is frequently found by the industrious angler : for to search him striving against a stream , is like to q elizabeth's scogen , that at the sun's meridian ( with a candle and lanthorn ) sought up and down for an honest man : so to rifle the streams in trent , or any other river for this incognito , is but labour in vain , to seek for him that hides himself from the rest of his associates in solitary recesses ; a lively imitation of diogenes in dolio . the burbolt therefore we are to consider him a fish , that as rarely as any fish travels far from home to fetch his food ; from whence we conclude him not over-cautious , whatever it costs him , that values not his life to purchase what he loves . and fashion he affects not , nor the formality of novels ; who contents himself with country-commons , rather than to ramble up and down for varieties ; yet would have it constant , though not over-costly : who betters every thing by his own delicacy , because himself is a delicate morsel ; but seldom tasted , and as rarely consulted . which makes every angler desirous of him , since he that takes him gets a reward ; which a well-scoured red-worm certainly accomplishes , as soon as any thing except the gudgeon , for that 's a charm that compels him ashore . to write the burbolt's epitaph ; he dreams that baulks the calms , to search him in the streams . that angler that will court him to his dish , must bring him gudgeons to obtain his wish . flovnder . the flounder is a fish that bites before any man's face , not dreading the aspect of an invader . it 's true , he 's a fish that 's as bold as a buccaneer ; of much more confidence than caution , yet nothing more curious ; one that loves good meat , and is good meat himself ; whose appetite is open as early as his eyes , and contemplates day before sun-rise , frequently busying himself about break-fast , half an hour sometimes before break of day ; and delights , i must tell you , to dwell among stones , so does he among stakes and gravelly bottoms : besides he 's a great admirer of deeps and ruinous decays , yet as fond as any fish of moderate streams , and none beyond him except the perch , that is more solicitous to rifle into ruins ; insomuch that a man would fancy him an antiquary , when to consider him so affected with reliques , yet of that undaunted courage , that he dares to feed before any man's face , provided there be but water enough to cover him , though not to conceal him . moreover , he adheres so close to the bottom , that a man would think him inoculated to it , or at least an inmate in another element . for that end let us consider the flounder a resolute fish , and one that struggles stoutly for a victory with the angler , and is more than ordinarily difficult to deal with , by reason of his built , which is altogether flat as it were a level ; so that if it happen your tackle be fine , and the bottom , as it sometimes falls out , to be foul , you run the risk of your adventure and artillery . now some folks , beyond measure , admire this fish , because opinionated he is so nutricious : and truly he 's good food , which makes him so desirable , though seldom or rarely not over-cautious to come by , if the angler be industrious but to bring him a bait that he likes , and that is but reasonable . present him with a lob-worm , he 'll retaliate your courtesy ; or in exchange , a depurated dew-worm , he 'll not be ungrateful , for he loves variety of all sorts of worms , the tag or tagil , besides bradlins and gild-tails , which will at any time intice him to die for what he loves ; for you must know he 's a fish so fond of a worm , that he 'll go to the banquet tho he die at the board . he that intends the flounder to surprize , must rise betimes , and fish before sun-rise . but if the sluggard cannot rise so early , let him nod on , perhaps at noon he 'll parly . eel or conger . the eel insinuates himself into all sorts of waters , and can live in a stream , or without it ; in the deepest pit , or the shallowest rivulet ; in dirty muddy ditches , and silty owsy bottoms ; or in rocky cavities in any rivers , wetting his fins sometimes with the ocean . now some are conceited that eels are insects , and content not themselves with the law of germination : and if so , then it seems that nature was more unactive about the race of eels , than other animals committed to her conduct ; because to protrude and thrust them forth as inanimates , after the manner of vegetation . such are the ignorant conceptions of gesner , and the unthinking rabble of his ridiculous proselytes ; who , because to suck in such pernicious principles , have tainted , nay poisoned themselves by infecting others : for had they but considered that eels have eggs , ( tho not so long as other fish to bear them about them ) without dispute it would expose some of them to a blush , if when to reflect on their erroneous rashness , that causeth the artist to laugh at their ignorance . but that eels do germinate , is past dispute ; for if the roe , or spawn , be the product of germination , then eels , as other animals , may germinate in specie , because furnished with all the qualities for germination ; as is observed by the female fish , whose burdened belly in the spring ( if examined ) will sufficiently convince the incredulity of such as would by advice be better informed , whilst permitting others to content themselves with the vanity of ignorance , that eels are insects . the eel therefore , you shall find him in caverns , and the cavities sometimes of hollow rocks , grips and gullies , devised on purpose by engineers for the draining of grounds : or else you may observe him in holes or hollow banks , the flaws in bridges and broken breaches , occasioned sometimes by inundations of water ; out of which abscondments any man may angle him , that contrives but a worm neatly on the end of a wand ; which artifice is probing , and some call it proking ; but we dispute not the term. now a more expeditious invention , though not half so genteel , is that engine or artifice some call a gleave , but some others the eel-spear . then there 's bobbing with a bunch or cluster of worms , strung upon threads , non-commissionated by anglers : yet night-hooks were never prohibited , nor need they , since the eel bites in the heat of the day . you must therefore consider him a fish of an odd humour , that the sight of a worm shall tempt him ashore , though he sacrifice his life to the lust of his adversary . the eel and conger lies in sandy bays , on gravel beds , and sometimes in decays . in hollow banks or stanks , in bridges there you 'll find this fish as soon as any where . lampre . the lampre ( or suck-stone ) frequently accosts the streams in severn , and is conversant also with many other rivers in the kingdom of england . a fish that makes more sport in the pie than the pool ; but of no great acquaintance nor familiarity with anglers ; and that is the reason he is so little discours'd , as if there were no such thing in being : but assure your self there is , and the plenty of such in the river cam , and some other rivers , as thames and trent ; that i dare to assert and divulge them numerous : but as torpid deeps do not always delight him , so transparent streams do not altogether transport him ; nor admires he the torrents of rapid rivers : and because no constant housekeeper , we have considered him as unconstant to diet. it 's true , i have no commission to assign him a traveller , and yet he is seldom or rarely at home . at home did i say ? surely i mistook my self , because he has no home to go to , who lives like an intruder , insinuating himself into all sorts of company , and puts a foot under every ones table : for we find him a fish altogether in suspicion ; therefore seldom admitted among the scaly society ; who prefers sand and gravel-beds infinitely before muddy recrements ; and loves to be casting and sucking stones , because it 's a great part of his life and maintenance ; except otherwhiles he stumbles upon offil or garbage , which if he do , he feasts himself like a country-farmer ; when at other times , like a shotten herring , he is forced to take up with shorter commons ; and such are the roots of segs and candocks , which assign him a sutable sauce to his diet. i never yet knew an angler with the rod , that designed a day 's diversion with this piece of suspicion . it is true , i have heard him variously discoursed , and perhaps as often as other men , have seen him make circles in his own element , but irregular ones out on 't ; for i have been at his death sometimes with an instrument , and sometimes without it ; but never at his destruction with the rod and line . the next enquiry will be , how we shall surprize this argos , and reduce him , in some measure , to the angler's designs . in order to that , some court him with loaches , some with minews , some with dew-worms , a small gudgeon , or toasted cheese : but the maw of a beast best pleaseth him of any thing ; and truly i fancy it the most natural bait for such a kind of a nasty fish , that nothing can surprize but the noosed net ; except he happens to meet with the berbed speer . the lampre loves a gravely bottom best , and 's fam'd for pie-meat more than all the rest . i needs must say the angler takes a prize that takes this argos ; or this fish all-eyes . roach . as the roach is no costly fish , so is he not over-curiously enquired after . he that seeks him , without difficulty finds him as early for breakfast , as the sun salutes the creation ; whose habitation is found bordering upon banks , in eddies , small turns , and meandring streams ; and where there 's a bush in the suburbs of the streams , there you shall find him sheltring himself ; when recruits of rain force down the freshes , and drive the soil from off the fertil fields ; for then you may fish him , and not go far to find him : when at other times , more especially near the approaching winter , he houses himself in the more solitary security of candocks and bull-rushes , in depths of the water . but whilst we paraphrase and discourse the roach , we but decipher and interpret the rud ; since nature's laws are alike to both , for both have but one fate and period , though of different complexion in fin , having natural inclination to long and warm days , to small and trilling streams , yet neither of them lovers nor admirers of travel : by which you may guess , that seldom or rarely they are found far from home ; for placing a content in their little confinements , shews their unwillingness to examine the extent of their confines . now you are to consider the roach a great fly-admirer , who examines the season by the sun's distribution of heat , that generously warms and nourisheth the creation , by giving a new life after the death of an expiring winter . and since we observe him so inamoured with flies , care must be taken to bring him what he loves ; and that is the ant , when insects come in , for which servile gratitude he recompenseth the angler . or if in the mean time he be accommodated with bank-flies , small flesh-flies , or a well-scoured gentle , he doubly retaliates , when he gives you himself . i have given him brandlins , bee-grubs , cow-grubs , cabbage-grubs , cankers , caterpillars , pastes of all compounds , and of various tinctures ; for which he never was ungrateful : but he that brings him the yellow cod-worm , brings him what he loves , for his patrimony can never purchase the prize , but submits to the charm , and proffers himself to the angler . the roach ( or rud ) not greedy of promotion , loves ponds and rivers , better than the ocean . in solitary pools they spend their time ; and travel hate as an immortal crime . dace . the dace or dare is the fresh-water herring ; a fish that is common and constant ; one that loves to divert himself , and is the angler's diversion : for it 's rare to come to the waterside , and find him out of humour to bite . now to tell you where he lives , i need not ; for you shall find him in most or all the rivers and rivulets in england ; and to acquaint you with what he loves , is needless , for there 's nothing that is edible he 'l at any time refuse . hot weather allures him forth of deeps ; for warm days invite him abroad for recreation , because then he bathes himself in the glittering streams ; but when affected with cold , he dives into the more solitary deeps , as most or all other fishes do , that burden themselves with water , as age is burdened with diseases and infirmities . but at the period of bright cinthia's progress , when the sun and long days have consumed the recrement of the expiring winter ; then you shall find him sporting , and picking among the gliding silver streams of trent : so in most rivers in the confines of the kingdom ; where you may recreate your self , and refresh him with a bank , stone , or flag-fly ; as the opportunity of the place , and the season of the year presents . for in the vernon ingress , if you proffer him drakes , either the green or the gray drake , he will never refuse them ; or should you invite him with their shadow ( viz. ) the artificial resemblance , you complement him with a curiosity : but the natural fly , more abundantly than the artificial , contributes to his humour . but his ground-bait is the brandlin , if well purged in delicate sweet and new moss ; or a fair large gentle , well depurated and scoured in bran : but the yellow cod-worm excels all the rest ( as a flame in bowdie excels all colours ) provided it be adorned with the head of a fly. this is the charm that invites him ashore , and as soon as any thing brings him to hand . the dace of all fish is the daring fish to sport with flies , and after in the dish he 's not to be despis'd ; because his end 's to sport the angler , and to feast his friends . rvff . the ruff , some call him pope ; but call him what you will , for i suppose he obtained that title from his infallibility of biting ; which he seldom fails to do , if the angler happens to come where he is , and that is almost every where . this little desperado , tho he wants conduct , yet has he resolution and courage enough to encounter death ; who seldom as any fish gives an affront , yet rarely or never refuses the combat . it is true , he is cautious , but not contentious ; more a hero than a hector ; who never flies , except at the face of his enemy ; and is for the most part constant in victory , save only when encountring the victorious angler . this little buckaneer arm'd at all points , consorts the angler , and entertains him at all times , provided he seek for him near the solitary decays of broken bridges , ruinous foundations , and the roots of trees . besides , he loves bull-rushes , beds of segs and candocks , where frequently you may find him . so in eddies , turns in water , but in meandring pools you will rarely miss of him ; and where stumps , stakes , and hollow banks are , there is he to be found ; otherwise conclude he is not in that colony . this little resolute animal , his stature considered , is of as great resolution as any fish that wags a fin , and as generous and profuse of his life as his lordship : not unlike the prodigal , that hates to out-live his estate and patrimony . the angler therefore that would civilly treat him , ought to bring him what he loves , and that you know is but requisite and reasonable ; and where-ever you find him , it 's a hundred to one that the whole armado is not far from him ; since for the most part they move all in a body . one would think them mutineers , because all of a piece ; for if you hang but one , all the rest are in danger . nor will they revolt , or retreat from their diet , since every one resolves to eat till he die . i fancy them somewhat of the nature of negroes , that expect after death to return back to the goldcoast ; for if you bring him but a brandlin , or a well-purg'd gild-tail , he shall shew you his face , and leap into the pannier . the ruff , or pope , inhabits little holes , betwixt the artick and antartick poles : who seldom quarels ; yet can't well dispense with an affront , who arms for his defence . gvdgeon . as the gudgeon is a most delicious fish , so ought he to be most delicately drest ; and because the angler's , and every one's entertainment , therefore he 's preferr'd before many other fish that make not so fine a show in the platter . it 's true , there 's no fear to surfeit of a diet that 's so naturally nutricious , and converts all into nourishment , without the law of physick . this piece of curiosity is a curious admirer of limpid , clear and cristalline streams , more especially when surrounded with gentle turns in rivers and rivulets , that have sandy bottoms ; and if paved with gravel , it 's never the worse ; who almost to a miracle affects cleanliness in eating ; and as he loves his life , loves that his meat should always be well washed before he eats it . this fresh-water smelt seldom or never roves abroad as other fish do , to recreate himself with insects and flies ; but contents himself at home with a gentle , rather than to ramble abroad for varieties : for to speak plain english , his life is in danger , and sentence of death pronounced at the sight almost of every master-fish . but the brandlin he adores as his select modicum , and the gild-tail sweetens all his diversions : so that if either be brought him to sport and play with , he would have it vivid , but not livid ; and sweetned and adorned with an odoriferous perfume . now some anglers have been pleased to write various encomiums on this little curious piece of mortality ; and they do him right : for he is a fish , that not only entertains the angler with the rod , but as if there were a familiarity betwixt them , nibbles at his toes , whilst he muddles in the streams ; diverting not the angler only , but the salmon also . besides , the perch admires him , and the eel , and the burbolt adore him . so do many other fish , but the pike above all fish no sooner sees him , but his teeth water till he taste of the dainty . the gudgeon loves the water , sweet and clear : in freshest streams , and smallest turns , he 's there . lock till you find him ; then you find your wish , if for a banquet , or a bait for fish. bleak . the bleak or whitlin is the summer intelligencer , and more of a masculine than a feminine nature ; that conceals himself ( ladylike ) all the winter , till long days and a warm sun invites him forth to purchase flies , which are sold him sometimes at the rate of his life . this fresh-water sprat is of most accurate motion , and feeds not much unlike the swallow , partaking very much of his nature and quality , as near as fish and fowl can do , or as near as fish and flesh can have , and that 's as near as the elements can admit of : which certainly is a secret , yet very observable , if the angler but consider their coming in , which is in the vernon ingress ; their natural food , and their going out together , in the autumnal equinox . you must also remember that he loves not a stream , yet would he by no means dwell far from it ; and bites aloft at the race of flies , yet gratifies himself with the soil of the earth . at mid-water if you seek him , he 's solicitous after gentles ; and if at the bottom , he desires a brandlin : but he that would court him to death with a dainty , must bring him a parcel of ant-flies . the bleak or whitlin , floats in silent deeps in summer-time ; but all the winter sleeps ; for then he 's seldom seen : this curious dish implicit walton calls the swallow-fish . minew . the minew or penk is , in my opinion , but a very small banquet for fish or fisher. but a little discourse shall serve for this little fish , that is no ways difficult to find , nor is he over-curious to catch , provided the artist but come where he is , and that 's almost every where : nor need you search him in rapid streams , for there he is not , yet dwells not far from them ; but in rills and rivulets , in their small turns of water , with a bit of a worm , or a brandlin , if you please , you may turn him out as soon as with any thing . the minue lives , i need not tell you how ; examine trent , and there you 'l find enow . the salmon , trout , and perch , sliely he 'l cheat them of their lives ; and yet 's their daily meat . th. and must this be our exercise to trample the beautiful banks and the florid meadows of famous trent , to rifle her fords for diversion , and sweeten our senses with fragrant odorates that perfume the air ? blest beyond expectation , to imprint on her silver sands the lively character of the angler's footsteps , whilst we flourish our artillery over the trembling streams , as they silently glide through the redolent fields , with a soft but sweet and murmuring noise . ar. thus we may divert our selves with the streams of trent , until the radiant zenith strike us with heat , and then consult umbrage under the shady oaks ; where not to be idle , we may there form flies , and keep out of sun-shine ; where the rocks and the woods will invite us to contemplate the imbellished creation , the variety of creatures , and the all-glorious creator . th. this i confess is sovereign advice , and if i mistake not , the shady trees of sherwood will conduce to moderate the fiery strokes of the sun , whilst phaeton with his chariot careers to the western fountains . ar. nor till then is it needful to return to our exercise , and make inrodes with our art and artificial artillery ; for to practise the ground-bait in the heat of the day , is a piece of industry without any ingenuity ; since the true knowledg and disquisitions of the ground-bait , if sedulously consulted , will sufficiently compensate the toil of the artist , because when to afford him a due poize of profit , with solitary pleasure . moreover , it 's less difficult to calculate the constant commons that fish themselves frequently acquire , than to enumerate the various and multiform classes of emmits , insects , worms and flies . th. i believe no less . ar. then cast back your eye on those solid foundations of earth and rocks , and consider with your self the ornaments of nature ; how concretions are link'd together , and earths and clays amalgamiz'd and coagulated into minerals : how animals and insects are lodg'd and conceal'd in the surface of soils and stagnated pools ; meaning such as compensate the art and industry of every industrious and ingenious angler . nor is it difficult to procure this mortal entertainment for exercise and recreation ; since it 's nothing more than a knotted earth-worm , of which there are several sorts , and diversity of sizes ; consequently various kinds , and variety of colours . th. pray explain your self . ar. thus i explain my self ; as the nature and quality of the earth is , such also are the generations and productions of animals and insects ingendred ther in . some products we observe them to be naturally leprous , and such are usually struck with morbifick deformities . some again are prolifick , and animated with life ; as some others are design'd for vegetation . some earths are cold , frigid and moist ; on the contrary some others by reason of the salinity of sand , are fortified with heat almost to excess . there are also various complexions of earths and soils , which calify and indurate by the sun's reflection , so incrustate themselves by contact and connexion , that with little difficulty facilitate a warmth : so that whilst some are accidentally cold , as ardent are othersome because influenced by callifaction . but as some are naturally cold , by northern influence , destinated to a marly spungeous clay ; intemperately hot are othersome , by confluence of bituminous and sulphureous mixts cooperating with them . some are boggy , some gravelly , some naturally fertil , othersome as naturally sterril . all which demonstrate the various modification and methods of nature , and the divine preordinate wisdom of god the creator , whose decrees are inviolable , and whose laws are irrevocable ; and from whom nature in all her operations copies to the life from the first original . when therefore seriously to consider the various families of insects and animals , naturally protruded and thrust forth into the world , for the supply of themselves and their fellow-creatures , it demonstrates a benevolence , and not a prodigality in nature to stock the elements with such a numerous increase , as my self and others have curiously inspected . so that sometimes one animal , and sometimes another , infinitely excels as to the anglers recreation . but the classis of worms are multiform and various ; manifestly the lob , or more properly the dew-worm , knob or knotted worm ; red-worm , brandlin , gild-tail , marish-worm ; flag and dock-worm , tag and tagil , spotspere , munck and muck-worm ; cod-worm and straw-worm , &c. but it 's impossible to enumerate the innumerable sorts and varieties of worms , and the texture of insects , ( different also in shape , colour , beauty and proportion ) except prophetically instructed beyond the due mediums of art , or otherwise inspected by natural observation : as when to imagine some of them smooth , of a contrary quality are those that are ruff , fretted , and knotted . the various like we read of colour , form , beauty , proportion and complexion ; as when to inspect some of them red , some others green , some red and green with a greenish cast ; and some green with a reddish tincture ; and some affected with a glance of both : some again display a brownish blewish and purplish rubedo ; some others shine forth a citrine colour ; so that some are yellowish , and some again orange ; some are gray , some livid , some veril , some azure , and some more obscure , imprest with various signatures and remarkable observations . nature generously provides multiplicity of this animal race , whereby to furnish her common-weal , and accommodate her solicitous admirers . but of all the worms that move in the earth , the gild-tail alone is the angler's corona . th. now i conclude the fish as good as half catch'd , had we but cooks to order and dress them , and our appetites in effect moderately refresh'd ; had we but patience to pick out the bones . after this manner recreation brings a reward , when proportioned to propagate the sovereign ray of health ; but not that i extol the luxurious angler , that prefers the platter by the pentiful pannier : for he that imitates generous nature , must when he puts a period to the progress of the life of one fish , charitably endeavour the multiplication of thousands ; otherwise he that voraciously pursues his exercise , either spoils the creatures to gratify his luxury , or sports away their lives for the vanity of excess . ar. i approve of your morals and modest conceptions , that direct the angler to furnish himself with such convincing arguments , as invite him only to fish for recreation . how few pretenders to the rod then , would covet the death of fish for fancy ? nay , who would not study to prolong their lives , were it for no other end than to furnish the fords , to relieve the necessitous , and divert the angler ? were not the ends of the creation made answerable to the means of preservation ? who disputes it ? then if so , let me tell you that immoderate exercise ( in all or any one ) puts a damp to pleasure ; and if the end of pleasure can be adjudged destruction , then no man can be satisfied without excess . and what is excess but inordinate riot , that makes a breach in the royal commandments , in opposition to life , so results in death ? where note , this distinction is necessary to be understood ; that as rods and nets are different means , so they also answer to different ends. the first , if when to consult rapid and roling streams ; but the latter results in such parts of water , where no line nor rod claims a right of privilege ; or with such a fish whose invincible strength , nothing but the net can encounter and overcome . thus arm'd at all points with our innocent artillery , and resolved to trample the redolent fields , and the florid meadows of famous trent , we shall there encounter with murmuring streams that invite to exercise and contemplation : whilst the shady forest , and solitary groves advance our speculation to the suburbs of paradise ; where all the trees stand in such a beautiful order ( to admiration ) and divinely drest by the royal hand of him that made this stupendous creation , denotes mortals immortal , and time eternal : which true felicity no man attains to , by the study of morals only , and the beauty of the creation , but a crucified saviour , and the piety of christianity ; and then i know not but the streams of damascus may as effectually cleanse as the pool of bethesda . th. your discourse seems too intricate , and ambiguous for the vulgar . ar. not at all , for it neither violates humanity , nor opposes the piety of christianity ; it only points to those destitute of devotion , that would , if possible , enervate the mystical ray of discovery , assassinate piety , and silence the oracles of truth , to strike truth dumb ; so bury and entomb it in the sepulchre of oblivion . but truth 's bright and illustrious star will convince the world of the truth of this hypothesis , that neither envy nor emulation ( nor studied art in opposition to truth ) though formented by the sons of zoilus , shall never darken it so , as totally to deface it , but will shine forth a light to discover their shame , with the vice of the times , and exorbitancy of life . i write to the intelligent , and not to alphabet anglers , that wander up and down besides themselves , to lick up the spumous froth of fiction , and rally the records of fabulous pamphleteers , to swell their impoverished empty volumes , on purpose spread abroad to amuze the unwary : but this i resolve against , by exhorting ingenuity to consult experience , notwithstanding my rudiments and laborious directions ; for without due observation in the exercise of angling , besides speculation in the progress of theory ( in this , or indeed in any other art ) no man shall level a right foundation . th. such signal remonstrations ( like a ingressive spirit ) strike deep impressions into my thoughtful breast . it must be a master ; and what maste● but experience must we have , to induct us i●●● the methods , mediums and regularities of science ? does experience any more obliterate theory , than rudiments rip up the foundation of art ? which they do not , nor cannot : then ought the rules of practicks to be the solicitation of every artist , which analysis of necessity i cannot but comply with ; or let the surviving ages engrave on my tomb-stone , post est occasio calva . ar. to compleat a scholar therefore , we are to consider that every pedagogue that initiates his novice into the rudiments of grammar , gives him literature first . after the same manner , and not altering my methods , i have laid down the rules and hypotheses of the ground-bait . where note , i prefer the worm for the angler's exercise ( if artificially scoured ) as a general bait before any other , and upon all occasions ( inordinate seasons excepted ) if purposing thereby to consult the bottom ( as also the innumerable families of fish : ) and so farewel , for it 's almost sun-set . theophilus . what tho the night 's dark scenes and shades display the bright sun's absence ; can't the stars make day ? arnoldus . can those obscurer tapers light the world , whose lights are from the sun 's bright furnace hurl'd ? motion they have , it 's true ; that causes wonder : but god that join'd their rays , takes them asunder . theophilus . from what bright influence then do comets borrow their radiant beam ? arnoldus . the stars , they strike them thorow . theophilus . must we conclude the world all vegetation , humane race excepted , by generation ? arnoldus . the slippery womb of earth , in time sent out a thing uncapable to walk about : till god in love , out of a pure compassion , made man the margin of this great creation . theophilus . why then do mortals fight against superiours ; and pull down angels to advance inferiours ? arnoldus . man may attempt it ; but his slender arm has hardly warmth in 't for to keep him warm . theophilus . no , why then presumes he by force to raise his fires so high to make the heavens blaze ? arnoldus . that 's a mistake , man 's but a minute's breath , blown out of doors but with one puff of death . theophilus . and yet immortal too ! strange prodigy , that man the lord of all , should live to die ! arnoldus . 't is true , a star fell on a shrine of earth , that touch'd mortality , and gave it birth , conduct and reason , and a soul immortal , lit by the lamp of heaven's glorious portal . made all miraculous , yet this won't please : heaven must die , to cure the world's disease . and yet this mortal wonder we call man , is still averse e're since the world began . theophilus . vngrateful creature , who by heaven's decree , was made to live , and had the sov'raignty of the creation . what to say i know not ; nor what to think , for thoughts are things that do not . arnoldus . since days and nights all terminate in one , and stars made emblems of their sovereign sun : then to be loyal , each a star must be ; but to be royal , claims the sov'raigntie . the gordian knot 's so knit , none can unty but he that made the world's great harmony . for god with nature such sublime things blended , that man nor dev'ls , angels themselves can't find it . we can but climb the gradual steps of sense ; and they 'r but motives to intelligence . but those sweet melting cords in a saint's brest , that lives by faith of things yet unexprest , invigorate the soul ; and lends her eyes to see that earth and heaven , all 's but harmony . theophilus . then rocks are organs , and the ambient air but the harsh sound of heaven's softer quire. waters make musick ; so all things by art , where nature freely her free gifts impart , speak harmony , and divinely shows that from another fountain this thing flows . arnoldus . consider but the chaos in creation , when the divinest made a separation : how that the earth stood still , whilst he rais'd higher the sun's bright torch , or all had been on fire . theophilus . amazing wonder ! see , aurora now strips off the sables from night's shady brow ! that sol no sooner peeps to gild the skies , but all the mists before his presence flies . arnoldus . 't is true they do ; and he that sees their flight , sees darkness gradually transform'd to light. yet let him not mistake himself , for day is but time's copy-book : cast that away , and what presents ? death more obscure than night , through whose dark pilgrimage we creep to light. laus deo . finis . advertisement . rabbi moses ; or , a philosophical treatise of the original and production of things . writ in america in a time of solitudes . by r. franck. and are to be sold by the author at his house in barbican . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e see ludlow's reply to hollingworth . the art of angling wherein are discovered many rare secrets, very necessary to be knowne by all that delight in that recreation. barker's delight barker, thomas, fl. . this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing b ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing b estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the art of angling wherein are discovered many rare secrets, very necessary to be knowne by all that delight in that recreation. barker's delight barker, thomas, fl. . [ ], p. [s.n.], london : . attributed to thomas barker. cf. dnb. also issued as part of the country-mans recreation, . beginning with the edition of , title became 'barker's delight'. reproduction of original in huntington library. eng fishing -- early works to . a r (wing b ). civilwar no the art of angling· wherein are discovered many rare secrets, very necessary to be knowne by all that delight in that recreation. barker, thomas a this text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - robyn anspach sampled and proofread - robyn anspach text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the art of angling . wherein are discovered many rare secrets , very necessary to be knowne by all that delight in that recreation . london , printed in the yeare . the art of angling . reader : i will complement , and put a case to you . i met with a man , and upon our discourse he fell out with me : this man having a good weapon , having neither wit , stomack , nor skill ; i say this man may come home by totnam-high-cross , and cause the clerk to tole his knell : it is the very like case with the gentleman angler that goeth to the river for his pleasure : this angler hath neither judgement , knowledge , nor experience ; he may come home light laden at his pleasure . a man that goeth to the river for his pleasure , must understand , when he commeth there , to set forth his tackles . the first thing he must do , is to observe the sun , the wind , the moon , the starres , and the wanes of the air ; to set forth his tackles according to the times and seasons ; to goe for his pleasure , and some profit . as for example , the sun proves cloudy ; then must he set forth either his ground bait or tackles , and of the brightest of his flies . if the sun prove bright , then must he put on some of the darkest of his flies . thus must you goe to work with your flies , light for darkness , and dark for lightness , with the wind in the south , then that blows the flie in the trouts mouth . though i set down the wind being in the south , if the weather be warm , i am indifferent where the wind standeth , either with ground bait or menow , so that i can cast my bait into the river . the very same observations is for night , as for day : for if the moon prove cleer , or if the stars glitter in the skie , there is as ill angling that night , as if it were at high noon in the midst of summer , when the sun shineth at the brightest , wherein there is no hopes of pleasure . i will begin to angle for the trout , with the ground baits with this quality . the first thing you must gaine , must be a neat taper rod , light before , with a tender hazell top , which is very gentle . if you desire to attain my way of angling , ( for i have angled these forty years ) with a single haire of five lengths , one tied to another for the bottom of my line , and a line of three haired links for the uppermost part ; & so you may kill the greatest trout that swims , with sea-room . he that angles with a line , made of three haired links at the bottom , and more at the top , may kill fish : but he that angles with one hair shall kill five trouts to the others one ; for the trout is very quick sighted ; therefore the best way for night or day , is to keep out of the sight . you must angle alwayes with the point of your rod downe the stream ; for a fish hath not the quickness of sight so perfect up the stream , as opposite against him , observing seasonable times ; as for example , we begin to angle in march ; if it prove cloudie , you may angle with the ground baits all day long : but if it prove bright and cleere , you must take the morning and evening , or else you are not like to do any good ; so the times must be observed , and truely understood ; for when an angler commeth to the river for his pleasure that doth not understand to set forth his tackles fit for the time , it is as good keep them in the bag , as set them forth . i am determined to angle with the ground baits and set my tackles to my rod , and go to my pleasure : i begin at the uppermost part of the streame , carrying my line with an upright hand , feeling the plummet running on the ground some ten inches from the hook , plumming my line according to the swiftnesse of the stream you angle in ; for one plummet will not serve for all streams ; for the true angling is that the plummet runneth on the ground . for the bait. the red knotted worme is very good where brandlins are not to be had , but brandlins are better : now that you may bring these brandlings sit to angle with , that they may live long on the hook , which causeth the best sport . when you have gathered your worms out of the dung-hill , you must gaine the greenest moss you can find , then wash the earth very clean out of it , then provide an earthen pot , so put your moss into the pot , then put the worms to the moss into the pot ; within two days you shall find your worms so poor , that if you bait some of them on your hook , you shall see that with throwing of them two or three times into the water , they will dye and grow white : now the skill is , when these worms be grown poor , you must feed them up to make them fat and lusty , that they may live long on the hook ; that is the chiefest point . to make them lusty and fat , you must take the yolke of an egge , some eight or ten spoonfull of the top of new milk , beaten well together in a porringer , warm it a little , untill you see it curdle ; then take it off the fire , and set it to coole ; when it is cold , take a spoonfull and drop it upon your moss into the pot , every drop about the bignesse of a green pea , shifting your moss twice in the week in the summer , and once in the winter : thus doing , you shall feed your wormes fat , and make them lusty , that they will live a long time on the hook ; so you may keep them all the year long . this is my true experience for the ground baits , for the running line for the trout . the angling with a menow , called in some places pencks for a trout , is a pleasant sport , and killeth the greatest fish ; he commeth boldly to the bait , as if it were a mastive dog at a beare : you may angle with greater tackles , and stronger , & be no prejudice to you in your angling : a line made of three silks and three hairs twisted for the uppermost part of the line , and two silkes and two haires twisted for the bottome next your hook , with a swivel nigh the middle of your line , with an indifferent large hook . to bait your hook with a menow , you must put your hook through the lowermost part of his mouth , so draw your hook thorow , then put the hook in at the mouth againe , let the point of the hook come out at the hindmost fin , then draw your line , and the menowes mouth will close , that no water will get into its belly ; you must alwayes be angling with the point of your rod down the stream , with drawing the menow up the stream by little and little , nigh the top of the water ; the trout seeing the bait , commeth at it most fiercely , so give a little time before you strike : this is the true way , without lead ; for many times i have had them come at the lead and forsake the menow , so he that tryeth shall prove it in time : let us go to angling with a flie , which is a delightfull sport . the rod must be light and tender , if you can fit your selfe with an hazell , either of one piece or two set together in the most convenient manner , light and gentle : set your line to the rod ; for the uppermost part , you may use your owne discretion ; for the lower part , next your flie , must be of three or foure haired links . if you can attain to angle with one haire , you shall have the more rises , and kill more fish ; be sure you doe not over-load your self with the length of your line : before you begin to angle , make a triall , having the winde in your back , to see at what length you can cast your flie , that the flie light first into the water , and no longer ; for if any of the line falleth into the water before the flie , it is better unthrowne then throwne : be sure you be casting alwayes downe the stream , with the wind behinde you , and the sun before ; it is a speciall point to have the sunne and moon before you ; for the very motion of the rod drives all the pleasure from you , either by day or night in all your angings , both for wormes and flies ; so there must bee a great care of that . let us begin to angle in march with the flie : if the weather prove windie , or cloudie , there are severall kindes of palmers that are good for that time . first , a black palmer ribbed with silver : the second , a black palmer with an orange-tauny body : thirdly , a black palmer , with the body made all of black : fourthly , a red palmer ribbed with gold , and a red hackle mixed with orenge cruel ; these flies serve all the year long morning and evening , windie and cloudie . then if the aire prove bright and cleare , you must imitate the hauthorn flie , which is all black and very small , and the smaller the better . in may take the may-flie : imitate that , which is made severall wayes ; some make them with a shammy body , ribbed with a black haire : another way made with sandy-hogges wooll , ribbed with black silke , and winged with a mallards feather , according to the fancy of the angler . there is another called the oak-flie , which is made of orange colour cruell and black , with a browne wing ; imitate that : another flie , the body made with the strain of a pea-cocks feather , which is very good in a bright day : the grasse-hopper which is green , imitate that ; the smaller the flies be made , and of indifferent small hooks , they are the better ; these sorts i have set downe , will serve all the year long , observing the times and seasons : note , the lightest of your flies for cloudy and darknesse , and the darkest of your flies for lightnesse , and the rest for indifferent times ; that a mans owne judgement , with some experience and discretion must guide him : if he mean to kill fish , he must alter his flies according to these directions . now , of late , i have found , that hogs-wooll , of severall colours , makes good grounds ; and the wooll of a red heyfer makes a good body : and bears wool makes a good ground ; so i now work much of them , and it procureth very much sport . the naturall flie is sure angling , and will kill great store of trouts with much pleasure : as for the may-flie , you shall have them alwayes playing at the river side , especially against raine . the oake-flie is to bee had on the butt of an oake , or an ash , from the beginning of may to the end of august : it is a brownish flie , and stands alwayes with his head towards the root of the tree , very easie to be found : the small black flie is to be had on every hawthorn bush , after the buds be come forth : your grasse-hopper , which is green , is to be had in any medow of grasse in june or july : with these flies , you must angle with such a rod as you angle with the ground bait ; the line must not be so long as the rod : with drawing your flie , as you finde convenient in your angling . when you come to deep waters that stand somewhat still , make your line some two yards long , or thereabout , and dop your flie behinde a a bush , which angling i have had good sport at ; we call it doping . a lord lately sent to me at sun going down , to provide him a good dish of trouts against the next morning by six of the clock : i went to the door to see how the wains of the aire were like to prove , and returned answer , that i doubted not but to be provided ( god willing ) at my time appointed . i went presently to the river , and it proved very dark ; i drew out a line of three silkes and three hairs twisted for the uppermost part , and a line of two silks and two hairs twisted for the lowermost part , with a good large hook : i baited my hook with two lob-worms , the four ends hanging as meet as i could ghesse them in the dark : i fell to angle ; it proved very dark , that i had good sport , angling with the lob-worms , as i doe with the flie , at the top of the water ; you shall heare the fish rise at the top of the water , then you must loose a slack line down to the bottome , as nigh as you can ghesse , then hold a straight line ; feeling the fish bite , give time , there is no doubt of losing the fish ; for there is not one among twenty , but doth gorge the bait : the least stroak you can strike to fasten the hook , makes the fish sure , and then you may take the fish up with your hands : the night began to alter and grew somewhat lighter ; i took off the lob-worms , and set to my rod a white palmer flie , made of a large hook , i had sport for the time , till it grew lighter : then i put on my red palmer , i had sport for the time , untill it grew very light ; then i set on my black palmer , had good sport , made up my dish of fish , put up my tackles , and was at my time appointed for the service . for these three flies , with the help of the lob-worms , serve to angle all the year long , observing the times , as i have shewed in this nights work : a light flie for darknes , the red flie in medio , and a dark flie for lightnesse : this is my experiment for this kind of angling , which is the surest angling of all , and killeth the greatest fish : your lines may be strong , but must be no longer then the rod . to take a carp either in pond or river , if you mean to have sport with some profit , you must take a peck of ale-graines , and a good quantity of any bloud , and mix the bloud and graines together , and cast it in the places where you meane to angle ; this feed will gather the seale fish together , as carp , tench , roach , dace , and bream ; the next morning be at your sport very early , plum your ground : you may angle for the carp with a strong line ; the bait must be either a red knotted worm , or paste : there is no doubt of sport . to take pearch . the pearch feeds well , if you light where they be , and bites very free : my opinion is , ( with some experience ) to bait with lob-worms , chopt in pieces over night ; so come in the morning , betimes , plum your ground , gage your line , bait your hook with a red knotted worme ; but i hold a menow better : put the hook in at the back of the menow , betwixt the fish and the skin , that the menow may swim up and down alive , being boyed up with a cork or quill , that the menow may have liberty to swimme a foot off the the ground : there is no doubt of sport with profit . i will shew , a little , my opinion of floating for scale fish in the river or pond : the feed brings the fish together , as the sheep to the pen : there is nothing better in all your anglings , for feed , then bloud and grains ; i hold it better then paste : then plumming your ground , angling with fine tackles , as single haire for halfe the line next the hook , round and small plumed , according to your float : for the bait , there is a small red worm , with a yellow tip on his taile , is very good ; brandlins , gentles , paste , or cadice , which we call cod-bait , they lye in a gravelly husk under stones in the river : these be the speciall baits for these kinde of fish . one of my name was the best trouler , for a pike , in this realme : he laid a wager , that he would take a pike of four foot long , of fish , within the space of one moneth , with his trouling-rod ; so he trouled three weeks and odde dayes , and took many great pikes , nigh the length , but did not reach the full length , till within the space of three dayes of the time ; then he took one , and won the wager . the manner of his trouling was , with a hazell rod of twelve foot long , with a ring of wyre in the the top of his rod , for his line to runne thorow : within two foot of the bottome of the rod there was a hole made , for to put in a winde , to turne with a barrell , to gather up his line , and loose at his pleasure ; this was his manner of trouling : but i will pawn my credit , that i will shew a way , either in maior , pond , or river , that shall take more pikes than any trouler with his rod : and thus it is . first , take forked stick , a line of twelve yards long wound upon it , at the upper end , leave about a yard , either to tye a bunch of sags , or a bladder , to boy up the fish , and to carry it from the ground : the bait must be a live fish , either dace , or gudgin , or roach , or a small trout : the forked stick must have a slit in the one side of the fork to put in the line , that you may set your live fish to swimme at a gage , that when the pike taketh the bait , he may have the full liberty of the line for his feed . you may turne these loose , either in pond or river : in the pond with the winde all day long , the more the better : at night set some small weight , as may stay the boy , as a ship lyeth at anchor , till the fish taketh . for the river , you must turne all loose with the streame ; two or three be sufficient to shew pleasure , gaged at such a depth as they will go currant downe the river ; there is no doubt of sport , if there be pikes : for the hooks , they must be doubled hooks , the shanks should be somewhat shorter then ordinary : my reason is , the shorter the hook is of the shank , it will hurt the live fish the lesse , and must be armed with small wyre well softned ; but i hold a hook armed with twisted silk to be better , for it will hurt the live fish least . if you arm your hook with wyre , the neeld must be made with a small hook at the one end thereof . if you arme with silke , the neeld must be made with an eye : then must you take one of those baits alive ( which you can get ) and with one of your neelds enter within a strawes breadth of the gill of the fish , so put the neeld betwixt the skin and the fish ; then pull the neeld out at the hindmost sinne , and draw the arming thorow the fish , untill the hook come to lye close to the fishes bodie : but i hold for those that be armed with wyre to take off the hook , and put the neeld in the hindmost sin and so to come forth at the gill ; then put on the hook drawn close to the body , 't will hurt the live fsh the less , so knit the arming with the live fish to the line ; then put off either in maior or pond , with the winde , in the river with the stream : the more you put off in maior or pond , you are like to have the more pleasure : for the river i have shewed you before . there is a time when pikes goe a frogging ditches , and in the river to sun them , as in may , june and july , there is a speedy way to take them , and not to misse scarce one in twenty . you must take a line of six or eight foot long , arm a large hook , of the largest size that is made ; arm it to your line , lead the shank of your hook very handsom , that it may be of such a weight as you may guide the hook at your pleasure : you may strike the pike , you see , with the bare hook where you please : this line and hook doth far exceed snaring . the principall sport to take a pike , is to take a goose or gander , or duck : take one of the pike lines i have shewed you before : tye the line under the left wing , and over the right wing , about the body , as a man weareth his belt : turne the goose off into a pond , where pikes are , there is no doubt of sport , with great pleasure , betwixt the goose and the pike : it is the greatest sport and pleasure that a noble gentleman in shropshire doth give his friends entertainment with . the way to make the best paste is , take a reasonable quantity of fresh butter , as much fresh sheeps suet , a reasonable quantity of the strongest cheese you can get , with the soft of an old stale white loafe ; beat all this in a morter till it come to perfect paste ; put as much on your hook as a green pease . there are many wayes to take eeles : i will shew you a good way to take a dish of eeles . when you stay a night or two angling , take four or five lines , such as be laid for pikes , of fourteen or fifteen yards long , and at every two yards make a noose , to hang a hook armed either to double thred , or silk twist ; for it is better then wyre : bait your hooks with millors-thumbs , loaches , menowes , or gudgins : tye to every noose a line baited : these lines must be laid crosse the river in the deepest places , either with stones , or pegged , so the line lie in the bottome of the river , there is no doubt of taking a dish of eeles ; you must have a small neeld with an eye , to bait your hooks . now to shew how to make flies : learn to make two flies , and make all : that is , the palmer ribbed with silver or gold , and the may-flie : these are the ground of all flies . we will begin to make the palmer flie : you must arme your line on the inside of the hook ; take your scisers , and cut so much of the brown of the mallards feather , as in your owne reason shall make the wings , then lay the outmost part of the feather next the hook , and the point of the feather towards the shanke of the hook , then whip it three or four times about the hook with the same silk you armed the hook : then make your silk fast : then you must take the hackle of the neck of a cock or capon , or a plovers top , which is the best , take off the one side of the feather , then you must take the hackle silk , or cruell , gold or silver thred ; make all these fast at the bent of the hook , then you must begin with cruell , and silver , or gold , and work it up to the wings , every bout shifting your fingers , and making a stop , then the gold will fall right , then make fast : then worke up the hackle to the same place , then make the hackle fast : then you must take the hook betwixt your finger and thumb , in the left hand , with a neeld or pin , part the wings in two : then with the arming silk , as you have fastned all hitherto , whip about as it falleth crosse betwixt the wings , then with your thumb you must turne the point of the feather towards the bent of the hook , then work three or four times about the shank , so fasten , then view the proportion . for the other flies : if you make the grounds of hogs-wooll , sandy , black , or white ; or the wooll of a bear , or of a two year old red bullock : you must work al these grounds upon a waxed silk , then you must arm and set on the wings , as i have shewed before : for the may-flie , you work the body with some of these grounds , which is very good , ribbed with a black hair ; you may work the body with cruels , imitating the colour , or with silver , with suiting the wings . for the oak-flie , you must make him with orange-tauny and black , for the body , and the brown of the mallards feather for the wings . if you do after my directions , they will kill fish , observing the times fitting , and follow my former directions . if any worthy or honest angler cannot hit of these my directions , let him come to me , he shall read and i will work , he shall see all things done according to my foresaid directions : so i conclude for the flies having shewed you my true experiments , with the rod , i will set all labouring sports aside : and now i am waiting on my lord with a great dish of trouts , who meeting with company , commanded me to turne scullion , and dresse a dinner of the trouts wee had taken : whereupon i gave my lord this bill of fare , which i did furnish his table with , according as it was furnished with flesh . trouts in broth , which is restorative : trouts broyled , cut and filled with sweet herbes chopt : trouts calvored hot with antchovaes sauce : trouts boyled ; out of which kettle i make three dishes ; the one for a soused dish , another for a stew'd dish , the third for a hot dish : the sauce is butter , vinegar , beaten cinamon , with the juyce of a lemmon , beaten very well together , that the sauce is white and thick , or else it is no sauce for a great mans table : trouts fryed , which must be done , and not put into the pan , untill the suet boyle very high , and kept with stirring all the time they are frying , being flowr'd first . trouts stew'd : trouts close , boyled with the calvored trouts , all in one kettle and the same liquor : trouts butter'd with egs : trouts roasted : trouts baked : these are for the first course , before the salt . and these are for the latter course . trouts calvored cold : trouts flat cold : baked trouts : trouts marilled , that will eat perfect and sweet three moneths in the heat of summer : if i did say , for the whole year about , i would make it good . for the dressing of four or five of the dishes , i will shew you how i did perform them . first , i will shew you for the boyling and calvoring , that serves for hot and cold , for first and latter course . first , you must draw out the intrails of the fish , cutting the fish two or three times in the back ; lay them in a tray or platter , put some vinegar upon them ; you shall see the fish turn sanguine , if they be new , presently : you must put so much water in the kettle as you thinke will cover them , with a pint of vinegar , a handfull of salt , some rosemary and thyme and sweet marjoram tyed in a bunch : then you must make this liquor boyle with a fierce fire made of wood : when the liquor hath boyled very well , put in your fish by one and one , keeping your liquor alwayes boyling , untill you have put all in : having provided a cover for your kettle , so put on the cover : you must have a paire of bellowes to blow up the fire with speed , that the liquor may boyle up to the top of the kettle ; so the fierce boiling will make the fish to calvor : provided , the fish be new killed : you may let them boile nigh a quarter of an hour ; when they are cold , you may put them in a tray or earthen pan , untill you have occasion to use them : be sure they lie covered . for your stewed trouts , you must cut them on the side , as for broiling : there are divers wayes of stewing ; the english hath one way , the french hath another way , the italian hath another way : i may speak this ; for i have been admitted into the kitchins , to furnish men of most nations , when they have been in england . we will begin with the english : he broyleth first upon a charcoale fire : the first thing that you must have a care of is , when your grid-iron is hot you must coole it with ruff suet , then the skin of your fish will not break , with care of turning them : when they are nigh broyled , take them off the grid-iron ; set on a chafing-dish of coals in a stew-pan , or dish ; put in a good quantity of fresh butter , so much vinegar as will give the relish , a penny-worth of beaten cinamon ; then put in your broyled fish , and let them stew , about halfe an houre will be sufficient , being turned : adorn your dish with sippets , take the fish out of the stew-pan , lay them for the service , be sure to squease a lemmon on them : i will warrant them good victuall . the italian he stewes upon a chasing-dish of coals , with white-wine , cloves , and mace , nutmegs sliced , a little ginger : you must understand when this fish is stewed , the same liquor that the fish is stewed in , must be beaten with some butter and the juyce of a lemmon , before it is dish'd for the service . the french doe add to this a slice or two of bacon . i will shew you the way to marrionate a trout or other fish , that will keep a quarter of a yeare in summer , which is the italians rarest dish for fresh fish , and will eat perfect and sweet . you must take out the intrailes as you doe of other fish , and cut them a-crosse the sides , as you do to broyle , washed clean , dried with a cloth , lay them upon a tray or board , sprinkle a little salt on them , and flowre them as to frie them , so take your frying-pan with so much suet , when it is melted , as the fish may lye to the mid-side in the liquor , and so fry them ; and every time you turn them , flower them againe , untill you finde the fish fryed sufficient : when you think the fish is fryed , take it out of the pan , and lay it upon some thing , that the liquor may draine out of it ; when the fish is cold , you may reare it an end . you must have a close vessell to keep this fish and liquor in , that no winde comes in , according to the quantity you make triall of . for the liquor . first , you must take halfe claret-wine , the other halfe vinegar , two or three bay-leaves , so much saffron as a nut tyed in a cloth , with some cloves and large mace , some nutmeg sliced ; boile all these together very well ; when the liquor is cold , and the fish cold , put the fish and liquor into the close vessell , with three or four lemmons sliced among the fish ; make all close that no winde can get into the vessell ; after eight or ten days you may begin to eat of this fish ; the sauce must be some of the same liquor , with some of a sliced lemmon . to dresse a pike . when the pike cometh into the kitchin , kill it ; then take a handfull of salt , with water , and rub the fish very well to take the slime off , draw out the intrailes ; wash the pike cleane , put a handfull of salt in the pikes belly ; then take so much water , with a pinte of vinegar : if the pike be any thing large , you must put in at least three handfull of salt , with a bunch of rosemary , thyme , and sweet marjoram , and two or three green onyons ; boyle your liquor very well with a high fire made of wood ; then put in your pike , cover your kettle , with your bellows keep your kettle boiling verie high for the space of halfe an houre or thereabouts : a pike asketh great boiling : for the sauce , it is sweet butter well beaten with some of the top of the same liquor , with two or three antchovaes , the skin taken off , and the bones taken out , a little vinegar , so garnish your dish : when your pike is dished , take the juyce of a lemmon and put on the top of the fish : there is no doubt but it is good victuall . i could set downe as many wayes to dress eeles , as would furnish a lords table : but i will relate but one . take off the skinne whole , till you come within two inches of the taile , beginning at the head : take out the intrailes , wash the eele cleane , drie it with a cloth , scotch it all along both the sides ; take some pepper and salt , mixe them together , rub the eele well with the pepper , and salt ; draw the skinne on againe whole ; tye the skinne about the head with a little thred lapped round , broyled on a charcoale fire , let your grid-iron be hot , rub your grid-iron with some ruffe suet ; the skinne will not burne ; this is good ; but take the skin off , and stew the eele betwixt two dishes , on a chafing-dish of coals , with sweet butter , vinegar , and beaten cinnamon , they will be better . the boyling of a carp is the very same way as i have shewed for the trout , the scales on : no better sauce can be made then the antchovaes sauce . the high boyling is the way for all fresh-water fish : i have served seven times seven years , to see the experiment . if there be any gentleman that liveth adjoyning to a river side , where trouts are ; i will shew the way to bring them to feed , that he may see them at his pleasure ; and to bring store to the place . gather great garden-wormes , the quantity of a pinte , or a quart , chop them in pieces , and throw them where you intend to have your pleasure ; with feeding often , there is no doubt of their comming ; they will come as sheep to the pen : you must begin to feed with peeces of worms , by hand , by one and one , untill you see them eat ; then you may feed with liver or lights , so your desire will be effected . and thus i conclude this short treatise . finis . the trade & fishing of great-britain displayed with a description of the islands of orkney and shotland. by captain john smith. smith, john, captain, lieutenant under col. rainsborough. approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing s estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the trade & fishing of great-britain displayed with a description of the islands of orkney and shotland. by captain john smith. smith, john, captain, lieutenant under col. rainsborough. [ ], p. printed by william godbid, and are to be sold by nathaniel webb, at the sign of the royal-oake in st paul's church-yard, london : . caption title on p. reads: captain john smith, late of london, merchant, his observations of the islands of orkney and shotland, with the manner of the hollanders fishing in the north or narrow seas, on those coasts, and the coast of england and scotland: .. . reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fishing -- england -- early works to . orkney (scotland) -- description and travel -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - mona logarbo sampled and proofread - mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the trade & fishing of great-britain displayed : with a description of the islands of orkney and shotland . by captain john smith . london , printed by william godbid , and are to be sold by nathaniel webb , at the sign of the royal-oake in st. paul's church-yard . . to his sacred majesty , charles by the grace of god , of great-britain , france , and ireland king , defender of the faith , &c. may it please your most excellent majesty , encouraged by the proclamation your majesty was graciously pleased to put forth some months since , concerning the fishing-trade , and having gained some little experience in that particular , during my stay upon the coasts of shotland : i presume humbly to offer to your sacred majesty the following discourse , being a short description of that , and the adjoyning islands ; the conveniency of the place , what course the dutch have continually taken , in order to their carrying on that great business ; their infinite gain thereupon , and by what means the industry of the english may render all their trade there inconsiderable . beseeching your majesty's gracious acceptance of this small endeavour , from one of the meanest , yet amongst the faithfullest of your majesty's subjects , john smith . captain john smith , late of london , merchant , his observations of the islands of orkney and shotland , with the manner of the hollanders fishing in the north or narrow seas , on those coasts , and the coast of england and scotland : which doth truly and lively set forth the great benefit that the fishing employments will produce . in the year . being then an apprentice to mr. matthew cradock of london merchant , one of the society for the fishing-trade of great britain , was sent to sea by the right honorable , the earl of pembrook and montgomery , and his associates , for the discovery of the island of shotland , the manner and way of trading , the profits and customs thereof , the setling a staple , building of store-houses , the viewing the ground on shore for landing and drying of nets , making and drying of fish , and the building of block-houses for the security of trade ; the manner of the hollanders fishing for herring with busses , and other vessels for ling and cod , according to the journal kept thereof , is as followeth . we set sail from gravesend the th . of april , . and having letters from the earl of pembrook to mr. william dicks of edinburgh in scotland , we directed our course towards scotland ; but by reason of foul weather was forced into harwich , and set sail from thence the th . ditto ; the wind not favouring us we came to an anchor in yarmouth-road , and there going on shore was informed , that the hollanders busses did drive at sea for herrings on that coast , and that from the holms before yarmouth to bookness in scotland , north north-east is leagues , and from bookness to the south end of shotland north and by-east about leagues . the fifth of may we set sail from yarmouth , and by stress of wind was forced into scarbrough , and there going on shore was informed of the hollanders busses fishing on that coast , and that from scarbrough northward towards catness , in fathom or thereabouts , in that fair way is usually the first summer herrings caught . from scarbrough we set sail and came to an anchor before leith in scotland the th . ditto , where going on shore , and from thence to edinburgh , delivered my letters to mr. william dicks , who was at that time governor of the island of shotland , and did receive the revenue of those islands . having received my instructions and letters from mr. william dicks directed to mr. james scot , who lived at that time in the north parts of the islands of shotland , and was agent or deputy to the said william dicks . we set sail from leith , and came to an anchor at casten in the islands of orkney , the ditto : and because these islands are very considerable as to the fishing trade , i cannot pass them by without a brief description thereof , which is as followeth . the islands of orkney are , and lye from the north and north-east point of scotland ; the first and southermost island is called elhey , but the greatest and chiefest island of orkney is called maland , which lyeth southermost from the point of catness ; on the north side of this great island are the havens , where the ships come to that trade in those parts , and to the island called lewis , and the islands thereabouts . the lewis islands are the islands on the west of scotland , and those seas , being also very considerable as to the fishing trade , i make bold to give account thereof as followeth . these islands lying westward from scotland , and to the northward of ireland , are in number . there are four great islands that lie near the main land , but the greatest and chiefest island is called lewis , which lyeth northward from the foresaid islands ; but the northermost of all the islands which lyeth towards the orkanes , about sixteen leagues from lewis , is called rova ; betwixt rova and orkney lye some small islands . the island lewis lyeth from shotland south-west or more westerly about leagues ; and from the south end of lewis to the north-west of ireland is leagues : in and between these islands are many very good sounds and havens for ships . lewis with the islands belonging to it lye south and by-west and south south-west about leagues . i shall farther add to my boldness , and give you an account of the islands of fero. these islands lie northward from the lewis islands about ● leagues , and from shotland westerly about leagues , and are in number . the sounds and havens are many . the southermost great island is called sugdro : on the north side of this island are several good sounds and havens ; but the best and chiefest of all the havens , and where all the trade and merchandise is , is called tor-haven , which lyeth on the great island strone . but these islands being out of my road , i shall return to my former discourse on the coast of orkney and shotland . the south part of shotland lyeth about leagues northward from the island called maland ; but between the islands of orkney and shotland lie two islands , the one called fair-hill , and the other called fulo ; these two islands lye about leagues one from the other , fulo lyeth north north-east from fair-hill . the island fair-hill lieth from the noth-east point of orkney about leagues , and the southermost point of shotland lyeth from fair-hill north and by-east about leagues , and from fulo east and by-south about four leagues . being informed of the manner of the hollanders fishing for herring , ling , and cod , with busses and doger-boats , in those seas , and the inhabitants of the islands manner and way of fishing , we set sail from casten , and came to an anchor by sunbrough-head , being the south part of shotland , the third of june , and going a shore , spake with the good-man of quandale , one of the chief of those parts ; the said gentleman with other of the inhabitants did inform me of their manner of trading with the hamburgers and others ; and of the hollanders fishing for herring on that coast , also of their doger-boats that fish onely for ling and cod. after i had received information from the inhabitants of the several islands , and the manner of fishing and trading there , we set sail from thence and came to an anchor in bracey-sound , otherwise called broad-sound , a very gallant harbour , where many ships may lie land-lockt for all winds . having informed my self by the inhabitants of those parts of the manner of their trading and fishing , and the hollanders fishing for herrings driving on that coast , we set sail from thence , and came to an anchor in evey-sound , the northermost sound in shotland on the ditto , and there going on shore , i continued about or months , and in that time travelling the greatest part of the island by sea and land , did thereby better inform my self concerning the manner of trading and fishing by the inhabitants , and the hollanders at sea. the land of shotland lyeth north and by-east , and south or south and west about miles . but their many islands belonging to shotland , which i shall have occasion to mention hereafter . that which is most considerable are the sounds and harbours . on the west side of the southward point of shotland , there is a good harbour and sound , called st. magnus , and on the east side near sunbrough-head is a fair sand-bay , where there is good anchoring in ten or twelve fathom ; to the northward of this last sound there is another sound called hambrough-haven , which is a lade-place for the hamburgers and scots . about or leagues from the southward point of shotland there is a chanel that runneth through the land , the south part of the land divided by the chanel is called swanberg , the other part so divided , or the north part , is called laxford ; within this chanel aforesaid are several sounds or harbours , but the best and chiefest sound in shotland is brace-sound , or broad-sound , as before mentioned ; out of this sound the aforesaid channel doth run northward . on the north part of swanberg lieth the high hill of hanglix , from the said hanglix about leagues northward , lie some out-rocks , called the stars ; to the northward of the stars there is a very good harbour , called bloom sound ; to the northward of this last sound is another good haven , called hue-seund , being the northernmost or north-east sound or haven belonging to the island , called ounst . there are other havens or sounds which lyeth through the land , between and about that part of shotland called laxford , and the island called jello . there are also other islands and sounds , which for brevitie sake i forbear to mention . the merchants which trade with the inhabitants of shotland are hamburgers , breamers , luberghers , scots and english. the chief inhabitants of the islands are scots , the meaner or inferior sort are a mixed people of danes and scots . the islands of shotland , as i have been informed , were given to king james of blessed memory , by the king of denmark , with queen ann. being part of her dowry . the commodities of shotland which the inhabitants do for the most part trade withal is ling and cod , which they take with hooks and lines in small boats , called yalls , about the bigness of gravesend oars ; the ling they sell for d. a piece , being a ling of the largest size , and is called a gild ling ; if smaller , then we have two for one , or three for two , and so proportionable . the cod is sold for d . the gild cod , and is measured as the ling. i bought of fisher-men , the inhabitants of the island called ounst , gild ling , and gild cod , at d. the gild ling , and d . the gild cod ; which ling and cod were taken by the said fishermen at several times in their small boats , and brought to my booth , or place of abode every morning as they were caught ; the said ling and cod being very good and merchantable , were salted aboard the ship that landed me , and within seven weeks after my landing , i sent her for london with the said fish to the right honorable the earl of pembrook , as by my books of account , delivered into his hands , and left with him , may appear . there is also other small fish which the inhabitants do catch with angles sitting on the rocks , and in their small boats with hooks and lines in the sounds , and between the islands ; and these small fish are very considerable , for although they cannot spend them by reason of the multitude they take , and have not industry to make use of them for transportation , yet the livers they preserve , and with the livers of the ling and cod , make train-oyle ; but if it were improved , as taking them with nets , the train oyle , i say , would amount to a considerable sum . and if this increase of trade were carried through the whole islands , it would be a great encouragement to all merchants trading into those parts . there were several other merchants in the island where i did inhabit , that bought ling and cod of the fishermen , so that the quantity which i sent for england was not above the fifth part taken in that island : with which the whole quantity of fish that was bought by other merchants throughout the whole islands of shotland being added together , would amount to a very considerable sum or quantity , to the lading of many vessels , which might be much more improved , and encrease trading thereby , furnishing the inhabitants with mony and commodities . in the islands of shotland there were beeves and sheep sold at a very reasonable rate ; i bought for my own use , and the victualing the ship sent to london , three oxen for l. and at an other time four oxen for l. which were fat , and about the bigness of the small fort of cattel we have in england : there were also fat sheep sold for s . and s . d . per sheep ; there were also other creatures for food , as conies and fowl. but desiring not to multiply words , i forbear to mention them . the fuel or firing in shotland is peat and turf . there may be salt-pans set up there , and good salt made to serve all the fishing fleet. there are very good shores for landing and drying of nets , and making and drying fish. there is no night in the north of shotland part of two months in the year , as june and july . in an island north of ounst , being not inhabited , but stockt with wild cows and conies , i did kill with my birding-piece ten couple of conies in one night , shooting from a little before sun-set to sun-rising , and it was as light as a cloudy winter-day . i do not remember any frost or snow in shotland ; if any , it was not of long continuance ; the coldest weather is by reason of great winds in the winter-quarter , the wind blowing so violent , that no ship dare look on the north-coast ; so that the people of those islands have little commerce with other nations in that quarter . i can speak by experience , being blown down flat to the ground by the violence of the wind , was forced to creep on my hands and knees to the next wall , and going by the wall got into an house , or else must have stayed by the wall till the violence of the wind were over . sometimes it lasteth half a day , and sometimes more . there are several towns in shotland , so called , being about eight or ten houses together , where they plow and sow corn , as oates , which is their chiefest bread ; and if my memory do not much deceive me , there was good barley growing in my time . but the land might be much improved if the inhabitants were industrious ; they are like unto the idle irish , not improving any thing either by sea or land , spending that in the winter which they get in summer ; although their winter might be very profitable unto them , if they were laborious and industrious , as the hollanders are . the goods and commodities that are vendible in shotland are hooks and lines for the taking of ling and cod , nets for the taking of herring , strong-beer , bisket , wheaten meal , salt , pease , fruits of all sorts , strong water , monmouth-caps , and many other particulars , which is not needful at this time to mention . the inhabitants of the island of ounst usually have a bark that they trade with to norway , where they may buy timber for houses ready framed , also deal-boards , tar , ships , barks , and boats of all sorts , and other necessaries for their use . with their small fishing-boats , called yalls , they will row into the main about two or three leagues , more or less , where the banks are that they lay their hook and lines for ling and cod ; in one of these boats rowing with two men , and sometimes four , according to the largeness of the boat , they do usually bring to shore every morning that they go to sea , about fifty or sixty ling and cod. there are many barrels of herrings taken by the inhabitants , with their small boats , in the sounds , and at sea not far from land , which are the gleanings of the hollanders busses ; for the busses driving at sea , break the skull or shole of herrings , and then the herrings flee near the shore , and through the sounds , where these small boats , with those nets they have , take them . but if they had better tackling and boats , they might take five hundred barrels for one , which would much enrich the islands , and by encreasing of trade would augment his majesty's revenue . i was an eye-witness of the hollanders busses fishing for herring on the coast of shotland , not far from ounst , one of the northermost islands ; demanding the number of them , was informed by several persons of quality , that the fleet consisted of sail , and that there were above wafters , as they call'd them , which were ships carrying about guns a piece , being the convoys of the fleet of busses ; which said busses were of the burden of about tun. there were also a small fleet of dogger-boats , which were of the burden of tun and upward , which did fish onely with hooks and lines for ling and cod. many of these boats and busses came into several havens or sounds , to fit and trim themselves . one thing was observable , that within eight or ten days after the dogger-boats went to sea , they came into the sound again so full laden as they could swim . the certain number of dogger-boats i could not learn , but the general report was about . the composition of the hollanders , as i was informed after my comming into england , was an annual rent of l. and l. in hand ; and never having been paid or brought into the exchequer , as i could hear of , there is in arrearages above l. an acceptable sum , and which would come very happily for the present occasions of his majesty . as for the charges in building , rigging , and setting forth the busses to sea , with nets and other materials for the fishing , as also dogger-boats for ling and cod , i refer to several books in print , as , the royal herring-buss fishing ; and , a narrative of the royal fishing , both set forth by mr. simon smith , who is well experienced in those affairs . if god would please to put it into the heart of our gracious king and his subjects to set out such a fleet of busses , as before mentioned , for the fishing-trade , being in our own seas , and on our own ground ; and that the hollanders and all strangers may be discharged from fishing in those seas , and the hamburgers , breamers , and lubeckers , and all strangers , from trading in the islands of orkney and shotland , and that onely the subjects of the three kingdoms may have the trading and fishing , it would make our king one of the greatest monarchs in the world , for riches and glory ; and the three kingdoms the happiest people in christendom , and there would not be one wanting bread ; but the hearts of the subjects would be lifted up with praises to god and our king. for it is well known , that trading is the life of all the habitable world , and therefore much more of these three kingdoms , which are but islands , and so populous , that we are ready to devour one the other ; and if trading be not encreased and maintained amongst us , we shall in a short time be the most despicable people in the world , and the derision of all nations . having in thirty years experience in travelling england , scotland , and ireland , and other parts , observed , that without trading no nation can subsist , which i humbly conceive i shall be able to make good against all opposers thereof , which are enemies to your sacred majesty , and these three kingdoms : and that if there be not an increase of trade powerfully carried on , we are an undone people , as i shall make more fully appear by my ensuing discourse . now it is well known to all , who are not quite ignorant of the course of trade and merchandise , that the traffick of europe hath been engrossed into the hands , and carried on all along by the venetians , genoese , portugalls , easterlings , hollanders , and english ; all which i shall briefly run through , and shew how the failer and decay of one , was the original rise to another , till the whole at present is divided between the hollanders and us . i shall begin with venice , that city therefore and genoa at first , two pretty equal common-wealths , by reason of that mutual advantage they had one of another , and community of trade to the same places , were counter-ballances one to another ; in one thing the venetians than the genoese , in another the genoese than the venetians , being better supplied ; for if the venetians had better shipping , the genoese had richer merchants , and a greater bank , and so they continued : till venice disdaining to be confin'd in so narrow limits , as was the compass of its city , encreased its dominion , and adding to its power greater industry , utterly undid the genoese , undersold them in their best commodities , and so wore them out ; which they could well do , being better in this continuance of time provided , as to men , mony , and all manner of provisions . hence they made themselves lords of all the trade of the levant , comprehending in it turkey , part of africk , and italy : and by multitude of ships of their own , transported the commodities of those countries into france , england , and the netherlands . they made their way also into the indies , and all over persia by their caravans , and by egypt and aleppo returned thence all kind of silks and spices , and sold them at their own rates , where ever they found the best vent , and so they continued to do at excessive rates , though not without extraordinary gains , by reason of the difficulty of conveyance ; till the portingals discovered the passage to the indies by the cape of good hope , receiving in exchange for the commodities so bartered , the staple commodities of all the countries they traded to ; here in england they had for them cloth , tin , lead , &c. and with which we our selves , by our own shipping , cheaper , and with greater gain , might have supplyed italy , turky , and the greatest part of africk . hence also that state , at first confined to a sew scattered islands , on which by degrees they built their city , whither before they onely fled for security , came to encrease and grow to that heighth in which now it is , nay greater in all probability ; for by the decaying of trade , their power and dominion hath sensibly decayed . by the greatness of their trade they enlarged their jurisdiction , both upon the levant seas , and very high into the main land , in lombardy , graecia , on the dukedom of milan ; conquered and purchased many considerable islands in the mediterranean , as candy , zant , cyprus , and other places which lay convenient , both for strength and security of the trade and navigation of that republick . it would be tedious for me to recount how many colonies they have dispersed over the world , and that fear and jealousie other kings and emperors have had of its growing strength ; how that city was thought to have a design upon the soveraignty of italy , and the many combinations to prevent . and all this to have compassed from so small a beginning , onely by the extent of its trade , as its neighbour rome enjoyed it by strength of arms. after the venetians and genoese , the easterlings or hance-towns were master of the trade and commodities transported from moscovy , poland , germany , sweden , prussia , denmark , &c. and with them , by their abundance of shipping , served england , france , spain , and the low-countries . and that in regard of that continual need we had of the commodities of those parts or people , as hemp , all manner of cordage , sope-ashes , flax , pitch , tar , masts , corn , &c. they received in return from us our staple commodities , which by their own ships , at their own rates , they conveyed all over europe , when we for want of shipping could not : but did see their excessive gains , and yet were forced to be content . even here in england they had very great privileges , mighty indulgencies ; and out of that necessity we thought we had of them , finding by them the speediest vent for our commodities , we embraced them into our bosom , so that by degrees they began to be very potent upon the northern seas , and upon every occasion were ready to turn our enemies , the most dangerous , because , as it were , within our own bowels : hence taking advantage , in their shipping the saxons , danes , and normans invaded england ; and the hance-towns were grown formidable both to italy and france . but as their trading decayed , so did also their strength , and their shipping being wasted , they have undergone the same necessity that others , once famous cities of mart , have done , and have utterly lost all their power and strength by sea. the portingals discovering the way to the indies by the cape of good hope , quickly became engrossers of the whole trade thither , and by the same stratagem and device undermined at once the the venetian and all the hance-towns , whereupon encreasing with the strength of spain , they made themselves the terror of all round about them , and a very rich nation and people within it self . this was the first rise of the portingals , who lying so commodiously for navigation , and a no less industrious than a very cautelous people in the management of their affairs , proceeded so far , that queen elizabeth of blessed memory jealous of them , fearing lest spain should joyn with them , and of their future greatness , continually encreasing by reason of its traffick into the east and west-indies , for the security of her self , and safety of all her good subjects , endeavoured to make her self equal in strength , and counterpoise them , if possible , by the enlargement of the trade of great-britain , and this she prosecuted with so much vigour , and so successfully , that in a little space england had as great a trade and power by sea , as either the king of spain , or any principality of europe . but before her time , in the reign of king edward the th . our own merchants discovered the trade into moscovy by the way of st. nicholas , ever since which time , in our own shipping we have thence transported home all the commodities of that large and vast country , formerly brought in by the hanc●-towns , their agents and merchants . and whereas a great part of those same commodities , as cavear , tallow , hydes , &c. are not vendible in england , and being bought , must be again sold or exchanged , need and use hath found a better vent for them in italy , and other parts of the levant , whereupon first began our trade there ; a trade , which though it at first appeared very small and inconsiderable , increased in a few years to that heighth of improvement , that within or years , we have worn the venetians out of all that mighty trade they carried from those parts , or in turky , and all over christendom . so that by this you easily see how trade hath flourished and decayed in genoa , venice , the hance-towns , and portingal , the whole being now fallen betwixt us and the hollander , either striving who shall use means most effectual for advancing the general trade of its country ; and though the hollanders hath by art and industry better improved his interest , yet that wherein his interest most li●s may obviously appear , and wherein , in that very particular , we may , if we please , go before them , i shall thus endeavour to demonstrate . the hollanders have not at present , neither ever had any other means to rise to this greatness of wealth and trade , but by betaking themselves to fishing , being a people of constant labour , and unwearied industry ; a multitude in a spot of land , which doth not afford them any commodities sufficient to be the ground even of a mean trade . they first began , and all along have drove this trade of fishing , being their original of all trade , upon our coast , and the coast of scotland , on which they employ thousands of poor people , besides others of a better rank , making some mariners and fisher-men , others they keep at work about the making and mending of n ets ; others they employ as merchants about the transportation or exchanging of their fish for other commodities . so that in all holland you shall scarce see one beggar , there being so many thousand things , or particular trades , or imployments belonging to the fishing-trade , out of which they may find a livelyhood . they employ also hereby great store of ships , and in the industrious management hereof , make us in england at what rate they please buy our own fish. the great quantity of herring every year they take , they transport to dantzick , melvin , quinbrough , leghorn , and other parts ; and with the returns they make of them , buy corn , hemp , flax , pitch , tar , clap-boards , and other commodities ; and in holland store them up into a magazin , whence they again disperse them into italy , france , spain , yea england , and all over europe . fish , and the fishing-trade being the onely stock upon which they continually live and spend , putting off most there where they find the best rates ; and this hath encreased their shipping and wealth , that now they have lengthned their power all over the world , and in most countries have a considerable stock . and this growing and encreasing of theirs hath been within the space of or years , and yet they are not come to their heighth , for every day they glory in some new addition to their sway. and if care be not taken of this their growth , they will within few years not onely be master of our seas but of our trades too . his majesty hath been graciously pleased to take this into his princely consideration , and if it be seconded with the prudent management of those commissioners he hath already imployed in the carrying it on , i dare be bold to say the hollanders are at their meridian . for first of all , england is not inferior to the netherlands , nay , we are before them in all the advantages both of art and nature . the scituation of our country is such , that for the convenience of all kind of marts the world hath not the like , and being seated between the north and south , so that it is fix'd , as it were , by art and nature , the fittest staple for both northern and southern commodities . secondly , our ports and harbours are fairer and safer , having good anchoring , and more in number throughout the three kingdoms , than any country in christendom can boast of . and then thirdly , which exceedeth , we have valuable commodities , as to the quantity and quality of them , such as are the inriching of all those that trade with them . so that if we are not our own enemies , and will but be a little industrious , one quarter of that will serve and be enough in england , which is but necessary and scarce sufficient in holland ; adding thereto providence for the employing our own shipping , and not any forreigners , we shall within few years have the greatest power at sea , and make our selves master of all trades ; and the hollanders a servant to that wealth and power , of which at present he is the sole master . but for the quicker advancement of so great and noble a work , there is necessary to be a protection and favour of his majesty to all manner of trades , so that they be not carried on by strangers , and acted by them , as at present it is in and about the city of london , there being , thousands of them up and down the suburbs , french , and dutch , and others , who live as it were upon the ruines of the poor free-born citizens , vending any unmerchantable ware , and at lower rates than any other honest tradesman can . and this i humbly conceive is the reason why trading hath been so bad and dead in this great city for these late years . but the prudence of his majesty is such , and under his prosperous reign all things so readily begin to run in their old chanel , that we doubt not but in a little time trading and merchandize will do so too , and not be any longer the burden of the land for the lack of it , but of the sea in bringing it hither . after men comes mony , and without this sure foundation , we shall never be able to make any superstructure to stand . there must be a stock of shipping , mony , and commodities ; for commodities in traffick will bring in more mony , and mony commands all commodities , and to attempt this without both , or at least one of these two , is like a soldier going to battel without his offensive and defensive weapons ; with the one we offend all our enemies , the engrossers of our trade : and with the other we defend our selves against their most powerful assaults . in antient times , merchants and tradesmen were very careful to provide and lay up a stock of mony for the building of ships , and buying of commodities to trade with . but in these latter years , as within or years , they have disbursed much mony in purchasing land , and building stately houses , minding pleasure more then profit , and have neglected trade , to the undoing of many of them , and that great cause of the decaying of trade . therefore to preserve and uphold trade , i humbly offer unto his majesty's consideration , and his honorable council , that all merchants and tradesmen within the three kingdoms may be restrained from purchasing land above the yearly value in rent of pounds . this being effected , and the fishing-trade carried on , will within few years make the greatest bank of mony , and the greatest trade in the three kingdoms , to be equal , if not greater , than any trade or bank of mony in the world . for hereby great and vast sums of mony , which are now consumed in continual purchases , will be expended onely in and about trade and traffick in general ; and the best security for this mony will be a setled bank , which all will of necessity use . having not read any of those books which are in print concerning the fishing-trade , but referring to several books that i heard of , and not knowing the number of busses allotted or appointed to be bought or built , neither how they shall be disposed of as to their ports or harbours ; therefore i make bold to offer my judgment . that a certain number of busses be bought or built , as also dogger-boats ; the number of busses to consist of or , or thereabouts ; for that some years may as soon catch their lading as , and therefore more considerable as to the charges of the three kingdoms ; for a small number of busses will not do the work . the dogger-boats which fish onely for ling and cod , would consist of , or thereabouts . these busses and dogger-boats being fitted for sea to proceed in their fishing , that then they be sent or appointed to several ports or harbours of the three kingdoms , that lie most convenient for the fishing . and that the counties or shires that these ports do belong to , be enjoyned to keep the same number of busses and boats perpetually , well rigged and furnished to sea for the fishing , as was delivered to them . and if by reason that those counties , which have the most and best harbours , and that lie most convenient for the fishing trade , will bear the greatest burden , by reason the greatest number of busses will be sent to these ports . then thirdly , i humbly offer , that the undertakers of the said counties have allowance out of the main stock or bank of mony , proportionable to their charges . and i do further humbly offer unto consideration , that there be a corporation made of all the adventurers for the fishing-trade , and that merchants and tradesmen be admitted into this corporation . and that t●is corporation be armed with large privileges , and ample immunities , for the transportation of the said fish. i might have also told you of the pilcher-fishing , and for ling and cod on the w●st and north-west of england , and that great pilcher-fishing , and fishing for cod on the west coast of ireland , frequented by those of biscay , galicia , and portugal ; but they are so well known that i forbear to mention them . the islands that belong to scotland , and lie on the north , north-west , and west of scotland , which are useful for the fishing-trade , are in number . and whereas it is credibly reported , th●t above fisher-towns are decayed and reduced to extream poverty , for want of favour , succour , and protection : on the contrary , by diligent endeavouring to make use of so great a blessing , as is offered unto us by the seas , we might in a short time repair those decayed towns , and add both honor , strength , and riches to our king and country . the premises being taken into serious consideration , it maketh much to the ignominy and shame of our nation , that god and nature offering us so great a treasure , even at our own doors , we do notwithstanding neglect the benefit thereof . the conclusion : and to conclude , such is the clear and indubitable right of our soveraign lord the king to the superiority of the british seas , that no man can produce clearer evidence for any part of his estate : and as those seas , under god , are the principal means of our wealth and safety ; so it doth much concern all his true subjects , who are bound by the law of crace and nature , with heart and hand , to preserve and maintain the same with the hazard of their lives , goods , and fortunes . finis . the innocent epicure, or, the art of angling a poem. innocent epicure j. s., fl. . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing t estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the innocent epicure, or, the art of angling a poem. innocent epicure j. s., fl. . tate, nahum, - . [ ], p. printed for s. crouch, h. playford and w. brown ..., london : . preface signed: n. tate. published later, , with title: angling. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fishing -- poetry. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - tcp staff (michigan) sampled and proofread - john latta text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the art of angling . a poem . the innocent epicure : or , the art of angling . a poem . tytire amas rivos , rivos tibi , tytire , dicam . rap. — si quid novisti rectius istis , candidus imperti , si non , his utere mecum . hor. london : printed for s. crouch , h. playford , and w. brown : against the royal-exchange , cornhill ; in the temple-exchange , fleetstreet ; and in black-horse alley near fleet-bridge . . preface . the copy of this poem being sent to me from the unknown author , with commission to publish or suppress it , as i thought fitting ; his indifference about the matter convinc'd me that he was a gentleman who wrote it for his diversion , or at least in kindness to those who are lovers of that ingenious and innocent recreatio● , concerning which he has made so judicious observations . i immediately communicated the sight of his manuscript to s●●eral experienc'd anglers , ( and some of 'em no enemies to the muses , ) who agreed in their opinions , that notwithstanding the confin●m●nt th●t verse lays upon a writer , it far excels any thing that has been publish'd in prose upon this subject , even in the useful and instructive part of the work. they assur'd me , that it contains all the necessary rules that have yet been delivered ; and those rules digested into a much better method ; together with several uncommon and surprizing remarks , which many who are reputed artists at the sport , may receive advantage by . this was all that seem'd needful to be said of the performance , with relation to the angler's business ; and in reference to the poetry , 't is certain that every man will judge for himself : and doubtless the modestest account that i can give of it , will be most acceptable to an author who conceals his name . the cast and design of the work are after the model of ancient and best received poets on such arguments : the style lively , and as elevated as was proper for the matter of which he treats , and discovers a genius capable of managing a greater subject : the numbers are smooth and easy ; and if there is not always a ●ervi●e strictness of rhyme , that seems to me a iudicious negligence ( in ● pi●●● where nature 〈◊〉 to have the ascendant ) , and becoming a gentleman who wrote for his pleasure , and makes not poetry his profession . his digressions , as they were necessary to relieve the dryness of prescribing directions , so are they sensible and entertaining . i have only this to add , that since the author's scene lies in the countrey , in the solitude of rivers and meadows , i presume there needs no apology for publishing herewith so good a copy of that original landskip of retirement , which was long since so admirably drawn by horace . nor can any contempla●ive person be offended at my publishing of both , since they were both committed to my disposal . n. tate . from j. s. to c. s. horace epist. x. lib. i. vrbis amatorem fuscum salvere ju●emus ruris amatores , &c. health to my friend , who loves the town so well ; health from his friend , who loves his countrey cell ; in all but this , we twin like brother doves , what one dislikes , the other disapproves ; and covent● garden cooing but divides our loves . thou keep'st the billing nest ; i range the fields , and taste what uncorrupted nature yeilds ; riot in flowers , and wanton in the woods , bask on the mossy banks , and skim along the floods . in short , i live , and reign , and joy to be , from all thy much-mistaken blessings free ; and , as the slave the flamens surfeits fled , nauseate the honey-cakes , and feast on bread ; if happiness of life be worth our care , ( and he who builds , should nicely chuse his air ) ; tell me the place that with the country vies , in easy blessings , and in native joys ; where chearful hearths deceive the cold so well , or gentle gales the raging beams repel ; when both the lyon and the dog conspire , with furious rays to set the day on fire ; where then , ah where ! but here , can sleep maintain ( that slave in courts ) her soft imperial reign ? is parian marble press'd beneath thy feet , more beautiful than flowers , or half so sweet ? or water roaring through the bursting lead , so pure as gliding in its easy bed ? who builds in cities , yet the fields approves , and hedges in with pillars awkward groves● strives for the countrey-view that farthest runs , and tweers aloof at beauties which he shuns . in driving nature out , our force is vain , still the recoiling goddess comes again ; and creeps in silent triumph to deride the weak attempts of luxury and pride . an ignorant and uncomparing fop , is cheated less in any mercer's shop , than he who cannot with a wary eye distinguish happiness from vanity . who prosperous chance too eagerly embrace , feel double pangs in her averted face . you once must leave whatever you admire ; ah wisely now , and willingly retire ; forsake the gawdy tinsel of the great , the peacef●l cottage beckens a retreat : where tr●● content so tru● a greatness brings , as slights th●ir ●a●ourites , and pities kings . the stag and ●ors● in common pasture fed , till j●rs en●u'd , and heels oppos'd to head ; but horns are lucky things● and p●lsrey sled , foaming for spight ( and passion is a wit , ) he sought to man , and kindly took the bit : but when he fully had reveng'd his cause , the spurs still gaul'd his sides , the curb his jaws . just so the man who has his freedom sold , ( the nobler riches ) to insulting gold , his back beneath a jaunting rider lays , hackney'd and spurr'd through all his slavish days . whose fortune is not fitted to his will , too great or little , is uneasy still . our shooes and fortune surely are alli'd , we limp in strait , and stumble in the wide . wisely now take what chance and fate afford , nor wish for more ; i know thou wilt not hoard : and when i labour for the sordid gains , or heap the trash , upbraid me for my pains . it serves or rules , where ever gold you find ; but still the varlet is a slave by kind . receive these from thy friend — who laughs in kent from cares and business free , and wanting nothing in the world but thee . books printed for , and sold by h. playford . harmonia sacra , in two books , containing divine hymns and dialogues ; set to musick by dr. i. blow , the late mr. h. purcell , and other eminent masters . price of both bound s. the d book stitch'd s. deliciae musicae , in four books , containing most of the newest and best songs ; with three elegies on ●ha late queen mary ii. being the first volume ; ●et by the late famous mr. h. purcell . price of the vol. stitch'd s. deliciae musicae , the first and second book of vol. . price of the first s. of the second d. the whole book of psalms in three parts , by iohn playford , as they are sung in churches : to ●hich is added a table of all the trebles , and what ●salms are sung to them ; being very fit for coun●●ey masters who teach the same : d edit . in octavo . ●rice bound s. d. an ode on the death of that late excellent ma●●er , mr. henry purcell ; the words by mr. dryden , ●nd compos'd to musick by dr. iohn blow . also the late mr. henry purcell's picture , exactly ●ngraven by mr. white . price in a frame d. or ●ithout a frame d. miscellanea sacra : a collection of choice poems on divine and moral subjects . vol. i. collected by n. tate , servant to his majesty . price bound s. the parallel ; a● essay on friendship , love , and marriage ; by sir h. s. price sti●ch'd d. oroonoko , a tragedy ; by mr. southern ● price d. the she-gallants , a comedy ; written by a person of quality . price d. the lovers-luck , a comedy ; by mr. dilk ● price s. there will lik●wise be speedily publi●●'● , a catalogue of all the musick-books sold at the same place ; amongst which will be several italian musick-books , and some newly come over . all sorts of fishing-rods , tackle , and other implements of angling , sold by william brown , in black-horse alley , near fleet-bridge , and at his house , the sign of the golden fish in st. paul ●s church-yard . the art of angling . hence idle love ; the muse at last grown wise , dilates her fancy , and improves her choice . to vain delights she 's now no●more a friend . but ye , ye genial souls do you attend ; attend and listen , while i freely tell you and the wiser world the art of angling well . others their pleasure by their hopes commend ; but i the anglers value by its end. ye nymphs and river-gods ( if such there be ) of you i sing ; exert your force to me . while i describe the glories of your court , natives , their manners , and their vast resort , my humble reed with such a strain inspire , as those the list'ning streams in you admire ; when the glad waves from their swift course recoil , and in your songs forget their hourly toil. so may they still attend you as you sing ; so may the meads , of sport your wanton scene , be blest by iove with everlasting spring . and thou , whom once to hear , is once to love , alike propitious to my labours prove . smile on your own commands , tho' ill obey'd , and kindly execute the muses aid . beneath thy least neglect the work must fall , so vast its height , my genius so small ; but from your smiles she will not fear to hope : atlas , they say , bore the world's fabrick up . at worst the just will emulate my fate ; sternhold might shine exalted to the height , and b — and l — poll for laureat . begin , my muse , the pleasures of the wise , serene content , and unrepented ease ; thy noble song who can neglect to hear ? none but the fools thou shouldst not love nor fear . they scorning thee , thy reputation raise , and with their cypress bring eternal bays . first then , the best materials to prepare , ( the curious anglers chief and wisest care ) sing we , in numbers rather just than new , and short ; for the ingenious want but few . hints are enough , where we the subject love ; and the lukewarm won't more than hints improve . tir'd with the glories he so long has born , when sol resigns them all in capricorn , or when the northern pleiades are set , and rural hinds seek out the welcome heat ; awhile th' approaching winter-blasts sustain : the future bliss will quit the present pain . then tender shoots from the old hazle take ; strait , smooth , and even , free from knot or break. search all the copse , nor spare the fairest tree : no matter though the tender mothers cry . no matter though the nymphs , her sisters , mourn : from the fresh wound fresh offspring will return . besides , 't is kind her issue to impair ; old as she is , her stock should lightly bear . we bless the shepherds , and we call them wise , who treble-bearing ewes discreetly ease : as wisely then you may your use supply ; furnish your self , and ease the lab'ring tree . thus got , preserve them with your utmost care ; for nicety it self 's a virtue here . prune them , if notch'd ; if crooked , make them straight : the knife does this , a gentle flame does that● the sap expell'd , they dexterously bend , and double service and assistance lend . then lest they warp , and from the curling snake , their quondam tenant , some resemblance take ; let some straight pole their fetter'd bodies bear ; nor loose them till occasion first require . nor when you fit them for your sport and use , slight you the art , or any pains refuse . here nice proportion must be well observ'd ; and exact beauty through the whole preserv'd : for though rude slaves with bungling labour kill ; true anglers ought to do 't distinguishingly well . but if these pains , like dangerous tasks in love , stifle your thoughts , and your fledg'd hopes remove : a little charge will purchase you your ease , and london furnish you with just supplies . there lab'ring artists nicely fit each part : you buy your pleasure , and they live by art. the cane , the hazle , all the anglers store they sell , and often , to the curious , more . but , if i might intrench upon your ease , i 'd with a caution join my poor advice . first , of their lines , their treach'rous lines beware ; nor grudge your self a little labour here . i teach you here , by sad experience taught , what i with care and money dearly bought . full oft relying on my strength , not skill ; full oft the fisher was the fishes spoil . nor only were my hopes and pleasures crost , but , with my prize , more precious time was lost . then warning take , and wisely thus avoid the rock on which my ship has oft been try'd . chuse well your hair , and know the vigorous horse not only reigns in beauty , but in force . creatures decay'd the london shops supply : get you such locks as they can't reach to buy . nor chuse the hair of beasts ( tho newly ) dead ; there nature's universally decay'd . but , when the rampant brute with vigour flies to force the timerous jade to taste his joys , obtain your wish at any rate and price . then for your single links the fairest chuse ; such single hair will best supply your use . and of the rest your several lines prepare , in all still lessening every link a hair. if for the flye , taper and long your line ; the fish is quick , and hates what is not fine . if for the depth , to stronger i advise ; tho still the finest take the finest prize . but e're you twist your upper links , take care wisely to match in length and strength your hair. believe me , friend , this care as useful is , and just , as any part of my advice . have you not seen the skilful archer's bow drawn to a height , his expectation so ; the arrow pointing to the wish'd-for prize , and he devouring 't with his heart and eyes ; when the ill-twisted string his vigour fails , first frets , then snaps , the baffled master rails . such oft has been my fate , which only care and future circumspection could repair . on equal strength we wisely may rely ; but else experience by our loss we buy . for ev'n in friendships bonds 't is rarely found , that when one fails , the other keeps his ground . then wisely to avoid the archer's fate , twist slow your links , and see they justly plait . hair best with hair , and silk with silk agrees ; but mixt , have each their inconveniences . though would you freely to my rules attend , i 'd only to your use the hair commend . more trivial things are these ; the knot and * bought , not worth a verse since eas'ly learn'd without . for every angler here by instinct knows the use of this , and that that must be close . of like consideration are the rest ; hook , float and plummet , as you fancy best . for one , perhaps , applauds his kerby's ware ; and others cheaplier serv'd exceed him every where . for as in beauty fancy reigns ; we see fancy misleads us in utility . some teach you next the blunted hook to whet ; though i was never so unfurnish'd yet ; nor did my leisure e're so much oppress , to lose an hour in niggard idleness . nor is there farther●worthy to be taught , bags , landing nets , and panniers must be bought . when , though unask'd , th' event will easily show your willing chap will over-furnish you . next of the art it self i speak ; o friend ! my weighty lessons heedfully attend ! attend me , while i into order bring each weighty rule , and every pond'rous line . hail ! great triumvirate * of angling ! hail ! ye who best taught , and here did best excel . play here the gods , play here the heroes part : your selves the proto-poets of the art. my humble breast with pow'rful flames inspire to teach the world what justly we admire : joys fraught with innocence , of danger free , raptures which none but we should so enjoy . but tell me first , for you or none can tell , what god the mighty science did reveal ? for sure a god he was ; less than divine , how could such weighty blessings flow from him ? a god he was then , or at least to me , and , my associates , such he ought to be . he taught us first the grandeur of the court contemn'd and scorn'd for this , to chuse a sport full of content , and crown'd with healthful ease : where nature frets not while our selves we please . come back my muse now to the task design'd ; sing we of fish the haunts of every kind , their baits , their seasons , and their usual feed , and when the angler best may hope to speed . things worthy of the angler's greatest care ; things worthy thee to teach , and him to hear . and first the salmon does my verse command , lov'd at his sport , but more at tables fam'd . well are the patient anglers pains repaid , when this fair captain is his captive made . oft purling brooks , but oftner greater streams he haunts : where neptune , like the dutch in india reigns : just salts the water to evince his pow'r , afraid to vex the river-beauties more . at mid-day when the sun exerts his rays , see on the surface how the wanton plays . then wisely tempt him , and from force or choice you 'll see him nimbly to your pastime rise . strong be your lines , your hooks , your rods , and all , and wise your conduct , or he breaks the whole . one wary jerk , and straight he plunging cries , angler be cautious● or you lose your prize . though mealy mouth'd , he 's sometimes that way lost ; which cautious care prevents not , no , nor cost . though art may much your strength and lines relieve , and nice observance great assistance give . large be your flye too , and might i advise , expanded wings should more provoke his rise . to which if various colours well you join , and time ( which renders every thing divine ) agree , it cannot fail to answer your design . yet curling billows should assist the cheat , quick-sighted else he 'll quickly shun the bait. and clear the water must , or else he feeds low on the gravel , or the wasting weeds . yet lobbworms scour'd , them 〈◊〉 sure friends you 'll find , then too your tackling strengthen to your mind . these cannot fail you , if the dying year say not , desist , his spawning time is near . a troll some use , and some the rod prefer : no matter which , since both like useful are . less nice at bottom he devouring roves , and boldly rushes , as he boldly loves . the mennows too his rage not rarely feel , try those , and if you can , procure the reel , which freely of its self emits the line , ( needfully long and yet securely fine ) . the greedy fish may have his full of play , while unconcern'd on the less fry you prey . or wisely casting round your ravish'd eyes , salute the author of these mighty joys , with these or more adapted thoughts than these : coelestial bounty ! how shall i repay those blessings which thy mercy throws away ? each morn , each hour , thy lavish'd hand i find ; make me less sinful , or be thou less kind . neglected mercy must to vengeance turn ; be thou my love , though by the atheists scorn . come here ye fools , though in opinion wise. come here and see with natural reason's eyes . reason , your boast , though an imperfect guide , the weighty controversy shall decide . in beauteous order see the waters move , and show like motion in the spheres above . tell me , could human force such skill attain ? and where that fails , sure chance attempts in vain . chance mimicks art , and nature helps the cheat ; but 't is a different glory to create . besides , though gay the sun his course each morn renews , chance cannot hold the reins could she the work produce . no! here consistent beauty rules the whole , mov'd by an ardent and continual soul. when that is kind , the sun 's diffusive ray ripens the fields , and drives the mists away . when sullen , then the strongest beauties pine , and chance it self no kind relief can bring . that flowry mead is not by chance so fair ; but knows its seasons , and observes the year . the flocks alike their annual off'rings pay : but all would fade , were purblind chance to sway● o mighty author of all earthly things ! and heaven no less thy wise creation sings ; let not me vainly offer to dethrone thy will , to idolize my foolish own . still in my soul more genial gleams infuse , that i by others scorn may wisely chuse : may wisely chuse thy precepts to obey , and all things else fling with contempt away . come back my muse , now change the weighty strain , and take the humble anglers up again . sing next the trout , for next in sport and kind he comes . o thou , who here apply'st thy mind , tread softly , and be sure keep out of sight ; or the shy fish will balk thy appetite . nice as thy hopes too , be thy rod and line , nice be thy flies , and cast exactly fine . for which nor rod , nor line of length should want , full six yards each , if so the streams consent . taper and light , as long , from hand to hook , if for the flye and in a chrystal brook : or tho in muddled streams y' are forc'd to cast , yet still the finer , you succeed the best . fineness in angling 's th' anglers nearest rule ; tho prudence still must regulate in all . for wise men will not trust a single hair with weight , which dead , it could not easily bear . if then with natural flies to fish you chuse , observe the season , and provide for use. observe the fish , as round for prey they rove , and gain your baits where best they seem to love . for search all nature , and this truth you 'll find , variety , the mistress of mankind , is not to species or to sex confin'd . but if the artificial you 'd prepare , first well to make them use your utmost care : some brother angler freely will impart the useful ni●●ties throughout the art. and verse nor prose can ever teach you well , what masters well , but practice best will tell . only at large the muse may thus exhort ; nature best mimick'd , best secures your sport. of flies the kinds , their seasons , and their breed , their shapes , their he● , ( which nicest observation need . ) which best the trout admi●es , where easiest gain'd experience best will teach too , or your friend . for several kinds must every month supply : ( so great 's his passion for variety . ) nay , if new species o're the waves you find , try , you 'll acknowledge fortune amply kind . the flye , the hardest task , thus learnt , prepare to cast your line distinguishingly fair . cast oft , till by experience perfect made , your pains are in the sequel well repaid . if on the surface first your line should light , the fish spring out , nor soon recover the affright . but if the flye , straight for a quick surprize , the greedy wantons scarce prepare to rise . if short he cuts , next throw be sure beware ; he saw too much , the angler stood too near . but keep your shadow off the purling stream , and cast , and long you cannot cast in vain . for if no obvious failure interpose , you speed , or will not speed in forty throws . but if he thus exacts too weighty pain , and with less art you would your hopes obtain : since all men artists are not , let it be your choice the less precarious means to try . the worm at no time can your pleasures fail , unless the boundless floods or winds prevail ; unless the frosts have almost chain'd the streams , when dangerous fevers would revile our pains . here , tho the streams , by whatsoever cause , of mills , of rains , or artful overflows , prove milky-white , no balk ●ou need to fear ; for all is homelily destructive here . thick lines , thick rods , hooks answerably strong● and worms of any sort , as ill put on . the troubled streams the treach'rous lines disguise , and he 's betray'd by trusting to his eyes . thus while the rogue without precaution preys , he 's murder'd by the most unskilful ways . * some to ape art , a hollow bullet take , and of small things a mighty pother make . hook above hook they place , exactly nice , to prove perpetual motion no devi●e . for if a moment still the weight should lie , their sport 's not only spoil'd , but their philosophy● thus needy lads at thames's fairest bridge , with hosts of lines the homel● fry besiege● but with course humble labour w●y should we adjust our sport by their neces●ity ? with equal justice we their careful zeal might ape , who on the rough dee attempt the † corricle . struggling with force too high for human blood , the curse of want , and an impetuous flood , seeking with life's distress their livelihood . such things we rather justly call distress ; for how agrees it with the name of ease ? when a poor countrey hind a faithful turn partakes , and bears the boat by which he 's born . pleasure like this may suit their rustick souls : but neither suits the poet's verse or rules . somewhat uncommon heightens his desire , which those that love not , may with force admire . thus i to chrystal brooks resort , and chuse arms all genteel and neat , and fit for use. a taper rod , and long , tho neatly light ; bending by no means with its proper weight : lines longer too , yet taper ; and if e're , 't is now that i prefer the single hair. small too your hooks should be , and cover'd well above the arming by the brandling's tail ; his head dejected best the fish invites , and mutualizes best your choice delights . for he that prudently this way will try , and angles fine , as when we use the flye , traversing up again the chrystal streams , will ne're lament expended time or pains . this way the caddice too deserves your care , and some with reason too the float prepare : this they proportion to the brook and stream ; little , if clear and slow ; if swift , less fine . tho all things else should neat and taper be , and fine , if not finer than with which you try your fortune with the artificial fly. thus he tha● justly plays the angler's part , in my opinion still should thrive by art. and trust his skill , tho oft he be deceiv'd , the conquest will at last be well atchiev'd . less artful ways no doubt will much prevail . the mennow , lobworm , stone-loach never fail . but these are common ways , which all men teach , and therefore far beneath the muses reach . she sings in verse , which , tho like marum low , sends strength and pleasure to the studious brow. those who peruse her with attentive heat , will find her wondrous chaste , and wondrous sweet . come ye , who grandeur court , and call it ease , like sickly souls , fond of mistaken joys ; come on , for boldly i 'll your utmost dare . match me a landskip just as this , and fa●●● from noise and hurries free , we sport our fill ; nor gain our ends by methods basely ill . no flatt'ring fop , no fawning courtier here disturbs our peace , or fosters civil war. nature's our mistress , who can bear a look , nor fears a lover's censure or rebuke . look on those hills , tho high , the rural swain visits with joy , nor fears his aching brain . or let 's descend . heav'ns ! how severely nice proud caelia in her tatter●d mantua is ? painted and patch'd , hiring with what she 's hir'd . she damns her soul to have her face admir'd . while beauty here in native splendor reigns , requires our wonder , and explodes our pains . each healthful green , each flowry fragrant mead command our praise , since they our art exceed . here are fair streams too , full of fresh delight , and willows more than lovely to the sight : since thence the angler by a wise deceit hawls the strong captive from his lov●d retreat . nor do those falls the ear , those meads the eye offend : nor do those fish that leap so high , they seem resolv'd to populate the air , and hold conjunction with their brother star. ah! happy they , who free from vice and care , with wise content improve their moments here : free from the vices of the noisy town , who study thus and here to lose their own . go on my muse ; next let thy numbers speak that mighty nimrod of the streams , the pike . for justly next may he thy verse command , who sways the streams , and hardly yields on land. o anglers ! here much caution use and care ; if once thy bait he gorge , alas ! beware . thy rod , thy lines , thy hooks , are all too small ; the tyrant's strong , and rudely forces all . hast thou not seen a vessel richly fraught , returning home , big with the wealth sh 'as got , just on the coast snapp'd by some privateer , himself the prize of some big man of war. such oft , alas ! has been my own defeat , my boasted prize has only been the bait , that hasten'd on an unprevented cheat. for as the french whole countries first deface , and then inhuman contributions raise● so tyrant like he makes my loss his play , leaves not my prize , but forces all away . which to revenge ( for no man can provide 'gainst chance , by human reason unespy'd ) a stiff neat nine-foot pole you must prepare , which may in several things repay your care . whether your strugling prize your caution ask , and landing-nets fix'd to 't facilitate your task : or by fix'd rings you further this design , by casting finely out your bait and line , it useful is ; and here so needful too , want it you mayn't , y' are ruin'd if you do . with this have always hooks securely strong , well wir'd , and join'd to lines sufficiently long. a dace , a gudgeon , or a stone-loach take ; or wanting these , some happy trial make of something else of the less usual kind , as frogs , or eels , or garbidge ; for you 'll ●ind his greedy appetite will leave your doubts behind . baited with these you need not fear your prize . true glutton-like his stomach rules his eyes . oft i at swallows sweeping o're the stream have seen him snap , and baulk'd , advance again . which shews , that if your lines be wisely strong , without success you cannot tempt him long . perhaps the day is hot , no breeze of wind is to your hope and vain endeavours kind : rise early then , or try your fortune late ; or else till more auspicious minutes wait . when keener winds from any quarter blow . the tyrant hardly waits a second throw . but when you feel him pull , ah then be wise ; for want of patience never lose your prize . a little swallowing time and you're secure ; he rarely leaves his prize , or quits his pow'r . but if the streams you use are thinly stor'd , and therefore small 's the pastime they afford , methods more fatal you may wisely try ; methods such force should only justify . however , as they bear the term of art to teach them is the muses pow'r a●● part . first then prepare a taper handsome pole , long , if not somewhat longer tha● the trowle ; not thick , but such as you may easily use , such as ●or hunting those who chuse it chuse . to this a thin , but strong well twisted line , and hooks , both large and fit for your design , fix : and when baited , if you chance to fail , some strange mysterious fortune must prevail . by often bobbing down your well-fix'd bait , in any place likely for his retreat , you tempt him rashly to renou●ce his eyes , and if your tackling hold , he 's sure your prize . nay though the noise the tyrant only hears , he 's summon'd , and undoubtedly appears . so that if● all along the banks you try , and yet succeed not , you may safely cry , these happy streams are free from tyranny . this way too almost all things he 'll devour , raw flesh or guts , are fish without your pow'r . nay some , whose mistress was necessity , by bloody rags have wrought his destiny . but still , if clear t●e day , keep far from sight ; quick-ey'd he is , a●● quickly shuns the white in spight of anger , ●●ase , or appetite . sometimes the wretches , who for lucre slave with snares and night-hooks seem the stream to pave . but s●ill the angler should such tricks defy : his end is pleasure , theirs necessity . however , if he see af●r a prize beaking at la●ge , if then his luck he tries , and halter som●●●●● fry to ●empt him to ; here is true 〈…〉 will allow . but poaching 〈◊〉 , t●●t the game destroy , a●●●●ither ●pa●● the 〈◊〉 nor the fry , sho●●d othe●●i●e employ 〈◊〉 muses strain ; but that the whipping-posts were rais'd for them . were i , who only thus could wish to be above my best , my own , my lov'd degree , ( and thus to wish sure reason will allow , since roman-like i could resume my plow , and mildly lay those gawdy grandeurs down , justice and slighted truth restor'd to rome ) . were i , that long not for 't , to state preferr'd , some county and its peace my trusted ward , this care , however low , however mean , should not escape my eye , as now my pen. why should the niggard magistrate pretend to charity ? when , should we search the end , you 'll find , false hypocrite ! the lame and poor begging and starving at the miser's door . but while his store escapes , he thinks it best , acts be infring'd and laws be long transgress'd . besides no sportsman he , why should his care extend to what his foolish friends admire . not he , let poor folks live upon the spoil ; he saves his coin , and gains their love the while but , mad-man , should we reason well and true , how little worthy of your place are you ? are laws that pass the sanction of the crown , are they such play-things for a country-town ? sure things so trifling , of so little weight can ne're deserve a nations grave debate . howe're the law thy duty makes ; though thou vain fool pretend'st thy duty makes the law. o mighty manlius ! how much amiss was thine , to what our modern justice is ! thou to the laws paid'st such severe respect , thy own son's life aton'd for their neglect . while we by oaths and int'rest doubly bound secure the guilty and the guiltless wound . but stop my muse , for thy satyrick rage must never hope to cure this vicious age. let other men acquit their duties there , do thou pursue thy task , and every where strow sweets , that may the wandring fops invite , and freshen every lover's appetite . for vrtue will have charms , though fools despise , to lure the wavering , and to hold the wise. next sing the pearch ; for justly this he claims , lavishly kind to every angler's pains . others the carp and tench before him place ; but why ? since there no equal sport he has . they muddy moats and standing waters love , and rarely in the chrystal curren●● rove . or when they do , so nice they are , so coy , the angler's skill and patience they defy . while this disdains their course and homely feed , and bowing flags prefers to stinking weed . fish where he is ( and you will rarely find a stream that has him not ) he 's always kind . in gentle rains , or after violent show'rs , he roves , it 's true , and eagerly devours ; and yet as true it is , the violent heat , but very rarely spoils his appetite . beneath impending willows oft he lies , watchful to take , or chewing on his prize : then tempt him warily he 'll spring to bite , so greedy he , so vast his appetite . nor waits he seasons , nor is ever coy , no , though forewarn'd he hardly can deny . deep pits he loves too , though you 'll rareli'st fail where deepest eddies rapidly prevail . yet soon in april after spawning hours , he haunts , and freely bites upon the scours . but large your float should be , your tackling strong , nor must you think his slow digestion long . for , if he bite , his prize he will not leave : 't is not his use or nature to deceive . nor is his palate delicate or nice ; he kickshaws eats , but nothing comes amiss : though yet some difference you may wisely make , and best to tempt him , worms or mennows take● these he will never slight ; and if wild fame say true , the lobworms easiest conquest gain . though if my weak opinion might prevail , in marshy meadows , angler , never fail to search the cowdung for the blewish tail : these , tho' new taken from their homely soil , by my experience far all else excel . though when misfortune all my hopes has cross'd , and all my baits were either spent or lost ; fruitful necessity this change has wrought , and to my aid this useful knowledge brought ; some little part of my least valu'd prize , has furnish'd out most fortunate supplies . the roach or dace in little pieces cut , and on the hook with careful safety put , have wi●h unthought advantage slaughter'd more than all the lost preparatives before . nor was this trial trivially bless'd , for pike and chub have strenuously prest to force the liquorish bit before the rest● thus other baits ingenious souls may try , and owe great things to curiosity . things which may set aloft his angling name , with those who court so much the breath of fame . for tell me , muse , by whom the virtuous live , how lasting are the bays that poets give ? how long shall guttemberg's admired name survive and load the flagging wings of fame ? brave guttemberg , who first the secret found to compass ages in a paper wound . or what compare we if our reason's nigh to monte regio's eagle or his fly. or to conclude an endless theme , and raise just trophies to divine invention's praise ; tell me how iubal first the myst'ry found to strengthen numbers , and to order sound . the lab'ring anvils first their force declare , and wound for want of pow'r to charm the ear. then on his harp their forces he essay'd , and from the feather'd quire discov●ries made . thencest arted number , and thence harmony ; descant from thence , and after symetry : o sacred science ! early from above taught , where their souls are ever tun'd to love : thee angels practice ; thee , poor we below , by thy infinity can only know . and just it is thou should'st his signet bear , who reigns above , and justly fix'd thee there . whence thy vast charms we by faint glimmering know ; so high is heaven , and humble earth so low . and thou who doubt'st the great authority to her ascrib'd , the sacred volumes see . there thou'lt perceive the son of mighty love , in musicks sounds descending from above ; and pain and sickness exquisitely fly , the all-dissolving force of harmony . but soft , you 'll cry , perhaps , let 's justly weigh your arguments , and the whole truth survey : reason you 'll find on a fair scrutiny , condemns no part but the whole history . and those old chinese tales which first begin ; but force the credit of those worse within . come then , ye fools , and if ye can evince , for things of common reason , common sence ; say why ye classick truths so soon allow , and talk of caesar , pompey , heav'n knows who ? how know ye nero rul'd ? or how that rome once held the sovereign reins , all europe in a town ? this on tradition you can safely take ; but fail'd , by reason ye distinctions make ; where greater reasons , truths that cannot dye , require our faith , command authority . might i , whom close endearments nearly tie , might i advise my delius he should fly , fly far the treach'rous poisons , fair deceits , with which each florid fool his nonsence baits . for though but barely probable they were , how can our reason with blind fortune share ? or how can it consist with sence or wit , for human things such mighty hopes to slight ? not true , he nothing loses , if they be a boundless bliss of bless'd eternity . the barbel's next in sport , though not in kind , for few there are in goodness come behind . but sport , the angler's aim , has plac'd him here ; and when he finds him , sport he need not fear . close at a current's end he 's sure to lie , low in the streams , as the swift trout runs high . true river-hog , upon the sand he roots , and like him then all things occasion suits . lobworms well scour'd , rarely or never fail ; but then e'en bees or garbidge will prevail . and if you early to your pastime high , he 's hungry , and devours more eagerly . though when the winds a little curl the waves , much caution and much patience too he saves . for common caution must be still your own ; you know him large , and you will find him strong . therefore large lines and hooks you must prepare ; he 's bold , and does not any danger fear . nay , packthred-like , no obstacle is found , if your fair bait trail gently o're the ground . and high'r he rises not , unless delight force him to wanton ; when , he will not bite . nor till wet april's past , his spawning time , for then he 's sick , and blasts your whole design : but if kind fortune at some current's end shows you clear sands that by degrees descend , where some close weeds his lab'ring fins supply , or hanging osiers shade the sporting fry ; angler take courage , every inch beware , for , if in all the streams , the herd is there . tempt not too evidently , keep out of sight , and rest assur'd , like greedy perch they 'll bite . next sing the ch●vin , who is always found , in quick deep streams that run o're marly ground . for though in muddy rivers much he preys , yet there he nicely seeks the sands or clays ; or else the bridge his safeguard is , and haunts where strength in tackle best his own supplants● for if he bites ( as if you caution use , and tempt with nature , he will ne're refuse ) : he 's of his dangerous holds with ease bereav'd . and after some few flounces well deceiv'd . here let your hooks be large , your angle strong , and strong your lines , though hardly half so long . for if for him alone your skill you try , floats must be spar'd , as when you use the fly , and gentle dabs must summon him on high : but then beware , no shadow , no nor noise , for either he both fears , and always flies . but if with caution you for sport prepare , he bites both all the day , and every where . oft beaking under shady trees he lies ; and then , if hid you are , he 'll freely rise . or though your rod have struck him with its shade , have patience , and the vertue 's soon repaid . e'en swallow's swooping o're the chrystal main fright him , but soon the coward mounts again . oft i with lobworms in a hasty stream have had vast sport , without the least design . yet still i found , that as the day increas'd , my sport grew less , and nothing at the last . yet still by other baits i then have sped ; and other baits true anglers should not need , the dorr , the caterpiller , wasp , or bee , or grashopper , or moth , nay , any fly he 'll take . though yet if i may bait might chuse , if to be got , i 'd most the mennow use ; for if the river's deep , and current strong , without success you cannot tempt him long . but then the winds should somewhat too agree , unless your early rise the want supply . f●r he 's so idle in the mid-day heat● he 'll hardly try the most alluring bait. but cool so well he loves , that if you spare him spawning march , he 'll bite throughout the year . the bream , less common , so more rarely known , requires the angler's study next , and song . nice to extremes , his minutes you must wait , and early with the sun , or with the moonshine late . unless the winds blow a fresh mack'rel gale , and then of sport all day you will not fail . with strong silk lines , and hooks just gudgeon small ; rods long and strong , and baits the chief of all ; chuse some slow stream , in its own deepness black . and let your float not two foot water make : there is his haunt , and if your length permit , just in the middle of the gloomy pit you 'll find him roving , and with ease divine t is he that flats your float upon the stream : he gorges then● a●● angler● a●● beware : if large your bait , you must no patience spare ; if small , a little serves ; his mouth allows of nothing large ; the less the better does . therefore tho some the large scour'd dew-worm chuse , do thou the flag , or well-scour'd red-worm use : he 'll these with greedy appetite devour ; and when he bites , your prize is always sure . but my experience ever must prefer the small red dew-worm , if with pains and care him first in moss and fennel you prepare . these he with passion loves , they hold his eyes , and suiting's mouth , enlarge your sport and prize . for flies and pastes , or other baits i 've found my patience rarely with common largess crown'd . and therefore leave the angler there to try if he can purchase better luck than i. their humours all things have . the pike at paste has struck , and for his folly struck his last . in iuly at his spawning , i the bream have found most eager in a rapid stream . close at the bottom scouring there he lies , and then will nibble any bait he sees ; so diff'rent from all else his nature is . but this is random chance , not worth a line , for nothing well he takes in spawning time . his stomach 's queasy then , as in the rest ; and then the angler wisely should desist . perhaps sometimes your line or hooks appear ; or else the heats your patience will require . but patience is the angler's first great rule , and patience here has least of ridicule . how does the fawning courtier daily wait , or those who follow law , or toys of state ? o delius ! by kind fortune largely blest , let not the cheats of grandeur break they rest. on promises and quicksands ne're depend ; nor on a lord , though once thy seeming friend . honour no claim allows : alas ! his state commands his promises he first forget . and where 's the statute that will ease afford ? since tom the promise made , and not my lord. he quits past friendship when he lofty grows ; and though he promise well , their strength he knows : for if you bring him for 't to equity , his party 's strong , and privileges high . in my own business bless'd , contented i , who grandeur seek not , and its charms defy . e'en i unmov'd have heard a statesman prate what mighty things he 'd do , what favours get , and never forfeited my quiet yet . nay more , believe me , friend , ( for i have known some passages in court as well as town ) ; among the men whose sacred character should harbour nothing but what 's most sincere ; friendship with great prefermens's rarely known , but , bucket-like , this weighs the other down . for though grave blockheads cajole men of sense , their own dear image have most influence . let then preferment by resemblance go , it can't move me , and with less reason you . you on paternal acres justly got , may live , and great men envy at your lot : with a kind partner of my joys and cares , while freely i drill on heav'ns bounteous years● with all my poor endeavours fond to get an honest name , and moderate estate . let griping codrus pen and paper save , and for his issue make himself a slave : by cunning let him all his deeds disguise , and affect silence , to be fanci'd wise : by methods ill i 'll purchase no estate , but truth and virtue love at any rate . now from the chrystal brooks and purling streams , angler , a while withdraw your careful pains ; and to the carp and tench your art apply , which love still pits , and chrystal currents fly : they all your patience , all your strength require ; and though admir'd , rarely your baits admire . sometimes in rivers to your lot they fall ; ●ut there 's no vigor where the hopes are small . man's frailty's such , that e'en in things divine , kind heaven by crowns is forc'd to force him in . but in full ponds your sport you need not fear , ●f laziness be not your greater care. for here to speed , you with the sun must rise , and then the largest easiest are your prize : though if beyond the second watch you stay , the smallest only bite , and hardly they : of such vast moment is the place and time , your balking those oft balks your whole design . but first , my tyro , of your lines beware , for conquest is not to be slighted here : tho little circumspection will suffice , yet you must sweat before you gain your prize : he 's strong , will struggle , and unless prepar'd , your conquest 's doubtful , and your labour hard . ponds weedy feed the tench , and that that 's clear best please the carp , but both for mud declare . but in their baits so closely they agree , they feed just as they live , promiscuously : both love their baits , prepar'd with nicest care , and both best take 'em vilely strong of tar. low at the bottom too i' th' deeps they lye , and rarely , very rarely feed on high : tho oft the carp in hottest summer days , while on the surface wantonly he plays , on bread or worms with eager passion preys . but if your rod or self offend his ●ight , he 's gone , and blasts at once your whole delight . he 's humoursome at best , experience tells : for season , place , and baits , and all things else justly agreeing ; i have one time slain fourscore , and at another hardly ten : and yet the wondrous myst'ry to explore , a net has largely paid the squander'd hour . perhaps at night they found some unknown feed , or else the soil dilated out their breed : for though in may they usually spawn , some cast in april , others say in iune : though nature certainly may help receive from soils ; and waters may assistance give : for e'en in human bodies this we find , chang'd climates to the barren have been kind ; and , mew'd in town , an heirless loving pair have blest the countrey , and been ●ruitful there . nature is nature still . next let us see what baits should best the angler's art supply ; the largest red-worms highly some prefer ; and for the smallest i must needs declare . but have thou both , and thou'lt the better speed ; for with success at once i both have tri'd : and though to th' side the small for refuge fly , thou in the middle more successfully shalt fish ; for though their sport 's perhaps secure , thy prize is larger , and thy glory more . gentles and cadbaits too some sport may yield , but yet the former justliest claim the field : and though for pastes some mighty men declare , i never found the secret worth my care. but still perhaps thou' rt for the chrystal streams , and for the prospect slight'st thy fruitless pains : fair purling brooks , by meadows more than fair , are more your choice than any conquest here : come then , i 'll tell thee , if resolv'd to try that patience which exceeds philosophy , i 'll tell thee where 's their likeliest haunt , and when they freeliest bite , and easiest are ta'en . if for the tench thou seek'st , make it thy pains to find the deepest pits in silent streams : no stream thy float by any means should move , but chuse the stillest place , for such they love : nor should the breeze disturb thy well-tarr'd bait ; therefore both long and early thou should'st wait and if the rivers fruitful are , thou 'lt find they red-worms love , and are both free and kind . but if the carp exacts thy greater pains , chuse still the deeps , but in the gentle streams . just in the midst he never fails to move , and marsh and flag-worms takes with eager love● nor may'st thou well thy former baits despise , he 'll never fail to take them when he sees : but still the early morn , or evening late , will crown , or make more probable thy fate● nor can i justly blame thy happy choice , so great my own , my equal passion is . clear streams have charms which standing waters want , and meads have beauties which the envious grant : but when they join , as far they all excell , as maids their lovers in dissembling well . oh friend ! oh friend ! what fortune 's so divine , what fate 's so safe or sweet as that of thine ? thou chear'st the minutes , as they glide along , unmov'd at all the follies of the young : thou chear'st the minutes , for to thee they bear scarce the minutest part of human care : thus by the streams , and there supinely laid , with thoughts for which mankind was chiefly made : no care , no mischief in thy worst intent , all , like thy recreation 's innocent . through nature's opticks thou dost wisely look , and read'st thy maker in the fairest book . next , muse , the roach , ( and less regarded fry ) thy work 's e'en done ; for these no industry , no mighty art , no skilful care require ; and force it self would make discov'ries here . each puny tyro here can easily tell the ways of taking , that 's of angling well ; for small the difference is , where perfect force , and vulgar method makes the captive yours : tho e'en in this , if you would angle fine , you 'll find it well requi●e your whole design : and though she break your single hair , the cross is small , and small the patient angler's loss ; put on a new , they 'll bite with equal haste , and swallow cadbait , gentles , flies , or paste ; nay , worms in windy weather they 'll devour , presented every where , and every hour . for unless heat them to the surface call , they 'll ( if unseen ) no caution use at all . or though upon the streams they beaking lye , unlead your line , and then both worm and fly will fatal prove , if naturally cast , and not with rustick skill , or frightful haste● in wittham , and fair thames's higher streams , a kind of roach there is , which rustick swains call rudd . his colour is of purest gold , strong , broad , and thick , most lovely to behold : this at the surface will with freedom bite at small red worms , or flies , his like delight . but angler , if you meet him , pray take care ; he struggles long , and breaks the single hair. but soft my muse , thy soon-suspended aid i now invoke again ; my haste betray'd my knowledge . there ; see sw●ftly how he flies , like lightning quick , and like that past my eyes : the archers arrow no such swiftness knows ; in vain the angler or his skill pursues . in march he spawns , though then he 'll freely bite , perhaps the frosts provoke his appetite . then wisely would you , and 't is worth your care , wisely to prosper , all your skill prepare ; the trouts companion both in feed and soil , and rarely caught with more than equal skill : in summer on the scours the wanton lies , and ( if unseen ) he all day long will rise . but ne'er so gamesome , ne'er so brisk before , once seen he flies you , and will rise no more : therefore behind some bush thy self conceal , and with the flesh-fly thou wilt rarely fail ; for though on worms he 'll feed , or any fly , none 's so destructive , none so kills as he . floats useless are , unless the worm you try , and with the rising flash successfully descend the stream , then any thing he takes , and like the trout but small distinction makes . this for the dace . once more , and then adieu ; the gudgeons haunts , and hours of biting show : for though small art the little prize suffice , his sport 's as good , and with the greatest vies : the river - smelt he is , and if as rare , none doubts but he would lose in the compare . few lessons will the angler's use supply , where he 's so ready of himself to dye : for if no heats or flashes interpose , his prize he 'll hold , and yours you cannot lose . but should those obstacles your sport bereave , this method will at all times well relieve : with some long pole raise up his love the sand , and all are summon'd , and at your command : or else if clear and shallow , wade the ford , and if the water 's plentifully stor'd , you to your own content may kill , and he you 'll find resolv'd to gain the victory . but yet in spawning time he lies full low i' th' deeps , and bites not , tempted never so : for i in april fruitful streams have tri'd , and found my art and all my pains deni'd : nay , not the cordial gentle could auspicious prove , nor the small red-worm , his continual love , could change my fortune , or his fancy move . the bleak small flies upon the surface takes , and never the least hesitation makes , with an observing eye , and curious hand , any advantage eas●ly is obtain'd . desist my muse , thy work at last is past , which with the angling few shall always last : without thy aid sense shall supply the rest ; no rules they want , deserve not verse at least . the mennow , flatterer like , is always nigh ; the angler's plague , although he useful be : wheree'er he breeds , he keeps a fearful rout , and few the rivers are that are without . to catch the bullhead too , each school-boy knows ; and to the eel , reason no verse allows : like worms engendring they no sport can make , but what the school-boys find in whip and snake . though if my delius to the sport incline , one rule i 'll give to close with his design ; after strong thund'ring show'rs your fortune try , with lobworms , and strong lines a strong supply ; and while your stock endures , the slimy crew will shear your hooks , and plague your cloaths and you . though would you my advice sincerely take , you first this trial of the prize should make . hot dung , the slimy virmin soon will find , if in o'reflowing meadows well design'd . there when you will the nasty jakes remove , reason will terminate your care and love . in cluster'd heaps , like worms thou 'lt see 'em lye , and soon decide their wise philosophy , who see no spawn , and ask the reason why . the ruff , no commoner , shall close my song , a bold free biter , though a little one : for since of fish i treat , 't would awkward seem , to end with monsters , and with maids begin . they gentles love , but small redworms will chuse , and mennow-like at no time will refuse : have patience when th' ast found the haunted hole , and they 'll not leave thee e're th' ast taken all : thus they in nature too , as well as make , except in largeness with the pearch partake : these norwich plenteous streams most justly boast , here most belov'd , and here abounding most● nor must i sacred cam in this forget , cam in my verse for nobler reasons set , to raise my song , for 't is the muses seat . no wonder there the watry natives throng , amphion's harp drew woods and rocks along : they of all kinds , admirers may command , while she 's the urn of cowley's sacred hand . nor , happy nyne , must thou my verse evade , whose charming streams my youthful sallies had● there were my innocent hours not badly spent ; o that i had no greater to repent . unpoach'd are all thy streams , thy meadows free , what stream is worthy to compare with thee ? what but fair trent , that wheresoe're she flows , nature luxuriant in her favour shows ? not thrice ten rivers , as some meanly feign , but thrice so many natives give her name : though should we trace her to her spacious jaws , thrice thrice ten various kinds we might disclose : the anglers luxury thou art , and he no recreation wants that lives by thee . poach'd wellin slipp'd , i must not yet disclaim , my love , my well acquainted witham's name ; though rented out , the largess of the poor , the angler's pride she is , no river more . idle must pass ; for though i oft have tri'd , she always love , and often sport deni'd : much less deserves she such penurious care , to punish ladies when they angle there . speak not my muse , thy verse it sure would blast , to name , and more to justify the beast : poor streams , thy well-taught natives justly fly thy master's bounty and his tyranny . but dun would blame the justice of my pen , who kindly us'd , return'd it not again : but dun from anglers shall not fail of praise , e'en more than my poor humble verse can raise : for mighty sure must be her vast desert , who from an arm can such delight impart . o dern ! thy pleasures oft my mind employ , much greater streams may justly envy thee ; scarce one of all the watry court is found , that does not in thy little streams abound . witness ye river-nymphs , and every shade , how often this my ardent wish i 've made : blest might i with a moderate estate , which my own labour never spar'd to get : blest might i live an honest country swain , and with content in little compass reign : no spacious fabricks would i care to boast , convenient neatness would delight me most ; where from my shades i could with joy survey expanding meads that on each side me lay ; just in the mid'st a rivulet should pass , with pleasing murmurs , and transparent grace : if falling waters reach'd from far my ear , 't would raise the landskip , and depress my care : far off some good old tow'r shou'd strike my view , and teach the certain state of things below . there neighb'ring grandeur might unenvi'd reign , while i 'm allow'd by all the happy man : lov'd by my friends , and if i must have foes , envi'd for my plain honest truth by those . but let all vice , ye pow'rs , be banish'd hence , and that religion which is all pretence . at my own table i 'd have no man see extravagance , and much less penury . nor should the poor of cruel want complain ; nor should the wrong'd implore my help in vain : nor should my sallies far from home extend , to see a field , or cheer a drooping friend : or with the darling partner of my life , that mightiest comfort of my days , my wife , hast to the neighbour streams our luck to try , and baulk'd in sport , return assur'd of joy. such would i be , but if the pow'rs design me other fate , why fortune is not mine ? with a sincere dependance i submit , since i return but his , that gave me it . such is the angler's life , so truly blest are those that wait on fickle fortune least : that taste my joys , and hold them what they are , and scorn to bring things trivial in compare . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e * is a word peculiar to the angler , and signifies no more than the wrapping of two links together , which evens the line , and keeps it more taper than the knot will allow it to be . * walton , cotton , venables . * here ●he a●thor rid●●●i●s the vulgar . † a sort of boat us'd in the river dee , and carried by the fisherman to the water to fish in . the gentleman's recreation in four parts, viz. hunting, hawking, fowling, fishing : wherein these generous exercises are largely treated of, and the terms of art for hunting and hawking more amply enlarged than heretofore : whereto is prefixt a large sculpture, giving easie directions for blowing the horn, and other sculptures inserted proper to each recreation : with an abstract at the end of each subject of such laws as relate to the same. cox, nicholas, fl. - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing c estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the gentleman's recreation in four parts, viz. hunting, hawking, fowling, fishing : wherein these generous exercises are largely treated of, and the terms of art for hunting and hawking more amply enlarged than heretofore : whereto is prefixt a large sculpture, giving easie directions for blowing the horn, and other sculptures inserted proper to each recreation : with an abstract at the end of each subject of such laws as relate to the same. cox, nicholas, fl. - . langbaine, gerard, - . hunter, a discourse in horsemanship. the third edition, p. in various pagings, [ ] folded leaves of plates : ill. printed, and are to be sold by jos. phillips ... and hen. rodes ..., london : . "the epistle dedicatory" signed: nicholas cox. each part has special t.p. the "hunting horse" [by gerard langbaine], p. at end, has special t.p.: the hunter, a discourse in horsemanship. errata: p. at end. reproduction of original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language 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that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng hunting -- england -- early works to . fishing -- england -- early works to . fowling -- england -- early works to . falconry -- england -- early works to . game laws -- england. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - tcp staff (oxford) sampled and proofread - judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the royall hart the hare the stagg the fox the hinde the badger the buck the otter the roe buck the antient hunting noats with marshs additions names of the noats — tone ton tavern , ton-tavern , ton-ton-tavern &c. to call the company in the morning the stroaks to the field . to uncouple the hounds when the hounds hunta game unknown a recheate when the hounds hunt a right game the double recheate the trebble or sr hervits recheate the earthing of a ffox if recoverable if not to call away the death of a hare the death of a buck the death of a staag or hart the death of a ffox the call for a keeper in park or fforrest the prize of a hart royall the stroaks for the terriers when the ffox is earthed to draw the company out of the ffield a recheate or ffarewell at parting theis noats are taught & sould by michaell marsh at the haintsman at holborne bridge the gentlemans recreation : in four parts , viz. hunting , hawking , fowling , fishing wherein these generous exercises are largely treated of , and the terms of art for hunting and hawking more amply enlarged than heretofore . whereto is prefixt a large sculpture , giving easie directions for blowing the horn , and other sculptures inserted proper to each recreation . with an abstract at the end of each subject of such laws as relate to the same . the third edition , with the addition of a hunting-horse . london , printed , and are to be sold by jos. phillips at the seven stars in st. paul's church-yard , and hen. rodes next door to the swan-tavern , near bride-lane in fleetstreet , . to the right honourable james lord norreyes baron of ricot , his majesties lord-lieutenant of oxford-shire . if to admire worth and honour were a crime , it would highly concern me to beg your lordships pardon for the presumption of this address . for that 's the cause , this the effect . it is true , the obscurity of my condition , and remoteness of my scituation , have plac'd me out of the reach of your lordships knowledge ; yet your lordships fame ecchoing out of oxford-shire through all the very corners of the kingdom , could hardly escape my ears , were i not particularly entitled to the same county , which hath given me thereby the greater opportunity both to know , and admire the greatness of your generosity , the magnificence of your living , and prudence of your governing , accompanied with all other qualifications and endowments requisite to render any person both great and good : as also , that though your lordship is a great improver of your own natural parts by your elaborate studies , and of others knowledge by your edifying conversation ; yet to obviate idleness , and to antidote sickness , as also the better to enapt your active body to suit your loyal mind for martial employments , should the concerns of your king and country call you forth into the field , your lordship is a most indefatigable user of all active sports and recreations , and consequently become the great oracle and master of them all , and all their artful terms . under what other wing then could this little treatise on those subjects so properly creep for shelter and protection ? under no other certainly , without some kind of injustice to your lordship , and real injury to the work it self . be pleased therefore a little to unbend your thoughts ( i humbly beseech your lordship ) from your more serious studies , allowing your eyes to run over these few leaves , and either vouchsafe to correct their errours , ( if any have escaped those judicious sports-men who have been pleased to be my guides in perusing this work , and purging it from many errors and mistakes of the former edition ) or stamp them with the unquestionable authority of your lordships approbation . this will oblige all true lovers of the same generous recreations to become greedy purchasers of these rules , both to improve their knowledge , and reduce their language to the same significant terms , to the great satisfaction of the buyers , and the benefit of proprietor and seller , who humbly craves leave to lay himself at your lordships feet , in the quality of ( may it please your lordship ) your lordship 's most devoted humble servant , nicholas cox. the gentleman's recreation : or , a treatise giving the best directions for hunting , and killing all manner of chases used in england . with the terms of art belonging thereunto . also , a short account of some peculiar beasts not usually hunted in england . first collected from antient and modern authors ; and now very much corrected and enlarged by many worthy and experienced artists of this recreation . with an abstract of such statute-laws as relate to forests and hunting . the first part. london : printed by j. c. and f. c. for n. c. of hunting . the introduction . hunting is a game and recreation commendable not onely for kings , princes , and the nobility , but likewise for private gentlemen : and as it is a noble and healthy pastime , so it is a thing which hath been highly prized in all ages . besides , hunting trains up youth to the use of manly exercises in their riper age , being encouraged thereto by the pleasure they take in hunting the stately stag , the generous buck , the wilde boar , the cunning otter , the crafty fox , and the fearful hare ; also the catching of vermin by engines , as the fitchet , the fulimart , the ferret , the polecate , the moldwarp , and the like . exercise herein preserveth health , and increaseth strength and activity . others inflame the hot spirits of young men with roving ambition , love of war , and seeds of anger : but the exercise of hunting neither remits the minde to sloth nor softness , nor ( if it be used with moderation ) hardens it to inhumanity ; but rather inclines men to good acquaintance , and generous society . it is no small advantage to be enured to bear hunger , thirst , and weariness from ones childhood ; to take up a timely habit of quitting ones bed early , and loving to sit well and safe upon an horse . what innocent and natural delights are they , when he seeth the day breaking fortl . those blushes and roses which poets and writers of romances onely paint , but the huntsman truely courts ? when he heareth the chirping of small birds pearching upon their dewy boughs ? when he draws in the fragrancy and coolness of the air ? how jolly is his spirit , when he suffers it to be imported with the noise of bugle-horns , and the baying of hounds , which leap up and play round about him . nothing doth more recreate the minde , strengthen the limbs , whet the stomach , and clear up the spirit , when it is heavy , dull , and over-cast with gloomy cares : from whence it comes , that these delights have mcrited to be in esteem in all ages , and even amongst barbaroas nations , by the lords , princes , and highest potentates . then it is admirable to observe the natural instinct of enmity and cunning , whereby one beast being as it were confederate with man , by whom he is maintained , serves him in , his designes upon others . how perfect is the scent or smell of an hound , who never leaves it , but follows it through innumerable changes and varieties of other scents , even over and in the water , and into the earth ? again , how soon will a hound fix his eye on the best and fattest buck of the herd , single him out , and follow him , and him onely , without changing , through a whole herd of rascal game , and leave him not till he kills him ? moreover , is it not delightful and pleasant to observe the docibleness of dogs , which is as admirable as their understanding ? for as a right huntsman knows the language of his hounds , so they know his , and the meaning of their own kinde , as perfectly as we can distinguish the voices of our friends and acquaintance from such as are strangers . again , how satisfied is a curious minde , nay exceedingly delighted , to see the game fly before him ! and after that it hath withdrawn itself from his sight , to see the whole line where it hath passed over , with all the doublings and cross works which the amazed and afrighted beast hath made , recovered again ; and all that maze wrought out by the intelligence which he holds with dogs ! this is most pleasant , and as it were a master-piece of natural magick . afterwards , what triumph there is to return with victory and spoils , having a good title both to his appetite and repose ! neither must it be omitted , that herein there is an especial need to hold a strict rein over our affections , that this pleasure , which is allowable in its season , may not intrench upon other domestical affairs . there is great danger lest we be transported with this pastime , and so our felves grow wild , haunting the woods till we resemble the beasts which are citizens of them ; and by continual conversation with dogs , become altogether addicted to slaughter and carnage , which is wholly dishonourable , being a servile employment . for as it is the priviledge of man , who is endued with reason , and authorized in the law of his creation , to subdue the beasts of the field ; so to tyrannize over them too much , is brutish in plain english. mistake me not , i intend this reflection not for the nobility and gentry of this nation , whose expence of time in this noble and delightful exercise can no ways prejudice their large possessions , since it is so far from being very chargeable , that it is exceeding profitable to the bodily health of such who can dispence with their staying at home without any injury to their families . i might much enlarge my self in the commendation of hunting , but that i am loath to detain you too long from the knowledge of what will make a right and perfect huntsman . i shall therefore thus conclude : no musick can be more ravishingly delightful than a pack of hounds in full cry , to such a man whose heart and ears are so happy to be set to the tune of such charming instruments . hunters terms . before we shall treat of the method that is to be used in the obtaining pleasure in the prosecution of this royal game , it will be very requisite , as an introduction to this work , first to understand those terms of art huntsmen , foresters , and wood-men use , when they are discoursing of their commendable and highly recreative profession . and first , let us consider which are beasts of forest , or venery , or venary , chase , and warren . old foresters and wood-men , with others well acquainted with hunting , do reckon that there are five beasts of venery , ( that are also called beasts of forest ) which are these : the hart , the hinde , the hare , the boar , and wolf : this is the opinion of budaeus likewise , in his treatise of philologie , speaking of the former beasts , semper forestae & veneris habentur bestiae : these ( saith he ) are always accounted beasts of venery and forest. some may here object and say , why should the heart and hinde , being both of one kinde , be accounted two several beasts ? to this i answer , that though they are beasts of one kind , yet they are of several seasons : for the hart hath his season in summer , and the season of the hinde begins when the hart 's is over . here note , that with the heart is included the stag , and all other red deer of antlier . there are also five wild beasts that are called beasts of chase ; the buck the doe , the fox , the martron , and the roe . the beasts and fowls of warren , are the hare , the coney , the pheasant , and the partridge ; and none other , saith mr. manwood , are accounted beasts nor fowls of warren . my lord cook is of another opinion , in his commentary on littleton . there be both beasts and fowls of the warren , saith he : beasts , as hares , coneys , and roes : fowls of two sorts , terrestres , ( and they of two sorts ) silvestres , & campestres . the first , pheasant , wood-cock , &c. the second , partridge , quail , rail , &c. then aquatiles , as mallard , hern , &c. there is great difference between beasts of forest , and chase ; the first are silvestres tantum , the latter campestres tantum . the beasts of the forest make their abode all the day-time in the great coverts and secret places in the woods ; and in the night-season they repair into the lawns , meadows , pastures , and pleasant feeding places ; and therefore they are called silvestres , beasts of the wood. the beasts of chase do reside all the day-time in the fields , and upon the hills or high mountains , where they may see round about them afar off , to prevent danger ; but upon nights approach they feed as the rest in meadows , &c. and therefore these are called campestres , beasts of the field . let us in the next place discover their names , seasons , degrees , and ages of forest or venery , chase and warren : and because the hart is the most noble , worthy , and stately beast , i shall place him first ; and must call a hart the first year , a hinde-calf , or calf . the second year , a knobber . the third year , a brocke . the fourth year , a staggard . the fifth year , a stag. the sixth year , a hart. if hunted by the king , a hart royal. if he escape , and proclamation be made for his safe return without let or detriment , he is then called a hart royal proclaimed . it is a vulgar errour , according to the opinion of mr. guillim , to think that a stag , of what age soever he be , shall not be called a hart till he be hunted by the king or queen , and thence he shall derive his title . mr. george turbervile saith positively , he shall not obtain that name till he be hunted or killed by a prince . but late huntsmen do agree , he may be called a hart at and after the age of six years old . now if the king or queen shall happen to hunt or chase him , and he escape with life , he shall ever after be called a hart royal : but if he fly so far from the forest or chase , that it is unlikely he will ever return of his own accord to the place aforesaid , and that proclamation be made in all towns and villages thereabouts , that none shall kill or offend him , but that he may safely return if he list ; he is then called a hart royal proclaimed . the second beast of venery is called a hinde . and she is called the first year , a calf . the second year , a hearse ; and sometimes we say brockets sister , &c. the third year , a hinde . the next and third , which by old foresters is called the king of all beasts of venery , is the hare . and is called the first year , a leveret . the second year , a hare . the third year , a great hare . the fourth beast of venery is called the wilde-boar . the first year , he is a pig of the sounder . the second year , he is a hog . the third year , he is a hogs steer . the fourth year , he is a boar ; at which age , if not before , he leaveth the sounder , and then he is called a singler or sanglier . the fifth and last beast of venery is the wolf. the names of the beasts of chase according to their ages . the first is the buck. it is called the first year , a fawn . the second year , a pricket . the third year , a sorel . the fourth year , a sore . the fifth year , a buck of the first head. the sixth year , a great buck. the second beast of chase is the doe or doo . she is called the first year , a fawn . the second year , a tegg . the third year , a doe . the third beast of chase is the fox . and is called the first year , a cub . the secound year , a fox , and afterwards an old fox . the fourth beast of chase is the martern . the first year , it is called a cub . the second year , a martern . the fifth and last beast of chase is called the roe . the first year , it is called a kid. the second year , a gyrle the third year , a hemuse . the fourth year , a roe-buck of the first head. the fifth year , a fair roe-buck . as for the beasts of the warren , the hare hath been spoken of already . the coney is called the first year a rabbet , and afterwards an old coney . the seasons of beasts . a hart or buck beginneth at the end of fencer month , which is days after midsummer-day , and lasteth till holy-rood-day . the fox at christmas , and lasteth till the annuntiation of the blessed virgin. the hinde or doe beginneth at holy-rood-day , and lasteth till candlemas . the roe-buck beginneth at easter , and lasteth till michaelmas . the roe beginneth at michaelmas , and lasteth till candlemas . the hare beginneth at michaelmas , and lasteth till the end of february . the season of the wolf is said to be from christmas till the annuntiation of the virgin mary . lastly , the boar begins at christmas , and continues to the purification of our lady . terms to be used for beasts of venery and chase , as they are in company one with the other . a herd of harts . a herd of all manner of deer . a bevy of roes . a sounder of swine . a rout of wolves . a richess of marterns . a brace or lease of bucks . a brace or lease of foxes . a brace or lease of hares . a couple of rabbets . a couple of coneys . terms for their lodging . a hart harboureth . a buck lodgeth . a roe beddeth . a hare seateth , or formeth . a coney sitteth . a fox kennelleth . a martern treeth . an otter watcheth . a badger eartheth . a boar coucheth . terms for their dislodging . unharbour the hart. rouze the buck. start the hare . bolt the coney . unkennel the fox . tree the martern . vent the otter . dig the badger . rear the boar. terms for their noise at rutting time . a hart belleth . a buck growneth or troateth . a roe belloweth . a hare beateth or tappeth . an otter whineth . a boar freameth . a fox barketh . a badger shricketh . a wolf howleth . a goat ratleth . terms for copulation . a hart or buck goeth to rut. a roe goeth to tourn . a boar goeth to brim . a hare and coney goeth to buck. a fox goeth to clickitting . a wolf goeth to match or to make. an otter hunteth for his kinde . terms for the footing and treading of all beasts of venery and chase. of a hart , the slot . of a buck and all fallow deer , the view . of all deer , if on the grass , and scarce visible , then it is called foiling . of a fox , the print ; and other such vermin , the footing . of an otter , the marks . of a boar , the tract . of a hare , diversly ; for when she is in open field , she soreth : when she winds about to deceive the hounds , then she doubleth : when she beateth on the hard high-way , and her footing can be perceived , then she pricketh ; and in the snow , it is called the trace of the hare . terms of the tail. of a hart , buck , or other deer , the single . of a boar , the wreath . of a fox , the brush or drag ; and the tip at the end is called the chape . of a wolf , the stern . of a hare and coney , the scut . terms for their ordure . of a hart , and all deer , their excrement is called fewmets or fewishing . of a hare , crotiles or crotising . of a boar , lesses . of a fox , the billiting ; and all other such vermin , the fuants . of an otter , the spraints . terms for the attire of deer . of a stag , if perfect , the bur , the pearls ( the little knobs on it ) the beam , the gutters , the antlier , the sur-antlier , royal , sur-royal , and all at top the croches . of a buck , the bur , the beam , the brow-antlier , the back-antlier , the advancer , palm , and spellers . if the croches grow in form of a mans hand , it is then called a palmed head. heads bearing not above three or four , the crotches being plac'd aloft all of one height , are called crown'd heads . heads having doubling croches , are called forked heads , becase the croches are planted on the top of the beam like forks . if you are asked what a stag bears , you are onely to reckon croches he bears , and never to express an odde number : as , if he hath four croches on his near horn , and five on his far , you must say , he beareth ten , a false right on his near horn ( for all that the beam bears are called rights . ) if but four on the near horn , and fix on the far horn , you must say he bears twelve , a double false right on the near horn ; for you must not onely make the number even , but also the horns even with that distinction . when a hart breaketh herd , and draweth to the thickets or coverts , we usually say he taketh his hold , or he goeth to harbour . all kind of deers fat is called sewit ; and yet you may say , this deer was a high deer of grease . the fat of a boar is called grease . the fat of a roe onely is called beavy grease . we say the deer is broken up . the fox and hare is cased it is a litter of cubs . a nest of rabbets . a squirrels dray . venison , or venaison , is so called , from the means whereby the beasts are taken , quoniam ex venatione capiuntur ; and being hunted , are most wholsome . beasts of venary ( not venery , as some call it ) are so termed , because they are gotten by hunting . no beast of the forest that is solivagam & nocivum is venison , as the fox , the wolf , the martin , because they are no meat . the bear is no venison , because not onely that he is animal nocivum & solivagam ; but because he is no beast of the forest , and whatsoever is venison must be a beast of the forest ; sed non è converso . on the other side , animalia gregalia non sunt nociva , as the wilde boar ; for naturally the first three years he is animal gregale ; and after trusting to his own strength , and for the pleasure of man , becometh solivagum . he is then called sanglier , because he is singularis : but he is venison , and to be eaten . the hare is venison too , which martial preferreth before all others . inter quadrupedes gloria prima lepus . so are the red-deer and fallow-deer venison : vide cook inst. . pag. . give me leave to insert here out of the same author two conclusions in the law of the forest , which follow from hence . first , whatsoever beast of the forest is for the food of man , that is venison : and therewith agreeth virgil , describing of a feast , implentur veteris bacchi pinguisque ferinae . they had their belly full of old wine and fat venison . so venison was the principal dish of the feast . secondly , whatsoever beast is not for the food of man , is not venison . therefore capriolus , or the roe , being no beast of the forest , is by the law of the forest no venison unless hunted . nature hath endewed the beasts of the forest with two qualities , swiftness , and fear ; and their fear increaseth their swiftness . — pedibus timor addidit alas . vert is any thing that beareth green leaf , but especially of great and thick coverts , and is derived à viriditate . vert is of divers kinds ; some that beareth fruit that may serve for food both for man and beasts , as service-trees , nut-trees , crab-trees , &c. and for the shelter and defence of the game . some called hautboys , serving for food and browse of and for the game , and for the defence of them ; as oaks , beeches , &c. some hautboys for browse , shelter , and defence onely ; as ashes , poplars , &c. of sub-boys , some for browse and food of the game , and for shelter and defence ; as maples , &c. some for browse and defence ; as birch , sallow , willow , &c. some for shelter and defence onely ; as elder , alder , &c. of bushes and other vegetables , some for food and shelter , as the hiw-thorn , black-thorn , &c. some for hiding and shelter , as brakes , gorse , heath , &c. vert , as i said , comes à viridi ; thence viridarii , because their office is to look after the preservation of the vert , which in truth is the preservation of venison . terms for flaying , stripping , and casing of all manner of chases . the hart and all manner of deer are slain : huntsmen commonly say , take off that deer's skin . the hare is stripped or cased ; and so is the boar too , according to the opinion of the antients . the fox , the badger , and all manner of vermin are cased , beginning at the snout or nose of the beast , and so turn his skin over his ears down to the body till you come to the tail. proper terms for the noises of hounds . when hounds are first cast off , and find some game or chase , we say . they challenge . if they are too busie before they find the scent good , we say , they bawl . if they be too busie after they find good scent , we say , they babble . if they run it end-ways orderly , making it good , and then hold in together merrily , we say , they are in full cry. when spaniels open in the string , ( or a grey-hound in his course ) we say , they lapse . when hounds hang behinde , and beat too much upon the scent or place , we say , thy plod . and when they have either earthed a virmin , or brought a deer , boar , or such-like to turn head against them , then we say , they bay. different terms for hounds and grey-hounds . of grey-hounds , two make a brace ; of hounds , a couple . of grey-hounds , three make a leace ; and of hounds , a couple and half . we let slip a grey-hound , and cast off a hound . the string where with we lead a grey-hound , is called a leace ; and for a hound , a lyome . the grey-hound hath his collar , and the hound hath his couples . we say , a kennel of hounds , and a pack of beagles . some other differences there are , but these are the most usual . where we find deer have lately passed into thickets , &c. by which we guess their greatness , and then put the hounds or beagles thereto for the view , we account such places entries . the impression where any deer hath reposed or harboured , we call a layr . when the hounds or beagles hit the scent of their chase contrary , as to hit it up the wind when they should it down , we then say , they draw amiss . when the hounds or beagles take fresh scent , hunting another chase , until they stick and hit it again , we say , they hunt change. when the hounds or beagles hunt it by the heel , we say , they hunt counter . when the chase goes off , and comes on again traversing the same ground , to deceive the hounds or beagles , we say , they hunt the foil . when we set hounds in readiness where we expect the deer will come by , and then cast them off when the other hounds are pass'd by , we account that a relay . when hounds or beagles have finish'd their chase by the death of what they pursued , and then in requital are fed by the hands of the huntsman or others , we call that their reward . huntsmen when they go drawing in their springs at hart-hunting , usually make dew-rounds , which we call ringwalks . when any deer is hard hunted , and then betakes himself to swimming in any river , &c. then we say , he takes soyl. when deer cast their horns , we say , they mew . the first head of a fallow-deer is called prick . when huntsmen endeavour to find a hart by the slot , &c. and then minde his step to know whether he is great and long , they then say , they know him by his gate . when deer rub and push their heads against trees to cause the pills of their new horns come off , we say , they fray. when deer , after being hard run , turn head against the hounds , we say , they bay. when hounds or beagles run long without opening or making any cry , we say , they run mute . when hounds or beagles at first finding the scent of their game presently open and cry , we then say , they challenge . when hounds run at a whole herd of deer , we say , they run riot . when the hounds touch the scent , and draw on till they rouze or put up the chase , we say , they draw on the slot . when a roe crosses and doubles , it is called trajoning . when a hare , as sometimes ( though seldom ) takes the ground like a coney , we then say , she goes to the vault . when we beat the bushes , &c. after the fox , we call it drawing . when a hare runs on rotten ground , or in a frost sometimes , and then it sticks to her feet , we say , she carryeth . when the fox hath young ones in her , we say , she is with cub . when beagles bark and cry at their prey , we say , they yearn . a red male heart of an year old , is called a spitter . a rayn-deer , is a beast like an heart , but hath his head fuller of antliers . a pricker , is a huntsman on horse-back . engines that we take deer withal , are called wiles . when we set hounds or beagles in readiness , expecting the chase to come by , and then cast them off before the rest come in , we call it a vauntlay . when hounds or beagles find where the chase hath been , and made a proffer to enter , but returned , we say , there is a blemish . we say how to a deer . when we start a hare , we say , that , that , or there , there . the call , a lesson blowed on the horn to comfort the hounds . a recheat , a lesson likewise blown on the horn. the mort or death , is blown at the death of any deer . there are several other lessons , which you may find in the sculpture of notes for blowing on the horn. there are several hounds and beagles which we have different titles for ; as gaze-hound , blood-hound , staunch-hound , harrier , and terrier , &c. but we generally in all our kennels and packs rank them under these heads : enterers , drivers , flyers , tyers , &c. and now to conclude our discourse of general terms at this place , give us leave to insert , for such young gentlemen as in time may keep a kennel , some usual names of hounds and beagles . a catalogue of some general names of hounds and beagles . banger beauty blue-man blue-cap boman bonny bouncer . captain capper chanter countess cryer caesar. dido driver drunkard drummer damosel darling dutchess dancer daphne . fancy fidler flippant flurry fuddle . gallant gawdy . hector . juggler jewel jocky jenny joler jollyboy jupiter juno . keeper kilbuck . lively lovely lady lilly lillups . madam maulkin merryboy mopsie motley musick . nancy nacter . plunder pleasant pluto . rockwood ringwood rover ranter ratler ruler ranger royal rapper rusfler . spanker singwel sweetlips soundwel stately . troler thunder thisbe truman truelove tickler tattler tulip truelips touchstone traveller tracer touler tunewel tidings trouncer trusty truescent tryer. venus vulcan violet . wanton wonder winder whipster . yerker younker . some other terms and descriptions relating more particularly to forest and forest-laws . a forest , is a place priviledged by royal authority and differs from park , warren , and chase , and is on purpose allotted for the peaceable abiding and nourishment of the beasts and fowls thereto belonging . for which there are certain peculiar laws , officers , and orders ; part of which appear in the great charter of the forest. a forester , is an officer of the forest , sworn to preserve the vert and venison therein , and to attend the wild beasts within his bailiwick , and to watch , and endeavour to keep them safe by day and night . he is likewise to apprehend all offenders in vert and venison , and to present them to the courts of the forest to the end they may be punished according to their offences . a purlieu , is all that ground adjoyning to forests , which being made forest by henry the second , richard the first , or king john , were by perambulations granted by henry the third , and severed again from the same . a purlieu-man , is he that hath ground within the purlieu , and hath s. a year free-hold ; and such a one with some caution may hunt within his own purlieu . a regarder , is an officer of the kings forest , that is sworn to take care of the vert and venison , and to view and enquire of all the offences committed within the forest , and of all the concealments of them ; and whether all other officers do execute their office or not . woodgeld , is the gathering or cutting of wood in the forest , or the money paid for it to the use of the foresters ; or an immunity for this by the king's grant. a raunger , in some forests there are twelve raungers , whose offices are to look after the purlieu , and drive back the wild beasts into the forest again ; and to see , hear , and enquire of offenders there , and to present their offences . a verderor , is an officer of the king's forest , and chosen by the free-holders of the county where the forest is , by the kings writ directed to the sheriff for that purpose . their office is chiefly to look after the wood and grass in the forest. an agistor , is an officer of the forest that takes in to feed the cattle of strangers , and receives for the kings use all such tack-money as becomes due from those strangers . a chase , is a place used for the receipt of deer and beasts of the forest : it differs from a forest and park . it may be in the hands of a subject , which a forest in its proper nature cannot be . neither is it inclosed as a park always is ; and it hath a larger compass , more store of game , and more keepers and overseers . expeditate , is ( saith mr. crompton ) the cutting out the ball of the foot of great dogs in the forest ; but ( saith mr. manwood ) it is the cutting off the three fore-claws by the skin ; and that the owner of every such dog , unexpeditated in the forest , shall forfeit s . d . fence month , hath days , begins days before midsummer , and ends days after : in which time it is unlawful for any to hunt in the forest , or to go amongst the deer to disquiet them ; because it is the time of fawning . frank chase , is a liberty of free chase in a circuit annexed to a forest , whereby all men that have ground within the circuit are forbidden to cut down wood , or discover , &c. within the view of the forester , though it be his own demesne . green-hue , or vert , they both signifie one thing , it being every thing that doth drow and bear green leaf within the forest , that may cover and hide the deer . over vert , is all manner of high wood. nether vert , is all sorts of under-wood . brushwood is called cablish . horngeld , is a tax within the forest for all manner of horned beasts . footgeld , is an amercement on such as live within the forest , for not expeditating their dogs . and to be quit of footgeld , is a priviledge to keep dogs there unlawed without punishment or controlement . pawnage , is money taken by the agistors for the feed of hogs with the mast of the kings's forest ; but ( mr. crompton saith ) it is most properly the mast , woods , lands , or hedg'd rows , or money due to the owners of the same for it . a scotale , is where any officer of the forest doth keep an ale-house in the forest by colour of his office , causing men to come to his house , and to spend their money there for fear of having displeasure ; but this is forbidden by charta forest. perambulation , is the admeasurement and setting down of bounds and limits to the forest. drift of the forest , is an exact view and examination taken at certain times , as occasion shall serve , to know what beasts are there ; that none common there but such as have right ; and that the forest be not overcharged with the beasts of forreigners . an assart , is a great offence committed in the forest , by grubbing up the woods , coverts , and thickets , and making them plain as arable land , or the like . minoverie , is a trespass or offence committed by some engine set up in the forest to catch deer , or the like . tritis , is a freedom that one hath from holding a grey-hound in ones hand when the lord of the forest is hunting there , or to be amerced for his default . protoforestarius , was a great officer heretofore in windsor forest. stablestand , is when one is found standing in the forest with his bow ready bent to shoot at any deer or , with his grey-hound in a lease ready to slip . swainmote , or swannimote , is a court appointed to be held thrice in a year within a forest ; the first , days before michaelmas ; the second , about martinmas ; and the third , days before st. john baptist . chiminage , is taken by foresters in fee throughout their bailiwick for bushes , timber , &c. and signifies the same with toll . afforest , is to turn land into forest. disafforest , is to turn land from being forest to other uses . let what hath been said be sufficient for an introduction , and let us conclude it with a perswasion to all generous souls not to slight this noble and worthy exercise , ( wherein is contained so much health and pleasure ) for the besotting sensualities , and wicked debaucheries of a city , in which the course of nature seems to be inverted , day turn'd into night , and night into day ; where there is little other recreation but what women , wine , and a bawdy play can afford them ; whereby , for want of labour and exercise , mens bodies contain as many diseases as are in a sickly hospital . of dogs in general . as there is no country in the world wherein there is not plenty of dogs , so no animal can boast of greater variety both in shape and kind . some dogs are very great , as the wolf-dog , which is shaped like a grey-hound , but by much taller , longer , and thicker ; some are for the buck , others for the boar , bear , and bull ; some for the hare , coney , and hedge-hog ; some are both for water and land , and they are called spaniels ; other are called lurchers , tumblers , brachers , beagles , &c. as for shepherds dogs , foisting curs , and such whom some fond ladies make their daily , nay nightly companions too , i shall pass over , being neither worthy to be inserted in this subject , nor agreeable thereunto : wherefore i shall onely treat of such whose natures do incline them to game , for mans pastime and recreation . in the first place , let us consider the nature of dogs in general , wherein they agree , and their common properties of nature , such as are not destroyed in the distinction of kinds , but remain like infallible truths , and invariable in every kind and country through the universe . dogs ( as it is to be observed ) are generally rough ; and their hair indifferently long ( which in winter they lose every year ) is a signe of a good constitution ; but if it grow over-long , the mange will follow . the outward proportion of the head altereth as the kind altereth , having no commissure or seam in the skull , being a continued bone without separation . the best dogs ( in pliny's opinion ) have flat nostrils , yet round , solid , and blunt : their teeth are like saws , which they change in the fourth month of their age : and by them is their age discerned ; for while they are white and sharp , it discovers the youth of a dog ; but when they grow blackish or dusky , broken and torn , they demonstrate the elder age . the breast of a dog is narrow , so is his ventricle : for which cause he is always in pain in the discharging his excrements . after they have run a course , they relieve themselves by tumbling and rowling to and fro . when they lie down , they turn round in a circle two or three times together ; which they do for no other cause , but that they may the more commodiously lie round , and from the wind. in their sleep they often dream , as may appear by their barking . here observe , that they who love to keep dogs , must have a special care that they let them not sleep too much , especially after their meat , when they are young : for as they are very hot , so in their sleep doth their heat draw much pain into their stomack and ventricle . the time of their copulation is for the most part at a year old ; yet the females will lust after it sooner ; but they should be restrained from it , because it debilitates their body , and dulls their generofity . after the expiration of a year , they may be permitted to copulate ; it matters not whether in winter or summer , but it is best in the beginning of the spring : but with this caution , that whelps of a litter , or of one and the same bitch , be never suffered to couple ; for nature delights in variety . in antient time , for the more ennobling of their race of dogs , they would not permit them to ingender till the male was four year old , and the female three ; for by that means the whelps would prove more strong and lively . by hunting , labour , and travel , the males are made more fit for generation , and they prove best which have their siers of equal age . when they grow proud , give them leaven mingled with milk and salt , and they will not stray and ramble abroad . it is not good to preserve the first or second litter , but the third : and after they have littered , it is good to give the bitch whey and barley-bread ; for that will comfort her , and increase her milk : or take the bones of broken meat , and seeth them in goats-milk : which nutriment will strengthen very much both dam and whelps . there is no great regard to be had as to the food of a dog , for he will eat any thing but the flesh of his own kinde ; for that cannot be so dressed by the art of man , but they find it out by their nose , and avoid it . it is good to let the whelps suck two months before they be weaned , and that of their own dam. put cummin now and then in their bread , it will cure or prevent wind in their bellies ; and if oyl be mingled with that water they lap , they will prove more able and swift to run . if he refuse and loath his meat , give him a little hot bread , or dip brown bread in vinegar , and sqeeze the liquor thereof into his nose , and it will ease him . there is some difficulty to chuse a whelp under the dam that will prove the best of the litter . some observe that which seeth last , and take that for the best : others remove the whelps from the kennel , and lay them several and apart one from the other ; then watch they which of them the bitch first taketh and carrieth into her kennel again , and that they take for the best ; or else that which vomiteth last of all . some again give for a certain rule to know the best , that the same which weigheth least while it sucketh will prove the best , according to the verses of nemesian : pondere nam catuli poteris perpendere viris , corporibusque leves gravibus pernoscere cursu . but this is certain , that the lighter whelp will prove the swifter , and the heavier will be the stronger . as soon as as the bitch hath littered , it is requisite to chuse them you intend to preserve , and throw away the rest : keep the black , brown , or of one colour , for the spotted are not much to be accounted of ; but of hounds , spotted are to be valued . there is not any creature irrational , more loving to his master , nor more serviceable than a dog , enduring blows from his hands , and using no other means to pacifie his displeasure , than humiliation and prostration ; and after beating , turneth a revenge into a more fervent love. irrational , did i say , ? i may mistake , if what aelianus reports be true , who thought dogs have reason , and use logick in their hunting ; for they will cast about for the game , as a disputant doth for the truth ; as if they should say , the hare is gone either on the left hand , the right , or straight forward ; but not on the left or right , therefore straight forward . whereupon he runneth forthright after the true and infallible footsteps of the hare . of dogs for hunting . of the hound rache and sluth-hound , so called in scotland , and by the germans schlathund . there are to england and scotland two kindes of hunting-dogs , and no where else in all the world : the first kind is called ane rache , and this is a foot-scenting creature both of wild beasts , birds , and fishes also , which lie hid among the rocks : the female hereof in england is called a brache . a brach , is a mannerly name for all hound-bitches . the second in scotland is called a sluth-hound , being a little greater than the hunting-hound , and in colour for the most part brown or sandy spotted . the sense of smelling is so quick in these , that they can follow the foot-steps of thieves , and pursue them with violence until they overtake them : nay , should the thief take the water , so eager they are in their pursuit , that they will swim after them ; and are restless till they find the thing they seek after : for this is common in the borders of england and scotland , where the people were wont to live much upon theft : and if the dog brought his leader to any house where they may not be suffered to enter , they take it for granted that there is both the stolen goods , and the thief also . of the blood-hound . the blood-hound differeth nothing in quality from the scotish sluth-hound , saving that they are more largely sized , and not always of one and the same colour : for they are sometimes red , sanded , black , white , spotted , and of all colours with other hounds , but most commonly either brown or red . the germans call this beast langhund , because their ears are long , thin , and hanging down ; and they differ not from vulgar dogs in any other outward proportion , than onely in their cry and barking . their nature is , being set on by the voice and words of their leader , to cast about for the sitting of the present game ; and having found it , will never cease pursuing it with full cry , till it is tired , without changing for any other . they seldome bark , except in their chase , and are very obedient and attentive to the voice of the leader . they which are white , are said to be the quickest scented , and surest nos'd , and therefore best for the hare : the black ones for the boar ; and the red for the hart and roe . this is the opinion of some , but none of mine ; because their colour ( especially the latter ) are too like the game they hunt : although there can be nothing certain collected of their colour , yet is the black hound hardier , and better able to endure cold than the other which is white . they must be tied up till they hunt , yet so as they be let loose now and then a little to ease their bellies ; for it is necessary that their kennel be kept sweet and dry . it is questionable how to discern a hound of excellent sense : yet some are of the opinion that the square and flat nose is the best signe thereof ; likewise a small head , having all his legs of equal length ; his breast not deeper than his belly , and his back plain to his tail ; his eyes quick , his ears hanging long ; his tail nimble , and the beak of his nose always to the earth ; and especially such as are most silent , and bark least . consider now the divers and variable dispositions of hounds in their finding out the beast . some are of that nature , that when they have found the game , they will stand still till the huntsman come up , to whom in silence , by their face , eye , and tail , they shew the game : others , when they have found the foot-steps , go forward without any voice or other shew of ear or tail : another sort when , when they have found the footings of the beast , prick up their ears a little , and either bark or wag their tails ; and others will wag their tails , and not move their ears . there are some again that do none of these , but wander up and down barking about the surest marks , and confounding their own foot-steps with the beasts they hunt ; or else forsake the way , and so run back again to the first head ; but when they see the hare , are affraid , not daring to come near her , except she start first . these , with the other which hinder the cunning labours of their colleagues , trusting to their feet , and running before their betters , deface the best mark , or else hunt counter , and take up any false scent for the truth ; or , which is more reprehensible , never forsake the high-ways , and yet have not learned to be silent : unto these you may also adde those which cannot discern the footing or pricking of a hare , yet will they run speedy when they see her , pursuing her hotly in the beginning , and afterwards tire , or hunt lazily . all these are not to be admitted into a kennel of good hounds . on the contrary , those hounds which are good when they have found the hare , make shew thereof to the huntsman , by running more speedily , and with gesture of head , eyes , ears , and tail , winding to the fourm or hares muse , never give over prosecution with a gallant noise : they have good and hard feet , and stately stomacks . now whereas the nature of the hare is sometimes to leap and make headings , sometimes to tread softly with but a very small impression in the earth , or sometimes to lie down , and ever to leap or jump out and into her own form , the poor hound is so much the more busied and troubled to retain the small scent of her pricking which she leaveth behinde her ; for this cause it is requisite that you help the hound , not onely with voice , eye , and hand , but with a seasonable time also : for in frosty weather the scent freezeth with the earth , so that there is no certainty of hunting till it thaw , or that the sun arise . likewise if very much rain fall between the starting of the hare and time of hunting , it is not convenient to hunt till the water be dried up ; for the drops disperse the scent of the hare , and dry weather collecteth it again . the summer-time also is not for hunting , because the heat of the weather consurneth the scent ; and the night being then but short , the hare travelleth not far , feeding onely in the morning and evening : besides , the fragrancy of flowers and herbs then growing , obliterates the scent the hounds are guided by . the best time for hunting with these hounds is in autumn , because then the former odours are weakned , and the earth barer than at other time . these hounds do not onely chase their game while it liveth , but being dead also by any manner of casualty , make recourse to the place where it lieth , having in this point an assured and infallible guide , namely , the scent and savour of the blood sprinkled here and there upon the ground : for whether the beast being wounded doth notwithstanding enjoy life , and escapeth the hands of the huntsman ; or whether the said beast , being slain , is conveyed cleanly out of the park , ( so that there be some marks of bloodshed ) these dogs , with no less facility and easiness , than avidity and greediness , disclose and bewray the same by smelling , applying to their pursuit agility and nimbleness , without tediousness ; for which consideration , of a singular speciality they deserved to be called sanguinarii , blood-hounds : and although a piece of flesh be subtilly stolen , and cunningly conveyed away , with such proviso's and precaveats , as thereby all appearances of bloud is thereby prevented or concealed ; yet these kind of dogs , by certain direction of an inward assured notice and private mark , pursue these desperate deer-stealers through craggy ways , and crooked meanders , till they have found them out : yea , so effectual is their foresight , that they can discover , separate , and pick them out from an infinite multitude ; creep they never so far into the thickest throng , they will find them out notwithstanding . of the gaze-hound . this dog is little beholding in hunting to his nose or smelling , but to sharpness of sight altogether , by the vertue whereof it makes excellent sport with the fox and hare . this dog will chuse and separate from amongst a great flock or herd , and such a one will it take by election , as is not lank or lean , but full , fat , and round . if a beast be wounded and go astray , this dog will seek after it by the sreadfastness of the eye ; if it happen to return , and be mingled with the residue of the herd , this dog will soon spy it out , leaving the rest untouched : and after he hath set sure sight upon it , he separateth it from the company ; and having so done , never ceaseth till he hath wearied it to death . this dog is called in latine agasaeus , because the beams of the sight are so stedfastly setled , and unmoveably fastned . these dogs are much used in the northern parts of england , much more than in the southern ; and on champion ground rather than in bushy and woody places : horsemen use them more than footmen . if it happen so at any time that this dog take a wrong way , the master making some usual signe , and familiar token , he returneth forthwith , and taketh the right and ready course , beginning his ghase afresh , and with a clear voice , and a swift foot , followeth the game with as much courage and nimbleness as he did at the first . of the grey-hound . among the divers kinds of hunting-dogs , the grey-hound , by reason of his swiftness , strength , and sagacity to follow and pursue his game , deserveth the first place ; for such are the conditions of this dog as a philosopher observeth , that he is reasonably scented to find out , speedy and quick of foot to follow , and fierce and strong to take and overcome ; and yet silent , coming upon his prey at unawares , according to the observation of gratius : sic canis illa suos taciturna supervenit hostes . the best grey-hound hath a long body , strong , and reasonable great , not so big as the wolf-dog in ireland ; a neat sharp head , and splendant eyes ; a long mouth , and sharp teeth ; little ears , and thin gristles in them ; a straight neck , and a broad and strong breast ; his fore legs straight and short , his hinder legs long and straight ; broad shoulders , round ribs , fleshy buttocks , but not fat ; a long tail , strong , and full of sinews . thus nemesian eloquently describes the best of grey-hounds : — sit cruribus altis , costarum sub fine decenter prona carinam : renibus ampla satis validis deductaque coras sit rigid is , multamque gerat sub pectore lato , quae sensim rursus ficca se collig at alvo : cuique nimis molles fluitent in cursibus aures . elige tunc cursu facilem , facilemque recursu , dum superant vires , dum laeto flore juventus . of this kind , that is always the best to be chosen among the whelps , which weigheth lightest ; for it will be soonest at the game , and so hang upon it , hindering its swiftness , till the stronger and heavier dogs come to help and offer their assistance ; and therefore besides the marks or necessary good parts of a grey-hound already spoken of , it is requisite that he have large sides , and a broad midriff , that so he may take his breath in and out more easily : his belly must be small ; if otherwise , it will hinder the swiftness of his course : likewise he must have long legs , thin and soft hairs . and these must the huntsman lead on his left hand , if he be afoot ; and on the right , if on horse-back . the best time to try them and train them to their game , is at twelve months old ; yet some begin sooner with them , that is , at ten months if they are males , and at eight if females : yet it is surest not to strain them , or permit them to run a long course , till they be twenty moneths old . keep them also in the slip while they are abroad , until they can see their course ; and loosen not a young dog , until the game have been on foot for a good season , lest being over-greedy of the prey , he strain his limbs too much . the grey-hounds which are most in request among the germans , are called windspil , alluding to compare their swiftness with the wind ; but the french make most account of those that are bred in the mountains of dalmatia , or in any other mountains , especially of turkie ; for such have hard feet , long ears , and bristle tails . the grey-hound ( called by the latins leporarius ) hath his name from the word gre , which word soundeth gradus in latine , in english degree ; because among all dogs , these are the most principal , having the chiefest place , and being simply and absolutely the best of the gentle kind of hounds . of the harrier and terrier . the harrier in latine is called leverarius , or sagax ; by the greeks , ichneuten , of tracing or chasing by the foot. nature hath endewed this creature with an admirable gift of smelling , and is bold and courageous in the pursuit of his game . there are several sorts of them , and all differ in their services : some are for the hare , the fox , the wolf , the hart , the buck , the badger , the otter , the polecat , the weasle , the coney , &c. some for one thing , some for another . as for the coney , we use not to hunt , but take it sometimes with a net , sometimes with a ferret , and sometimes with a lurcher or tumbler . among the several sorts of harriers , there are some which are apt to hunt two divers beasts , as the fox sometimes , and otherwhiles the hare ; but they hunt not with that good success and towardness , who stick not to one sort of game . the terrier hunteth the fox and the badger or grey onely : and they are called terriers , because they ( after the manner and cusiom of ferrets in searching . for coneys ) creep into the ground , and by that means affright , nip , and bite the fox and the badger , in such sort , that either they tear them in pieces with their teeth , ( being in the bosome of the earth ) or else hale and pull them by force out of their lurking angles , dark dungeons , and close caves ; or at the least , through conceived fear , drive them out of their hollow harbours , insomuch , if they are not taken by net or otherwise , they are compelled to prepare for flight ; and being desirous of the next , though not the safest refuge , they are oft-times entrapped with snares and nets laid over holes for the same purpose . of leviner or lyemmer . the leviner is singular in smelling , and in swiftness incomparable . this is as it where a middle kinde between the harrier and the grey-hound , as well for his kinde , as the frame and shape of his body . it is called in latine levinarius , à levitate , of lightness , and therefore may well be called a light-hound . this dog , for the excellency of his conditions , namely , smelling , and swift running , doth follow the game with more eagerness , and taketh the prey with a jolly quickness . of the tumbler . the word tumbler undoubtedly had its derivation from the french word tumbier , which signifies to tumble ; to which the latine name agrees , vertagus , from vertere to turn , and so they do : for in hunting they turn and tumble , winding their bodies about circularly , and then fiercely and violently venturing on the beast , do suddenly gripe it at the very entrance or mouth of their holes or receptacles , before they can make any recovery of self-security . this dog useth another craft and subtilty , namely , when he runneth into a warren , or fetcheth a course about a coney-borough , he hunts not after them , he no ways affrights them , he shews no spight against them ; but dissembling friendship , and pretending favour , passeth by with silence and quietness , marking their holes diligently , wherein he seldom is deceived . when he cometh to a place where there is a certainty of coneys , he coucheth down close with his belly to the ground , provided always by his skill and policy that the wind be against him in that enterprize , and that the coneys , discover him not where he lurketh ; by which means he gets the benefit of the scent of the coneys , which is carried to him by the wind and air , either going to their holes , or coming out , either passing this way , or running that way ; and so ordereth the business by his circumspection , that the silly coney is debarred quite from his hole , ( which is the haven of their hope , and the harbour of their safety ) and fraudulently circumvented and taken before they can get the advantage of their holes . thus having caught his prey , he carrieth it speedily to his master , waiting his dogs return in some convenient lurking corner . these dogs are somewhat lesser than the hounds being lanker , leaner , and somewhat prick-ear'd . by the form and fashion of their bodies they may be justly called mungrel-grey-hounds , if they were somewhat bigger . but notwithstanding they countervail not the grey-hound in greatness , yet will he take in one days space as many coneys as shall arise to as big a burthen , and as heavy a load as a horse can cary : for craft and subtilty are the instruments whereby he maketh this spoil , which pernicious properties supply the places of more commendable qualities . let this suffice for a taste : now , after such dogs as serve hunting , will follow such as serve for hawking and fowling ; among which , the principal and chiefest is the spaniel , called in latine hispaniolus , borrowing his name from hispania ; wherein we english-men , not pronouncing the aspiration h , nor the vowel i , for quickness and readiness of speech , say , spaniel . of the spaniel . there are two sorts of dogs which necessarily serve for fowling . the first findeth game on the land , the other on the water . such as delight on the land , play their parts either by swiftness of foot , or by often questing to search out and to spring the bird for further hope of reward , or else by some secret signe and privy token , discover the place where they fall . the first kinde of such serve the hawk ; the second , the net or train . the first kinde have no peculiar names assigned them , except they are named after the bird which by natural appointment he is allotted to take ; for which consideration , some are called dogs for the falcon , the pheasant , the partridge , and such-like : they are commonly called by one name , viz. spaniels , as if they originally came from spain . the spaniel , whose service is required in fowling on the water , partly through natural inclination , and partly by diligently teaching , is properly called aquaticus , as water-spaniel , because he hath usual recourse to the water , where all his game lieth , namely , water-fowl , which are taken by their help in their kind . his size is somewhat big , and of a measurable greatness , having long , rough , and curled hair , which must be clipt in due season : for by lessening that superfluity of hair , they become more light and swist , and are less hindred in swimming . ducks and drakes are his principal game ; whereupon he is likewise named a dog for a duck , because in that quality he is excellent . of the white-hound . those hounds which are all of one colour , as all white , are the best hounds ; in like manner those which are spotted with red : but those which are spotted with a dun colour , are of little value , being faint-hearted , and cannot endure much labour . but should they happen to be whelpt coal-black , which is but seldom , they commonly prove incomparable hounds . but if white hounds are spotted with black , experience tells us , they are never the best hare-hunters . white , and black and white , and grey streak'd white , are also the most beautiful . of fallow-hounds . they are hardy , and of good scent , keeping well their chase without change ; but not so swift as the white . they are of a strong constitution , and do not fear the water ; running surely , and are very hardy , commonly loving the hart beyond any other chase. the best complexion for these fallow-hounds , is the lively red , and such as have a white spot in their forehead , or have a ring about their neck : but those which are yellowish , and spotted with black or dun , are of little estimation . those which are well joynted , having good claws , are fit to make blood-hounds : and those which have shagged tails , are generally swift runners . these hounds are fitter for princes than private gentlemen , because they seldom run more than one chace ; neither have they any great stomack to the hare or other small chases : and , which is worst of all , they are apt to run at tame beasts . of the dun-hound . these are good for all chases , and therefore of general use . the best coloured are such as are dun on the back , having their four quarters tann'd , or of the complexion of a hare's legs : but if the hair on the back be black , and their legs freckled with red and black , they then usually prove excellent hounds : and indeed there are few dun-coloured to be found bad ; the worst of them are such whose legs are of a whitish colour . it is wonderful , in these creatures , to observe how much they stick upon the knowledge of their master , especially his voice , and horn , and none's else . nay , farther , they know the distinct voices of their fellows , and do know who are babblers and liars , and who not ; and will follow the one , and not the other . now for hounds , the west-country , cheshire , and lancashire , with other wood-land and mountainous countries , breed our slow-hound ; which is a large great dog , tall and heavy . worcester-shire , bedford-shire , and many well-mixt soils , where the champaign and covert are of equal largeness , produce a middle-sized dog , of a more nimble composure than the former . lastly , the north-parts , as york-shire , cumberland , northumberland , and many other plain champaign countries , breed the light , nimble , swift , slender , fleet hound . after all these , the little beagle is attributed to our country ; this is that hound , which in latine is called canis agasaeus , or the gaze-hound . besides our mastiff , which seems to be an indigena , or native of england , we train up most excellent grey-hounds ( which seem to have been brought hither by the galls ) in our open champaigns . all these dogs have deserved to be famous in adjacent and remote countries , whither they are sent for great rarities , and ambitiously sought for by their lords and princes ; although onely the fighting dogs seem to have been known to the antient authors ; and perhaps in that age hunting was not so much cultivated by our own countreymen . the marks of a good and fair hound . his head ought to be of a middle proportion , rather long than round ; his nostrils wide ; his ears large ; his back bowed ; the fillets great ; the haunches large ; the thighs well trussed ; the ham straight ; the tail big near the reins , and the rest slender to the end ; the leg big ; the soal of the foot dry , and formed like a fox's , with the claws great . of the election of a dog and bitch for good whelps . your bitch must come of a good kind , being strong , and well proportioned in all parts , having her ribs and flanks great and large . let the dog that lines her be of a good fair breed ; and let him be young , if you intend to have light and hot hounds : for if the dog be old , the whelps will participate of his dull and heavy nature . if your bitch grow not naturally proud so soon as you would have , you may make her so , by taking two heads of garlick , half a gastor's stone , the juice of cresses , and about twelve spanish flies , or cantharides : boil these together in a pipkin which holds a pint , with some mutton , and make broth thereof ; and of this give to the bitch twice or thrice , and she will infallibly grow proud . the same pottage given to the dog , will make him desirous of copulation . when your bitch is lined , and with puppy , you must not let her hunt , for that will be the way to make her cast her whelps ; but let her unconfined walk up and down in the house and court , and never lock her up in her kennel ; for she is then impatient of food ; and therefore you must make her some hot broth once a day . if you would spay your bitch , it must be done before she ever had litter of whelps : and in spaying her , take not away all the roots or strings of the veins ; for if you do , it will much prejudice her reins , and hinder her swiftness ever after : but by leaving some behinde , it will make her much the stronger and more hardy . whatever you do , spay her not when she is proud ; for that will endanger her life : but you may do it fifteen days after . but the best time of all is , when the whelps are shaped within her . how to enter young hounds to hunt the hart ; and what quarries and rewards you shall give them . having first taught your hounds to know your hallow , and the sound of your horn , then , about eighteen months old , you must lead them once a week into the fields , and not oftner . the best manner to teach your hounds , is to take a live hare , and trail her after you upon the earth now one way , now another ; and so , having drawn i● a convenient space , hide it in the earth : afterward se● forth your hound near the trail , who taking wind runneth to and fro near the woods , fields , pastures , path-ways , and hedges , until he find which way th● hare is gone ; but with a soft and gentle pace , until at length coming near the lodged hare , he mendeth his pace , and bestirreth himself more speedily , leaping o● his prey , and killing it , loadeth himself with his conquest and bringing it to his master with triumph , h● must receive both dog and it with all tokens of love i● to his bosom . when you hunt , let your hart be in prime of grea●● for then he is heavier than in april or may , and cann●● stand up so long . then chuse your forest wherein the relays are 〈◊〉 equal proportion : then place all your young houn●● with five or fix old to enter them ; and then lead the● to the farthest and last relay , and cause the hart to 〈◊〉 hunted unto them . being come up , uncouple your o●● hounds ; and having found the track of the hart , bein● well entred in cry , uncouple likewise your young hound● and if you find any of them lag behinde , you must beat or whip them forward . in what place soever you kill the hart , immediately flay his neck , and reward your hounds : for it is best whilst it is hot so to do . there are several ways of entring hounds . as first , by taking a hart in nets , and after you have cut off one of his feet , let him go : a quarter of an hour after , assemble your young hounds ; and having found out the view or slot of the hart or buck by your blood-hounds , uncouple your young hounds , and let them hunt . secondly , you may bring them to quarry , by taking half a dozen huntsmen , swift of foot , each whereof shall have two couple to lead in liams ; and having unlodg'd the hart , pursue him fair and softly , so that you tire not too much your young hounds . after the hart hath ran two or three hours , and that you find he begins to sink , you may then cast off your young hounds : but beware it be not when he is at bay , and his head full summed ; for so you may endanger the lives of your hounds . but the best way of entring hounds is at the hare ; for thereby they will learn all doubles and turns , better know the hallow , will be more tender-nosed , and better scented , by using the beaten ways and champion grounds . here note , that with whatsoever you first enter your hounds , and therewith reward them , they will ever after love that most . wherefore , if you intend them for the hart , enter them not first with the hinde . and for the better hunting the hart , enter not your young hounds within a toil ; for there a hart doth nothing but turn and cast about , since he cannot run end-long , and so they are always in sight of him . if then afterwards you should run him at force out of a toil , and at length , and out of sight , you will find the hounds to give him over quickly . lastly , enter not your hounds nor teach them in the morning ; for if so , you will find them apt to give over in the heat of the day . of coursing with grey-hounds . i need not declare the excellencies which are contained in the noble and worthy exercise of coursing with grey-hounds , since it is so well known to all gentlemen who take delight in this pleasant and healthy pastime : i shall therefore onely insist upon the breed of grey-hounds , their shape , their diet , and the laws belonging to the same , according as they were commanded , allowed , and subscribed by the duke of norfolk , in the reign of queen elizabeth . first , for the breeding of grey-hounds , in this you must have respect to the country , which should be champain , plain , or high downs . the best valleys are those of belvoir , white-horse , and evesholm , or any other where there are no coverts , so that a hare may stand forth and endure a course of two or three miles : as for high downs or heaths , the best are about marlborough , salisbury , cirencester , and lincoln . though these places are very commodious for the breeding and training up of grey-hounds ; yet , in my opinion , the middle , or most part arable grounds are the best : and yet those gentlemen who dwell on downs or plain grounds , to keep up the reputation of their own dogs , affirm , that they are more nimble and cunning in turning than the vale-dogs are and mr. markham confesseth that he hath seen a vale-dog so much deceived , that upon a turn he hath lost more ground than hath been recoverable in the whole course after : however , with a little care , in a short time this errour may be rectified ; and then you will experimentally find the good dogs upon the deeps will ever beat the good dogs upon the plains . it is a received opinion , that the grey-hound-bitch will beat the grey-hound-dog , by reason the excelleth him in nimbleness : but if you consider that the dog is longer and stronger , you must look upon that opinion no more than as a vulgar errour . here note , as to the breeding of your grey-hounds , that the best dog upon an indifferent bitch , will not get so good a whelp as an indifferent dog upon the best bitch . observe this in general as to breeding , let your dogs and bitches , as near as you can , be of an equal age , not exceeding four years old : however , to breed with a young dog and an old bitch , may be the means of producing excellent whelps , the goodness whereof you shall know by their shapes in this manner . if they are raw-bon'd , lean , loose-made , sickle or crooked-hough'd , and generally unknit in every member ; these are the proper marks of excellent shape and goodness : but if after three or four months they appear round and close-trust , fat , straight , and as it were full summed and knit in every member , they never prove good , swift , nor comely . the goodness of shape in a grey-hound after a year and a half old , is this : his head must be lean and long , with a sharp nose , rush-grown from the eye downward ; a full clear eye , with long eye-lids ; a sharp ear , short and close falling ; a long neck a little bending , with a loose hanging weasand ; a broad breast , straight fore-legs , hollow side , straight ribs ; a square slat back , short and strong fillets , a broad space between the hips , a strong stern or tail , a round foot , and good large clefts . the dieting of grey-hounds consists in these four things : food , exercise , airing , and kennelling . food of a grey-hound is two fold : general , that is , the maintaining of a dog in good bodily condition ; and particular , when the dog is dieted for a wager , or it may be for some distemper he is afflicted with . a grey-hound's general food ought to be chippings , crusts of bread , soft bones and gristles . your chippings ought to be scalded in beef , mutton , veal or venison-broth ; and when it is indifferent cool , then make your bread onely float with good milk , and give it your grey-hounds morning and evening ; and this will keep them in good state of body . but if your dog be poor , sickly , and weak , then take sheeps-heads , wool and all , clean wash'd , and having broken them to pieces , put them into a pot ; and when it boils , scum the pot , and put therein good store of oatmeal , and such herbs as pottage is usually made of ; boil these till the flesh be very tender : then with the meat and broth feed your dogs morning and evening , and it will recover them . if you designe your grey-hound for a wager , then give him this diet-bread : take half a peck of the finest and driest oat-meal , and a peck of good wheat , having ground them together , boult the meal , and scattering an indifferent quantity of liquorish and anniseeds well beaten together ; knead it up with the whites of eggs , new ale and barm mix'd together , and bake it in small loaves indifferent hard ; then take it and soak it in beef or any of the aforesaid broths ; and half an hour after sun-rising , and half an hour before its setting , having first walke and air'd your grey-hound , give it him to eat . this will not onely increase his strength , but enlarge his wind. having thus spoken of a grey-hound's feeding , either generally or particularly , either for keeping him in health , or restoring it when it is lost , i shall in the next place proceed to his exercise ; and this likewise consists in two things , that is , coursing , and airing . as to the first , he ought to be coursed thrice a week , in such manner that you usually reward him with blood , which will animate and encourage him to prosecute his game : but be not unmindful to give the hare all just and lawful advantage , so that she may stand long before the grey-hound , that thereby he may shew his utmost strength and skill before he reap the benefit of his labour . if he kill , suffer him not to break the hare , but take her from him ; and having cleans'd his chaps from the wool of the hare , then give him the liver , lights , and heart , and so take him up in your leash ; and having led him home , wash his feet with some butter and beer , and then put him into the kennel , and feed him half an hour afterwards . upon your grey-hounds coursing-days , give him in the morning before you air him , a toast and butter or oyl , and nothing else ; then kennel him till he go to his course . the reason of kennelling your grey-hounds is this , because it breeds in dogs lust , spirit , and nimbleness ; besides , it prevents several dangerous casualties , and keeps the pores from spending till time of necessity : and therefore do not permit your dog to stir out of the kennel but in the hours of feeding , walking , coursing , or other necessary business . the laws of the leash or coursing . though the laws of coursing may alter according to some mens swaying fancies ; yet these , subscribed by the chief of the gentry , were ever held authentical . take them thus in order , according to my collection out of mr. markham . first , it was ordered , that he who was chosen fewterer , or letter-loose of the grey-hounds , should receive the grey-hounds match to run together into his leash as soon as he came into the field , and follow next to the hare-finder till he came unto the form : and no horse-man or foot-man , on pain of disgrace , to go before them , or on any side , but directly behinde , the space of forty yards or thereabouts . . that not above one brace of grey-hounds do course a hare at one instant . . that the hare-finder should give the hare three sohoe's before he put her from her lear , to make the grey-hounds gaze and attend her rising . . that the fewterer shall give twelve-score law ere he loose the grey-hounds , except it be in danger of losing sight . . that dog that giveth the first turn , if after the turn be given there be neither coat , slip , nor wrench extraordinary ; i say , he which gave the first turn shall be held to win the wager . . if one dog give the first turn , and the other bear the hare , then he which bare the hare shall win . . if one give both the first and last turn , and no other advantage be between them , the odde turn shall win the wager . . that a coat shall be more than two turns , and a go-by , or the bearing of the hare equal with two turns . . if neither dog turn the hare , then he which leadeth last at the covert shall be held to win the wager . . if one dog turn the hare , serve himself , and turn her again , those two turns shall be as much as a coat . . if all the course be equal , then he which bears the hare shall win onely ; and if she be not born , the course must be adjudged dead . . if he which comes first in to the death of the hare takes her up , and saves her from breaking , cherisheth the dogs , and cleanseth their mouths from the wool , or other filth of the hare , for such courtesie done he shall in right challenge the hare : but not doing it , he shall have no right , priviledge , or title therein . . if any dog shall take a fall in the course , and yet perform his part , he shall challenge the advantage of a turn more than he giveth . . if one dog turn the hare , serve himself , and give divers coats , yet in the end stand still in the field , the other dog , without turn giving , running home to the covert ; that dog which stood still in the field shall be adjudged to lose the wager . . if any man shall ride over a dog , and overthrow him in his course , ( though the dog were the worse dog in opinion , yet ) the party for the offence shall either receive the disgrace of the field , or pay the wager ; for between the parties it shall be adjudged no course . . lastly , those which are chosen judges of the leash shall give their judgments presently before they depart from the field , or else he in whose default it lieth shall pay the wager by a general voice and sentence . here note , that it lieth in the power of him that hath the office of the leash conferred on him , to make laws according to the customs of countries , and the rule of reason . of the stiles of hunting different from the english both antique and forrein . the hunting used by the antients was much like that way which is at present taken with the rain-deer , which is seldom hunted at force or with hounds , but onely drawn after with a blood-hound , and forestall'd with nets and engines . so did they with all beasts , and therefore a dog is never commended by them for opening before he hath by signes discovered where the beast lieth in his layre , as by their drawing stiff our harbourers are brought to give right judgement . therefore i do not finde that they were curious in the musick of their hounds , or in a composition of their kennel or pack , either for deepness , or loudness , or sweetness of cry like to ours . their huntsmen were accustomed to shout and make a great noise , as virgil observes in the third of his georgicks : ingentem clamore premes ad retia cervum . so that it was onely with that confusion to bring the deer to the nets laid for him . but we comfort our hounds with loud and courageous cries and noises , both of voice and horn , that they may follow over the same way that they saw the hart pass , without crossing or coasting . the sicilian way of hunting was this : when the nobles or gentry were informed which way a herd of deer passed , giving notice to one another , they appointed a meeting , and every one brought with him a cross-bow , or a long bow , and a bundle of staves . these staves had an iron-spike at the bottom , and their head is bored , with a cord drawn through all of them ; their length is about four foot : being thus provided , they come to the herd , and there casting themselves about into a large ring , they surround the deer ; and then every one of them receives a peculiar stand , and there , unbinding his faggot , ties the end of his cord to the other who is set in the next station ; then to support it , sticks into the ground each staff , about the distance of ten foot one from the other . then they take out feathers , which they bring with them , dyed in crimson for this very purpose , and fastned upon a thred which is tied to the cord , so that with the least breath of wind they are whirled round about . those which keep the several stands , withdraw and hide themselves in the next covert . after this , the chief ranger enters within the line , taking with him onely such hounds which draw after the herd ; and coming near with their cry , rouze them : upon which the deer fly till they come towards the line , where they turn off towards the left , and still gazing upon the shaking and shining feathers , wander about them as if they were kept in with a wall or pale . the chief ranger pursues , and calling to every one by name , as he passeth by their stand , cries to them , that they shoot the first , third , or sixth , as he shall please ; and if any of them miss , and single out any other than that which was assigned by the ranger , it is counted a disgrace to him : by which means , as they pass by the several stations , the whole herd is killed by several hands . this relation is of undoubted truth , as you may finde it in pierius his hieroglyphicks , lib. . chap. . boar-hunting is very usual in france , and they call it sangtier . in this sort of hunting the way is to use furious terrible sounds and noises , as well of voice as horn , to make the chase turn and fly ; because they are slow , and trust to their tusks and defence : which is agere aprum , to bait the boar. yet this must be done after his den or hold is discovered , and the nets be pitched . the huntsmen give judgement of the wild-boar by the print of his foot , by his rooting . a wild swine roots deeper than our ordinary hogs , because their snouts are longer ; and when he comes into a corn-field , ( as the caledonian-boar in ovid ) turns up one continued furrow , not as our hogs , routing here and there ; and then by his soil he soils and wallows him in the myre : these are his volutabra silvestria , where his greatness is measured out ; then coming forth , he rubs against some tree , which marks his height ; as also when he sticks his tusk into it , that shews the greatness thereof . they observe the bigness of his lesses , and the depth of his den ; where note , that they call his dung by the name of lesses . whensoever the boar is hunted and stands at bay , the huntsmen ride in , and with swords and spears striking on that side which is from their horses , wound or kill him . this is in the french hunting : but the antient romans standing on foot , or setting their knees to the ground , and charging directly with their spear , did opponere ferrum , and excipere aprum : for such is the nature of a boar , that he spits himself with fury , running upon the weapon to come at his adversary ; and so , seeking his revenge , he meets with his own destruction . though these wild-boars are frequent in france , we have none in england ; yet it may be supposed that heretofore we had , and did not think it convenient to preserve that game : for our old authors of hunting reckon them amongst the beasts of venery ; and we have the proper terms belonging to them , as you may find them at the beginning of the book . of boar-hunting you will read more hereafter . there are no roe-deer in england ; but there are plenty of them in scotland , as sir james lindsay an old scottish writer testifies . yet it may be thought that they have been more common in england , because our antient huntsmen acknowledge the proper terms for this chase ; and in the first place we have distinct ages for these dorces , which you shall find in the terms aforesaid . they make good chase , stand long , and fly end-way . compellere dorcas , is to force the bevy ; and to drive them into the toyls . although we have no wolves in england at this present , yet it is certain that heretofore we had routs of them , as they have to this very day in ireland ; and in that country are bred a race of grey-hounds , ( which are commonly called wolf-dogs ) which are strong , fleet , and bear a natural enmity to the wolf. now in these the grey-hounds of that nation there is an incredible force and boldness , so that they are in great estimation , and much sought after in forrein parts , so that the king of poland makes use of them in his hunting of great beasts by force . wherefore it may well be intended of the great fierceness which these dogs have in assaulting , that when the romans saw them play , they thought them so wonderful violent , as that they must needs have been ferreis caveis advecti , brought up in iron dens . in poland when the king hunts , his servants are wont to surround a wood , though a mile in compass , with toyls which are pitched on firm stakes . this being done , the whole town , all sexes and ages promiscuously rush into the inclosure , and with their ●oud shouts rear all the beasts within that wood ; which making forth , are intercepted in the nets . their small and great beasts are entangled together , after the same manner as when amongst us we draw a net over a pond , and after beating it all over with poles , we bring out not onely pike and carp , but lesser fry ; so they inclose at once deer , boar , roe-buck , and hare : for so they order their nets , that the space of those meshes which are twisted with greater cords , for the entangling of greater beasts , that space , i say , is made up with smaller whip-cord , for the catching smaller prey . he hath a great race of english mastiffs , which in that country retain their generosity , and are brought up to play upon greater beasts . it is not counted among them disagreeable to the laws of the chase , to use guns . i shall now proceed to the manner of english-hunting both antient and modern , according to the best information i could gather either out of books , experienced huntsmen , and my own practice . of hart-hunting . a hart can naturally swim a great way ; insomuch that i have heard of some so sore hunted in forests near the sea , that they have plung'd into it , and have been killed by fisher-men a dozen miles from land . it is reported of them when they go to rut , and must for that purpose cross some great river or arm of the sea , they assemble in great herds , the strongest goes in first , and the next of strength follows him , and so one after the other , relieving themselves by staying their heads on the buttocks of each other . the hinde commonly carries her calf eight or nine moneths , which usually falls in may , although some later : some of them have two at once , eating the skin up wherein the calf did lie . as the calf grows up , she teacheth it to run , leap , and the way it must keep to defend it self from the hounds . harts and hindes are very long-liv'd , living commonly an hundred years and upwards . the nature of a hart. the hart is strangely amazed when he hears any one call , or whistle in his fist ; for trial of which , some seeing a hart in the plain in motion , have called after him , saying , ware , ware , or take heed ; and thereupon have seen him instantly turn back , making some little stand . he heareth very perfectly when his head and ears are erected ; but heareth imperfectly when he holdeth them down . when he is on foot , and not afraid , he wonders at every thing he seeth , and taketh pleasure to gaze at them . they bear sometimes few , and sometimes more croches ; and that is the reason that many men have erred in their judgments as to their age . harts are bred in most countries ; but the antients do prefer those of britain before all others , where they are of divers colours . these do excel all others in the beauty of horns ; which are very high , yet do not grow to their bones or scalps , but to their skin , branching forth into many speers , being solid throughout , and as hard as stones , and fall off once a year : but if they remain abroad in the air , and that thereby they are sometimes wet and dry , they grow as light as any vanishing or other substance , as i have proved by experience , finding some which have been lost by them in the woods ; wherefore i gather , that they are of an earthly substance , concrete , and hardned with a strong heat , made like unto bones . they lose these horns every year in the spring . at one year old they have nothing but bunches , that are small significators of horns to come : at two years they appear more perfectly , but straight and simple : at three years they grow into two spears : at four , into three ; and so increase every year in their branches till they be six ; and above that time their age is not certainly to be discerned by their head. having lost their horns in the day-time , they hide themselves , inhabiting the shades , to avoid the annoyance of flies , and feed , during that time onely , in the night . their new horns come out at first like bunches , and afterwards ( as i said before ) by the increase of the sun's heat they grow more hard , covered with a rough skin , which is called a velvet-head ; and as that skin drieth , they daily try the strength of their new heads upon trees ; which not onely scrapeth off the roughness , but by the pain they feel thus rubbing them , they are taught how long to forbear the company of their fellows : for at last , when in their chafing and fretting of their new horn against the tree they can feel no longer pain and smart in them , they take it for high time to forsake their solitary dwellings , and return again to their former condition . the reason why harts and deers do lose their horns yearly , are these : first , because of the matter whereof they consist ; for it is dry and earthy , like the substance of green leaves which have an yearly fall , likewise , wanting glewing or holding moisture to continue them ; wherefore the horn of a hart cannot be bent . secondly , from the place they grow upon ; for they are not rooted upon the skull , but onely within the skin . thirdly , from the efficient cause ; for they are hardned both with the heat of summer , and cold of winter ; by means whereof the pores to receive their nourishing liquor are utterly shut up and stopped , so as of necessity their native heat dieth ; which falleth not out in other beasts , whose horns are for the most part hollow , and fitted for longer continuance ; but these are of lesser , and the new bunches swelling up towards the spring , do thrust off the old horns , having the assistance of boughs of trees , weight of the horns , or by the willing excussion of the beast that beareth them . it is observed , that when a hart pricketh up his ears , he windeth sharp , very far , and sure , and discovereth all treachery against him ; but if they hang down and wag , he perceiveth no danger . by their teeth is their age discerned , and they have four on both sides wherewith they grinde their meat , besides two other , much greater in the male than in the female . all these beasts have worms in their head underneath their tongue , in a hollow place where the neck-bone is joyned to the head , which are no bigger than flie-blows . his blood is not like other beasts , for it hath no fibres in it , and therefore it is hardly congealed . his heart is very great , and so are all those of fearful beasts , having in it a bone like a cross. he hath no gall , and that is one of the causes of the length of his life ; and therefore are his bowels so bitter , that the dogs will not touch them unless they be very fat . the genital part is all nervy ; the tail small ; and the hinde hath udders betwixt her thighs , with four speans like a gow . these are above all other four-footed beasts , both ingenious and fearful , who although they have large horns , yet their defence against other four-footed beasts is to run away . and now if you will credit gesner as a huntsman , pray here observe what account he gives of hunting the hart : this wild deceitful and subtile beást ( says he ) by windings and turnings does often deceive its hunter , as the harts of meandros flying from the terrible cry of diana's hounds . wherefore the prudent hunter must frame his dogs as pythagoras did his scholars , with words of art to set them on , and take them off again at his pleasure ; wherefore he must first of all compass in the beast ( en son giste ) in her own layr , and so unharbour her in the view of the dogs , that so they may never lose her slot or footing : neither must he set upon every one , either of the herd or those that wander solitary alone , or a little one but partly by sight , and partly by their footing and fumets , judge of their game ; also he must observe the largeness of his layr . being thus informed , then discouples les chiens , take off your dog-couplings ; and some on horse-back , others on foot , follow the cry with greatest art , observation and speed , remembring and preventing ( cer fruze ) the subtile turnings and headings of the hart ; straining with all dexterity to leap hedge , pale , ditch , nay rocks ; neither fearing thorns , down hills , nor woods , but providing fresh horse if the first tire , follow the largest head of the whole herd , which you must endeavour to single out for the chase ; which the dogs perceiving must follow , taking for a prohibition to follow any other . the dogs are animated by the winding of horns and voices of the huntsmen , like souldiers to the battle , by the noise of trumpets and other warlike instruments . but sometimes the crafty great beast seodeth forth his little squire to be sacrificed to the dogs and huntsmen , instead of himself ; lying close in the mean time : then must a retreat be sounded , and ( rompre le chiens ) the dogs be broken off , and taken in ( le limier ) that is , leame again , until they be brought to the fairer game ; who ariseth in fear , yet still striveth by flight , until he be wearied and breathless . the nobles call this beast ( cerf sage ) a wise hart , who , to avoid all his enemies , runneth into the greatest herds , and so bringeth a cloud of errour on the dogs , to keep them from further prosecution ; sometimes also beating some of the herd into his footings , that so he may the more easily escape , and procure a labyrinth to the dogs ; after which he betaketh himself to his heels again , running still with the wind , not onely for refrigeration , but because he may the more easily hear the voice of his pursuers , whether they be far or near . at last , being for all this found out again by the observance of the hunters , and skilful scent of the dogs , he flieth into the herds of cattle , as cows , sheep , &c. leaping on an ox or cow , laying the foreparts of his body thereon , that so touching the earth onely with his hinder feet , to leave a very small or no scent at all behinde for the hounds to descern . the chief huntsman to lewis the twelfth , called ( le grand venieur ) affirmeth , that on a time , they having a hart in chase , suddenly the hounds were at a fault , so as the game was out of sight , and not a dog would once stir his foot , whereat the hunters were all amazed ; at last , by casting about , ( as it is usual in such cases ) they found the fraud of the crafty beast , which is worth the memory . there was a great white-thorn , which grew in a hadowy place as high as a tree , and was environed with other small shrubs about it ; into the which the said hart leaped , and there stood aloft the boughs spreading from one another , and there remained till he was thrust through by a huntsman , rather than he would yield to the angry and greedy hounds . yet their manner is when they see themselves every where intercepted , to make force at him with their horns who first comes unto him , except prevented by sword or spear ; which being done , the hunter with his horn windeth the fall of the beast , and then every one approacheth , luring with triumph for such a conquest , of whom the skilfullest openeth the beast , rewarding the hounds with what properly belongeth unto them for their future encouragement ; and for that purpose the huntsmen dip bread in the skin and blood of the beast , to give unto the hounds their full satisfaction . veloces spartae catulos , acremque mollossum pasce fero pingui , &c. much more might be said of this present subject , which is not proper in this place ; wherefore i shall refer you to what followeth , and your own experience . of the rut of harts . the time of their rutting is about the midst of september , and continues two months : the older they are , the hotter , and the better beloved by the hindes ; and therefore they go to rut before the young ones ; and , being very fiery , will not suffer any of them to come near the hindes till they have satisfied their venery . but the young ones are even with the old for when they perceive the old are grown weak by excess of rutting , the young will frequently attaqu● them , and make them quit the place , that they may be masters of the sport . they are easily kill'd in rutting-time : for they follow the scent of the hindes with such greediness , laying their noses to the ground , that they mind that solely , and nothing else . they are such great lovers of the sport , it is very dangerous for any man to come near them at this season , for then they will make at any living creature of different kind . in some places , in october their lust ariseth , and also in may ; and then , whereas at other times the males live apart from the females , they go about like lascivious lovers , seeking the company of their females , as it were at the market of venus . the males in their raging desired lust have a peculiar noise , which the french call reere . one male will cover a many females , continuing in this carnal appetite a month or two . the females are chaste , and unwilling to admit of copulation , by reason of the rigour of the male's genital ; and therefore they sink down on their buttocks when they begin to feel his seed , as it hath been often observed in tame harts ; and if they can , the females run away , the males striving to hold them back within their fore-feet . it cannot be well said , that they are covered standing , lying , or going , but rather running ; for so are they filled with greatest severity . when one month or six weeks is over of their rutting , they grow tamer by much , and laying aside all fierceness , they return to their solitary places , digging every one by himself a several hole or ditch , wherein they lie , to asswage the strong savour of their lust ; for they stink like goats , and their face beginneth to look blacker than at other times : and in those places they live till some showers distil from the clouds ; after which , they return to their pasture again , living in flocks as before . the female , thus filled , never keepeth company again with the male until she is delivered of her burthen , which is eight months ; and but one at a time , seldom two , which she lodgeth cunningly in some covert : if she perceive them stubborn and wilde , she will beat them with her feet till they lie close and quiet . oftentimes she leadeth forth her young , teaching it to run and leap over bushes , stones , and small shrubs ; and so continueth all the summer long , while their own strength is most considerable . it is very pleasant to observe them when they go to rut , and make their vaut . for when they smell the hinde , they raise their nose up into the air , looking aloft , as though they gave thanks to the god of nature , who gave them so great delight and pleasure . and if it be a great hart , he will turn his head and look about to see whether there be none near to interrupt or spoil his sport . hereat the young fly away for fear : but if there be any of equal bigness , they then strive which shall vaut first ; and in the opposing each other , they scrape the ground with their feet , shocking and butting each other so furiously , that you shall hear the noise they make with their horns a good half mile , so long , till one of them is victor . the hinde beholding this pastime , never stirs from her station , expecting , as it were , the vauting of him who hath the mastery ; and having got it , he bellows , and then instantly covers her . during the time of their rut , they eat but very little ; for they feed onely on what they see before them , minding more the track of the hindes . their chief meat is the red mushrome , which helps them to evacuate their grease : they are then extraordinary hot , insomuch , that every where as they pass and find waters , they tumble and lie therein . the time of harts mewing , or casting the head. the old hart casteth his head sooner than the young : and the time is about the months of february and march. here note , that if you geld an hart before he hath an head , he will never bear any ; and if you geld him when he hath it , he will never after mew or cast it : and so , if you geld him when he hath a velvet-head , it will ever be so , without fraying or burnishing . having cast their heads , they instantly withdraw unto the thickets , hiding themselves in such convenient places where they may have good water , and strong feeding , near some ground where wheat or pease is sown : but young harts do never betake themselves to the thickets till they have born their third head , which is in the fourth year . after they have mewed , they will begin to button in march and april ; and as the sun grows strong , and the season of the year puts forward the crop of the earth , so will their heads increase in all respects : so that in the midst of june their heads will be summed as much as they will bear all the year . of the coats and colour of harts . the coats of harts are of three sundry sorts , brown , red , and fallow ; and of every of these coats there proceeds two sorts of harts , the one are great , the other little . of brown harts , there are some great , long , and hairy , bearing a high head , red of colour , and well beam'd , who will stand before hounds very long , being longer of breath , and swifter of foot than those of a shorter stature . there are another sort of brown harts , which are little , short , and well-set , bearing commonly a black main , and are fatter and better venison than the former , by reason of their better feeding in young copses . they are very crafty , especially when in grease ; and will be hardly found , because they known they are then most enquired after : besides , they are very sensible they cannot then stand long before the hounds . if they be old , and feed in good ground , then are their heads black , fair , and well branched , and commonly palmed at the top . the fallow - harts bear their heads high , and of a whitish colour , their beams small , their antliers long , slender , and ill-grown , having neither heart , courage , nor force . but those which are of a lively red-fallow , having a black or brown list down the ridge of the back , are strong , bearing fair and high heads , well furnished and beam'd . of the heads and branches of hearts , and their diversities . as there are several sorts of harts , so have they their heads in a divers sort and manner , according to their age , country , rest , and feeding . here note , that they bear not their first head , which we call broches , and in a fallow - deer pricks , until they enter the second year of their age. in the third year they bear four , six , or eight small branches : at the fourth , they bear eight or ten : at the fifth , ten or twelve : at six , fourteen or sixteen : and at the seventh year they bear their heads beam'd , branched , and summed with as much as ever they will bear , and do never multiply but in greatness onely . how to know an old hart by the slot , entries , abatures and foils , fewmets , gate and walks , fraying-stocks , head and branches . i shall proceed in order , and first of the slot . you must carefully look on the treadings of the hart's foot : if you find the treadings of two , the one long , the other round , yet both of one bigness ; yet shall the long slot declare the hart to be much larger than the round . moreover , the old hart's hind-foot doth never over-reach the fore-foot ; the young one's doth . but above all , take this observation : when you are in the wood , and have found the slot of a hart , mark what manner of footing it is , whether worn , or sharp ; and accordingly observe the country , and thereby judge whether either may be occasioned thereby . for harts bred in mountainous and stony countries , have their toes and sides of their feet worn , by reason of their continual climbing and resting themselves thereon , and not on the heel : whereas in other places they stay themselves more on the heel than toes : for in soft or sandy ground they slip upon the heel , by reason of their weight ; and thus by frequent staying themselves thereon , it makes the heel grow broader and greater . and thus you may know the age of a hart by his slot or treading . the next thing to be considered , is the fewmishing ; and this is to be judged of in april or may. if the fewmets be great , large , and thick , they signifie the hart to be old . in the midst of june and july , they make their fewmets or fewmishing in great croteys , very soft ; and from that time to the end of august , they make them great , long , knotty , anointed and gilded , letting them fall but few and scattered . in september and october there is no longer judging , by reason of the rut. thirdly , if you would know the height and thickness of the hart , observe his entries and galleries into the thickets , and what boughs he hath over-stridden , and mark from thence the height of his belly from the ground . by the height of the entries , we judge the age of a hart : for a young deer is such as creeps usually ; but the old is stiff and stately . his greatness is known by the height of his creeping as he passes to his harbour ; the young deer creeping low , which the old will not stoop to . fourthly , take notice of his gate , by which you may know whether the hart be great and long , and whether he will stand long before the hounds or not . for all harts which have a long step will stand up very long , being swift , light , and well breath'd ; but if he leave a great slot , which is the signe of an old deer , he will never stand long when he is chased . lastly , take notice of his fraying-post : where note , the elder the hart is , the sooner he goeth to fray , and the greater is the tree he seeketh to fray upon , and such as he cannot bend with his head. all stags as they are burnish'd , beat their heads dry against some tree or other , which is called their fraying-post : the younger deer against weaker and lesser trees , and lower ; the elder against bigger and stronger , and fray higher ; so that accordingly we confidently judge of their age , and of the nearness of their harbour ; for that is the last ceremony they use before they enter it . as to the head and branches , the hart is old , first , when the compass of the bur is large , great , and well pearl'd . secondly , when the beam is great , burnished , and well pearl'd , being straight , and not made crooked by the antliers . thirdly , when the gutters therein are great and deep . fourthly , when the first antlier , called antoiller , is great , long , and near to the bur ; the surantlier near unto the antlier : and they ought to be both well pearl'd . fifthly , the rest of the branches which are higher , being well ordered and set , and well grown , according to the bigness and proportion of the head ; and the croches , palm or crown being great and large according to the bigness of the beam , are the signes of an old hart. now since many men cannot understand the names and diversities of heads according to the terms of hunting , i shall in the following chapter give you a brief account thereof . the names and diversities of heads , according to hunting-terms . the thing that beareth the antliers , royals , and tops , is called the beam ; and the little streaks therein are called gutters . that which is about the crust of the beam , is termed pearls : and that which is about the bur it self , formed like little pearls , is called pearls bigger than the rest . the bur is next the head ; and that which is about the bur , is called pearls . the first is called antlier ; the second , surantlier : all the rest which grow afterwards , until you come to the crown , palm , or croche , are called rovals , and sur-royals : the little buds or broches about the top , are called croches . their heads go by several names : the first head is called a crowned top , because the croches are ranged in form of a crown . the second is called a palmed top , because the croches are formed like a mans hand . thirdly , all heads which bear not above three or four , the croches being placed aloft , all of one height , in form of a cluster of nuts , are to be called heads of so many croches . fourthly , all heads which bear two in the top , or having their croches doubling , are to be called forked heads . fifthly , all heads which have double burs , or the antliers , royals , and croches turned downwards , contrary to other heads , are onely called heads . how to seek a hart in his haunts or feeding-places according to the seasons of the year . all harts do change their manner of feeding every month ; and therefore i shall treat orderly of every one till i have concluded the year ; beginning with that month which is the conclusion of their rutting-time , and that is november , in which month they feed in heaths and broomy places . in december they herd together , and withdraw themselves into the strength of the forests , to shelter themselves from the cold winds , snows , and frosts , and do feed on the holm-trees , elder-trees , brambles , with whatsoever other green thing they can find ; and if it snow , they will skin the trees like a goat . in january , february , and march , they leave herdding , but will keep four or five in company , and in the corners of the forest will feed on the winter-pasture ; sometimes making their incursions into the neighbouring corn-fields , if they can perceive the blades of wheat , rie , or such-like , appear above ground . in april and may they rest in their thickets , and other bushy and shady places , during that season , and stir very little till rutting-time , unless they are disturb'd . there are some hearts are so cunning , that they will have two several layrs to harbour in , a good distance one from the other ; and will frequently change ( for their greater security ) from the one to the other , taking still the benefit of the wind. in these months they go not to the soil , by reason of the moisture of the spring , and the dew that continually overspreadeth the grass . in june , july , and august , they are in their pride of grease , and do resort to spring-copses , and corn-fields ; onely they seldom go where rye or barley grow . in september and october they leave their thickets and go to rut ; during which season they have no certain place either for food or harbour . in what manner the huntsman shall go drawing in the springs . let him not come too early into the springs or hewts where he thinketh the hart feedeth , and is at relief . for they usually go to their layrs in the springs ; and if they be old crafty deer , they will return to the border of the copse , and there listen whether they can hear any approaching danger : and if they chance once to vent the huntsman or the hound , they will instantly dislodge . now is the huntsman's proper time . let him beat the outsides of the springs or thickets : if he find the track of an hart or deer , let him observe whether it be new ; which he may know thus ; the dew will be beaten off , the foil fresh , or the ground broken or printed , with other tokens : so he may judge his game lately went that way . having found this slot or treading , and the hound sticking well upon it , let him hold him short , for he shall better draw being so held , than if he were let at length of the lyam : and thus let him draw till he is come to the covert , if possible , taking notice by the way of the slot , foils , entries , and the like , till he hath harboured him . that done , let him plash down small twigs , some above , and some below , as he shall think fit : and then , whilst the hound is hot , let him beat the outsides , and make his ring-walks twice or thrice about the wood , one while by the great and open ways , that he may help himself by the eye ; another while through the thick and covert , for fear lest his hound should overshoot it , having still better scent in the coverts than high-ways . if he doubt the hart is gone out of the ring-walks , or fears he hath drawn amiss ; then let him go to the marks which he plashed , and draw counter , till he may take up the fewmet . the directions for harbouring a stag are these : the harbourer having taught his hound to draw mute always round the outside of the covert , as soon as his hound challenges , which he knows by his eager flourishing , and straining his lyam , he then is to seek for his slot : if he findes the heel thick , and the toe spreading broad , it argues an old deer , especially if it is fringed , ( that is , broken on the sides . ) however , if the ground be too hard to make any judgment from the slot , he is to draw into the covert , as he passes observing the size of the entries ; the larger and higher , the elder the deer ; as also his croppings of the tenders as he passes : ( the younger the deer , the lower ; the elder the deer , the higher he branches . ) also observe his fewmishings as you pass , whose largeness bespeak the largeness of the deer ; also be curious in observing his fraying-post , which usually is the last opportunity you have to judge by , the eldest deer fraying highest against the biggest trees ; and that found , you may conclude his harbour not far off ; therefore draw with more circumspection , checking your draught-hound to secure him from spending when he comes so near as to have the deer in the wind : and then by his eagerness you having discovered that , ought to draw him ; and having retired some distance back , you are with your hound to round the place first at a considerable distance ; and then , if you find him not disturbed , a little within that make your second round ; which will not onely secure you that he is in his harbour , but will also secure his continuance there ; for he will not ( unforc'd ) pass that taint your hound hath left in the rounding of him . so that having broken a bough for his direction , he may at any time unharbour that hart. how to find a hart lost the night before . a huntsman may fail of killing a hart divers ways ; sometimes by reason of great heat , or overtaken with the night , and the like . if any such thing should happen , then thus you must do . first , they which follow the hounds , must mark the place where they left the chase , and at break of day bring your blood-hound to it with your kennel after him . if any hound vents , whom he knows to be no lier or babler , he shall put his hound to it , whooping twice , or blowing two notes with his horn , to call all his fellows about him : and if he find where the hart is gone into some likely govert or grove , then must he draw his hounds about it , and beat cross through it . and if there he renews his slot or view , let him first consider whether it be the right or not : if it be the right , let him blow his horn. now if he find five or six layrs , let it not seem strange ; for harts hunted and spent , do frequently make many layrs together , because they cannot stand , but lie and feed . harts which are hunted , most commonly run up the wind , and straight forwards as far as they are able , and finding any water or soil , do stay a long time therein ; by which means their joynts are so benummed and stiffned , that coming out they cannot go far , nor stand up long ; and therefore are compelled to take any harbour they can finde , which may be a present covert to them . how to find a hart in high woods . in the seeking of a hart in high woods , regard must be had to two things ; that is , the thickets of the forest , and the season . if it be in very hot weather , gnats , horse-flies , and such-like , drive the deer out of the high wood , and they disperse themselves into small groves and thickets near places of good feeding . according to the coverts which are in the forest , so accordingly the huntsman must make his enquiry . for sometimes the harts lie in the tufts of white-thorn ; sometimes under little trees ; otherwhiles under great trees in the high woods ; and sometimes in the skirts of the forest under the shelter of little groves and copses . and therefore the huntsman must make his ring-walk great or small , according to the largeness of those harbours or goverts . how to unharbour a hart , and cast off the hounds . when the relays are well set and placed , let the huntsman with his pole walk before the kennel of hounds : being come to the blemishes , let him take notice of the slot , and such other marks as may be observed from the view of the deer , to the intent he may know whether the hounds run riot or not . then let the huntsmen cast abroad about the covert , to discover the hart when he is unharboured , the better to distinguish him by his head or otherwise . the huntsman having unharboured him , all the hounds shall be cast off , they crying one and all , to him , to him ; that 's he , that 's he , with such words of encouragement . if the blood-hound as he draweth chance to overshoot , and draw wrong or counter , then must the huntsman draw him back , and say , back , back , soft , soft , until he hath set him right again : and if he perceive that the hound hath mended his fault , by his kneeling down , and observing the slot or ports , he must then cherish him , by clapping him on the back , and giving him some encouraging words . thus let him draw on with his hound till the deer be descried . now some are so cunning and crafty , that when they are unharboured from their layr , they will coast round about to finde some other deer , whereby the hounds may be confounded in the change of hunts . if the huntsman have the hart in view , let him still draw upon the slot , blowing and hollowing until the hounds are come in . when he seeth they are in full cry , and take it right , he may then mount , keeping under the wind , and coast to cross the hounds that are in chase , to help them at default , if need require . what subtilties are used in hunting a hart at force . let the huntsman never come nearer the hounds in cry , than fifty or threescore paces , especially at the first uncoupling , or at casting off their relays . for if a hart make doublings , or wheel about , or cross before the hounds , as he seldom doth ; if then you come in too hastily , you will spoil the slot or view ; and so the hounds , for want of scent , will be apt to overshoot the chase : but if after hunting an hour , the huntsman perceive that the hart makes out end-ways before the hounds , and that they follow in full cry , taking it right , then he may come in nearer , and blow a recheat to the hounds to encourage them . hereupon the hart will frequently seek other deer at layr , and rouze them , on purpose to make the hounds hunt change , and will lie down flat in some of their layrs upon his belly , and so let the hounds over-shoot him : and because they shall neither scent or vent him , he will gather up all his four feet under his belly , and will blow and breath on some moist place of the ground , in such sort , that i have seen the hounds pass by such a hart within a yard , and never vent him . for which cause huntsmen should blemish at such places they see the hart enter into a thicket , to this end , that if the hounds should fall to change , they may return to those blemishes , and put their hounds to the right slot and view , until they have rouzed or found him again . the hart hath another way to bring the hounds to change ; and that is , when he seeth himself closely pursued , and that he cannot shun them , he will break into one thicket after another to finde deer , rouzing and herding with them , continuing so to do sometimes above an hour before he will part from them , or break herd . finding himself spent , he will break herd , and fall a doubling and crossing in some hard high-way that is much beaten , or else in some river or brook , in which he will keep as long as his breath will permit him : and if he be far before the hounds , it may be then he will use his former device , in gathering his legs up under his belly as he lies flat along upon some hard and dry place . sometimes he will take soil , and so cover himself under the water , that you shall perceive nothing but his nose . in this case the huntsman must have a special regard to his old hounds , who will hunt leisurely and fearfully ; whereas the young hounds will over-shoot their game . if it so chance that the hounds are at a default , and hunt in several companies , then it may be guessed that the hart hath broken herd from the fresh deer , and that the fresh deer have separated themselves also : then regard how the old staunch-hounds make it , and observe the slot ; and where you see any of the old hounds challenge , cherish and encourage him , hastening the rest in to him , by crying hark to such a hound , calling him by his name . here is to be noted , that they cannot make it so good in the hard high-ways as in other places , because they cannot have there so perfect a scent , either by reason of the tracks or footing of divers sorts of beasts , or by reason of the sun drying up the moisture , so that the dust covereth the slot : now in such places ( such is the natural subtilty of that beast for self-preservation ) the hart will make many corsses and doublings , holding them long together , to make the hounds give over the chase. in this case , the first care of the huntsman is , to make good the head , and then draw round apace , first down the wind , though usually deer go up the wind : and if the way is too hard to slot , be sure to try far enough back . this expert hounds will frequently do of themselves . but if a hart break out into the champion-country , and that it be in the heat of the day , between noon and three of the clock ; then if the huntsman perceive his hounds out of breath , he must not force them much , but comfort them ; and though they do not call upon the slot or view , yet it is sufficient if they but wag their tails ; for , being almost spent , it is painful for them to call . the last refuge of a hart sorely hunted is the water , ( which , according to art , is termed the soil ) swimming oftnest down the stream , keeping the middle , fearing lest by touching any bough by the water-side he may give scent unto the hounds . always when you come to a soil , ( according to the old rule : he that will his chase finde , let him first try up the river , and down the wind ) be sure if your hounds challenge but a yard above his going in , that he is gone up the river : for though he should keep the very middle of the stream , yet will that , with the help of the wind , lodge part of the stream , and imbosh that comes from him on the banks , it may be a quarter of a mile lower , which hath deceived many . therefore first try up the stream : and where a den first breasts soil , both man and hound will best perceive it . now the ways to know when a hart is spent , are these : first , he will run stiff , high , and lompering . secondly , if his mouth be black and dry without any foam upon it , and his tongue hanging out ; but they will often close their mouths , to deceive the spectators . thirdly , by his slot : for oftentimes he will close his claws together , as if he went at leisure ; and straightway again open them wide , making great glidings , and hitting his dew-claws upon the ground , following the beaten paths without doublings ; and sometimes going all along by a ditch-side , seeking some gap , having not strength to leap it otherways : yet it hath been often seen , that dead-run deer have taken very great leaps . thus must a huntsman govern himself according to the subtlety and craft of the deer , observing their doublings and crossings , and the places where they are made ; making his rings little or great , according to the nature of the place , time , and season : for hounds are subject to shoot where herbs and flowers have their most lively scent and odoriferous smell . neither must you be unmindful of the perfection and imperfection of your hounds . thus doing , it will be very hard luck if you loose a hart by default . how to kill a hart at bay. it is very dangerous to go in to a hart at bay , and especially at rutting-time ; for then they are most fierce . there are two sorts of bays ; one on the land , the other on the water . if now the hart be in a deep water , where you cannot well come to him , then couple up your dogs ; for should they long continue in the water , it would endanger surbating or foundering . get then a boat , or swim to him with a dagger ; or else with a rope that hath a noose , and throw it over his horns : for if the water be so deep that the hart swims , there is no danger in approaching him ; otherwise you must have a care . as to the land-bay , if the hart be burnished , then must you consider the place : for if it be in a plain and open place , where there is no wood nor covert , it is dangerous and hard to come in to him ; but if it be in a hedge-side or thicket , then , whilst the hart is staring on the hounds , you may come covertly among the bushes behinde him , and cut his throat . if you miss your aim , and the hart turn head upon you , then make some tree your refuge ; or when the hart is at bay , couple up your hounds ; and when you see the hart turn head to fly , gallop in roundly to him , and kill him with your sword. directions at the death of buck or hart. the first ceremony when the huntsmen come in to the death of a deer , is to cry ware haunch , that the hounds may not break into the deer ; which having secured , the next is cutting his throat , and there blooding the youngest hounds , that they may the better love a deer , and learn to leap at his throat ; then , having blown the mort , and all the company come in , the best person , that hath not taken say before , is to take up the knife that the keeper or huntsman is to lay cross the belly of the deer , standing close to the left shoulder of the deer , some holding by the fore-legs , and the keeper or huntsman drawing down the pizle , the person that takes say , is to draw the edge of the knife leisurely along the very middle of the belly , beginning near the brisket ; and drawing a little upon it , enough in the length and depth to discover how fat the deer is , then he that is to break up the deer first slits the skin from the cutting of the throat downward , making the arber , that so the ordure may not break forth ; and then he is to pounch him , rewarding the hounds therewith . next , he is to present the same person that took the say with a drawn hanger , to cut off the head ; which done , and the hounds rewarded therewith , the concluding ceremony is , if a buck a double , if a stag a treble mort blown by one , and then a whole recheat in consort by all that have horns ; and that finished , immediately a general whoo whoop . it was formerly termed , winde a horn , because ( as i suppose ) all horns were then compassed ; but since straight horns are come into fashion , we say , blow a horn , and sometimes , sound a horn. in many cases heretofore , leasing was observed ; that is , one must be held , either cross a saddle , or on a mans back , and with a pair of dog-couples receive ten pound and a purse ; that is , ten stripes , ( according to the nature of the crime , more or less severe ) and an eleventh , that used to be as bad as the other ten , called a purse . there are many faults , as coming to late into the field , mistaking any term of art ; these are of the lesser size : of the greater magnitude , hallowing a wrong deer , or leaving the field before the death of the deer , &c. buck - hunting . this beast is common in most countries , being as corpulent as a hart ; but in quantity resembleth more a roe , except in colour . the males have horns , which they lose yearly ; but the females none at all . their colours are divers , but most commonly branded or sandy on the back , having a black list all down along on the back ; their bellies and sides spotted with white , which they lose by their old age : and the does do especially vary in colour , being sometimes all white , and therefore like unto goats , except in their hair , which is shorter . in their horns they differ not much from a hart , except in quantity , and that they grow out of their heads like fingers out of the hand ; such is this fallow-deer , being therefore called cervus palmatas . as for their other parts , they much resemble a roe-buck . their flesh is excellent for nourishment , but their blood ingenders too much melancholy . now know , the buck is fawn'd about the latter end of may , and its nature and properties differ little from the hart. there is not so much art and skill in lodging a buck , as in the harbouring a hart ; neither is there required so much drawing after , but onely you are to judge by the view , and mark what grove or covert he entreth ; for he will not wander and rove up and down so often as a hart , nor so frequently change his layr . he maketh his fewmishings in divers manners and forms , as the hart doth , according to the diversity of food , and time of the day , morning and evening ; but most commonly they are round . the hart and buck differ thus in parallel . when the buck is hunted , he oft-times betakes himself to such strong holds and coverts as he is most acquainted with , not flying far before the hounds , not crossing nor doubling , using no such subtleties as the hart is accustomed to . the buck will beat a brook , ( but seldom a great river , as the hart ) but it must not be so deep ; nor can he stay so long at soil as the hart will do : onely he leapeth lightlier at rut than the hart ; and groaneth or troateth , as a hart belleth , but with a lower voice , ratling in the throat . and here is to be noted , they love not one another , nor will they come near each other's layr . buck venison is incomparable food , and is dressed like hart-venison ; onely this last will be preserved longer than the former . the buck herds more than the hart , and lieth in the driest places : but if he be at large , unconfined within the limitary precincts of a park , he will herd but little from may to august , because the flies trouble him . he takes great delight in hilly places ; but the dales are his joy to feed in . bucks have seldom or never any other relays than the old hounds . the greatest subtlety a huntsman need use in the hunting of the buck , is to beware of hunting counter or change , because of the plenty of fallow-deer , which use to come more directly upon the hounds than the red-deer doth . now upon the breaking up of a buck the hounds reward is the same with that of the hart. roe - hunting . the roe-buck is called by the greeks and latines by one name , viz. dorcas . these beasts are very plentiful in africa , germany , and helvetian alps. their swiftness doth not onely appear upon the earth , but also in the waters , cutting them when they swim as with oars ; and therefore they love the lakes and strong streams , breaking the floods to come at fresh pasture , feeding deliciously on sweet rushes , and bull-rushes . horns onely grow upon the male , and are set with six or seven branches , not palmed , but branchy , yet shorter than follow deer : they differ not much from common deer , but in their horn : and whereas the horns of other beasts are hollow towards the root , whereinto entereth a certain long substance ; the horns of these , as also of the vulgar buck and elk , are solid whithout any such emptiness , onely they are full of pores . it is supposed by the learned , that a roe was called in greek dorcas , by reason of the quickness of her sight ; and that she can see as perfectly in the night as in the day . physitians have observed a certain viscous humour about her bowels , which by anointing eyes that are dark , heavy , and near blinde , quickens the sight most wonderfully . it is reported of them , that they never wink no not when they sleep ; for which conceit their blood is prescribed for them who are dim-sighted or pur-blinde . the tail of this beast is lesser and shorter than a fallow-deer's ; insomuch that it is doubtful whether it be a tail or not . they keep for the most part in the mountains among the rocks , being very swift ; and when they are hunted ( martial saith ) they hang upon the rocks with their horns , to delude the dogs , after a strange manner , ready to fall and kill themselves , and yet receive no harm , where the dogs dare not approach , as appeareth in his epigram . pendentem fumma capream , de rupe videbis , casuram speres , decipit illa canes . this might be more properly meant of the wild - goat . they are most easily taken in the woods . when they are chased , they desire to run against the wind , because the coldness of the air refresheth them in their course ; and therefore they who hunt them place their dogs with the wind. they are often taken by the counterfeiting of their voice , which the skilful huntsman doth by the assistance of a lease in his mouth . this beast is very easie to hunt , and goeth to rut ( or tourn most properly ) in october , the extent whereof consists of fifteen days , and never parteth with the doe till fawning-time . the doe , finding her self near her time , secretly departs from the buck , and sawneth as far from him and his knowledge as she can ; for could he finde the fawn , he would kill it . now when the fawn grows big , and can run and feed , she then returns to the buck again very lovingly , with all expedition : the cause whereof , is the roes fawning twins , which are commonly buck and doe ; so that being accustomed together in youth , they do love to keep company ever after . as soon as the roe-buck cometh from rut , he casts his horns ; and there are few after two years old which mew not at alhallontide , but their heads grow quickly out again . the venison of a roe is never out of season , being never fat , and therefore they are to be hunted at any time : onely this , some favour ought to be shewn the doe whilst she is big with fawn , and afterwards till her fawn is able to shift for himself : besides , some roe-does have been killed with five fawns in their belly . they usually when hunted , take a large first ring , and afterwards hunt the hounds . when they are hunted , they turn much and often , and come back upon the dogs directly : when they can no longer endure , they then take soil , as the hart doth , and will hang by a bough in such manner , that nothing shall appear of them above water but their snout , and will suffer the dogs to come just upon them before they will stir . he is not called by the skilful in the art of hunting a great roe-buck , but a fair roe-buck . the herd of them is called a beavy : and if he hath not beavygrease on his tail when he is broken up , he is more fit to be dogs-meat than mans-meat . the hounds must be rewarded with the bowels , the blood , and feet slit asunder , and boiled all together . this is more properly called a dose than a reward . for what might be said farther concerning roe-hunting , i shall refer you to the chapters of hart and buck-hunting . rain-deer-hunting . the rain-deer is not unlike a hart , onely his head is fuller of antliers , being bigger and wider in compass ; for he bears four and twenty branches and more according to his age , having a great palm on the top , as a hart , and his fore-antliers are palmed also . he flieth end-ways when he is hunted , by reason of the great weight of his head. when he hath stood up a great while , doubled , crossed , and used other crafty tricks to shun the hounds , he makes a tree his last refuge ; so planting himself , that nothing can assault him but just before , placing his buttock and haunches against the tree , and hanging down his head low to the ground , whereby all his body is covered . as the hart strikes with his head , the rain-deer strikes with his feet against any one that comes in to him to help the dogs , not in the least turning his head , that being his chiefest defence , and seems very terrible to the hounds . he feedeth like the hart , and maketh his fewmets sometimes long , and sometimes flat , and beareth fatter venison , when he is in pride of grease , than any other deer doth , and is very long liv'd . he is more commonly drawn after with a blood-hound , than hunted , and intrapped with nets and engines , and that in the thick and greatest holds , if it may be ; which is the best and speediest way , by reason of his great and spreading head. since there are but few of them in england , i shall desist from discoursing farther concerning him . of the nature and properties of a hare . an hare is called in hebrew arnebet in the feminine gender , which word possessed a great many that all hares were females : he is called lagws by the greeks , for his immoderate lust ; and by the same nation ptoox , for his fear ; and by the latines lepus , quasi levi-pes , signifying swiftness of feet ( alias ) lightfoot . there are four sorts of hares ; some live in the mountains , some in the fields , some in the marshes , some every where , without any certain place of abode . they of the mountains , are most swift ; they of the fields , less nimble ; they of the marshes , most slow ; and the wandering hares are most dangerous to follow ; for they are so cunning in the ways and muses of the fields , running up the hills and rocks , because by custom they know the nearer way , with other tricks , to the confusion of the dogs , and dis-encouragement of the hunters . in the next place , a description of the parts of an hare will not be unnecessary , since it is admirable to behold how every limb and member of this beast is composed for celerity . in the first place , the head is round , nimble , short , yet of convenient longitude , prone to turn every way . the ears long , and lofty , like an asses : for nature hath so provided , that every fearful and unarmed creature should have long and large ears , that by hearing it might prevent its enemies , and save it self by flight . the lips continually move sleeping and waking ; and from the slit they have in the middle of their nose , cometh the term of harre-lips which are so divided in men . the neck of an hare is long , small , round , soft , and flexible : the shoulder-bone straight and broad , for her more easie turning : her legs before soft , and stand broader behinde than before , and the hinder legs longer than the former : a breast not narrow , but fitted to take more breath than any beast of that bigness : a nimble back , and fleshy belly , tender loins , hollow sides , fat buttocks , filled up , strong and nervous lines . their eyes are brown , and they are subtile , but not bold ; seldom looking forward , because going by jumps . their eye-lids coming from the brows are too short to cover their eyes , and therefore this sense is very weak in them : when they watch they shut their eyes , and when they sleep they open them . they have certain little bladders in their belly filled with matter , out of which both the one and the other sex suck a certain humour , and anoint their bodies all over therewith , and so are defended against rain . though their sight be dim , yet they have visum indefessum , an indefatigable sence of seeing ; so that the continuance in a mean degree , countervaileth in them the want of excellency . they feed abroad , because they would conceal their forms ; and never drink , but content themselves with the dew , and for that cause they often fall rotten . as it is before , every limb of a hare is composed for celerity , and therefore she never travelleth , but jumpeth : her ears lead her the way in her chase ; for with one of them she harkneth to the cry of the dogs , and the other she stretcheth forth like a sail , to hasten her course ; always stretching her hinder beyond her former , and yet not hindering them at all ; and in paths and high-ways she runs more speedily . the hares of the mountains do often exercise themselves in the valleys and plains , and through practice grow acquainted with the nearest ways to their forms or places of constant abode . so that when at any time they are hunted in the fields , such is their subtile dodging , that they will dally with the huntsmen till they seem to be almost taken , and then on a sudden take the nearest way to the mountains , and so take sanctuary in the inaccessible places , whither dogs nor horse dare ascend . hares which frequent bushes and brakes , are not able to endure labour , and not very swift , by reason of the pain in their feet , growing fat through idleness and discontinuance of running . the campestrial or field - hare , being leaner of body , and oftner chased , is taken with more difficulty , by reason of her singular agility ; she therefore when she beginneth her course , leapeth up from the ground as if the flew , afterwards passeth through brambles , and over thick bushes and hedges with all expedition ; and if at any time she come into deep grass or corn , she easily delivereth her self , and slideth through it , always holding up one ear , and bending it at her pleasure to be the moderator of her chase. neither is she so unprovident and prodigal of her strength , as to spend it all in one course , but observeth the force of her prosecuror , who if he be slow and sluggish , she is not profuse of her celerity , but onely walketh gently before the dogs , and yet safely from their clutches , reserving her greatest strength to her greatest necessity : for the knoweth she can out-run the dogs at her pleasure , and therefore will not trouble her self more than she is urged . but if there be a dog following her more swiftly than the residue , then she setteth forward with all the force she can ; and when she hath left both hunters and dogs a great way behinde her , she getteth to some little hill or rising of the earth , where she raiseth her self upon her hinder-legs , that thereby she may observe how far or near her pursuers are distant from her . the younger hares , by reason of their weak members , tread heavier on the earth than the elder ; and therefore leave the greater scent behinde them . at a year old they run very swift , and their scent is stronger in the woods than in the plain fields ; and if they lie down upon the earth ( as they love to do ) in red fallow-grounds , they are easily descried . their foot-steps in the winter-time are more apparent than in the summer , because , as the nights are longer , so they travel farther : neither do they scent in the winter-mornings so soon as it is day , until the frost be somewhat thawed ; but especially their footsteps are uncertain at the full of the moon , for then they leap and play together , scattering and putting out their scent or savour ; and in the spring-time also , when they do ingender , they confound one anothers footsteps by multitudes . hare - hunting . it is the judgement of all , that a hare doth naturally know the change of weather from twenty four hours to twenty four hours . when she goeth to her form , she will suffer the dew to touch her as little as she can , but followeth the high-ways and beaten paths . they go to buck commonly in january , february , and march , and sometimes all the warm months ; sometimes seeking the buck seven or eight miles distant from the place where they usually sit , following the high-ways , &c. if when a hare riseth out of her form , she couches her ears and scut , and runs not very fast at first , it is an infallible sign that she is old and crafty . you may know a buck - hare as you hunt him to his form by his beating the hard high-ways . he feedeth farther out into the plains , and maketh his doublings and crossings much wider , and of greater compass than the female doth : for she will keep close by some covert-side , turning and winding in the bushes like a coney ; and if she go to relief in the corn-fields , she seldom crosseth over the furrows , but followeth them along , staying upon the thickest tufts of corn to feed . likewise you may know a buck at the rising out of his form by his hinder-parts , which are more whitely ; or if you observe his shoulders before he rise , which will be redder than the does , having some loose long hairs growing on them . again , his head is shorter , and better trussed ; his hairs about his lips longer ; and his ears shorter and more gray . the hairs upon the female's chine will be of a blackish gray . besides , when hounds hunt a female - hare , she will use more crossing and doubling , seldom making out end-ways before the hounds : whereas the male acts contrary ; for having once made a turn or two about his form , then farewal hounds ; for he will frequently lead them five or six miles before ever he will turn his head . when you see that your hounds have found where an hare hath pass'd to relief upon the high-way-side , and hath much doubled and crossed upon dry places , and never much broken out nor relieved in the corn , it is a sign she is but lately come thither ; and then commonly she will stay upon some high place to look about her , and to chuse out a place to form in , which she will be loth to part with . of the craft and subtlety of an hare . as of all chases the hare makes the greatest pastime and pleasure ; so it is a great delight and satisfaction to see the craft of this little poor beast in her own self-preservation . and that you may understand what these subtleties are , you must first take notice what weather it is . if it be rainy , then the hare will hold the high-ways more than at any other time : and if she come to the side of any young grove or spring , she will scarcely enter , but squat down by the side thereof until the hounds have over-shot her ; and then she will return the self-same way she came to the place from whence she was started , and will not by the way go into any covert , for fear of the wet and dew that hang upon the boughs . in this case , let the huntsman stay a hundred paces before he comes to the wood-side , by which means he shall perceive whether she return as aforesaid ; which if she do , let him hallow in his hounds , and call them back , and that presently , that the hounds may not think it the counter she came first . the next thing to be observed , is the place where the hare sitteth , and upon what wind she makes her form : for if she form either upon the north or south-wind , she will not willingly run into the wind , but run upon a side or down the wind. but if she form in the water , it is a sign she is foul and measled . if you hunt such a one , have a special regard all the day to the brook-sides , for there and near plashes she will make all her crossings , doublings , &c. i have seen a hare so crafty , that as soon as she heard the sound of a horn , she would instantly start out of her form , thought it was a quarter of a mile distant , and go swim in some pool , and there rest her self upon some rush-bed in the midst thereof , from whence she would not stir till she heareth the horn again ; and then i have seen her start out again swimming to land , and she hath stood up before the hounds four hours before we could kill her , swimming , and using all her subtleties and crossings in the water . such is the natural craft and subtlety of a hare , that sometimes , after she hath been hunted three hours , she will start a fresh hare , and squat in the same form. others , having been hunted a considerable time , will creep under the door of a sheep-coat , and there hide themselves among the sheep ; or when they are hard hunted , will run in among a flock of sheep , and cannot be gotten out from among them by any means , till the hounds are coupled up , and the sheep driven into their pens . some ( and that is something strange ) will take the ground like a coney , and that is called going to the vaut . some hares will go up one side of the hedge , and come down the other , the thickness of the hedge being the onely distance between the courses . i have seen a hare , that being sorely hunted , got upon a quick-set-hedge , and ran a good way upon the top thereof , and then lept off upon the ground . and they will frequently betake themselves to furz-bushes , and will leap from one to the other , whereby the hounds are frequently in default . nay , which is more , i have heard of a hare , that being hunted two hours or more , at length , to save her self , got upon an old wall six foot high from the ground , and hid her self in the hole that was made for a scaffold : and that several have swam over trent and severn . a hare liveth not above seven years at most , especially the buck ; and if he and the doe shall keep one quarter together , they will never suffer any strange hare to sit by them ; and therefore it is proverbially said , the more you hunt , the more hares you shall have ; because when you have killed one hare , another will come and possess his form. an hare hath greater scent , and is more eagerly hunted by the hounds , when she feeds and relieveth upon green corn , than at any other time in the year : and yet there are some hares which naturally give a greater scent than others ; as the great wood - hares ; and such as are foul and measled , and keep near to the waters : but the little red hare , which is not much bigger than a coney , is neither of so strong a scent , nor so eagerly hunted . such as feed upon the small branches of wild time , or such-like herbs , are commonly very swist , and will stand long up before the hounds . in like manner you have some hares more subtile and cunning than others . young hares which have not been hunted are foolish , and are neither of force nor capacity to use such subtleties and crafts , but hold on end-ways before the hounds most commonly , and do squat and start again oftentimes , which doth much encourage the hounds , and enters them better than if the hare flies and-ways , as sometimes they will five or six mile an end . the females are more crafty and politick than the bucks ; for they double and turn shorter than they , which is displeasant to the hounds ; for it is troublesome for them to turn often , delighting more in an end-way-chase , running with all their force : for such hares as double and cross so often , it is requisite at default to cast the greater compass about , when you beat to make it out , for so you will find all her subtilties , and yet need to stick upon none of them , but onely where she went on forwards : by this means you will abate her force , and compel her to leave doubling and crossing . how to enter hounds to the hare . let the huntsinan be sure in the first place to make his hounds very well acquainted with him and his voice , and let them understand the horn ; and to this end let him never blow his horn or hallow but when there is good cause for so doing , and let him be sure that his hounds want no encouragement . here by the way observe two remarkable things . the first is , if you intend to enter a young kennel of hounds , you must take notice of the country where you will make your first quarry , and whereof you make it . for according to the places wherein they are first entred , and the nature of the quarry given them , they will prove accordingly for the future . thus if they are first entred in the plains and champain-countries , they will ever after more delight to hunt there than in any other place : and so it is the same with the coverts . but , say some of our huntsmen , all strange countries that differ from that to which hounds are accustomed , causes them at first to be at seek : but good hounds will soon be master of any country ; and therefore he that would have the best hounds , must use them to all kinds of hunting : and it is easie to bring hounds to enjoy a scent from a bleak down to a fresh pasture . and therefore many of us love to enter in the worst countries . do not accustom your hounds to hunt in the morning , because of the dew and moisture of the earth : and besides , you will find by experience , that if afterwards you hunt them in the heat of the day , they will soon give over the chase ; neither will they call on willingly or chearfully , but seek out the shades to sleep in . yet many of us agree , that to hunt both early and late in the morning by trayling , advantageth the hounds to use their noses ; and by keeping them sometimes in the heat of the day , or till night , moves them to stoutness . the best season to enter your young hounds is in september and october ; for then the weather is temperate , neither too hot nor too cold ; and then is the time to find young hares which have never been hunted , which are foolish , and ignorant of the politick crossings , doublings , &c. of their sires , running commonly end-ways , frequently squatting , and as often starting , by which encouragement the hounds are the better entered . a hare hath greater scent , and is more eagerly hunted by the hounds , when she feedeth and relieveth on green corn , than at any other time of the year . moreover , some hares have naturally a greater scent than others , as the great wood - hares , and such as are foul and measled , having their greatest resort near the water and plashes . the little small red hare , not much bigger than a coney , is very feeble , and not much covered by the hounds , having a bad scent : but such as feed on the small branches of wilde time are commonly very swift , and will stand up a long time before the hounds . the does are much craftier than the bucks , doubling and turning oftner and shorter , which is very vexatious and troublesome to the hounds . now for such hares as double and cross so often , it is requisite at a default to cast the greater compass about when you draw to make it out ; so shall you find all their subtilties ; though it is needless to stick upon any , but where they went onwards : by so doing you will abate the force of a hare , and force her from crossing and doubling . some hares hold the high beaten ways onely , where the hounds can have no scent : wherefore when the huntsman finds his hounds at a default in the high-way , let him hunt on until he find where the hare hath broken from the high-way , or hath found some dale or fresh place where the hounds may recover scent , looking narrowly on the ground as he goeth , if he can find the footing or pricking of the hare . there are other places wherein a hound can finde no scent ; and that is in fat and rotten ground , and it sticketh to the foot of the hare , which is called carrying , and so consequently she leaves no scent behinde her . so likewise there are certain months wherein a hound can find no scent , and that is in the spring-time , by reason of the fragrant smell of flowers , and the like . shun , as much as you can , hunting in hard frosty weather , for so you will surbate or founder your hounds , and make them lose their claws : besides , at that time a hare runneth better than at any other time , the soals of her feet being hairy . to conclude , the best way of entring your young hounds , is by the help of old staunch-hounds ; so will they the better learn to cast for it at a doubling or default . what time of the year is best for hare-hunting : how to find her , start her , and chase her . the best time to begin hare-hunting , is about the middle of september , ending towards the latter end of february , lest you destroy the early brood of leverets . moreover , upon the approach of winter the moistness and coolness of the earth increaseth , which is agreable to the nature of the hounds , and very acceptable , they ever hating extream heats and hot weather . your hounds being two years old and upwards , you may exercise them thrice a week , and they will be the better for so often hunting , provided you feed well ; and keep out your hounds the greatest part of the day , both to try their stoutness , and to make them stout . if there be any hound which hath found the trail of a hare where she hath relieved that night , let the huntsman then forbear being over-hasty , but let the hounds make it of themselves : and when he shall perceive that they begin to draw in together , and to call on freshly , then let him encourage them , especially that hound which hunteth best , frequently calling him by his name . here note , that a hare leaveth better scent when she goeth to relief , than when she goeth towards her form : for when she relieveth in the field , she coucheth her body low upon the ground , passing often over one piece of ground , to find where lieth the best food ; and thus leaveth the better scent , crotying also sometimes . besides , when she goes to her form , she commonly takes the high-ways , doubling , crossing , and leaping as lightly as she can ; in which places the hounds can have no scent , ( as is said before ) by reason of the dust , &c. and yet they will squat by the sides of the high-ways ; and therefore let the huntsman beat very well the sides of those high-ways . now having found where a hare hath relieved in some pasture or corn-field , then must you consider the season of the year , and what weather it is : for if it be in the spring-time , or summer , a hare will not then sit in the bushes , because they are frequently offended with pismires , snakes and adders , but will sit in corn-fields and open places . in winter they love to sit near towns and villages in tufts of thorns and brambles , especially when the wind is northerly or southerly . according to the season and nature of the place where the hare is accustomed to sit , there beat with your hounds and start her ; which is much better sport than trailing of her from her relief to her form. when the hare is started and on foot , then step in where you saw her pass , and hallow in your hounds until they have all undertaken it and go on with it in full cry : then recheat to them with your horn , following fair and softly at first , making neither too much haste nor noise with horn or voice : for at the first hounds are apt to over-shoot the chase through too much heat . but having ran the space of an hour , and that you see the hounds are well in with it , sticking well upon it , then you may come in nearer with the hounds , because by that time their heat will be cooled , and they will hunt more soberly . but above all things mark the first doubling , which must be your direction for the whole day ; for all the doublings that she afterwards shall make will be like the former : and according to the policies that you shall see her use , and the place where you hunt , you must make your compasses great or little , long or short , to help the defaults , always seeking the moistest and most commodious places for the hounds to scent in . to conclude , those who delight in the commendable exercise of hunting the hare , must rise early , lest they be deprived of the scent of her foot-steps , by which means the dogs will be incapacitated to follow their game ; for the nature of the scent is such , that it will not remain long , but suddainly , in a manner every hour , vanisheth away . of parks and warrens . having thus discoursed of the nature and properties of the hare , together with the manner of hunting them ; in the next place i hold it not improper in short to speak something of parks and enclosed warrens , wherein hares , coneys , deer , &c. may always be ready as it were out of a store-house or seminary to serve the use and pleasure of their masters . the first roman that ever enclosed wild beasts , was fulvius herpinus ; and varro had the first warren of hares . the largest hare-parks that ever i heard of , and the best furnished with those fearful , yet subtile creatures , are in ireland ; the one belongs to the lord-lieutenant of that kingdom , near dublin ; and the other in the north , and belongs to the lord of mazareen . it will be a tedious task for me to give you an account of the variety of parks and warrens within the three kingdoms ; i shall therefore onely tell you in what manner they are erected , and that very briefly . the walls or pales must be high , or close joynted , so as neither badger nor cat can creep through , nor wolf , nor fox can leap over ; wherein ought also to be bushes and broad trees to cover the beasts against heat and cold , and other secret places to satisfie their natures , and to defend the lesser beasts , as hares , conveys , &c. from hawks , kites , and other ravening fowls : in which three or four couple of hares will quickly multiply into a great warren . it is very good to sow gourds , misceline , corn , barley , pease , and such-like , wherein hares delight , and will thereby quickly grow fat . warreners have a very crafty device to fatten hares , which by experience is found effectual , and that is by putting wax into their ears , and so make them deaf ; then turn them into the place where they should seed , where being freed from the fear of sounds ( for want of hearing ) they grow fat before other of their kind . here note , that when you have pitched your hays for coneys , sound a trumpet in some of the burroughs , and scarce a coney in the whole warren but will start abroad . i shall end this chapter with martial's praise of a hare and a thrush . inter aves turdus si quis in judice certet , inter quadrupedes gloria prima lepus . amongst all birds none with the thrush compare , and no beast hath more glory than the hare . of coney-catching . before we speak of the hunting of the coney , it will not be amiss to take notice of her nature and properties , which are these : the carrieth her young in her belly thirty days ; as soon as she hath kindued she goes to buck. they begin to breed in england at a year old ( but sooner in other places ) and so coutinue , bearing at least seven times in a year if they litter in march ; this is the reason that a small stock will serve to increase a large warren . the does cannot suckle their young till they have been with the buck , which must be done presently , or she will not be inclined fourteen days after . when the buck goes to doe , he will beat very strongly with his fore-foot upon the ground , and by that means he heateth himself . when he hath buckt , he is accustomed to fall backwards , and lie as if he were in a trance or half dead , at which time he is easily taken . the latines call a coney , cuniculus , because it maketh holes in the earth ; and cuniculus was a latine word for a hole or cave in the earth , before it was taken for a coney . the bucks will kill the young if they can come at them , like to your bore-cats ; and therefore the doe prevents that mischief , by covering her stop or nest with earth or gravel , that so they may not easily be discovered . those who keep coneys tame for profit , may give them to eat vine-leaves , fruits , herbs , grass , bran , oatmeal , mallows , milk-thistles , apple-parings , cabbage , lettise , or carret-tops . in winter they will eat hay , oats , and chaff , being given to them thrice a day : but when they eat green things , they must not drink at all , because of the dropsie which will follow : at all other times a little drink must serve their turn , and that must be always fresh . here note , give them not too much green juicy meat , unless you entermix therewith what is dry , as oats , chaff , &c. otherwise they will be cathed , or tun-bellied . now the way of taking them is either by small curs or spaniels bred up for that sport ; and their places for hunting are among bushes and hedges ; or else by coursing them with small grey-hounds . in their default they are commonly driven into their burrows ; and therefore it will be very requisite to set purse-nets on the holes , then put in a ferret close muzzled , and she will make the coneys , bolt out again into the purse-nets , and so you may take them . some say the drone of a bag-pipe , put into a coney-borrow , and blown on a sudden , will make coneys bolt . for want of a ferret ; you may take the powder of orpine and some brimstone , and therewith make a smother in the burrows , and so they will bolt out . but this way is not to be approved of ; for by that means the coneys will forsake those burrows , and so in a little time a warren will be destroy'd , should this course be used frequently . but above nets and ferrets , hays are to be preferred for the taking of coneys ; neither is the drawing ferret to be despised when they are young . likewise there is excellent sport to be made with our tumblers , who will kill coneys abundantly . let this suffice , since any farther discourse hereof is neither proper , nor pertinent to my present purpose . of the ferret . the ferret is a little creature that is not bred in spain , italy , france , nor germany ; but in england they breed naturally , and are tamed for the benefit of such who keep warrens , and others . it is a bold and audacious beast , enemy to all others but his own kind , drinking and sucking in the blood of the beast it biteth , but eateth not the flesh . when the warrener hath an occasion to use his ferret , he first makes a noise in the warren to frighten what coneys are abroad into their burrows , and then he pitcheth his nets ; after that , he puts his ferret into the earth , having a long strick , with bells about her neck , whose mouth must be muzzled , so that he may not seize , but frighten the coneys out of their burrows , and afterwards driven by dogs into the nets or hays so planted for them . the body is longer for the proportion than the quantity may afford . their colour is variable , sometimes black and white on the belly , but most commonly of a yellowish sandy colour , like wool died in urine . the head is little , like a mouse's ; and therefore into whatsoever hole she can put it in , all her body will easily follow after . the eyes are small , but fiery like red-hot iron , and therefore she seeth most clearly in the dark . her voice is a whining cry without changing it : she hath onely two teeth in her neither chap , standing out , and not joyned and growing together . the genital of the male is of a bony substance , and therefore it always standeth stiff , and is not lesser at one time than another . the pleasure of the sence in copulation is not in the genital-part , but in the muscles , tunicles , and nerves wherein the said genital runneth . when they are in copulation the female lieth down , or bendeth her knees , and continually crieth like a cat , either because the male claweth her with his nails , or by reason of the roughness of his genital . she usually brings forth seven or eight at a time , carrying them forty days in her little belly : the young ones newly littered are blind thirty days together ; and within forty days after they can see , they may be used as their dam for profit and recreation . when tamed , they are nourished with milk or with barley-bread , and they can fast a very long time . when they go , they contract their long back , and make it stand upright in the middle round like a bowl : when they are touched , they smell like a martel ; and they sleep very much . thus much of the ferret , which i thought good to place after the chapter of coney-catching , because this little animal is such a necessary instrument for that purpose . of fox-hunting . his shape and proportion is so well known , being a beast so common , that it will be needless to describe him . his nature in many respects is like that of a wolf , for they bring as many cubs at a litter one as the other : but thus they differ ; the fox litters deep under the ground , so doth not the wolf , a bitch - fox is hardly to be taken when she is bragged and with cub ; for then she will lie near her burrow , into which she runs upon the hearing of the least noise . and indeed at any time it is somewhat difficult ; for the fox ( and so the wolf ) is a very subtile crafty creature . fox-hunting is very pleasant ; for by reason of his strong hot scent he maketh an excellent cry : and as his scent is hottest at hand , so it dies soonest . besides , he never flies far before the hounds , trusting not on his legs , strength , or champion ground , but strongest coverts . when he can no longer stand up before the hounds , he then taketh earth , and then must he be digged out . if grey-hounds course him on a plain , his last refuge is to piss on his tail , and flap it in their faces as they come near him ; sometimes squirting his thicker excrement upon them , to make them give over the course a pursuit . when a bitch - fox goes a clicketing and seeketh sot a dog , she cryeth with a hollow voice , not unlike the howling of a mad dog ; and in the same manner she cries when she misseth any of her cubs : but never makes any cry at all when she is killing , but defend her self to the last gasp . a fox will prey upon any thing he can overcome , and feeds upon all sorts of carrion ; but their dainties and the food which they most delight in , is poultry . they are very destructive and injurious to coney-warrens , and will sometimes kill hares by deceit and subtilty , and not by swift running . the fox is taken with hounds , grey-hounds , terriers , nets , and gins. of terriers there are two sorts , the one is crookedleg'd , and commonly short-hair'd : and these will take earth well , and will lie very long at fox or badger . the other sort is shagged and straight legg'd : and these will not onely hunt above-ground as other hounds , but also enter the earth with much more fury than the former ; but cannot stay in so long , by reason of their great eagerness . the time of entring these terriers , is when they are near a twelve-month old ; for if you enter him not in within this time , you will hardly after bring him to take the earth . and to encourage the young terrier the more , put in an old one before him , that can better endure the fury of the fox or badger : and be careful that neither of them be old when you engage your young terrier with him . the entring and fleshing them may be done several ways . in the first place thus : when foxes and badgers have young cubs , then take your old terriers and enter them in the ground ; and when they begin to bay , you must then hold every one of your terriers at a sundry hole or mouth of the earth , that they may listen and hear the old ones bay. having taken the old fox or badger , and that nothing remains within but the young cubs , then couple up all your old terriers , and put in the young in their stead , encouraging them by crying , to him , to him , to him . and if they take any young cub within the ground , let them alone to do what they please with him ; and forget not to give the old terriers their reward , which is the blood and livers , fryed with cheese and some of their own grease , shewing them the heads and skins to encourage them . before you reward them , wash them with soap and warm water , to clear their skins from earth and clay that is clodded to the hair , otherwise they are apt to be mangie . you may also enter them in this manner : take an old fox , or badger , and cut away the neither jaw , but meddle not with the other , leaving the upper to shew the fury of the beast , although it can do no harm therewith . then dig an earth in some convenient place in your own grounds , and be careful to make it wide enough , to the intent the terriers may turn therein the better , and that there may be room enough for two to enter together : then cover the hole with boards and turf , putting the fox or badger first therein , and afterwards put in your terriers both young and old , encouraging them with words that are the usual terms of art. when they have bay'd sufficiently , then begin to dig with spades and mattocks , to encourage them against such time as you are to dig over them : then take out the fox or badger with the clamps or pinchers , killing it before them , or let a grey-hound kill it in their sight , and make them reward thereof . here note , that instead of cutting away the jaw , it will be every whit as well to break out all his teeth , to prevent him from biting the terriers . now to say the truth , there is not much pastime or pleasure in hunting of a fox under ground ; for as soon as that subtle creature perceiveth the terriers , if they bay hard , and lie near unto them , they will bolt out immediately , unless it be when the bitch hath young cubs , then they will sooner die than stir . they make their earths as near as they can in ground that is hard to dig , as in clay , stoney-ground , or amongst the roots of trees ; and their earths have commonly but one hole , and that is straight a long way in before it come at their couch . sometimes craftily they possess themselves of a badger's old burrow , which hath variety of chambers , holes , and angles . when a good terrier doth once binde the fox , he then yearns , and defends himself very notably , but not so strenuously as the badger , nor is his biting half so dangerous . here note , if you take a bitch - fox when she goeth a clicketing , and cut out that gut which containeth her sperm , together with the kidneys which gelders deprive bitches of when they spay them , and cut them into small gobbets , mingling therewith the gum of mastick , and put them hot as they are into a pot , and cover the same close , it will serve for an excellent train for a fox , and will keep the whole year round . take the skin of bacon , and broil it well on a gridiron , then dip it in the ingredients of the pot aforesaid , and make a train thereof , you will experimentally find , that if there be any fox near to any place where the train is drawn , he will follow it ; but let him who makes the train rub the soals of his feet with cow-dung , lest the fox vent his footing : and thus you may train a fox to a standing , and kill him in an evening with gun or cross-bow . it is likewise found by experience , that if a terrier be rubbed with brimstone , or with oil of cade , and then put him into an earth where either a fox or badger is , they will leave that earth , and come not to it again a good while after . i shall conclude this discourse with what i have observed in gesner's history of beasts tending to the same purpose : saith he , as he frequently cheats the badger of his habitation by laying his excrements at the mouth of his earth or burrow ; so , for as much as the wolf is an enemy to the fox , he layeth in the mouth of his earth an herb called a sea-onion , which a wolf naturally hates , and is so averse thereunto , that he will never come near the place where it either lies or grows . of fox-hunting above ground . to this purpose you must draw with your hounds about groves , thickets , and bushes near villages : for a fox will lurk in such places , to prey on young pigs and pullein . but it will be necessary to stop up his earths , if you can find them , the night before you intend to hunt ; and the best time will be about midnight , for then the fox goeth out to seek his prey . you may stop his holes by laying two white sticks a cross before them , which will make him imagine it is some gin or trap laid for him : or else you may stop them up close with black-thorns and earth together . the best hunting a fox above-ground , is in january , february , and march , for then you shall best see your hounds hunting , and best find his earthing ; besides , at those times the fox's skin is best in season . again , the hounds best hunt the fox in the coldest weather , because he leaveth a very strong scent behind him ; yet in cold weather it chills fastest . at first onely cast off your sure finders , and as the drag mends , so adde more as you dare trust them . shun casting off too many hounds at once , because woods and coverts are full of sundry chases , and so you may engage them in too many at one time . let such as you cast off at first be old staunch-hounds , which are sure ; and if you hear such a hound call on merrily , you may cast off some other to him ; and when they run it on the full cry , cast off the rest : and thus you shall compleat your pastime . the words of comfort are the same which are used in the other chases , attended with the same hallowings and other ceremonies . let the hounds kill the fox themselves , and worry and hare him as much as they please : many hounds will eat him with eagerness . when he is dead , hang him at the end of a pike-staff , and hallow in all your hounds to bay him : but reward them not with any thing belonging to the fox ; for it is not good , neither will they eat it . of badger-hunting . a badger is called by several names , viz. a gray , brock , boreson or bauson , and in france tausson . the male is called a badger or boar-pig ; and the female is called a sow . these beasts are plentiful in naples , sicily , lucane , and in the alpine and helvetian coasts ; so are they also here in england . there are two kinds of this beast , ( saith gesner ) one resembling a dog in his feet , and the other a hog in his cloven hoof : they differ too in their snout and colour ; for the one resembles the snout of a dog , the other of a swine : the one hath a greyer coat , or whiter coat than the other , and goeth farther out in seeking of its prey . they differ also in their meat , the one eating flesh and carrion like a dog , the other roots and fruits like a hog : both these kinds have been found in normandy , france , and sicily . mr. turbervil makes mention of two sorts of badgers likewise , but in a different manner . for the one ( saith he ) casteth his fiaunts long like a fox , and have their residence in rocks , making their burrows very deep . the other sort make their burrows in light ground , and have more variety of cells and chambers than the former . the one of these is called the badger-pig , and the other the badger-whelp ; or call one canine , and the other swinish . the first hath his nose , throat , and ears yellowish like a martern's throat ; and are much blacker , and higher leg'd than the badger-whelp . both sorts live upon all flesh , hunting greedily after carrion . they are very mischievous and hurtful to warrens , especially when they are big with young . badgers when they earth , after by digging they have entred a good depth , for the clearing of the earth out , one of them falleth on the back , and the other layeth earth on the belly , and so taking his hinder feet in his mouth , draweth the belly-laden - badger out of the hole or cave ; and having disburdened her self , re-enters , and doth the like till all be finished . these badgers are very sleepy , especially in the day-time , and seldom stir abroad but in the night ; for which cause they are called lucifugae , avoiders of the light. it is very pleasant to behold them when they gather materials for their couch , as straw , leaves , moss , and such-like ; for with their feet and their head they will wrap as much together as a man can well carry under his arm , and will make shift to get it into their cells and couches . he hath very sharp teeth , and therefore is accounted a deep biting beast : his back is broad , and his legs are longer on the right side than the left , and therefore he runneth best when he gets on the side of an hill , or a cart-road-way . his fore-legs have very sharp nails , bare , and apt to dig withal , being five both before and behinde , but the hinder very much shorter , and covered with hair . his savour is strong , and much troubled with lice about the secrets . both male and female have under their hole another hole outwardly , but not inwardly in the male. if she be hunted abroad with hounds , she biteth them most grievously where-ever she lays hold on them . for the prevention thereof , the careful huntsmen put great broad collars made of grays skins about their dogs necks her manner is to fight on her back , using thereby both her teeth and her nails ; and by blowing up her skin after a strange and wonderful manner , she defendeth her self against any blow and teeth of dogs ; onely a small stroke on her nose will dispatch her presently ; you may thrash your heart weary on her back , which she values as a matter of nothing . in italy they eat the flesh of badgers , and so they do in germany , boiling it with pears : some have eaten it here in england , but like it not , being of a sweet rankish taste . the flesh is best in september if it be fat ; and of the two kinds , the swinish badger is better flesh than the other . they love hogs-flesh above any other ; for take but a piece of pork and train it over a badger's burrow , if he be within , you shall quickly see him appear without . their nature is very cold ; and therefore when it snoweth they will not come out of their holes for three or four days together . they live long , and by mere age will grow blinde ; then will they not stir out of their holes , but are fed by those who have their sight . this subtilty they have , that when they perceive the terriers begin to yearn them , they will stop the hole between the terriers and them : if the terriers continue baying , they will remove their baggage with them , and go into another apartment or chamber of the burrow , ( for know that some of their houses have half a dozen rooms at least ; ) and so will remove from one to the other , till they can go no further , barricadoing the way as they go . the hunting of a badger must be after this manner : you must first seek the earths and burrows where he lieth , and in a clear moon-shine night go and stop all the holes but one or two , and therein place some sacks fastned with some drawing strings , which may shut him in as soon as he straineth the bag. the sacks or bags being thus set , cast of your hounds , and beat all the groves , hedges , and tufts within a mile or two about . what badgers are abroad , being alarm'd by the dogs , will straight repair to their earths or burrows , and so be taken . let him that standeth to watch the sacks , stand close , and upon a clear wind , for else the badger will soon find him , and fly some other way for safety . but if the hounds either encounter him , or undertake the chase before he can get into his earth , he will then stand at bay like a boar , and make most incomparable sport . what instruments are to be used in digging , and how to dig for badger or fox . in the first place , you must have such as are able to dig : next , you must have so many terriers garnished with bells hung in collars , to make the fox or badga bolt the sooner ; besides , the collars will be some smal defense unto the terriers . the instruments to dig withal are these : a sharp pointed spade , which serveth to begin the trench when the ground is hardest , and broader tools will not so wel enter ; the round hollowed spade , which is useful to dig amongst roots , having very sharp edges ; the flat broad spade , to dig withal when the trench is better opened and the ground softer ; mattocks and pick-axes , to dig in hard ground where a spade will do but little service the coal-rake , to cleanse the hole , and to keep it from stopping up ; the clamps , whereby you may take a fox or badger out alive to make sport therewith afterwards . and it would not be amiss to have a pail of water , to refresh your terriers after they are come out of the earth to take breath . in this order you may besiege a fox or badger in their strongest holes or castles , and may break their casmats , platforms , parapets , and work to them with mines and counter-mines , until you have obtained your satisfaction . but there is a shorter method than this , which by reason of its commonness i shall forbear to mention . of the otter . it is supposed by some that the otter is of the kind of beavers , being it is an amphibious creature living both in the water and on the land ; besides , the outward form of the parts beareth a similitude of that beast . some say , were his tail off , he were in all parts like a beaver , differing in nothing but habitation : for the beaver frequenteth both the salt-water and the fresh ; but the otter never goeth to the salt. though the otter live in the water , yet it doth not breath like fishes through the benefit of the water , it doth breath like other four-footed beasts , yet it will remain a long time underneath the water without respiration . if he want prey in the waters , then will he quit them for the land ; and if by painful hunting ashore he cannot fill his belly , he will feed on herbs , snails , or frogs : neither will he take less pains in the water to satisfie hunger ; for he will swim two miles together against the stream , that so , when his belly is full , the current of the stream may carry him down again to his designed lodging , which is near the water , very artificially built with boughs , sprigs , and sticks couching together in excellent order , wherein he sitteth to keep him from the wet . in the hunting of fish he often pops his nose above water to take breath : it is a creature of wonderful swistness and nimbleness in taking his prey , and for greediness takes more than he knows what to do with . it is a very subtile and crafty beast , and indowed with a wonderful sagacity and sense of smelling , insomuch that he can directly wind the fishes in the waters a mile or two off . the flesh of this beast is both cold and filthy , because it feedeth on stinking fish , and therefore not fit to be eaten ; yet it is eaten in germany ; and the carthusian fryers , who are forbidden to eat all manner of flesh of other four-footed beasts , yet they are not prohibited the eating of otters . there are those in england , who lately have highly valued an otter-pie , much good may it do them with it . these otters must be hunted by special dogs , such as are called otter hounds , and also with special instruments called otter-spears . when they find themselves wounded with a spear , they then come to land , where they fight with the dogs furiously ; and except they be first wounded , they forsake not the water : for they are not ignorant how safe a refuge the waters are un to them , and how unequal a combat they shall sustain with men and dogs upon the land : yet , because the cold water annoyeth their green wounds , therefore they spin out their lives to the length of the thread , chusing rather to die in torments among dogs , than to die in the waters . the food of an otter ( as i said ) is fish ; and her abode is commonly under the root of some tree near rivers , brooks , pools , meers , or fish-ponds ; and sometimes she will lie in a hollow tree four or five foot above ground : and no vermin can be more destructive to a warren , than the otter is to a fish-pond ; for she diveth and hunteth under water after that most wonderful manner , that few fish escape her , unless they are very swift and great . an otter and ferret grow salt much about the same time , and bring forth their young much after the same manner , neither having their constant number . there is much craft and cunning in the hunting them ; yet with pains-taking you may ensnare them under the water , and by river-sides , as you may a hare with hare-pipes and such-like gins. they bite sore and venomously , and when occasion serves they will desend themselves stoutly . if after their ensnaring they chance to abide there long , they will soon enlarge themselves with their teeth . these creatures are footed like your water-fowl , having a web between their claws , and have no heel , but a round ball under the soal of their feet : and their track is called their mark , as the slot of a hart ; and their excrements are called spraints . an otter will not abide long in a place ; for he is apt to be afraid and take distasle , ( having an excellent ear and nose , for hearing and smelling ; ) and then he will forsake his couch , and shift a mile or two up or down the river : and this he will do according as he findes scarcity of fishing . in hunting of the otter observe this , to send some to one side of the river whilst you are on the other , and so beat on the banks with your dogs , and so you will soon find if there be an otter in that quarter : for an otter cannot endure long in the water , but must come forth to make his spraints , and in the night sometimes to feed on grass and such herbs as the fields afford . if any of the hounds find out an otter , then look in the soft grounds and moist places to see which way he bent his head : if the marks make no discovery , you may partly perceive it by the spraints , and so follow the hounds , and lodge him as a hart or deer . if you find not the otter quickly , you may then imagine he is gone to couch somewhere farther off from the river : for sometimes he will seek his food a mile from the place of his rest , chusing rather to go up the river than down , because upwards he meets with better scent of fish ; and bearing his nose into the wind , he shall the sooner finde any fault that is above him . remember , in the hunting of the otter , that you and your friends carry your otter-spears to watch his vents , for that is the chief advantage : and if you perceive where the otter swims under water , then strive to get to a stand before him where he would vent , and there endeavour to strike him with your spear ; but if you miss , pursue him with the hounds , which if they be good otter-hounds , and perfectly entred , will come chaunting and trailing along by the river-side , and will beat every tree-root , every osier-bed and tuft of bull-rushes ; nay , sometimes they will take the water , and beat it like a spaniel . and by these means the otter can hardly escape you . of the squirrel . the first author that ever wrote of this little animal was oppianus who liv'd in the days of antonius caesar , and wrote a book also of hunting . a squirrel is greater in compass than a weasle , but the latter is longer than the other ; the back-parts and all the body is reddish except the belly , which is white . in helvetia they are black and branded , and they are hunted at the fall of the leaf , when the trees grow naked : for they run and leap from bough to bough in a most admirable and agile manner ; and when the leaves are on , they cannot be so well discerned . they are of three colours , in the first age black , in the second of a rusty iron-colour , and lastly , when old , they are full of white hoar hairs . their teeth are like the teeth of mice , having the two under-teeth very long and sharp . their tail is always as big as their body , and it lieth continually on their back when they sleep or sit still , and it seemeth to be given them for a covering . in the summer-time they build them nests ( which by some are called drays ) in the tops of the trees very artificially with sticks and moss , with other things the woods afford , and then they fill it with nuts for winter-provision , and do sleep like the alpine mouse most part thereof very soundly , in such sort , that the beating of the outside of their drays will not wake them . when they leap from tree to tree , they use their tail instead of vvings , leaping a great distance , and are supported without sinking to any one's appearance ; nay , they will frequently leap from a very high tree down to the ground , and receive no harm . many must go together to hunt them , and must carry dogs with them : and the fittest place for the exercise of this sport , is in little and small slender woods , such as may be shaken by the hand . bows are requisite to remove them when they rest in the twists of trees ; for they will not be much terrified with all the hallowing , except they be struck now and then by one means or other . vvell do they know what harbour a high oak is unto them , and how secure they can lodge therein from men and dogs ; wherefore since it is too troublesome to climb every tree , that labour must be supplied with bows and bolts , that when the squirrel resteth , presently he may be thumpt by the blow of an arrow : the archer need not fear to do her much harm , except he hit her on the head , for by reason of a strong back-bone , and fleshy parts , she will abide as great a stroak as a dog. if they be driven to the ground from the trees , and they creep into hedges , it is a sign of their weariness : for such is the lofty mind of this little beast , that while her strength lasteth she saveth her self in the tops of high trees ; but being wearied , she descendeth , and falls into the mouths of the yelping curs that attend her . the admirable wit of the squirrel appeareth ( if it be true ) in her swimming , or passing over a river ; for when hunger constraineth her so to do , she seeks out some rind , or small bark of a tree , which she setteth upon the water , and then goeth into it , and holding up her tail like a sail , letteth the wind drive her to the other side ; and carry meat in their mouths , to prevent famine whatsoever should befal them . of the martern and wild - cat. a martern is about the bigness of a cat , having a longer body , but shorter legs , with head and tail like a fox ; its skin is commonly brown , white on the throat , and somewhat yellowish on the back . their teeth are exceeding white , and unequal , being above measure sharp ; the canine teeth both above and below hang out very long . this and the wild - cat are a sort of virmine which we use here in england commonly to hunt , and as necessary to be hunted as any virmin can be : for the question may be doubtful , whether either fox or badger do more hurt than the wild - cat doth , since there are so many warrens every where throughout the kingdom of england which are very much infested by the wild - cat. it is the opinion of long-experienced huntsmen , that she leaveth as great scent , and maketh as good a cry for the time as any vermin that is hunted , especially the martern passeth all other vermin for sweetness of scent , and her case is a noble fur. the wild - cat 's case is not so good , but it is very warm , and medicinable for several aches and pains in the bones and joynts : also her grease is very good for sinews that are shrunk . these two chases are not to be sought purposely , unless the huntsman do see them where they prey , and can go readily to them ; but if a hound chance to cross them , he will hunt it as soon as any chase , and they make a noble cry as long as they stand up ; when they can do it no longer , they will take a tree , and so deceive the hounds ; but if the hounds hold in to them , and will not give it over so , then they will leap from one tree to another , and make great shift for their lives , with much pastime to the huntsmen . when they are killed you must hold them up upon a piked staff , and hallow in all your hounds , and then reward them with some meat ; for the flesh of these vermin is naught for hounds . a short account of some particular beasts that are not hunted in england , but in forrain countries . the nature and properties of a wolf , and the manner of its hunting . heretofore i read that there were many wolves in england , but now there are none ; however they are still in ireland , but their number is very much decreased within these thirty years ; and that they may more and more decrease , being so pernicious to all sorts of cattle , i thought good to publish the nature and manner of their hunting . first , as to their nature ; they go a clicketing in february , and continue in that manner ten or twelve days . where many wolves are , many will follow one bitch , as dogs will follow a bitch that is salt , but she will be onely lined with one . a notable story i have heard when i was in ireland , and attested for a truth by the inhabitants : that a bitch - wolf proud , will suffer a great many of the male to follow her , and will carry them after her sometimes eight or ten days without meat , drink , or rest ; and when they are so tired that they cannot travel farther , she will first lie down , then will the rest follow her example : when she perceives that they are all asleep , and through weariness snore , then will she arise and awake that wolf which she observed to follow her most , and having so done , entice him with her far from the rest , and suffer him to line her : the rest awaking and finding her missing , pursue her by the scent , and finding how she hath cunningly deluded them , they fall instantly on her companion who hath been before-hand with them , and revenge themselves on him by depriving him of his life ; which verifies the proverb : never wolf yet ever saw his sire . their whelps are able to ingender at twelve months end , at which age they part with their dam , that is , when those teeth are grown which they cast the first half year , and being grown , they never shed them again : and here see their gratitude , ( though bloody cruel creatures ) after they have preyed for themselves , if they chance to meet their dam or sire ( for turbervile doth not believe the aforesaid story ) they will fawn upon them and lick them , rejoycing at the sight of them . the dog will never bring any of his prey to his whelps till he hath filled his own belly ; whereas the bitch will not eat a bit till she hath served them first : they go nine weeks with whelp , and sometimes a little longer , and grow salt but once a year . as to number of whelps , they have more or less as dogs have ; for doubtless both the wolf and the fox are but a kind of wild mastiffs and wild curs . they prey upon all kind of things , and will feed on carrion , vermin , &c. they will kill a cow or a bullock ; and as for a sheep , goat , or good porket , they will roundly carry him off in their mouths , not touching ground with it , and will run so fast away , notwithstanding the load , that they are hardly to be stopped but by mastiffs or horse-men . there is no beast which runneth faster than the wolf , and holdeth wonderfully also . when he is hunted with hounds , he flieth not far before them ; and unless he be coursed with grey-hounds or mastiffs , he keepeth the covert like the bear , or boar , and especially the bearen ways therein . night is the usual time of his preying , though hunger will force him to prey by day . they are more subtile and crafty ( if more can be ) than the fox or any other beast : when they are hunted , they will take all their advantages ; at other times they will never run over-hastily , but keep themselves in breath and force always . a wolf will stand up a whole day before a good kennel of hounds , unless that grey-hounds or wolf-dogs course him . if he stand at bay , have a care of being bitten by him ; for being then mad , the wound is desperate , and hard to be cured . when a wolf falls into a flock of sheep , with his good will he would kill them all before he feed upon any of them , and therefore all means should be used to destroy them , as by hunting at force , or with greyhounds or mastiffs , or caught in gins and snares ; but they had need be strong . for encouragement to the meaner sort in ireland , whosoever took a sucking-whelp , or preying cub , a dog or a bitch wolf , and brought but the heads of either to the next justice of peace , for reward for the first , he received twenty shillings ; for the second , forty ; for the third , five pound ; and for the last , six pounds : which late encouragement hath in a manner cleared that kindom of them . they bark and howl like unto dogs ; and if there be but two of them together , they make such a terrible hideous noise , that you would think there could be no less than twenty of them in a body . when any one would hunt the wolf , he must train him by these means : first let him look out some fair place , a mile or more from the great woods , where there is some close standing to place a brace of good grey-hounds in , if need be , the which should be closely environed , and some pond of water by it : there he must kill a horse that is worth little , and take the four legs thereof and carry them into the woods and forests adjoyning ; then let four men take every man a leg of the beast and draw it at his horse-tail all along the paths and ways in the woods , until they come back again to the place where the carcass of the said beast lieth ; there let them lay down their trains . now when the wolves go out in the night to prey , they will follow the scent of the train till they come to the carcass where it lieth . then let those who love the sport , with their huntsmen come early and privately near the place ; and if they are discernable as they are seeding , in the first place let them consider which way will be the fairest course for the greyhounds , and place them accordingly , and as near as they can let them forestal with their grey-hounds the same way that the wolves did or are flying either then or the night before ; but if the wolves be in the coverts near the carrien that was laid for them to feed upon , then let there be hewers set round the coverts to make a noise on every side , but onely that where the greyhounds do stand ; and let them stand thick together , making what noise they can to force them to the greyhounds : then let the huntseman go with his leam-hound , and draw from the carrion to the thickets-sides where the wolves have gone in , and there the huntsman shall cast off the third part of their best hounds ; for a wolf will sometimes hold a covert a long time before he will come out . the huntsmen must hold near in to the hounds blowing hard , and encouraging them with their voice : for many hounds will strain courtesie at this chase , although they are strong and fit for all other chases . when the wolf cometh to the grey-hounds , they who hold them will do well to suffer the wolf to pass by the first rank until he come further , and let the last rank let slip their grey-hounds full in the face of the wolf , and at the same instant let all the other ranks let slip also : so that the first rank staying him but ever so little , he may be assaulted on all sides at once , and by that means they shall the more easily take him . it is best entring of hounds at young wolves which are not yet past half a year or a year old ; for a hound will hunt such more willing , and with less fear than an old wolf ; or you may take wolves alive in engines , and breaking their teeth , enter your hounds at them . a man may know a dog - wolf from a bitch by the tracks of his feet ; for the dog hath a greater heel , a greater toe , greater nails , and a rounder foot. besides , the bitch casteth her fiaunts commonly in the midst of an high-way , whereas the dog casteth them either on the one side or the other of the path. the reward of the dogs is thus : when they have bit and shaked the dead wolf , let the huntsman then open his belly straight along , and taking out his bowels , let him throw in bread , cheese , and other scraps , and so let the dogs feed therein . wild-goat-hunting . i never could read or hear that there was ever any such chase in england as the hunting of the wild - goat : but since there may be such sport in wales , as there hath been elsewhere , it will not be much amiss to give some short account thereof . the wild - goat is as big as a hart , but not so long , or so long leg'd , but is as fleshy . they have wreaths and wrinkles on their horns , which declare what their age is : for according to the quantity of the wreaths , such is the number of their years ; which wreaths he meweth , but not his beam , the which may be , if he be an old goat , as big as a mans leg . they have a great long beard , and are of a brownish gray colour very shaggy , having a long black list down the ridge of the back , and the track is bigger than the slot of a hart. they fawn as a hinde or doe in may , and have but one fawn , which they suckle and bring up as the tame goat doth her kid . they feed like deer , onely they will eat besides ivy , moss , and such-like . in spring they make their fumets round , and afterwards broad and flat , as the hart when he comes to feed well . they go to rut about alhallontide , and continue therein a month or five weeks ; that season being over , they descend from the mountains and rocks , their abode for the summer-season , and herd themselves , not onely to avoid the snow , but because they can find no food any longer ; and yet they come not very low , but keep at the foot of the mountains , feeding there till easter : then they return again , every one chusing some strong hold in the rocks , as the harts in the thickets . about fawning-time the females separate from the males , attending till rutting-time : in this interval they will run at man or beast , and fight as harts doe one amongst the other . when he goeth to rut , his throat and neck is much bigger than usual : he is very strong backt ; and ( which is wonderful ) though he should fall from on high ten poles length , he will receive no harm ; and will walk as securely on the sharp tops of rocks , as a horse in the high-way . alhallontide is the chiefest season for hunting these wild goats , observing very well before you hunt , the advantages of the coasts , the rocks and places where the goats do lie . having thus done , set nets and toils toward the rivers and bottoms ; for you cannot expect your hounds should follow a goat down every place of the mountains . also it will be needful that some stand on the top of the rocks , and throw down stones as they see occasion . where the goat goeth down to the small brooks or waters in the bottom , there place your relays , and let the relays never tarry till the hounds come in which were cast off : and this is your best help ; for a man can neither follow on foot nor horse-back . hunting of the wild - boar. the boar is ever pigg'd with as many teeth at first as he shall have ever after , which will onely increase in bigness , not number . amongst the rest , they have four which are called tushes , or tusks , whereof the two biggest do not hurt when he strikes , but serve onely to whet the other two lowest , with which they frequently kill . they feed upon all kind of corn and fruits which they can come at ; also roots . in april and may they feed on the buds of plumb-trees , and ches-nut-trees , and all other sweet buds they can find , especially on the buds of broom and juniper , and are never measled , as our tame swine . being near the sea-coast , they will feed on all manner of shell fish . their season beginneth in the midst of september , and endeth about the beginning of december , at which time they go a brimming . a boar will commonly abide the bay before he goes out of his den ; and he lies most commonly in the strongest holds of thorns and thick bushes . if it so chance that there is a sounder of them together , then if any break sounder , the rest will run that way : and if you hunt a boar from a thick and strong covert , he will not fail to go back by the same way he came thither : and when he is rear'd he never stays , but flies continually till he comes to the place where he was farrow'd and brought up . this mr. turbervile observed himself when he was in france ; attesting he saw a boar hunted from a thicket , which returned the same way he came to the place of his farrowing , which was distant seven french leagues . and this was performed by the track of his feet . if he be hunted in a forest or hold where he was bred , he will hardly be forced out of it . sometimes he will take head , and seem to go out , and will draw to the outsides of the wood ; but it is onely to hearken on every side : and if he hear the noise of the hounds , then will he return , and will not be compell'd to go that way till night . but having broken out of a forest and taken head end-ways , he will not be put out of his way either by man , dog , voice , blowing , or any thing . a boar , especially a great one , will not cry when you kill him : the sows and young swine will sometimes . terms to be used in boar-hunting . if it should be demanded what you will call a boar of three years old ; you may answer , he is a young boar which hath lately left the sounder . an old boar you must call a singular , or sanglier , that hath left the sounder four or five years since . in making of a report , if you are asked where the boar fed the night before , you may say , he fed in the corn ; but if in the fields or meadows , you must then say , he hath been routing and worming in such a place , or such a fern-field . where note , that whatsoever he feeds on , excepting roots , is called feeding ; the other is called routing , worming , or fearning : but when he feedeth and routeth not , you must then call that grasing . boar-hunting with hounds at force . be advised not to hunt a young boar of three years old at force ; for he will stand up as long , if not longer than any light young deer which beareth but three in the top : but in the fourth year you may hunt him at force , as you do a hart at ten . in the rearing of your boar , you need not be afraid to come near him , for he values you not , and will lie still , and will not be rear'd by you alone . here note , that if a boar intends to abide in his den , couch , or fort , then will he make some crossing or doubling at the entry thereof upon some high-way or beaten path ; by such means a huntsman , being early in the woods , may judge of the subtilty of the boar , and accordingly may make preparations for his game . if he be a great boar , and one that hath lain long to rest , let him hunt him with good store of hounds , and such as will stick close to him ; and let him on horse-back be ever amongst them , charging the boar , to discourage him : for if you hunt such a boar with half a dozen couple of dogs , he will not value them ; and they having chased him , he will take courage and keep them still at bays , running upon any thing he seeth before him . but if he be charged home , and hard laid unto with the hounds , he will turn head and fly . if you strike at him with your sword or boar-spear , strike not low , for then you will hit him on the snout , which he little values ; for he watcheth to take blows upon his tusks or thereabouts : but lifting up your hand , strike right down , and have a special care of your horse ; for if you strike and hurt him , so will he you if he can . it behoveth the hunters of boars to be very wary ; for he will run fiercely without fear upon his pursuers : in which encounter , if he receive not his deaths wound , he overthroweth his adversary , except he fall flat on the ground , and then he need not fear much harm ; for his teeth cannot cut upward but downward : but it is otherwise with a female ; for she will bite and tear any way . it is good to raise this beast early in the morning before he hath made water , for the burning of his bladder doth quickly make him weary . when the boar is first raised out of the wood , he snuffeth in the wind , lifting up his nose to smell what is with him , and what against him ; and rarely strikes a man till he be first wounded himself . the hunting-spear must be very sharp and broad , branching forth into certain forks , so that the boar may not break through them upon the huntsman : the best places to wound him in therewith , are the middle of his forehead betwixt his eye-lids , or else upon the shoulder ; either of these wounds is mortal . if the boar make head against the hunter , he must not fly for it , but must meet him with his spear , holding one hand on the middle of it , and the other at the end , standing one foot before another , having an especial eye to the head of the beast which way soever he windeth or turneth the same : for such is the nature of the boar , that-sometimes he snatcheth the spear out of their hands , or else recoileth the force back again upon the hunter , by both which means he is in great danger of life : whensoever this hapneth there is but one remedy , which is ; another of his companions must come and charge the boar with his spear , and then pretend to wound him with his dart , but not casting it for fear of hurting the hunter . the boar seeing this , forsaketh the first man , and rusheth upon the second , who must look to defend himself with all dexterity , composing his body , and ordering his weapons according to artificial boar-hunting : in the mean time he that was overthrown must rise again , taking fresh hold on his spear , and with all courage assault his adversary , and assist his friend who was the cause of the saving of his life . when he feeleth himself so wounded that he cannot live , were it not for the forks of the boar-spear , he would press it on his vanquisher , and so revenge his death : for such is the fury of this beast , that he will endeavour to wound and kill , although he feel upon him the pangs of death ; and what place soever he biteth , whether man or dog , the heat of his teeth causeth the wound to be inflam'd : and for this cause , if he but touch the hair of a dog , he burneth it off : nay , huntsmen have tried the heat of his teeth , by laying hairs on them as soon as he was dead , and they have shrivel'd up as with a hot-iron . to conclude ; the same devises , diligence , labour , prosecution , and observations are to be used in the hunting of the boar , which are prescribed for the hunting of the hart. not but that there are several policies and stratagems which have been invented , and are still used in several countries , whereby to take them without the pursuit of dogs ; to the knowledge whereof i shall refer the reader to blondus , oppianus , gesner , turbervile , and many others both antient and modern writers , who have largely treated on this subject . of the nature and properties of a bear , and after what manner hunted . there are two sorts of bears , a greater and lesser ; the last is more apt to climb trees than the other . bears are bred in many countries ; in the helvetian alpine region they are so strong and courageous , that they can tear in pieces both oxen and horses ; for which cause the inhabitants are studiously laborious in the taking them . a bear is of a most venereous and lustful disposition ; for night and day the females with most ardent inflam'd desires do provoke the males to copulation ; and for this cause at that time they are most fierce and angry . the time of their copulation is in the beginning of winter , and the manner of it is like to a man's ; the male moving himself upon the belly of the female , which lieth flat on her back , and they embrace each other with their fore-feet : they remain a very long time in that act ; in so much ( as some have observed , how true i cannot say ) that if they were very fat at their first entrance , they dis-joyn not themselves again till they be lean . there is a strange report in history , ( if it be true ) that in the mountains of savoy a bear carried a young maid into his den by violence , where in a venereal manner he had the carnal use of her body ; and while he kept her in his den , he daily went forth and brought her the best fruits he could get , presenting them to her as food , as courtly as he could do it ; but always when he went to forrage , he rowled a very great stone to the mouth of his den , that the virgin should not make her escape from him : at length her parents , with long search , found their daughter in the bear 's den , who delivered her from that beastial captivity . they are naturally very cruel and mischievous unto all tame beasts , and are very strong in all parts of their body but their head , whereon a small blow will kill them . they go to mate in the beginning of the winter , some sooner , some later , according to their rest and feeding ; and their heat lasteth not passing fifteen days . when the she - bear perceiveth her self with whelp , she withdraws her self into some cave , or hollow rock , and there remains till she brings forth her whelps , where without meat they grow very fat , especially the males , onely by sucking their fore-feet . when they enter into their den , they convey themselves backward , that so they may put out their foot-steps from the sight of the hunters . the nature of all of them is to avoid cold , and therefore in the winter-time they hide themselves , chusing rather to suffer famine than cold ; lying for the most part three or four months together and never see the light , whereby in a manner their guts are clung together : coming forth , they are so dazled by long darkness , being in the light again , that they stagger and reel to and fro ; and then by a secret instinct they remedy the straightness of their guts by eating an herb called arum , in english wake-robbin or calves-foot , by the acidity whereof their guts are enlarged ; and being recovered , they remain more fierce and cruel than at other times , during the time their young are with them : and this is the herb , some say , which they eat to make them sleep so long in winter without sense of cold or hunger . they are whelped most commonly in march , sometimes two , and not above five in number ; the most part of them are dead one whole day after they are whelped ; but the bear doth so lick them and warm them with her breath , and hug them in her bosom , that she quickly revives them again . it is commonly received as a truth , ( though it be a palpable vulgar errour ) that the whelps of bears at their first littering are without all form and fashion , and nothing but a little congealed blood like a lump of flesh , which afterwards the old one frameth with her tongue by licking them to her own likeness . this opinion may be easily disproved ; for they are onely littered blind without hair , and the hinder-legs not perfect , the fore-feet folded up like a fist , and other members deformed , by reason of the immoderate humour or moistness in them ; which also is one cause why she cannot retain in her womb the seed to the perfection of the young ones , whereof joachimus rheticus is an eye-witness . as soon as the dam perceiveth her cubs to grow strong , she suckleth them no longer , by reason of their curstness ; for they will sorely bite her if they cannot get suck enough . after this she preyeth abroad upon any thing she can meet with , which she eates , and casts up again to her young ones , and so feeds them till they can prey for themselves : they will climb a tree for the fruit . if they be hunted , they will follow a man , but not run upon him unless they are wounded . they are very strong in their paws , in such sort , that they will so hug a man or dog till they have broke his back , or squeez'd his guts out of his belly : with a single paw they will pull a lusty dog to their tearing and devouring mouth . they bite very severely ; for they will bite a man's head to the very brains ; and for an arm or leg , they will crash it as a dog may do a slender bone of mutton . when they are hunted , they are so heavy that they make no speed , and so are always in sight of the dogs . they stand not at bay as a boar , but fly wallowing ; but if the hounds stick in , they will fight valiantly in their own defence ; sometimes they stand up straight on their hinder-feet , and then take that as a sign of fear and cowardize ; they fight stoutest and strongest on all four . they have an excellent scent , and smell further off than any other beast except the boar ; for in a whole forest they will smell out a tree laden with mast . they may be hunted with hounds , mastiffs , or grey-hounds ; and they are chased and kill'd with bows , boar-spears , darts , and swords ; so are they also taken in snares , caves , and pits , with other engines . they do naturally abide in great mountains ; but when it snoweth , or in hard weather , then they descend into valleys and forests for provision . they cast their lesses sometimes in round croteys , and sometimes flat like a bullock , according to their feeding . they go sometimes a gallop , and at other times an amble ; but they go most at case when they wallow . when they come from their feeding they beat commonly the high-ways and beaten paths : and wheresoever they go out of the high-ways , there you may be sure they are gone to their dens ; for they use no doublings nor subtilties . they tumble and wallow in water and mire as swine , and they feed like a dog . some say their flesh is very good food , let who will eat it for me , who are not so nicely palated as my self . the best finding of a bear is with a leam-hound ; and yet he who is without one may trail after a bear as we do after a buck or roe , and you may lodge and hunt them as you do a buck. for the more speedy execution , mingle mastiffs among your hounds ; for they will pinch the bear , and so provoke her to anger , until at last they bring her to the bay ; or else drive her out of the plain into the covert , not letting her be at rest till she fight in her own defence . of the beaver . a beaver differeth but a little from an otter but in his tail : his colour is somewhat yellow and white aspersed with ash-colour , which stand out beyond the shorter hairs , double their length ; and are neat and soft like an otters . there is plenty of them in the river pontus , whence the beaver by some is called canis ponticus : they are also bred in spain , some few in france , germany , polonia , sclavonia , russia , prussia , lithuania ; and abundance of them in new-england . these beasts are amphibious , living both on land and water both fresh and salt , keeping the last in the day-time , and the first in the night : without water they cannot live ; for they participate much of the nature of fish , which may be gathered from their tails and hinder-legs . they are about the bigness of a country cur ; their head short ; their ears small and round ; their teeth very long , the under-teeth standing out beyond their lips three fingers breadth , and the upper about half a finger , being very broad , crooked , strong , and sharp , standing very deep in their mouth , wherewith they defend themselves against beasts , take fishes as it were upon hooks , and will gnaw in sunder trees as big as a man's thigh . their fore-feet are like dogs , and their hinder like geese , made as it were on purpose to go on the land , and swim in the water ; but the tail of this beast is most strange of all , being without hair , and covered over with a skin like the scales of a fish , it being like a soal , and for the most part six fingers broad , and half a foot long . they are accounted a very delicate dish , and eat like barbels : the manner of their dressing is by roasting them first , and boiling or stewing them afterwards ; they must be food that is very sweet , since this proverb proceeded from them : sweet is that fish which is no fish at all . as for the wonderful manner of their building , i shall let that alone , since it is at large described by gesner in his history of beasts , page . there is nothing so valuable in this beast as his stones ; for they are in great esteem , and a precious commodity . it hath been the opinion of some , that when a beaver is hunted , and is in danger to be taken , he biteth off his own stones , knowing that for them onely is he thus pursued : but this is found to be a meer fiction ; for their stones being small , and placed like a boar's , it is impossible for them to come at them . they are taken for their skins , tails , and cods , and that many ways . first , when their caves are found : ( in which are several chambers built one over another by the water-side , to ascend or descend according as the water riseth or falleth ) i say , their abode being found , they make a breach therein , wherein is put a little dog , which the beaver perceiving , flies instantly to the end of her cave , and there defendeth her self with her teeth , till all her building be raised , and she laid open to her enemies , who kill her with instruments for that purpose . these dogs for the beaver are the same which hunt otters . they cannot dive long time under water , but must put up their heads for breath ; which being seen by those who are hunting them , they kill them with gunshot or otter-spears : his nature is , if he hear any noise , to put up his head above water , whereby he is discovered , and so loseth life . those skins are best which are blackest . of the elk. this beast is twice as big as a hart , whose upper-lip is so great , and hangeth over the nether so far , that he cannot eat going forward ; but as he eateth he goeth backward , and so gathereth up his sustenance . his mane is divers both on the top of his neck , and underneath his throat , which buncheth like a beard , or curled lock of hair ; his neck is very short , disproportionable to his body . he hath two very large horns bending towards the back in a plain edge , and the spires stand forward to the face : both males and females have them ; they are solid at the root and round , but afterwards branched ; they are broader than a hart 's , and are very heavy , being not above two foot long ; and these horns they mew every year : he is colour'd for the most part like a heart , and hath cloven feet , but without joynts ( like an elephant ) in his fore-legs , and therefore sleepeth leaning to posts or trees ; and fighteth not with his horns , but fore-feet . it is a most timorous creature , not desiring to stir much , unless provok'd thereunto by hunting . there is no danger in hunting this beast , except a man come right before him : for if this beast fasten his fore-feet on him , he cannot escape alive ; but if it receive any small wound , it instantly dies . they are taken by nets and toils , or as elephants are taken : for when they have found the trees where-unto they lean , they so cut and saw them , that when the elk cometh , he overthroweth the tree and falleth with it ; and being not able to rise , is so taken alive . when they are chased eagerly , and can find no place to rest themselves in and lie secret , they run to the waters , and therein stand , taking up waters into their mouths ; and in a little time do so heat it , that squirting it out upon the dogs , the heat thereof so scaldeth them , that they dare not come nigh or approach them any more . many more exotick beasts i might here insert , describing their natures , and the manner of their forrain hunting ; but , since they are not to be found in england , let these suffice which i have already described . dogs diseases remedied , and their hurts healed , according to the best prescriptions of ancient and modern huntsmen . of a five-fold madness in a dog : the symptoms of the maladies , and their cvre . the ancients have derived rabies , madness , from ravies , hoarseness of voice , for mad dogs have no perfect voice : but it is more probable , that rabies cometh à rapiendo ; because when a dog beginneth to go mad ; he biteth , runneth , snatcheth , and roves to and fro , to his own perdition . a mad dog is most dangerous in the dog-days ; for at that time the very foam or spittle falling on a man breeds danger . there are properly seven sorts of madnesses which afflict a dog , whereof two of them are incurable , and therefore i shall speak little of them ; onely so much as may give you warning to shift them from your other dogs , because their disease is infectious ; and that you may beware of them your self , lest they injure you ; for their biting is dangerous . the first of these incurable madnesses is called the hot burning madness , and is known by these symptoms . first , when they run , they raise their tails bolt-upright , and run upon any thing that stands before them , having no respect where nor which way they run : also their mouths will be very black , having no foam in nor about them . they will not continue thus above three or four days , after which time they die , their pain being so intolerable . where note , that all those dogs they have bitten and drew blood from , will be mad in like manner . the second is called the running madness , and is less dangerous , however incurable . the dogs that are troubled with this madness run not on men , but dogs , and on no other beasts . the symptoms are , they will smell on other dogs , and having smelt them , will shake and bite them , yet shaking their tails , and seeming to offer no harm : with other tokens i omit for brevity sake . of the dumb madness . the five madnesses ( or rather sicknesses ) which are curable , are these : the first is called the dumb madness , and is thus known : the dog that is troubled therewith will not feed , but holds his mouth wide open continually , putting his feet to his mouth frequently , as if he had a bone in his throat . the cure is thus : take four ounces of the juice of spathula putrida , and put it into a pot ; then take the like quantity of the juice of black hellebore , and as much of the juice of rue : having strained them all well through a fine cloath , put them into a glass : then take two drams of scammony unprepared , and having mingled it with the former juices , put it into a horn or funnel , and convey it down his throat , keeping his head up straight , lest he cast it up again : then bleed him in the mouth , cutting three or four veins in his gums that he may bleed the better ; and in a short time you will find amendment . or you may onely take eight drams of the juice of an herb called harts-horn , or dogs-tooth , and you will find it a most excellent receipt against any madness whatsoever . of the falling madness . the second is called the falling madness : the disease lieth in their heads , which maketh them reel as they go , and fall . the cure is thus : take four ounces of the juice of piony , with the like quantity of the juice of briony , the like of the juice of cruciata , and four drams of staves-acre pulverized : mingle these together , and give it your hound or dog as aforesaid : then let him blood in the cars or the two veins which come down the shoulders ; and if he is not cured at first , give it him a second or third time . of the lank madness . the third kind of madness is called the lank madness , by reason of the leanness of their bodies occasioned by skummering . the cure is thus : first , purge your dog with this portion : take an ounce and a half of cassia fistularis well cleansed , two drams and a half of stavesacre pulverized , and the like quantity of scammony prepared in white-wine-vinegar , and four ounces of oyl-olive ; temper these and warm them over the fire , and give it your dog . in the morning put him into this bath fasting as followeth : put into six pails full of water ten handfuls of mugwort , of rosemary , of red-sage , of the roots or leaves of marsh-mallows , of the roots or leaves of wall-wort , of the roots or stalks of fennel , of the leaves or stalks of elecampane , baulm and rue , sorrel , bugloss and mellilot ; let these boil together in two thirds of water and the other wine , until one third be consumed : the bath being no hotter than your dog can endure it , bathe him therein for the space of an hour ; then taking him out , put him in some warm place for sear of catching cold . do this four or five times in the same bath , and it will cure . of the sleeping madness . the fourth madness is called the sleeping madness , and is caused by some little worms breeding in the mouth of the stomack from corrupt humours , the vapours and sumes whereof ascending into the head , make the dog sleep continually , and frequently he dieth sleeping . for the cure , you must take five ounces of the juice of wormwood , with two ounces of the powder of harts-horn burned , and two drams of agarick : mingle these together ; and if they be too thick , thin them with white-wine , and give it your dog to drink . of the rhcumatick or slavering madness . this madness is called so , because , when a dog hath got it , his head swelleth , his eyes are as yellow as a kite's-foot , and he commonly slavereth at the mouth . the cure is thus : take six ounces of the juice of fennel-roots , and the like quantity of the juice of misseltoe , four ounces of the juice of lvy , four ounces of the powder of the roots of polypodie ; boil these in white-wine , and give it your dog to drink as hot as he can suffer it . here note , that when a dog hath any of these kinds of madnesses he will have no desire to eat , fasting frequently eight or nine days , and so starving to death . nay , if they are troubled with any distemper they will refuse their meat , nay , the daintiest bit you can give them , until they have eaten grass , and have cleared their stomack of what did offend it , and then they will eat . concerning the madness of dogs , and their venomous bitings . i think no reasonable man ought to question why the teeth of a mad dog should do more harm than those of a sound one ; because in rage and anger the teeth of every beast and creature receive venome and poison from the head , whereby when they bite at that time they do much more harm . against the simple biting of a dog , take the urine of a dog , which is sufficient , since there is but little venome in those wounds . to lay the hair of the same dog thereon , ( though so much talkt on ) i look upon as a meer foppery . or being bit by a dog , take vinegar , and with your hand rub the wound very well ; then pour into it vinegar mixed with water or nitre ; then wet a spunge in the same liquids , and so let it remain bound up three days ; then take pellitory of the wall , mingled and beaten with salt , or any other plaister for green wounds . divers are the cures and remedies for biting of mad dogs ; which i omit in this place , as belonging not to my subject , but to physick . a remedy against the common mange . this distemper befalls a dog frequently for want of fresh water to drink when he desires it , and sometimes by foul kennelling , and sometimes by foundering and melting his greace . you may cure it in this manner : take two handfuls of wild cresses , two handfuls of elecampane , and as much of the leaves and roots of roerb and sorrel , and two pound of the roots of frodels ; make them all boil well in lye and vinegar : having strained the decoction , put therein two pound of gray soap ; and when it is melted therein , then rub your degs with it four or five days together , and it will cure them . a brief discourse of the cure of maladies belonging to spaniels , with other accidents happening . how necessary a thing a spaniel is to faulconry , and for those that delight in that noble recreation , keeping hawks for their pastime and pleasure , i think no body need question , as well to spring and retrive a fowl being flown to the mark , as also divers other ways to help and assist faulcons and goshawks . now since they are subject to many diseases and casualties , i shall endeavour to propound a suitable cure for them ; and first , i shall begin with the mange , as the capital enemy to the quiet and beauty of a brave spaniel , wherewith poor creatures they are often grievously tormented , and as frequently infect others . for the cure of this distemper , take a pound of barrow-flick , common oil three ounces , brimstone well pulverized foar ounces , salt well beaten to powder , ashes well sifted and searced , of each two ounces ; boil all these in a kettle or earthen-pot , and when they are all well incorporated together , anoint your spaniel with this thrice every other day , either against the sun or fire : having so done , wash him all over with good strong lye , and this will kill the mange . remember you shift his kennel and litter often . if the spaniel lose its hair , as it often happens , then bathe your spaniel in the water of lupines or hops , and anoint him with stale barrows-flick . this ointment , besides the cure , maketh his skin look slick and beautiful , and kills the fleas , the dogs disquieters , and enemies to his ease . if this be not strong enough to destroy this malady , then take two quarts of strong vinegar , common oil six ounces , brimstone three ounces , soot six ounces , brayd salt and searced two handfuls : boil all these together in the vineger , and anoint your dog as aforesaid . this receipt must not be administred in cold weather , for it may hazard his life in so doing . if a spaniel be not much troubled with the mange , then it is easie to cure him thus : make bread with wheaten-bran , with the roots , leaves , and fruit of agrimony , beating them well in a mortar , and , making it into a paste or dough , bake it in an oven , and so made , give thereof to your spaniel , giving him no other bread for some time , letting him eat as long as he will. cure of the formica . in the summer-time there is a scurvy malady which very much afflicts a spaniel's ears , and is accasioned by flies and their own scratching with their feet : we term it a mange , the italians , formica , and the french , fourmier . for the cure , take gum-dragaganth four ounces infused in the strongest vinegar may be gotten , for the space of eight days , and afterwards bruised on a marble-stone , as painters do their colours , adding unto it roch-allum and galls beaten to powder , of either two ounces ; mingle all these well together , and lay it on the place afflicted . for swelling in the throat . by reason of a humour distilling from the brain , the throat of a spaniel will often swell unreasonably . for cure whereof , anoint the grieved place with oil of camomile ; then wash it with vinegar not over-strong mixed with salt . probatum est . of worms breeding in the hurts and mangy parts of a spaniel . these worms do hinder the cure of the mange or wounds , causing them to continue at one stay , or to grow worse and worse . to remove this hindrance , take the gum of ivy and convey it into the wound , and let it there remain a day or two , washing the wound with wine ; and after that anoint it with bacon-grease , oil of earth-worms , and rue . the powder of wild cucumbers is excellent good to kill these worms , and will prove a good corrosive , also eating away the dead flesh , and increasing the good . if the worms be within the body , you must destroy them in this manner : cause your spaniel , by fair means or foul , when fasting , to eat the yolk of an egg with two scruples of saffron pulverized and confected with the same egg , keeping him after it fasting till night . when a spaniel is hurt , as long as he can come to lick the wound with his tongue he needs no other remedy ; his tongue is his best chirurgeon : but when he cannot do that , then such wounds as are not venomous you may cure with the powder of matresilva dried in an oven , or in the sun. if it be a bite of a fox , anoint it with oil wherein earth-worms and rue have been boiled together . if by a mad dog , let him lap twice or thrice of the broth of germander , and eat the germander too boiled . others bore the skin of his neck through with a hot-iron just betwixt his ears , so as the fire may touch both sides of the hole made : after that , plucking up the skin of the dog's shoulders and flanks backwards , thrust it through with a hot-iron in like manner : by giving the venom this vent , it is a ready way to cure him . to help a spaniel that hath lost his sense of smelling . spaniels , sometimes , by reason of too much rest and grease , or some other accident , do lose their sense of smelling , so as they cannot spring or retrive a fowl after their usual manner : to recover it again , take agarick two drams , sal gemma one scruple ; beat these into powder , and incorporate them with oxymel , making a pill as big as a nut , cover it with butter , and give it the dog by fair means or foul . this will bring him into a quick scent , as i have oftentimes proved it . the benefit of cutting off the tip of a spaniel's tail or stern . it is necessary for several reasons to cut off the tip of a spaniel's stern when it is a whelp . first , by so doing worms are prevented from breeding there ; in the next place , if it be not cut , he will be the less forward in pressing hastily into the covert after his game ; besides this benefit , the dog appears more beautiful . an abstract of such penal laws as relate to hunters and hunting . stat. r. . cap. . no man who hath not lands of s. per ann . nor clerk who hath not l. revenue per an . shall have or keep any grey-hound , hound , dog , ferret , net , or engine to destroy deer , hares , coneys , or any other gentlemans game , in pain of one whole years imprisoment , which iustices of peace have power to inflict . stat. h. . cap. . if any shall hunt within forests , parks , or warrens in the night-time , or disguised , one of the kings council , or a iustice of peace to whom information shall be made , shall by his warrant cause the offender to be brought before himself , or some other councellor or iustice of peace to be examined ; where if he conceal the fact , such hunting shall be deemed felony ; but being confessed , the offence is onely finable at the next general sessions . and here a rescous of the execution of any such warrant shall be also deemed felony . stat. h. . cap. . none shall keep any deer-hays , or buck-stalls ( save in his own forest or park ) in pain to forfeit for every month they are so kept s. neither shall any stalk with any bush or beast to any deer , except in his own forest or park , on pain of l. stat. , h. . cap. . none shall trace , destroy , or kill any hare in the snow , in pain of s. d. for every such offence : which penalty assessed in sessions shall go to the king ; but in a leet , to the lord thereof . stat. jacob. cap. . none shall ( without the owners license ) kill or chase any deer or coneys in any parks , or inclosed grounds , in pain to suffer three months imprisonment , to pay treble damages to the party grieved , and to be bound with two good sureties to the good behaviour for seven years : but the party grieved , having satisfaction , hath liberty to release the behaviour . ii. by the same statute it appears , that if any person not having l. per annum in lands , or l. in goods , or some inclosed ground used for deer or coneys worth s. per ann . at least , shall use any gun , bow , or cross-bow to kill any deer or coneys , or shall keep any buck-stall , ferret , dog , net , or other engine , it shall be lawful for any person ( having lands worth l. per ann . ) to take such gun , &c. from any such person , and to convert it to his own use . stat. car. . cap. . none shall unlawfully course , kill , hunt , or carry away any deer in any forest , chase , purliew , wood , park , or other ground where deer have been usually kept , within england and wales , without the consent of the owners or party chiefly trusted with the custody thereof , or he aiding or assisting therein , upon pain , being convicted by confession , or one witness , before any istice of the peace within sit months after the offence , of . to be levied by distress by warrant of the said iustices : one moity to the informer , the other to the owner of the deer : and for want of distress , to be committed to the house of correction , or common goal , for one year , and not discharged till sufficient sureties be given for the good behaviour . ii. it is nevertheless provided , that upon punishment of this statute the penalty of no other law be incurred . stat. & car. . cap. . it is enacted , that all lords of mannours or other royalties , not under the degree of an esquire , may by writing under their hands and seals , authorize one or more game-keepers within their respective mannours or royalties ; who being thereunto so authorized , may take and seize all such guns , bows , grey-hounds , setting-dogs , lurchers , or other dogs to kill hares or coneys , ferrets , crammels , low-bells , hayes , or other dets , hare-pipes , snares , or other engines for the taking and killing of coneys , hares , pheasants , partridges , or other game , as within the precincts of such respective mannours shall be used by any person or persons who by this act are prohibited to keep or use the same . and if any person or persons by this act prohibited to keep or use any guns , dogs , &c. as aforesaid , be upon good ground suspected to have or keep in his or their custody , any guns , bows , or any sort of dogs , &c. to destroy hares , coneys , &c. then may the said game-keeper or game-keepers , or other person ( being thereunto authorized by warrant under the hand and seal of any iustice of the peace of the same county , division , or place ) in the day-time , search the houses , dut-houses , or other places of such persons so suspected : and if any gun , grey-hound , bows , setting-dogs , &c. be there found , the same he shall seize , detain , and keep , to and for the use of the lord of the mannour or royalty where the same shall be so found or taken ; or otherwise to cut in pieces or destroy , as things by this act prohibited to be kept by their degree . ii. none having lands or cenements , or some other estate of inheritance in his own or his wifes right , of the clear value of . per ann . or for term of life , or having lease or leases of years at least of the clear value of . nor the son and heir apparent of an esquire , or other person of higher degree , who are hereby declared to be the persons declared by the laws of this realm not allowed to have or keep any guns , bows , grey-hounds , setting-dogs , ferrets , coney-dogs , lurchers , hays , dets , low-bells , hare-pipes , snares , or other engines aforesaid : but shall be , and are hereby prohibited to have , keep , or use the same . all owners and keepers of forests , parks , warrens , or chases , being stockt with deer or coneys for their necessary use , in respect of the said forests , parks , warrens , or chases are allowed to keep , &c. iii. none may enter wrongfully into any warren or ground lawfully used or kept for the breeding or keeping of coneys ; ( although the same be not enclosed ) nor take , kill , or chase any coneys there without the consent of the owner thereof , not having any lawful title or authority so to do , on pain to yield to the party grieved treble damages and cost ; besides shall suffer three months imprisonment , and after till they find sureties for their good abearing : the person offending being convict by one witness upon dath , or his own confession is sufficient . iv. no person or persons shall take in the night-time any coneys upon the borders of any warren , or other grounds , lawfully used for the breeding or keeping of any coneys , except such as shall be owners of the soil , or lawful occupier or possessor of the ground , or any persons employed by him , her , or them , whereon such coneys shall be so killed or taken ; upon pain that every offender , lawfully convict as aforesaid , shall give the party or parties injured such recompence or satisfaction for his or their damages , and within such time as shall be appointed by the justice before whom such offender shall be convicted ; and over and above pay down presently to the overseers for the use of the poor of the parish where such offence shall be committed , such sum of mony , not exceeding s. as the said justice shall think meet . and if such offender or offenders do not make recompence or satisfaction to the said party or parties injured , and also pay the said sum to the poor as aforesaid ; then the said justice shall commit the said offender or offendors to the house of correction , for such time as the said justice shall think fit , not exceeding one month . v. provided that what is mentioned in this act of & car. . extend not to abridge any royalty or prerogative of his majesty ; nor to abridge , change , or alter any forest-laws , but the same to be of force , and remain as if this act had not been made . a further abstract of some penal laws as concern forests , chases , &c. i. there shall be three swainmotes in the year , viz. one days before michaelmass ; another about martinmass ; and the third days before midsummer . at the first two of which none shall appear by distress , but the fosters , uerdors , and gest-takers ; and at the other onely the fosters and uerdors : howbeit the fosters and uerdors shall meet every forty days , to see the attachment of the forests , as well for green-hue , as hunting : and the swainmotes shall not be kept , but in the counties where they have used to be kept . ii. lawing of dogs shall be made in forests , from years to years by the view and testimony of lawful men , and not otherwise : howheit such lawing of dogs shall not be but where it hath been used from the coronation of hen. d . iii. no foster or beadie shall make scotal , or gather garhe , oats , lamb , or pig , but by the sight of the rangers when they shall make their range : and there shall be so many rangers assigned for the keeping of forests , as shall seem reasonably sufficient for the same . iv. any person having a wood in the forest may agest it , and take his pawnage there at his pleasure ; he may also drive his dogs through the kings woods , or elsewhere for that purpose ; and if they ly all night in the forest , he shall not be questioned for it . v. none shall lose life or member for killing of deer , but shall be fined for it if he have any thing ; if not , he shall be imprisoned a year and a day : and ( if he can find good sureties ) shall then be delivered ; but if not , he shall absure the realm . vi. a peer of the realm , being sent for by the king , in coming and returning may kill a deer or two in the forest through which he passeth : howbeit , it must not be done privily , but by the view of the foster , if present ; but if absent , by causing one ta blow a norn for him , lest he seem to steal the deer . vii . no chimage or coll shall be taken in forests , but by a forester in fee , that farms his bailiwick , and onely of such as buy their bushes , cimber , bark , or coals , to sell it again , viz. d. for a cart , and d. for an dorse , to be taken half-yearly ; and it shall onely he taken where it hath used to be taken , and not elsewhere : neither shall any chimage be taken of such as carry burthens of bushes , bark or coal , albeit they sell it , unless they take them out of the kings demesne woods . thus far charta foresta . a forester , parker , or warrener shall not be questioned for killing a crespasser , who ( after the peace cryed to him ) will not yield himself , so it be not done out of some other former malice . stat. ed. . no minister of the forest shall be put upon any assize , iury , or inquest to be taken without the forest. ordin . forestae . stat. ed. . cap. . none shall be taken or imprisoned for uert or uenison , unless he be taken with the manner , or else indicted according to the form of the stat. . ed. . and then the warden of the forest shall take him to mainprise , until the eyre of the forest , without taking any thing for his deliberance . and if the warden will not so do , he shall have a writ out of the chancery of old ordained for persons indicted to be bailed till the eyre . stat. ed. . cap. . any man having wood within the forest , may take horse-boot and hay-boot in his said wood , without being attached for the same by the ministers of the forest , so that it be done by the view of the foresters . stat. . r. . cap. . no officer of the forest shall take or imprison any without due indictment , or per main ouvre ( with his hand at the work ) that is , being taken with the manner , or trespassing in the forest ; nor shall constrain any to make obligation or ransome against his will , and the assise of the forest , in pain to pay the party grieved double damages , and to be ransomed at the king's will. & car. cap. . an act for the certainty of forests , and of the meers , limits and bounds thereof : see the statute at large . car. cap. . no place within england or wales , where no justice seat , swainmote , court , or attachment hath been made , or uindosers chosen , or regard made within years , shall be accounted forest. ii. tenants and owners of all excluded land , shall enjoy their common and other profits . stat. . car. . cap. . ten thousand acres of waste lands in the forest of dean shall be enclosed , and kept in severalty , for the growth and preservation of timber ; and be under the regard and government of forest law. finis . the gentleman's recreation : being a treatise of hawking and faulconry . fitted for the delight and pleasure of all noblemen and gentlemen . collected from ancient and modern authors , and rectified by the experience of the most skilful artists of these times . with an abstract of such statute-laws as concern this recreation . the second part. london : printed by j c. and f. c. for n. c. of hawking . the introduction . the element wherein the faulconer useth to trade , is the air ; and though he dealeth sometimes in the water , yet he prefers the air before it , that yielding him most recreation ; for it is unable to stop the high soaring of his generous faulcon : in it she flies to such a height , that , being lost to the sight of mortals , she seems to converse with heaven alone ; and , like icarus , endangers her wings to be scorcht by the sun-beams ; and yet is fearless , cutting the fluid air with her nimble pinions , making her high-way over the steepest mountains and deepest rivers , and in her lofty career looks down with a seeming contempt on the greatest glories we most estimate : and yet such is her loyalty and obedience to her master , that a word from his mouth shall make her stoop and condescend . this element of air is not onely to be praised for the recreation it affords the faulconers , but for its usefulness to all , no creature being in a condition to live without it : for if the inspiring or expiring organ of any creature be stopt , it must speedily die , and pay the debt that 's due to nature . and as this element justly merits praise , so do its wing'd inhabitants , both feeding and refreshing mankind : with their bodies they perform the first , and the latter with their harmonious voices . the number of heaven's airy quire is so great , i cannot here well enumerate them ; yet i must not pass by these nimble musicians of the air , which warble forth such curious notes as puzzle art to imitate . i mean to speak of few , and first of the lark : when she means to recreate her self and hearers , she quits the earth , and sings as she ascends ; and having made an end of her heavenly ditty , she seems to swound to think she must descend again unto the dull earth , which she would scorn to tread but for necessity . again , observe how the black-bird and the thrush contend who shall with their unimitable voices bid the best welcome to the fragrant spring . nor doth the nightingale come short in breathing out her loud musick through the small organ of her throat . how have i oft admired in a still night the clearness of her airs , the sweetness of her descants , her natural risings and fallings , her doublings and redoublings ! much more might be said of these , which i shall wave , being a digression from my purpose , which is to treat of another bird of pleasure , viz. the hawk here note , that the hawk is distinguished into two kindes ; the long-winged , and short-winged hawk . of the first kind there are these , which are here amongst us most in use : the gerfaulcon and jerkin , faulcon and tiercel-gentle , lanner and lanneret , bockerel and bockeret , saker and sakaret , merlin and jack-merlin , hobby and jack , the stelletto of spain , the bloud-red rook of turkie , the waskite from virginia . of the short-winged hawks there are these : the eagle and iron , goshawk and tiercel , the sparrow-hawk and musket , two sorts of the french pie. of inferiour sort there are these : the stanyel or ring-tail , the raven and buzzard , the forked kite and bold buzzard , the hen-driver , &c. it is not to be expected that we should treat of all these and many others bearing different names , but onely such which are most in use , of which i shall regularly treat concerning their eyries , mewings , castings , renovation of feathers , &c. with their reclaiming , dieting , diseases , cures , and method of practice . terms of art in faulconry , as they were used by ancient faulconers , and are now by modern practitioners , with their explanations . the age of a hawk : the first year , a soarage . the second year , an enterview . the third year , a white hawk . the fourth year , a hawk of the first coat . arms , are the legs from the thigh to the foot. bate , is when the hawk fluttereth with her wings either from pearch to fist , as it were striving to get away . bathing , is when the hawk washeth her self at home or abroad . beak , is the upper part of the bill that is crooked . beam feathers , are the long feathers of the hawk wings . beavy of quails , are a brood of young quails . bewits , are the leathers with bells buttoned about the hawks legs . binding , is tyring , or when a hawk seizeth . bowet , is when a young hawk draws any thing out of her nest , and covets to clamber on the bowes . bowsing , is when the hawk drinks often , and yet continually thirsteth for more . branch or stand , is to make the hawk leap from tree to tree till the dog springs the partridge . brancher , is a young hawk newly taken out of the nest. cadge , is that circular piece of wood on which hawks are carried when they are exposed to sale . canceleer , is when a high-flown hawk in her stooping turneth two or three times upon the wing , to recover her self before she seizeth . carry , is flying away with the quarry . cast your hawk to the pearch , is to put your hawk on the pearch . casting , is when you give your hawk any thing to cleanse and purge her gorge . carvist ; a hawk may be so called at the beginning of the year , and signifies as much as to carry on the fist. catarast , a disease in hawks so called . cauterizing-irons , are irons to sear with . cawking-time , is treading-time . crabbing , is when hawks , standing too near , fight with one another . creance , is a fine small long line of strong and evenwound pack-thread which is fastned to the hawk's lease or leash when she is first lured . check , that is when the hawk forsakes her proper game to fly at pies , crows , or the like , crossing her in her flight . clap , is the nether part of the hawk's beak . coping-irons , are used in coping or paring the hawks beak , pounces , or talons , when over-grown . cowring , is when young hawks quiver and shake their wings , in testimony of obedience towards the old ones . crinets , are the small black feathers like hairs about the sere . disclosed , is when the young just peep through the shell . dropping , is when the hawk muteth directly downward in several drops , not yerking it streight forwards . endew , is when the hawk digesteth her meat , that she not onely dischargeth her gorge thereof , but likewise cleanseth her pannel . enseame , is the purging of a hawk of her glut and grease . enter a hawk is when she first begins to kill . eyess , is a young hawk newly taken out of the nest , not able to prey for himself . eyrie , is that place where hawks build , and hatch their young . feaking , is when the hawk wipeth her beak after feeding . filanders , a sort of little red worms that usually breed in hawks . flags , feathers next the principal feathers in the hawk's wing . fly on head , is missing her quarry , and betaking her self to the next check , as crows , &c. formale , is the female - hawk . formica , a disease in hawks so called . frounce , is a disease common in the mouth or throat of a hawk . gleam , after a hawk hath cast , she gleamith , or throweth up filth from her gorge . glut , is the slimy substance that lies in the hawks pannel . gorge , is called in other fowl the craw or crop. gurgiting , is when she is stust and suffecated . hack , is the place where the hawk's meat is laid . hawk keeps her mark , is when she wait at the place where she lays in partridge , or the like , until it be retrived . hern at seidge , is when you find a hern standing by the water-side watching for prey , or the like . jack , is the male - hawk . jesses , are those short straps of leather which are sastned to the hawks legs , and so to the lease or leash by varvails , and such-like . imp , is to insert a feather into the wing of a hawk in the place of one that is broken . inke , is the neck from the head to the body of any bird which the hawk doth prey upon . intermewing , is from the first exchange of the hawks coat , till she turn white : and this is so called from the first mewing . jouketh , is when she sleepeth . luce , that is when a young hawk is called by the faulconer thereunto , and is made of feathers and leather not much unlike a fowl , which he casteth up into the air. lease or leash , is a small long thong of leather by which the faulconer holdeth his hawk fast , folding it many times about his finger . lean , is when the hawk holds in to you . a make-hawk , is an old staunch - hawk which used to fly , will easily instruct a young hawk . managing a hawk , is to use her with art and skill . make out , is when the hawk goes forth at check . mailes , are the breast-feathers . manning , is making a hawk to endure company . mantleth , is when the hawk stretcheth one of her wings after her legs , and so the other . mew , is the place where you set down your hawk during the time she raiseth her feathers . muting , is the excrements or dung of a hawk , and so it is of a hern. mites , are a sort of vermin that trouble the head and nares of a hawk . nares , are the little holes in a hawk's beak . pearch , is the hawk's resting-place when she is off the faulconers fist. pelt , is the dead body of any fowl the hawk hath killed . pill or pelf , is what the hawk hath left of her prey after she is relieved . plume , is the general mixture of feathers and colours by which the constitution of a hawk is known . plumage , are small feathers given the hawk to make her cast . pluming , is after the hawk hath seized her prey , and dismantles it of the feathers . pannel , is the pipe next the fundament of a hawk , where she digesteth her meat from her body . pantas , a disease in hawks so called . pendant-feathers , those feathers behind the thigh of a hawk . petty-singles , arethe toes of the hawk . pounces , are the claws of the hawk . principal-feathers , are the two longest feathers in the hawk's wings . pruneth , is when the hawk picketh her self . put over , is when a hawk removeth her meat from the gorge into her bowels , by traversing with her body , but chiefly with her neck . quarry , is the fowl which the hawk flies at dead or alive . raised in flesh , is when a hawk grows fat . rake , is when the hawk flies out too far from the fowl. ramage , is when a hawk is wild , and difficult to be reclaimed . rangle , is when we give a hawk gravel to bring her to her stomach . retrive , is when partridges , having been sprung , are to find again . rouze , is when a hawk lifteth her self up and shaketh her self . ruff , is when the hawk hits the prey , and yet not trusses it . rufter-hood , is a plain and easie leather-hood , being large , wide , and open behind , and is to be worn by a hawk when you first draw her . reclaim , is to make a hawk tame , gentle , and familiar . sails , are the wings of a hawk : sear or sere , is the yellow between the beak and eyes of the hawk . seeling , is when a hawk first taken is so blinded with a thread run through the eye-lids , that she sees not , or very little , the better to make her endure the hood . seizing , is when a hawk gripes her prey , or any thing else , fast within her foot. setting down , is when the hawk is put into the mew . slice , is when a hawk muteth a great distance from her . sliming , is when a hawk muteth without dropping . sniting , is when a hawk as it were sneezeth . soar-hawk , that is from the first taking her from the eyries till she hath mewed her feathers . spring , is when any partridge or pheasant rise . stooping , is when the hawk is aloft upon her wing , and then descends to strike her prey . summ'd , is when the hawk is in all her plumes . swivel , is that which keepeth a hawk from twisting . tiercel or tassel , is the male - hawk . tiring , is when you give your hawk a leg or pinion of a pullet , pidgeon , &c. to pluck at . train , is the tail of the hawk . trassing , is when she raiseth any fowl aloft , and soaring with it , at length descendeth with it to the ground . varvels , little rings of silver at the end of the jesses , whereon the owners of the hawk have their names ingraven . unreclaimed , is when a hawk is wild . unseeling , is when you take away a thread that runs through the hawks eye-lids , and hinders her sight . unstrike the hood , is to draw the strings , that it may be in a readiness to pull off . unsumm'd , is when the feathers of a hawk are not fully grown . urines , are nets to catch hawks withal . warbling , is after a hawk hath mantled her self she crosses her wings together over her back . weathering , is when you air your hawk in frost , sun , or by the fire-side . whur , is the rising and fluttering of partridge or pheasant . the names and natures of hawks in general : and first of the haggard-faulcon . i begin with the haggard-faulcon , since it is a hawk which most men now-a-days covet , to fit and prepare for their delight and pleasure ; although heretofore i hear less spoken of her praise by the antients than she deserves . some of old have preferred the faulcon-gentle for mettle and courage , being of a loving disposition , strong and daring , and hardy in all seasons ; and by a mere mistake have undervalued the haggard-faulcon , condemning her as being a bird too tender to endure rough and boisterous weather . experience confutes this opinion , she being known to be able to endure as much the extremity of weather , or more than the tiercel , faulcon-gentle , or most other hawks whatsoever ; and therefore she shall first take place in this manner . the haggard-faulcon , wild , and unreclaimed , takes a large liberty to her self for her abode , either by sea or land ; and is so absolute in her power , that where-ever she comes , all flying fowl stoop under her subjection . nay , the tiercel-gentle , although her natural companion , dares not sit by her or come near her residence but in cawking-time , and that is in the spring ; and then for procreation sake , she will admit him to come near her with submission , which he manifests by bowing his head at his approach , and by calling and cowring with his wings , as the young ones do , in testimony how fearful he is of incurring her displeasure . whilst she is very young ( and so will a passenger-soar-faulcon ) she will prey upon birds which are too big to encounter withal ; and this she doth for want of understanding : and she continues this rashness and folly , till experience and a sound beating have reclaimed her . the haggard faulcon will prey on any other fowl she can meet with advantageously , especially tame pidgeons , or such as belong to a dove-house ; for these they frequently meet withal . this hawk is an incessant pains-taker ; no weather discourageth her from her game , but that onely wherein no fowl can well stir abroad to seek for sustenance ; otherwise she is continually working , either in the air or elsewhere , unless she stoop and miss of her prey , and then she will rest a little , to take breath and renew her courage . nay , if she hath laboured in boisterous and tempestuous weather three or four days together , she will be so far from being the worse for it , that she will appear much better , and more lively . and therefor it is a vulgar errour , for men not to fly their hawks but after three or four days rest , some a week or fortnight . for old staunch-hawks , i judge a little rest will do no harm ; but for the young , till she is blouded give her but little ; and if you can fly her every day , you will find it so much the better . when the faulcon unreclaimed hath seized her prey and broke her neck , ( in artificial terms , her ink ) she then falls on the crop , and feeds first on what is there contained , afterwards on other parts ; and having filled her gorge , she will fly to some solitary place which is near water , or what liketh her best , and there she will sit all day : upon the approach of night she takes wing , and flies to some convenient place she hath afore purposed , to pearch therein till the morning . thus much of her as she is wild and un-reclaimed . in the next place it will be requisite to inform you with the manner of reclaiming of a haggard-faulcon , and her entry to the lure . having taken or purchased one of them , set her down , and let her rest quietly the first night in a rusterhood . the next day take her up easily on your fist , and carry her up and down that whole day ; using a feather to stroke her withal instead of your hand . when you find her not impatient of being toucht , take her hood off speedily , and put it on again as speedily , observing thus to do till she is willing to feed : then frequently offer her food , but let her have but a little at a time ; never pulling her hood off or on but you must gain her love with a bit or two , using your voice unto her when you are taking off her hood , and all the while she is feeding , and no longer ; that by that means , after she is reclaimed , she may know by your voice she shall be fed . having thus done , teach her to come to your fist from the pearch by doing thus : let her stand on a pearch about breast-high ; if lower , kneel , for this low posture will less affright than any other : after this , unstrike her hood , and lure her , using your voice ; and have a special care that you affright her not or distaste her , and so cause her to bate from you . but you must , before you unstrike her hood , encourage her with a bit or two , which will make her the more eager to come to you : for it is her stomach that rules her , and is the bridle that keeps her in subjection , pricking her forward to perform her duty : wherefore if you keep not her appetite sharp and truly edged , instead of submission , you will find disobedience . when you find she will willingly feed from and come to your hand , you may then let her sit bare-fac'd , now and then diverting her starting about by giving her a bit or two , to direct her face towards you : after this you may set her to the lure . when you find she will come readily to the lure , garnisht with meat in the creance , fearing lest she scorn this way of luring , fix a live pidgeon to the lure , and lure her therewith . when she hath killed the pidgeon and eaten the head , take her up gently with a bit of meat , and put on her hood ; then unstrike her hood and lure her to the pelt , doing thus twice or thrice , and no more : if you do it oftner , she will become in time very loth to part with the pelt , and by this means you will provoke her to carry . this is a great fault , and more incident to and worse in field-hawks than such as are fitted for the river . but be sure you lure her not far till her stomach be perfect ; for otherwise she may discover something by the way which she hath a greater esteem for , and so be lost for that time ; which will be very detrimental to her , although you should happen to recover and reclaim her afterwards . here observe , in the time of her making ( while she is on the ground either pluming or feeding ) forget not to walk round her , using your voice , and giving her many bits with your hand ; continuing so to do till you have won her to a more than ordinary familiarity . but above all , mark this ; spring her some living doves between the man and the lure , and let them be given in a long creance , that she may kill them near you , in such manner that she may truss them over your head : by this means she will not be afraid when you come to her from afar off ; the neglect whereof will make her timorous : thence will proceed her dragging and carrying from you ; nay sometimes she will leave her prey , and totally forsake you . there are some hawks will not be taken up without striking or rapping in the creance , which must be infallibly the loss of such a hawk without such a device : this is a great fault in the hawk , and argueth great negligence in the faulconer , in suffering , and not remedying that ill property in her first making . rules for ordering a haggard-faulcon in the luring : with the causes and remedies of carrying , and other ill qualities . having thus far acquainted your hawk with the lure , take her out some convenient evening , and be no farther from her than she can see and hear you ; then hold in your lure , and suffer her to fly about you , holding her as near you as you can with your voice and lure , teaching her to do her business , and work it on your head ; and then cast up a live dove : which some disapprove of , because ( say they ) the lightness of the dove inclines the hawk to that ill quality of carrying ; but i rather impute that fault to the ignorance , or negligence and harshness of the faulconer , who hath been either unskilful , remiss , or hath not used that gentleness which is requisite in reclaiming a hawk in her first making : so that instead of gaining her love by fair allurements , he hath converted it into hatred , abhorrency , and disdainful coyness . another cause of this dragging or garrying proceeds from the keepers ill or slender rewarding his hawk in the luring , in giving her the pelt of a pidgeon or some other dead thing , which gives her no delight . it is the pleasure she takes in the reward that engages her coming to you : if then she chance to find her expectation frustrated in her usual satisfaction , she will ever after shun you ; and though you should throw her a live pidgeon , she may seize it , and keep close to it , or remove it as you approach , for fear that your unkindness should deprive her of it . wherefore you must have a special care you disoblige her not in her luring . there are several other errours which must be rectified in a haggard-faulcon , faulcon-gentle , or slightfaulcons , ( which naturally are all of one kind , yet differ much in quality and condition ) which i shall leave to the study of the ingenious and industrious faulconer or keeper . i say , the first fault is , that though you have lured your hawk well , and given her all the content and satisfaction imaginable , yet will she not tarry with you , but take her slight and forsake you . this argueth an aversion in her from you to something else . this fault mr. turbervile , and mr. latham say they have known remedied : but because i look upon the trouble therein to be so great , and the future satisfaction so small and uncertain , i shall not lay down what means are commonly made use of in the cure of this ill quality . but there is another fault , which at first may be easily prevented ; and that is , an aspiring quality and working humour , when although the hawk never shewed any dislike to the keeper or discontent , yet by observation she hath been found conceited , and would not endure the society of another hawk ; and having been well blouded on fowl , she would not be kept down near her keeper . to remedy this , let no scope be given to the haggard in the time of making ; let her not fly high , but be held down and near you : and if you should let this hawk in to another hawk , and find her fall to her work without any regard or notice taken of the other hawk , suspect her instantly , and let her see fowl in due time , lest when she comes to her due place , she go her way ; for she will prove impatient : wherefore the shorter work you make with her , the greater delight you give her , and so consequently you engage her love continually towards you . having taught your hawk to sit bare-faced in the evening among company undisturbed , and that she knows your voice , and will come to the lure , then give her every night stones , till you find her stomach good : after that , profer her casting , and let her not receive it unless she likes it well ; otherwise she is apt to take a dislike , and will never afterwards receive it willingly . these stones aforesaid prepare and make ready the way for casting , stirring , and dissolving whatever is offensive within , and fitting it to be carried , downward in her mutes , or upward in her castings . the time for giving these stones is , when she hath put away her supper from above ; then give her half a dozen above the hand , if you have so much skill ; if not , otherwise as you are able . do thus often , until such time as you shall give her such things whereof she shall take plumage in her living or training . but of this , more hereafter . how to know the nature and disposition of several hawks , and what must be observed from thence . there is a certain hawk called a blank hawk , which is a kinde , loving , and docible hawk ; for she will diligently listen and give ear unto you and your voice ; she will soon learn to come to hand , being very eager and hot to seize on what you shall either throw or give her , and will be very familiar : i astly , having done your will on the ground , she will look up for your fist , and will readily jump thereon . they are much subject to little grubs , which are ingendered in the guts , and discover themselves in their mutes , crawling out from them , shrinking themselves up , and so instantly dying . these worms do little harm , and that hawk which hath them is seldom bad . the colour of these worms is red in a slight faulcon , and red in a barbary-faulcon ; and when dead , in both white . there is a sort of swarthy black-plum'd hawk , that is good-mettled , and a high flier , yet hard to be reclaimed : for she will neither mind you nor your voice ; but when you lure her , will look any other way than that she should . however , you must shew your self very loving towards her , though you shall get no more from her than what you extort by force . for her due reclaiming , lessen her pride by ordering her diet with measure , with respect had unto the weather ; which if it be mild and temperate , you need not fear to hold her down until you have quarried her : and as you shall see her amend her manners , alter her diet , and add to her strength according to reasonable expedition ; which will be soon obtained if the be sound , and the weather moderate . but if the weather be frosty , have a care of abating flesh . when at any time you fly any one of these black or tawny hawks , and she stoops foul and falls in her flight , you must take her down with some living thing . if the be young , suffer not her ( or any other hawk ) to fly too long ; for nothing is more prejudicial and distasteful to a young hawk at her first making , than to let her toil and make many stoopings before the be served : by this dislike she is induced to fly wide and carelesly , and frequently to go away through displeasure . now to the intent i may go on methodically , and with as little confusion as may be , i shall in the next place here nominate what hawks i intend to treat of , and in the same order as i name them , in like manner i will discourse of them . take them thus : faulcon , gerfaulcon , mylion , merlin , hobby , goshawk , sparrow-hawk lanner , their males . tiercel-gentle , jerkin , tiercel , jack , robbin , tiercel , musket , lannerct . here note , that the female of all birds of prey are much larger , and of greater bulk than the male , and are more serviceable , being more watchful , hardy , and bold : but of such birds as do not prey , the cocks are the larger . the faulcon , gerfaulcon , mylion , merlin , and hobby do stoop and seize their prey with their foot , breaking with their beak the neck-bone of the fowl , without pluming or tiring thereupon till the fowl hath left busking and bating on the foot . the goshawk with her male the tiercel , and the sparrow-harvk , kill their game by strength and force of wing at random , and do instantly plume and tire upon their prey . of the faulcon . there are seven kinds of faulcons , viz. faulcon-gentle , haggard-faulcon , barbary or tartaret-faulcon , gerfaulcon , saker , lanner , and tunician . the faulcon-gentle is so called for her familiar courreous disposition ; she is withal valiant , strong , and better able to endure any sort of weather than any other hawk . she hath a natural inclination and love to fly the hern every way , either from her wings to the down-come , or from the fist and afore-head . she is most excellent at the brook or river , especially at large fowl , as the shoveler , wild-goose , &c. if she be an eyess , you may venture her at the crane ; otherwise she will not be so hardy and bold . where note , hawks prove valiant or cowards according as they are first quarried : and if you take them out of the eyrie before they are fully summed and hard penned , you must never expect their wings should grow to perfection , but their legs will be apt to wear crooked , and their train , their long feathers and their flags also will be full of taints . in the choice of your faulcon , observe that she have wide nares ; high and large eye-lids ; a great black eye ; a round head , somewhat full on the top ; a short , thick , azure beak ; and indifferent high neck ; barb feathers under the clap of the beak ; a good large , round , fleshy breast : let her be strong , hard , and stiff bonded , broad-shouldered ; having slender sails , full sides , long and great thighs ; strong and short arms ; large feet , with the sear of the foot soft and blewish ; black pounces , long wings , and crossing the train , which train must be short and very pliable . here observe , that faulcons of one kind differ much , and are diversly named , according to the time of their first reclaiming , places of haunt , and countries from whence they come ; as mew'd-hawks , rammage-hawks , soar-hawks , eyesses : and these again are divided into large hawks , mean hawks , and slender hawks . all these have different males and plumes , according to the nature of the countries from whence they come ; as some are black , some blank , or russet : and they differ in disposition ; some are best for the field , others for the river . names are bestowed on a faulcon according to her age or taking . the first is an eyess , which name lasts as long as she is in the eyrie . these are very troublesome in their feeding , do cry very much , and are difficultly entred ; but being well entred and quarried , prove excellent hawks for the hern , river , or any sort of fowl , and are hardy and full of mettle . the second is a rammage-faulcon , and reserves the name after she hath left the eyrie , being so called may , june , july , and august . these are hard to be manned , but being well reclaimed , they are not inferiour to any hawk . the third is a soar-hawk , so called september , october and november . the first plumes they have when they for sake the eyrie , they keep a whole year before they mew them , which are called soar-feathers . the fourth is termed murzarolt , ( the latest term is carvist , as much as to say , carry an the fist : ) they are so called january , february , march , april , and till the middle of may , during which time they must be kept on the fist. they are for the most part very great baters , and therefore little eaters : they are bad hawks , frequently troubled with filanders and worms , and are rarely brought to be good for any thing . the fifth are called enter-mews , from the middle of may , to the latter end of december . they are so called because they cast their coats . they were excellent hawks , could they be trusted ; therefore they must be kept hard under , and must make your fist their pearch . having discours'd of the names and nature of the faulcon , i next come to his manning , luring , flights , and mewing in every condition : which course i shall orderly take in my ensuing discourse of the other hawks i have onely named heretofore . and because what diseases or casualties are incident to one are likewise to all , i shall put their cures at the latter end all together . of the manning , luring , flights and mewing of a faulcon , with other things properly belonging to an ostrager . having taken a faulcon , you must seel her , in such manner , that as the seeling slackens , the faulcon may be able to see what provision is straight before her , which she will better see so than any other way : and be sure you seel her not too hard . a hawk newly taken ought to have all new furniture , as new jesses of good leather , mailed leases with buttons at the end , and new bewets . you must have a small round stick likewise hanging in a string , with which you must frequently stroak your hawk : the oftner you do it , the sooner and better you will man her . she must have two good bells , that she may the better be found and heard when she either stireth or scratteth : her hood must be well fashioned , raised and bossed against her eyes , deep , and yet straight enough beneath , that it may the better fasten about her head without hurting her : and you must cope a little her beak and talons , but not so near as to make them bleed . take notice , if you take a soar-faulcon which hath already past the seas , although she be very hard to be reclaim'd , yet she is the best of faulcons . her food must be good and warm twice or thrice a day , until she be full gorg'd ; which food must be either pigeons , larks , or other live birds : and the reason is , because you must break her by degrees off from her accustomed feeding . when you feed her , you must whoop and lure as you do when you call a hawk , that she may know when you will give her meat . you must unhood her gently , giving her two or three bits ; and putting on her hood again , you must give her as much more , and be sure that she be close seeled : and after three or four days lessen her diet : and when you go to bed , set her on some pearch by you , that you may awaken her often in the night . thus you must do till you observe her grow tame and gentle : and when you find she begins to feed eagerly , then give her a sheep's-heart . and now you may begin to unhood her by day-time , but it must be far from company ; first giving her a bit or two , then hood her again gently , and give her as much more . be sure not to afright her with any thing when you unhood her . and when you perceive her to be acquainted with company , and that she is sharp set , unhood her , and give her some meat , holding her just against your face and eyes , which will make her less afraid of the countenances of others . if you can , reclaim her without over-watching . you must bear her continually on the fist till she be throughly manned , causing her to feed in company , giving her in the morning about sun-rising the wing of a pullet , and in the evening the foot of a coney or hare cut off above the joynt , flay'd and laid in water ; which having squeez'd , give it her with the pinion of a hen's wing . for two or three days give her washt meat , and then plumage , according as you think her foul within . if she cast , hood her again , and give her nothing till she gleam after her casting : having gleamed and casted , then give her a beaching of hot meat in company ; and towards the evening let her plume a hen's wing in company also . if the feathers of her casting be foul or slimy , and of a yellowish complexion , then be sure to cleanse her well with washt meat and casting : if clean within , give her gentle castings , as the pinions of an old hens wing , or the neck-bone chopped four or five times between the joynts , washt and steeped in fair water . having well reclaimed her , throughly manned her , and made her eager and sharp set , then you may venture to feed her on the lure . but before you shew her the lure , you must consider these three things : . that she be bold in and familiar with company , and no ways afraid of dogs and horses . . that she be sharp set and hungry , regarding the hour of the morning and evening when you will lure her . . and lastly , she must be clean within , and the lure must be well garnished with meat on both sides , and you must abscond your self when you intend to give her the length of the lease . you must first unhood her , giving her a bit or two on the lure as she sitteth on your fist : afterwards take the lure from her , and so hide it that she see it not ; and when she is unseized , cast the lure so near her that she may catch it within the length of her lease . when she hath seiz'd it , use your voice according to the custome of faulconers , and feed her upon the lure on the ground with the heart and warm thigh of a pullet . having so lured her , in the evening give her but a little meat ; and let this luring be so timely , that you may give her plumage and a juck of a joynt . in the morning betimes take her on your fist , and when she hath cast and gleamed , give her a little beaching of warm meat . towards noon take a creance and tie it to her lease , and go into some pleasant field or meadow , and give her a bit or two on the lure ; then unseize her : and if you find she is sharp set , and hath seized on the lure eagerly , then give her some one to hold , to let her off to the lure , then unwind the creance , and draw it after you a good way , and let him which holds the hawk hold his right hand on the tassel of the hawks hood in readiness , so that he may unhood her assoon as you begin to lure : and if she come well to the lure , and stoop upon it roundly , and seize it eagerly , then let her eat two or three bits thereon ; then unseize her and take her off the lure , hood her , and deliver her to him again that held her , and going farther off lure her , feeding her as before with the accustomed voice . thus lure her every day farther and farther off , till she is accustomed to come freely and eagerly to the lure . after this , lure her in company , but have a care that nothing affright her : and when you have used her to the lure on foot , then lure her on horse-back ; which you may effect the sooner , by causing horse-men to be about you when you lure her on foot : also you may do it the sooner by rewarding her upon the lure on horse-back among horsemen . when this way she grows familiar , let some body afoot hold the hawk , and he that is on horse-back must call and cast the lure about his head ; then must the holder take off the hood by the tassel : and if she seize eagerly on the lure without fear of man or horse , then take off the creance , and lure her at a greater distance . and if you would have her love dogs as well as the lure , call dogs when you give her tiring or plumage . of bathing a faulcon lately reclaimed ; how to make her flying , and to hate the check . having wean'd your faulcon from her rammage-fooleries , being both ways lured , rewarded , and throughly reclaim'd , offer her some water to bathe her self in , in a bason wherein she may stand up to the thighs , chusing a temperate clear day for that purpose . then having lured your hawk , and rewarded her with warm meat , in the morning carry her to some bank , and there hold her in the sun till she hath endewed her gorge , taking off her hood that she may prune and pick her self : that being done , hood her again , and set her near the bason , and taking off her hood , let her bathe again as long as she pleaseth : after this , take her up , and let her pick her self as before , and then feed her . if she refuse the bason to bathe in , shew her some small river or brook for that purpose . by this use of bathing she gains strength and a sharp appetite , and thereby grows bold : but that day where in the batheth give her no washt meat . if you would make your faulcon upwards , the next day after she hath bath'd get on horseback , either in the morning or evening , and chuse out some field wherein are no rooks or pidgeons ; then take your lure well garnished on both sides , and having unhooded your hawk , give her a bit or two on the lure , then hood her : afterwards go leisurely against the wind , then unhood her : and before she bate , or find any check in her eye , whistle her off from your fist fairly and softly . as she flieth about you , trot on with your horse , and cast out your lure , not suffering her to fly long about you at first : continue thus doing morning and evening for seven or eight days . but if you find your hawk unwilling to fly about you or stop to the lure , then must you let her fly with some hawk that loves the company of others , and will not rove at any change or check ; and that must first be done at the partridge , for they will not fly far before the hawk . if she hath flown twice or thrice , cast out the lure , and reward her on horseback . if the fowl you flew her at be killed by another hawk , let her feed with him a little , and then farther reward her on the lure . if you would have your faulcon prove upwards and a high-flying hawk , you must let her fly with such as are so qualified . if the love the company of others , and is taught to hold in the head , then if the fowl be in pool , pit , or plash , cast off your high-flying hawk , and let him that hath your new-lur'd hawk get under the wind , and when he seeth his advantage , let him unhood her ; and if she bate , then it is to get up to the other hawk . let him then cast her off , and before she get up to the other near his full pitch , lay out the fowl : if she kill her game , reward her with the heart , and let her participate of the breast with the other hawks . to take your faulcon from going out to any check , thus you must do : if she hath kill'd a check , and hath fed thereon before you could come in , rebuke her not severely at first , but take her down to the lure , give her a bit or two , hood her , and fly her not in three or four days ; and if you do , let it be where no checks are : but if you come in before she hath tasted the check she hath killed , then take the gall of an hen , and anoint the breast of that check she hath killed , ( any other bitter thing will do ) and this will make her hate to go at check again . how to enseam a faulcon with her castings and scowrings . when you feed your faulcon , call and lure as if you called her to the lure , and every day profer her water , and every night give her castings accordingly as she endeweth . take off her hood frequently in company ; and that you may hinder her from bating , hold always the hood ready by the tassel in your hand . in the evening by candle-light take off her hood among company , until she rouze and mewt ; then set her on the pearch , and not before , setting a light before her . every faulcon ought to have a make-hawk to teach her to hold in the head : if that will not do , cut off some part of her two principals in each wing , the long feather and that next to it , which will force her to hold in . be sure to reward your hawk well at the beginning , and let her feed well on the quarry ; which will so encourage her , that she will have no fancy to go out to the check . when she is well in bloud and well quarried , then let her fly with other hawks . if you would make your faulcon to the crane , her lure should be a counterfeit crane . if you would make her to the hare , her lure should be then a hares skin stuft with some light matter : when she is well lured , and you would enter her , tie the hares skin so stuft to the end of a creance , and fasten it to your saddle-pummel , by which means when you gallop it will resemble a running hare : then unhood your hawk , and cry , back with the dogs , back with the dogs . when you find she hath seized it , let go your creance , and suffer her to fasten thereon ; then instantly reward her upon it , and encourage her as much as is possible . when she is well entred after this manner , take a living hare and break one of her hinder legs , and having before well acquainted your faulcon with your dogs by continual feeding among them , i say then put your hare out in some fair place with your dogs , and the faulcon will stoop and ruff her until the dogs may take her ; then take the hare from the dogs , and cast her out to the faulcon , crying , back , back there . if you would make your hawk flying to the partridge or pheasant after she is reclaimed and made , then every time you lure her , cast your lure into some low tree or bush , that she may learn to take the tree or stand : if she take the stand before she sees the lure , let her stand a while ; and afterwards draw the lure out before her , and cry with what words you have acquainted her to understand you by , and then reward her well . after this manner she will learn to take stand. feed her always on the ground , or in some thick place ; for in such places she must encounter with the pheasant at pearch . at first fly with her at young pheasant or partridge , to encourage her by advantage , and afterwards at the old . if a faulcon will not take stand , but keep on the wing , then must you fly her in plain places where you may always see her upon you . draw your faulcon out of the mew twenty days before you enseam her : if she truss and carry , the remedy is to cope her talons , her powlse and petty-single . never reward your hawk upon river-sowl but upon the lure , that she may the better love and esteem thereof . the crane ought to be flown at before sun-rising ; for she is a slothful bird , and you may cast off to her a cast or lease of faulcons , or a coshawk from the fist , without dogs . you must fly but once a day at the crane , after which you must reward your hawk very well , ever succouring her with a grey-hound , which is the best of dogs for that purpose . give your faulcon a beaching very early in the morning , and it will make her very eager to fly when it is time for it . if you would have her a high-flying hawk ; you must not feed her highly , but she should be fed nine days together before sun-rising , and at night late in the cool of the evening . the faulcon will kill the hern naturally if she be a peregrin or traveller : yet you will do well to give her trains . a faulcon may fly ten times in a day at a river , if the season be not extream ; but more is inconvenient . a hawk ought to have forty castings before she be perfectly made . and indeed all hawks ought to have castings every night , if you would have them clean and sound : for hawks which have not this continual nocturnal casting will be surcharged with abundance of superfluous humours , which ascending to the brain , bred so great a disturbance that they cannot fly so high as otherways they would . and it is good to give them tiring or plumage at night , especially field - hawks , but not river - hawks , for fear of weakning their backs . when your hawk hath flown or bated , feed her not so long as she panteth , ( but let her be first in breath again ; ) otherways you may bring her into a disease called the pantas . if a faulcon or other hawk will not seize nor gorge , take the quill of a wild-goose , and tie it under her long single ; then will she seize and gripe . when she beginneth to seize , take away the said quill , and she will seize long afterwards . if you cannot give covert to your faulcon or goshawk , then cast her off with the sun in her back . when you draw your hawk out of the mew , if she be greazie , ( which you shall know by her round fat thighs and her full body , the flesh being round , and as high as her breast-bone ) and if she be well mew'd , and have all her feathers summed , then give her at feeding-time in the morning two or three bits of hot meat ; and at night give her less , unless it be very cold ; and if she feed well and without compulsion , give her washt meat . thus prepared , take the wings of a hen for her dinner and wash them in two waters . in the morning give her the legs of a hen very hot , at noon meat temperately warm , a good gorge ; then let her fast till it be late in the evening . if she have put over her meat , and there is nothing left in her gorge , then give her warm meat , as in the morning . thus diet her till it be convenient to give her plumage , the which you may know by these tokens : first , the flesh of the end of the pinion of the hawk's wing will seem softer and tenderer than it did before she did eat washt meat . secondly , if her mewts be white , and the black thereof be very black , and not mingled with any other colour . lastly , if she be sharp set , and doth plume eagerly , you may give her casting either of a hare's or coney's foot , or the small feathers on the joynt of the wing of an old hen. having set her on the pearch , sweep clean underneath , that you may see whether the mewt be full of streaks , or skins , or slimy : if it be , then continue this sort of casting three or four nights together ; but if you find the feathers digested and soft , and that her casting is great , then take the neck of an old hen , and cut it between the joynts , then lay it in cold water , and give it your faulcon three nights together ; in the day-time give her washt meat , after this casting or plumage , as you shall see requisite : and this will bear all down into the pannel . when you have drawn her out of the mew , and her principal feathers are summed , give her no washt meats , but quick birds with good gorges , and set her out in open places . general instructions for an ostrager or faulconer . let his jesses and bewets be of good leather , having bells big and shrill according to the proportion of the hawk , with a hood that is bossed at the eyes , and sizable for the head. he must use his hawk in such manner , that he may make her grow familiar with him alone or in company , and to that end he must often unhood and hood her again . in nine nights the faulconer ought not to let his hawk jouk at all , nor suffer her to pearch , but keep her during that time continually on his fist. when the faulconer would call his hawk , let him set her on the pearch , unhood her , and shew her some meat within his fist , call her so long till she come to it , then feed her therewith : if she come not , let her stand without food till she be very sharp set . observe this order for about nine days . when you would lure her give her some man to hold , and call her with a lure well garnisht with meat on both sides , and give her a bit : use her to this six or seven days ; then cause her to be held farther from you , and cast the lure about your head , and throw it on the ground a little way from you : if she come to it roundly , reward her bountifully . having used her to this some certain days , take your lure garnished as aforesaid , and every day call her to you as far as it is possible for her to see or hear you , and let her be loose from all her furniture , without loins or creance . if she come freely , reward her , and stop her now and then in her feeding ; for that will make her come the better . you may do well to stop the lure upon her sometimes , and let her fly upon you . here note , it is requisite to bathe her before you take this course , lest when she is at liberty she rangle to see water , and in the mean time you lose your hawk ; wherefore bathe her every seven or eight days , for her nature requireth it . when you have thus manned , reclaimed , and lured your hawk , go out with her into the fields , and whistle her off your fist , stand still to see what she will do , and whether she will rake out or not : but if she fly round about you , as a good hawk ought to do , let her fly a turn or two , and fling her out the lure , and let her foot a chicken or pullet , and having killed it , let her feed thereon . unhood her often as you bear her ; continue so doing till she hath endewed and mewted sufficiently . your hawk being thus made and manned , go abroad with her every morning when it is fair , and let the place where you intend to fly her be plashy , or some narrow brook ; and when you cast her off , go into the wind so far , that the fowl may not discover you . when she is cast off , and beginneth to recover her gate , make then to the brook or plash where the fowl lie , always making your hawk to lean in upon you : and when you see her at a reasonable pitch , ( her head being in ) lay out the fowl , and land it if you can ; and if you cannot , take down your hawk , and let her kill some train ; to which end you must always carry some live fowl with you , as a duck , &c. and having slipt one of her wing feathers , thrust it through her nares , and cast her up as high as you can underneath your hawk that she may the better know your hand . if you would have your hawk fly at one particular fowl more than at another , you must then feed her well upon a train of the same kind , as thus : take a creance , and tie that fowl you would accustom her to fly to by the beak , with meat on her back , and cause one to stand close that shall hold the creance ; then standing afar off , unhood your hawk , and let the fowl be stirred and drawn with the creance until your hawk perceive it stir ; and if she foot it , make another train thus : take a living fowl that can fly , half seel it and cast it out ; then let your hawk fly to it ; and if she kill it , reward her well upon it . of the rammage-faulcon . if a faulconer chance to recover a rammage-hawk that was never handled before , let him immediately seel her , and at that instant put on her jesses made of soft leather ; at the end thereof fix two varvels , the one may bear your coat of arms , the other your name , that if she chance to be lost , they that take her up may know where to return her : put her on also a pair of bells with two proper bewets . having thus furnished her , you must begin her manning by gentle handling . to avoid the danger of her beak , you must have a smooth stick about half a foot in length , with which you must stroak your hawk about the pinions of her wings , and so downwards thwart her train . if she offer to snap at the stick , withdraw not your hand , and let her bite thereon , the hardness whereof will soon make her weary of that sport . if you would man her well , you should watch all the night , keeping her continually on your fist. you must teach her to feed seel'd ; and having a great and easie rufter-hood , you must hood and unhood her often , seel'd as she is , handling her gently about the head , coying her always when you unhood her , to the intent she may not be displeased with her keeper . let her plume and tire sometimes upon a wing on your fist , keeping her so day and night , without pearthing , until she be weary , and will suffer you to hood her without stirring . if your hawk be so rammage that she will not leave her snapping or biting , then take a little aloes succotrina , and when she offers to snap , give it her to bite ; the bitterness whereof will quickly make her leave that ill quality . garlick i have heard will do the like , the strong scent thereof being equally offensive . how to hood a hawk . having seel'd your hawk , fit her with a large easie hood , which you must take off and put on very often , watching her two nights , handling her frequently and gently about the head as aforesaid . when you perceive she hath no aversion to the hood , unseel her in an evening by candle-light ; continue handling her softly , often hooding and unhooding her , until she takes no offence at the hood , and will patiently endure handling . take this observation by the way , that it is the duty of a faulconer to be endowed with a great deal of patience ; and in the next place he ought to have a natural love and inclination to hawks ; without these two qualifications , all the professors of this art will prove mar-hawks instead of good faulconers . but to return where i left off : if your seel'd hawk feeds well , abides the hood and handling without striking or biting , then by candle-light in an evening unseel her , and with your finger and spittle anoint the place where the seeling-thread was drawn through ; then hood her , and hold her on your fist all night , often hooding , unhooding , and handling her , stroaking her gently about the wings and body , giving her sometimes a bit or two , also tiring or plumage . being well reclaimed , let her sit upon a pearch ; but every night keep her on the fist three or four hours , stroaking , hooding , and unhooding , &c. as aforesaid : and thus you may do in the day-time , when she hath learn'd to feed eagerly without fear . how to make a hawk know your voice , and her own feeding . having mann'd your hawk so that she feeds boldly , acquaint her with your voice , whistle , and such words as faulconers use : you may do it by frequently repeating them to her as she is feeding on your fist , &c. but i think the best way of making her acquainted with them , is by your experience and practice . when she feeds boldly , and knows your voice and whistle , then teach her to know her feeding , and to bate at it in this manner : shew her some meat with your right hand , crying and luring to her aloud ; if she bate or strike at it , then let her quickly and neatly foot it , and feed on it for four or five bits . do thus often , and she will know her feeding the better . after this , give her every night some casting either of feathers , or cotton with cloves or aloes wrapt up therein , &c. these castings make a hawk clean and eager . how to make your hawk bold and venturous . in the first place , to make her hardy , you must permit her to plume a pullet or large chicken in a place where there is not much light : her hood in a readiness , you must have either of the aforesaid alive in your hand ; then kneeling on the ground , luring and crying aloud to her , make her plume and pull the pullet a little ; then with your teeth drawing the strings , unhood her softly , suffering her to pluck it with her beak three or four times more ; then throw out the pullet on the ground , and encourage her to seize it . when you perceive she breaks it and takes bloud , you must lure and cry aloud to her , encouraging her all the ways imaginable : then hood her gently , and give her tiring of the wing or fóot of the said pullet . how to make a hawk know the lure . your hawk having three or four times thus killed a pullet or large chicken in some secret place , then thus reach her to know the lure . having fastned a pullet unto your lure , go apart , giving your hawk unto another , who must draw loose the strings of her hood in readiness : being gone a little way , take half the length of the string , and cast it about your head , luring with your voice at the same time ; then let your hawk be unhooded as you are throwing your lure a little way from her , not ceasing luring all the while . if she stoop to the lure and seize , suffer her to plume the pullet , still coying and luring with your voice ; then let her feed on the pullet upon the lure : after that , take her on your fist together with her meat , then hood her , and let her tire as aforesaid . and thus you may teach her to come by degrees to a very great distance . how to make a hawk flying . when your hawk or haggard-faulcon will come and stoop to the lure roundly without any fear or coyness , you must put her on a great pair of luring-bells ; the like you must do to a soar-hawk : by so much greater must the bells be , by how much your hawk is giddy-headed , and apt to rake out at check . that being done , and she sharp set , go in a fair morning into some large field on horseback , which field must be very little incumbred with wood or trees : having your hawk on your fist , ride up into the wind , and having loosned her hood , whistle softly to provoke her to fly ; and then you will observe she will begin to bate , or at least to flap with her flags and sails , and to raise her self on your fist : then suffer her until she rouze or mewt : when she hath done either of them , unhood her , and let her fly with her head into the wind ; for thereby she will be the better able to get upon the wing ; then will she naturally climbe upwards , flying in a circle . when she hath flown three or four turns , then cry and lure with your voice , casting the lure about your head , unto which you must first tie a pullet : and if your faulcon come in and approach near you , then cast out the lure into the wind ; and if she stoop to it , reward her as before . there is one great fault you will often find in the making of a hawk flying , and that is , when she flieth from the fist she will not get up , but take stand on the ground ; a frequent fault in soar-faulcons . you must then fright her up with your wand , riding in to her ; and when you have forced her to take a turn or two , take her down to the lure and feed her . but if this do no good , then you must have in readiness a duck seeled , so that she may see no way but backwards , and that will make her mount the higher . this duck you must hold by one of the wings near the body in your right hand , then lure with your voice to make your faulcon turn the head : when she is at a reasonable pitch , cast up your duck just under her , that she may perceive it : if she strike , stoop , or truss the duck , permit her to kill it , and reward her , giving her a reasonable gorge . use this custom twice or thrice , and your hawk will leave the stand , delighting on the wing , and will become very obedient . here note , that for the first or second time it is not convenient , to shew your hawk great or large fowl , for it often happens that they slip from the hawk into the wind ; the hawk not recovering them , raketh after them , which puts the faulconer to much trouble , and frequently occasions the loss of his hawk . but if it so chance that your hawk so rake out with a fowl that she cannot recover it , but gives it over and comes in again directly upon you , then cast out a seeled duck ; and if she stoop and truss it , cross the wings , and permit her to take her pleasure , rewarding her also with the heart , brains , tongue , and liver . for want of a quick duck , take her down with the dry lure , and let her plume a pullet , and feed her upon it . by so doing , your hawk will learn to give over a fowl that rakes out , and hearing the lure of the faulconer , will make back again to the river , and know the better to hold in the head. a flight for a haggard . when you intend a flight for a haggard , for the first , second , and third time , make choice of such a place where there are no crows , rooks , or the like , to take away all occasion of her raking out after such check . let her not fly out too far on head at the first , but run after and cry , why lo , why lo , to make her turn head. when she is come in , take her down with the lure , unto which must be fastned a live pullet , and let her tire , plume , and feed as aforesaid . sometimes a haggard out of pride and a gadding humour will rangle out from her keeper : then clog her with great luring-bells , and make her a train or two with a duck seeled , to teach her to hold in and know her keeper : take her down often with the dry lure , and reward her bountifully , and let her be ever well in bloud , or you may whoop for your hawk to no purpose . how to make a soar-faulcon or haggard kill her game at the very first . if she be well lured , flieth a good gate , and stoopeth well , then cast off a well-quaried hawk , and let her stoop a fowl on brook or plash , and watch her till she put it to the plunge : then take down your make-hawk reward her , hood her , and set her ; so you may make use of her if need require . then take your hawk un-entred , and going up the wind half a bow-shot , unloose her hood , and softly whistle her off your fist , until she have rouzed or mewted : then let her fly with her head into the wind , having first given notice or warning to the company to be in readiness against the hawk be in a good gate , and to shew water , and to lay out the fowl. when she is at a good pitch , and covering the fowl , then notifie that all the company make in at once to the brook upon the fowl , to land her : if your faulcon strike , stoop , or truss her game , run in to help her , and crossing the fowls wing , let her take her pleasure thereon . if she kill not the fowl at first stooping , give her then respite to recover her gate . when she hath got it , and her head in , then lay out the fowl as aforesaid , until you land it at last ; nor forgetting to help her as soon as she hath seized it , giving also her due reward . remedy for a hawk's taking stand in a tree . in the first place you must chuse such places where are no wood or trees , or as little as may be . if you cannot avoid it , then have two or three live trains , and give them to as many men , placing them conveniently for to use them . when therefore your hawk hath stooped , and endeavours to go to stand , let him to whom the hawk most bends cast out his train-duck seeled : if the hawk kill her , reward her therewith . if this course will not remedy that fault in her by twice or thrice so doing , my advice is then to part with the buzzard . how to help a hawk froward and coy through pride of grease . there is a scurvy quality in some hawks , proceeding from pride of grease , or being high kept , which is a disdainful coyness . such a hawk therefore must not be rewarded although she kill ; yet give her leave to plume a little ; and then let the faulconer take a sheeps-heart cold , or the leg of a pullet , and whilst the hawk is busie in pluming , let either of them be conveyed into the body of the fowl , that it may favour thereof ; and when the hawk hath eaten the brains , heart , and tongue of the fowl , then take out your inclosure , and call your hawk with it to your fist , and feed her therewith : after this give her some feathers of the neck of the fowl to scowr and make her cast . to make a hawk hold in her head , and not mind check . take a piece of a lease , and fasten it to your lure-string , the other end to the wing of a pidgeon , which you may put in and pull out of your hawking-bag at your conveniency : when you find your hawk apt to go out , shew your pidgeon . i would not have you use it often ; for it draws a hawk from her place if well flown . how to continue and keep a hawk in her high-flying . if your hawk be a stately high-flying hawk , you ought not to engage her in more flights than one in a morning : for often flying brings her off from her stately pitch . if she be well made for the river , fly her not above twice in a morning ; yet feed her up though she kill not . when a high-flying hawk being whistled to , gathers upwards to a great gate , you must continue her therein , never flying her but upon broad waters and open rivers ; and when she is at the highest , take her down with your lure ; where when she hath plumed and broken the fowl a little , then feed her up , and by that means you shall maintain your faulcon high-flying , inwards , and very fond of the lure . some will have this high-flying faulcon seldom to kill , and not to stoop : yet if she kill every day , although she stoop from a high gate , yet if she be not rebuked or hurt therewith , she will , i can assure you , become a higher flier every day than other ; but she will grow less fond of the lure . wherefore your high-flying hawks should be made inwards , it being a commendable quality in them to make in and turn head at the second or third toss of the lure , and when she poureth down upon it as if she had killed . and as the teaching of a faulcon , or any other hawk to come readily to and love the lure , is an art highly commendable , because it is the effect of great labour and industry : so it is the cause of saving many a hawk , which otherways would be lost irrecoverably . mark this by the way , that some naturally high-flying hawks will be long before they be made upwards , still fishing and playing the slugs ; and when they should get up to cover the fowl , they will stoop before the fowl be put out : and this may proceed from two causes . in the first place , she may be too sharp set , and in the next place , it may be she is flown untimely , either too soon or too late . when you see a hawk use those evil tatches without any visible cause , cast her out a dead fowl for a dead quarry , and hood her up instantly without reward , to discourage her from practising the like another time : half an hour afterwards call her to the lure and feed her , and serve her after this manner as often as she fisheth in that fashion . besides , to correct this errour , the faulconer ought to consult the natures and dispositions of his hawks , and should carefully observe which fly high when in good plight , and which best when they are kept low ; which when sharpest set , and which on the contrary in a mean between both ; which early at sun-rising , which when the sun is but two hours high ; which sooner , and which later in an evening . for know that the natures of hawks are different ; so are the time to fly each one : for to fly a hawk in her proper times , and to fly her out of it , is as disagreeable as the flight of a gerfaulcon and a buzzard . therefore the ostrager must fly his hawks according to their natures and dispositions , keeping them always in good order . where by the by take notice , all hawks , as well soar-hawks as mew'd-hawks and haggards , should be set out in the evening two or three hours , some more , some less , having respect to their nature as it is stronger or weaker ; and in the morning also according as they cast , hooding them first , and then setting them abroad a weathering , until you get on horseback to prosecute your recreation . a flight for the hern. this flight hath less of art in it than pleasure to the beholders ; and , to say the truth , the flight is stately and most noble . as it is less difficult to teach a hawk to fly at fowl than it is to come unto and love the lure , the first being natural , and not the last ; so there is less industry to be used in making a hawk fly the hern than water-fowl . to the first she is instigated by a natural propensity and inclination ; to the latter she is brought with art , pains , and much diligence . at the beginning of march herns begin to make their passage : if therefore you will adapt your faulcons for the hern , you must not let them fly longer at the river , and withal you must pull them down to make them light ; which is done by giving them hearts and flesh of lambs and calves , also chickens ; but give them no wild meats . to the intent you may acquaint them one with the other , so that they may the better fly the hern and help one another , you must call a cast of them to the lure at once ; but have a care they crab not together , for so they may endanger one another in their flight . when your hawk is scowred and clean and sharp set , you must then get a live hern , upon the upper part of whose long sharp bill you must place a joynt of a hollow cane , which will prevent her from hurting the hawk : that being done , tie the hern in a creance ; then setting her on the ground , unhood your hawk , who will fly the hern as soon as shee sees her . if she seize her , make in apace to succour her , and let her plume and take bloud of the hern : then take the brains , the marrow of the bones , and the heart , and laying it on your hawking-glove , give it your faulcon . after this , rip her breast , and let your hawk feed thereon till she be well gorged : this being done , hood her up upon the hern , permitting her to plume at her pleasure ; then take her on your fist , and let her tire on the foot or pinion . because herns are not very plentiful , you may preserve one for a train three or four times , by arming bill , head , and neck , and painting it of the same colour that the hern is of : and when the faulcon seizeth her , you must be very nimble to make in , and deceive her by a live pidgeon clapt under the wing of the hern for the faulcon , which must be her reward . the hawk having thus several times taken her train without discovery of the delusion , you may then let the hern loose in some fair field without a greance , or without arming her : when she is up of a reasonable height , you may cast off your faulcon ; who if she bind with the hern and bring her down , then make in apace to rescue her , thrusting the hern's bill into the ground , and breaking his wings and legs , that the hawk may with more ease plume and foot him . then reward her as before , with the brains , marrow of the bones , and heart , making thereof an italian soppa . thus much of a train-hern . now to fly the wild hern , it is thus : if you find a wild hern at siege , win in as nigh unto her as you can , and go with your hawk under the wind ; and having first loosed her hood in a readiness , as soon as the hern leaveth the siege , off with her hood , and let her fly . if she climb to the hern and bring her down , run in ( as i said before ) to rescue her , thrusting her bill into the ground , breaking her wings and legs , and rewarding her as aforesaid on your hawking-glove . now if your faulcon beat not down the hern , or do give him over , never fly your faulcon again at a hern , unless with a make-hawk well entred ; for the coward by this means , seeing another fly at the hern and bind with her , takes fresh courage . and if they kill the hern flying both together , then must you reward them both together while the quarry is hot , making for them a soppa as aforesaid . this is the onely way to make them both bold and perfect herners . of the haggard-faulcon , why so called ; her good shape and properties : and what difference there is between a haggard and a faulcon-gentle . the haggard is by some called the peregrin-faulcon , because , say some , she is brought from a country forrein and remote ; and therefore others call them travellers , or passengers . but if there be no other reason for the name but this , all other hawks coming from exotick places might borrow that appellation . upon a threefold consideration , i conceive they are called haggard or peregrin-faulcons . first , because their eyrie was never found in any country by any man that ever i could hear or read of . secondly , because these faulcons rangle and wander more than other faulcon doth , still seeking strange and forreign coasts ; so that where-ever they come they may be justly called peregrins or forreigners . thirdly , and lastly , she never takes up her habitation long in a place . this haggard is not inferiour to any other faulcon , but very tender , and cannot endure hard weather , say some ; but my experience hath found it otherwise . the reason that may be alleadged is this ; first , she travels far , as a stranger , and comes into countries commonly in the hardest time of the year : next , she is a hot hawk , which may be gathered from her high flying , where the air is much colder than below , and therefore ought to be more hardy : lastly , she meweth with more expedition ( if she once begin to cast her feathers ) than other faulcons do . they are of shape like other faulcons ; but as to mould they are of three sorts , large , middle-siz'd , and little ; some long-shaped , some short-trussed ; some larger , some less . they have a fourfold mail , blank , russet , brown and turtle . the goodness of her shape consists in having her head plum'd dark or blank , flat on the top with a white wreath environing the same , a large blue bending beak , wide nares , a great black full eye , high stately neck , large breast , broad shoulders , a great turtle-coloured feather , long veins and sails , but slender shaped , a long train , high thighs , and white on the pendant feathers , a large wide foot , with slender stretchers , and talons tending somewhat to an azure colour . you may know her in her flight from another by the stirring of her wings ; for she useth no thick stroak , but getteth up to her mountee leisurely , without any great making out : besides she may be known by her extraordinary large sails . the differences between the haggard and faulcon-gentle are these : first , the haggard is larger , being longer-armed with longer beak and talons , having a higher neck , with a long and fair-seasoned head. secondly , her beam-feathers in flight are longer than the faulcon-gentle's , her train somewhat larger : again , the haggard hath a flat thigh , and the other 's is round . thirdly , the haggard will lie longer on the wing . fourthly , the haggard at long flight exceeds the faulcon-gentle ; which last fleith with more speed from the fist than the other . for maintenance of flight and goodness of wing the haggard exceeds all other hawks . fifthly , and lastly , the haggard is more deliberate and advised in her stooping than the faulcon-gentle , who is more hot and hasty in her actions , and missing the fowl , is apt presently to fly on head at the check . of the barbary-faulcon . the barbary , or , as some call her , the tartaret-faulcon , is a bird seldom found in any country , and is called a passenger as well as the haggard . they are somewhat lesser than the tiercel-gentle , and plum'd red under the wings , strong-armed , with long talons and stretchers . the barbary-faulcon is venturously bold , and you may fly her with the haggard all may and june . they are hawks very slack in mewing at first ; but when once they begin , they mew their feathers very fast . they are called barbary-faulcons , because they make their passage through that country and tunis , where they are more frequently taken than in any other place , namely in the isles of the levant , candy , cyprus , and rhodes . in my opinion , she is a hawk of not much value , and therefore i shall leave her , to speak of another of greater reputation . of the gerfaulcon . the gerfaulcon is a very fair hawk , and of great force , especially being mewed : she is strong-armed , having long stretchers and singles ; she is fierce and hardy of nature , and therefore difficultly to be reclaimed . she is a lovely bird to behold , larger than any kind of faulcon : her eyes and head are like the haggard's . her beak is great and bending : she hath large nares , and a mail like a lanner's ; her sails are long and sharp-pointed ; her train much like the lanner's ; she hath a large foot marble-seared , and is plumed blank , brown , and russet . she expects great civility from her keeper , who must exercise a great deal of patience on her . the gerfaulcon's eyrie is in some parts of prussia , and on the borders of russia ; and some come from the mountains of norway , and from germany : these may be also called passengers . by reason of the fierceness and hardiness of this bird , she is very hardly manned and reclaimed ; but being once overcome , she proves an excellent hawk , and will scarce refuse to fly at any thing . their beaks are blue , so are the sears of their legs and feet , having pounces and talons very long . these hawks do not fly the river , but always from the fist fly the herns , shovelers , &c. in going up to their gate they do not hold that course or way which others do ; for they climbe up upon the train when they find any fowl , and as soon as they have reacht her they pluck her down , if not at the first , yet at the second or third encounter . you must feed and reward them like other faulcons . they are very crafty , and covet to keep their castings long through sloth ; therefore instead of cotton give them a casting of tow , and be sure to keep them sharp set . in the manning and reclaiming you must by kindness make her gentle and familiar with you . when you have taught her to be lured loose , then learn her to come to the pelts of hens , or any other fowl : but let her not touch any living flesh , for fear that draw her love away from your voice and hand . all this time you must be close by her , about her , and upon your knees , using your voice unto her , with her dinner and supper clean drest and washt , giving her still some bits thereof with your hand , that she may the more delight therein . by doing thus frequently you will so win her , that should she be guilty of carrying , yet by this means she will be reclaimed , and forget that errour . let the ostrager have especial care how he make his gerfaulcon at first , and indeed all other hawks ; for as they are made then , he shall ever find them after ; and if they are well made , they are twice made , and for ever made : and therefore have a care of two much precipitation in posting them forward from one lesson to another , before they are perfect in any thing . if you train her with doves , she will not carry a feather from you . but first before you spring her any doves , let her kill four or five at lure close by your foot , having a pair of short creances at your lure . here note , that the gerfaulcon is most desired for her high-flying , and is best at hern and the mountee : and that you may bring her to perfection herein , play with your entermewed gerfaulcon the first year , shewing her all imaginable kindness , and using all possible means to make her love you . when you have brought her forward , give her often castings to cleanse and purge her , also to prevent the growth of too much glut and fatness in her inward parts , which will indanger her life . of the saker . the saker is a passenger or peregrin-hawk , for her eyrie hath not been found by any . they are found in the isles of the levant , cyprus , rhodes , and candia , and in several other islands in the sea. she is somewhat larger than the haggard-faulcon ; her plume is rusty and ragged ; the sear of her foot and beak like the lanner ; her pounces are short , however she hath great strength , and is hardy to all kind of fowl. she is more disposed to the field a great deal than to the brook , and delights to prey on great fowl , as the hern , the goose , &c. as for the crane , she is not so free to fly at her as the haggard-faulcon . the saker is good also for lesser fowl , as pheasant , partridge , &c. and is nothing so dainty of her diet as hawks long-winged . this hawk will make excellent sport with a kite , who , as soon as she sees the saker ( the male whereof is called a sakaret ) cast off , immediately betakes her self to , and trusts in the goodness of her wings , and getteth to her pitch as high as possibly she may , by making many turns and wrenches in the air : which if well observed , together with the variety of contests and bickerings that are between them , it cannot but be very pleasant and delightful to the beholder . i have known in a clear day and little wind stirring , that both the saker and kite have soar'd so high that the sharpest eye could not discern them , yet hath the saker in the encounter conquered the kite , and i have seen her come tumbling down to the ground with a strange precipitancy . of all birds the saker hath the longest train . this hawk will fly at hern , kite , pheasant , partridge , quail , and sometimes at the hare ; but her chiefest excellency consists in her flying at the crane . now because we have but few of them in england , i shall desist from speaking farther of the saker , onely that she is made to the lure as other hawks are : and indeed all faulcons are made after the same manner , yet are not flown withal alike ; for sakers , lanners , gerfaulcons , mylions , and merlins do not fly the river ; if any do , it is very rarely . of the lanner , lanneret , and tunisian . the lanner is a hawk common in all countries , especially in france , making her eyrie on high trees in forrests , or on high cliffs near the sea-side . she is lesser than the faulcon-gentle , fair-plumed when an enter-mewer , and of shorter talons than any other faulcon . those who have the largest and best-seasoned heads are the best lanners . with the lanner or lanneret you may fly the river ; and both are very good also for the land. they are not very choice in their food , and can better away with gross victuals than any other hawk . mew'd lanners are hardly known from the soar-hawks , ( and so likewise the saker ) because they do not change their plume . you may know the lanners by these three tokens . . they are blanker hawks than any other . . they have less beaks than the rest . . and lastly , they are less armed and pounced than other faulcons . of all hawks there is none so fit for a young faulconer as the lanner , because she is not inclined to surfeits , and seldom melts grease by being over-flown . there are a sort of lanners which eyrie in the alps , having their heads white and flat aloft , large and black eyes , slender nares , short and thick beaks , and lesser than the haggard or faulcon-gentle . some are indifferent large , some less , and others middle-sized . their mail is marble or russet ; their breast-feathers white and full of russet spots ; the points and extremities of their feathers full of white drops ; their sails and train long : they are short leg'd , with a foot less than that of a faulcon , marble-seer'd ; but being mew'd the seer changeth to a yellow . the lanner never lieth upon the wing after she hath flown to mark , but after once stooping she maketh a point , and then , like the goshawk , waits the fowl. if she miss at the first down-fall and kill not , she will consult her advantage to her greatest ease . these kind of hawks are highly prized in france and italy , neither is she despiseable in england ; but we look upon them as slothful and hard-metled : and therefore if you intend to have any good of her , keep a strict hand over her ; for she is of an ungrateful disposition , and will slight your kindnesses , contrary to the nature of the faulcon-gentle , who for one good usage will return a treble courtesie , and the better she is rewarded , the better she will fly . they are flown at field or brook , and are hawks that maintain long flights , whereby much fowl is killed ( and more than by a better hawk ) by reason of dogs and hawking-poles . if you will fly with a lanner , you must keep her very sharp : and because they keep their castings long , by reason they are hard-metled hawks , give them therefore hard castings made of tow and knots of hemp. in the reclaiming the lanner and the lanneret much pains and labour must be taken , and the chiefest thing is to make her well acquainted with the lure , which must be garnished with hard washt meat , and let her receive the major part of her reward in bits from your hand : as for the rest of her training , take the same course which i have directed in the manning and ordering of the haggard-faulcon . but above all take pains to stay her , and by your utmost art restrain her from dragging or carrying any thing from you , to which ill quality she is more inclined than any other hawk whatever . to conclude this chapter , i come next to the tunisian-faulcon , which is not much different in nature from the lanner , yet somewhat less , but in foot and plume much alike . she hath a large round head , and is more creese than the lanner , and more heavy and sluggish in her flight . she is called a tunisian-faulcon , from tunis the metropolis of barbary , the country where she usually makes her eyrie . they are excellent hawks for the river , lying long upon the wing , and will fly the field also very well . they naturally delight to seize upon the hare , and will strike boldly at her . much more might be said of her , which i here omit , she being a hawk not very common in england . having cursorily discourst in as good a method as i could of the seven sorts of faulcons , with their manning , reclaiming , luring , training , staying , &c. i shall proceed to give you an account of some other hawks , which i propounded and promised in the beginning of this treatise : take them thus in order . of the merlin . the merlin in plume is much like the haggard-faulcon , also in the sear of the foot , beak , and talons , and is much alike in conditions . a merlin well mann'd , lur'd , and carefully lookt after , will prove an excellent hawk . their flight is swifter than any other hawk , and naturally they flie at partridge , thrush , and lark . it is a bird very busie and unruly , and therefore the faulconer ought to take special heed and care of them , lest unnaturally they eat off their own feet and talons , which several of them have been known to do , and die thereby . for which cause , merlins ought not to be mew'd or intermew'd , because in the mew they often spoil themselves . she is accounted a hawk of the fist , and not of the lure ; but to my knowledge she may be brought to love the lure very well . she is very venturous and hardy , which may appear by her flying at birds as big or bigger than her self , with such eagerness , as that she will pursue them even into a town or village . if you will flie with a merlin at a partridge , chuse the formal , which is the female . the jack is not worth the training . when you have made her to the lure , and that she will patiently endure the hood , then make her a train with a partridge : if she foot and kill it , reward her well , suffering her to take her pleasure thereon . after this , fly her at the wild partridge ; if she take or mark it at first or second flight , being retrieved by the spaniels , feed her upon it with a reasonable gorge , chearing her with your voice in such manner that she may know it another time . if she prove not hardy at first train , try her with a second or third : if she prove not then , she will prove nothing worth . if you fly the merlin at lark or linnet , let it be with a cast of merlins at once , because they love to fly in company : besides , it is a greater delight to the spectators to see them fly together ; you shall observe the one climb to the mountee above the lark , and the other to lie low for her best advantage . when your merlin is throughly manned and made gentle , ( which you must bring to pass according to the method propounded for other hawks ) i say , when she is reclaimed , you may then carry her into the fields ; where having found a lark or linnet , get as near as you can into the wind to the bird ; and as soon as the bird riseth from the ground , unhood your cast of merlins and cast them off , and when they have beaten down the lark , let them feed a little thereon . there is a sort of larks which i would not advise the faulconer to fly at , and they are called cut-larks , which do not mount as the long-spur'd field-lark , but fly straight forward , to the endangering the loss of your hawk without any pastime or pleasure . of the mewing of merlins , faulcons , gerfaulcons , and mylions at stock or at large : and which is the best way of mewing . it is the opinion of some , ( but how commendable , i will leave the reader to judge ) that merlins cannot be mew'd , or if they be , that they are very rarely good afterwards . experience tells me the contrary : for if they be hardy , and have flown well in their soarage , they have proved much better after mewing than before . the time of mewing for faulcons should be about the latter end of april ; at which time set down your faulcons , diligently observing whether they be louzy or not : if they are , pepper them , and that will infallibly kill the lice . you must also scour them , before you cast them into the mew . mewings are of two sorts ; the one loose and at large , the other at the stock or stone . mewing at large is thus in short : if your room be large , by divisions you may mew four faulcons at once , each partition consisting of about twelve foot square , and as much in height , with two windows two foot broad , the one opening to the north , for the benefit of cold air ; the other to the east , for the beneficial warmth of the sun. at your east-window let there be a board two foot broad , even with the bottom of the window , with a lath or ledge round ; in the middle set a green turff , laying good store of gravel and stones about it , that your hawk may take them at her pleasure . if your faulcon be a great bater , let your chamber be on the ground , which must be covered four fingers thick with gross sand , and thereon set a stone somewhat taper , of about a cubit in height , on which they love to sit , by reason of its coolness . make her two perches , at each window one , to recreate her self as she pleaseth , either with heat or cold. every week or fortnight set her a bason of water to bathe in ; and when she hath bathed therein , take it away the night following . your mew must have a portal to convey in the hack , a thing whereon the meat is served . i need not prescribe the manner how to make it , since it is a thing so generally known already . you ought to keep one set-hour in feeding ; for so will she mew sooner and better : when she hath fed and gorged her self , then remove the stick from the hack on which the meat was fastened , to keep her from dragging it into the mew . in the opinion of most , it is better mewing at the stock or stone , which must be performed thus : make choice of a ground-room remote from noise or concourse of people , and therein set a table of what length you think is most convenient for the number of your faulcons , and of about six foot in breadth , with thin boards along the sides and ends , about four fingers high from the superficies of the table , which must stand on tressels about three foot high from the ground . let this table be covered indifferently thick with great sand mixt with small pebbles , in the midst whereof place a pyramidal free-stone about a yard in height , unto which tye your faulcon , gerfaulcon , merlin or mylion : then take a small cord of the bigness of a bow-string , and put it through a ring or swivel , and bind it about the stone in such sort that the swivel may go round the stone without let or hindrance , and thereunto tye the lease of your hawk . here note , that if you mew more than one hawk in one room , you must set your stones at that distance , that when they bate they may not crab one another . the reason of placing this stone is , because the faulcon delights to sit thereon for its coolness sake , and the little gravelly stones the hawk frequently swallows to cool her within . the sand is necessary to preserve their feathers when they bate , and their mewets are the more easily cleansed . the little gord with the swivel tyed about the stone , is to keep the hawk from tangling when she bateth , because the ring will still follow her . all day let your hawk stand hooded , onely when you take her on your fist to feed : at night unhood her ; and lest any accident should happen in the night , prejudicial to the hawk , the faulconer ought to lie in the mew . of the hobby . the hobby is a hawk of the lure , and not of the fist , and is a high flier , and is in every respect like the saker , but that she is a much lesser bird. the hobby hath a blue beak , but the seer thereof and legs are yellow : the crinets or little feathers under her eye are very black ; the top of her head is betwixt black and yellow , and she hath two white seams on her neck ; the plumes under the gorge and about the brows , are reddish , without spot or drop ; the breast-feathers are brown for the most part , yet powdered with white spots ; her back , train , and wings are black aloft , having no great scales upon the legs , unless it be a few beginning behind the three stretchers and pounces , which are very large in respect of her short legs ; her brail-feathers are engouted betwixt red and black ; the pendant-feathers ( which are those behind the thigh ) are of a rusty smoaky complexion . the daring hobby may be well called so , for she is nimble and light of wing , and dares encounter kites , bazzards , or crows , and will give souse for souse , blow for blow , till sometimes they seize and come tumbling down to the ground both together . they are chiefly for the lark , which poor little creature so dreads the sight of a hobby soaring in the air over her , that she will rather chuse to commit her self to the mercy of man or dogs , or to be trampled on by horses , than venture her self into that element where she sees her mortal enemy soaring . the hobby makes excellent sport with nets and spaniels , which is performed after this manner . the dogs range the field to spring the fowl , and the hobbies soar over them alost in the air : the silly birds , fearing a conspiracy between the hawks and dogs to their utter destruction , dare not commit themselves to their wings , but think it safer to lie close to the ground , and so are taken in the nets . this sport is called daring . of the goshawk . there are several sorts of goshawks , and they are different in goodness , force , and hardiness , according to the diversity of their choice in cawking : at which time when hawks begin to fall to liking , all birds of prey do assemble themselves with the goshawk , and flock together . the female is the best : and although there be some goshawks which come from sclavonia , sardinia , lombardy , russia , puglia , germany , armenia , persia , greece , and africa ; yet there are none better than those which are bred in the north parts of ireland , as in the province of ulster , but more especially in the county of tyrone . take these rules as to the goodness of her proportion or shape . she ought to have a small head , her face long and straight , a large throat , great eyes , deep set , the apple of the eye black , nares , ears , back , and feet large and blank ; a black long beak , long neck , big breast , hard flesh , long thighs , fleshy , the bone of the leg and knee short , long large pounces and talons . from the stern or train to the breast forward she ought to grow round : the feathers of the thighs towards the train should be large , and the train-feathers short , soft , and somewhat tending to an iron mail. the brayl-feathers ought to be like those of the breast , and the covert-feathers of the train should be spotted and full of black rundles ; but the extremity of every train-feather should be black streaked . the sign of force in a goshawk is this : tye divers of them in several places of one chamber or mew , and that hawk that doth slise and mewt highest and farthest off from her , is without question the strongest hawk ; for the high and far mewting argues a strong back . i might tell you the ill shape of a goshawk ; but since i have declared the good , the bad may be collected from thence : contraria contrariis dignoscunter . however take this general rule , that goshawk that hath pendant plumes over her eyes , the whites whereof are waterish and blank , that is red-mail'd or bright tawny , hath the most assured tokens of a hawk that is ill conditioned . the goshawk preyeth on the pheasant , mallard , wild-goose , hare , and coney ; nay , she will venture to seize on a kid or goat ; which declareth the inestimable courage and valour of this hawk . she ought to be kept with great care , because she is very choice and dainty , and looks to have a nice hand kept over her . how to make the soar or haggard goshawk . first trim them with jesses , bewets , and bells , as soon as they come to your hands ; keep them seeled some time , hooding and unhooding them often , teaching them to feed on the fist three or four days , or till they have left their rammageness and become gentle : having so done , unseel them by candle-light at night , causing them to tire or plume upon a wing or leg of a pullet ; and be sure to deal gently and mildly with them until you have won and throughly manned them : then you may go into some pleasant field , and first give them a bit or two hooded on your fist , and the like unhooded , cast them down fair and softly on some pearch , and make them come from it to your fist , calling to them with a faulconer's usual terms ; and when they come , feed them , calling all the while in the same manner to make them acquainted with your voice . the next day you may call them with a creance at a farther distance , feeding them as before . when you have thus called your goshawk abroad three or four days , and that you find her grow cunning , then take her on your fist , and mount on horseback , and ride with her an hour or two , unhooding and hooding her sometimes , giving her a bit or two in sight of your spaniels , that she may not be afraid of them : this being done , set her on a tree with a short greance tied to her loins , and going half a score yards from her on horseback , call her to your fist according to art ; if she come , reward her with two or three bits , and cast her up again to the tree : then throw out a dead pullet ( to which she was used before ) about a dozen yards from her ; if she fly to it and seize it , let her feed three or four bits upon it ; ride the mean while about her on horseback , and rate back your spaniels , because they shall not rebuke her at first , and make her ever after afraid of them : then alight , and gently take her on your fist , feed her , hood her , and let her plume or tire . here note , that the goshawk is a greater poulterer , and therefore it would be more requisite to throw out a dead partridge , or one made artificially with its wing , tail and plumage ; which will cause her to know partridge better , and poultry less . how to make a goshawk fly to the partridge . having manned your goshawk , go into the field with her , carrying with you a train-partridge , and unhooding your hawk , bear her as gently as you can ; and you will do well to let her plume or tire , for that will make her the more eager . if the partridge spring , let her fly : if she mark one , two , three , or more on the ground , then go to her and make her take pearch on some tree thereby : then if you can retrive the partridge with your spaniels , as soon as they spring it you must cry , howit , howit , and retrive it the second time , crying when it springeth as aforesaid : if your hawk kill it , feed her upon it . if it so happen your spaniels should take it ( as it is very frequent for hot spaniels to light upon the partridge , being either flown out of breath , or overcharged with fear ) then alight from your horse , and taking it speedily from the dogs , cast it out to your hawk crying , ware hawk , ware , and let her feed thereon at her pleasure . after this you must not fly her in two days : for having fed on bloudy meat , she will not so soon be in good case to fly again ; for such meat is not so easily endewed by a hawk as the leg of a chicken or the like , using her thus three or four times , she will be well in bloud , and become an excellent flier at this pleasant field flight . here note , that you must do at first with her as with other hawks , that is , feel and watch her , and win her to feed , to the hood , to the fist , &c. and then enter her to young partridges till november , at which time both trees and fields become bare and empty : then you may enter her to the old rewen , setting her short and eager ; if she kill , feed her up with the partridge three or four times , and this will bring her to perfection . if your hawk be a good partridger , let her not fly at the powt or pheasant , for they fly not so long a flight as the partridge ; and therefore the goshawk , being more greedy of prey than any other hawk , ( yet desirous of ease , would always covet short flights , not caring to hold out : not but that there are some good both for long and short flights , but they are rarely sound . besides , you must have a great care in keeping them in good order , with flying , bathing , weathering , tiring , and pluming . how to help a goshawk that turneth tail to tail , and giveth over her game . it is usual for a goshawk to fly at a partridge , yet neither kill it , nor fly it to mark , but to turn tail to tail ; that is having flown it a bow-shot or more , she giveth over her game , and takes a tree : then must you call in your spaniels to the retrieve that way your hawk flew the partridge ; let the faulconer draw himself that way also , and carrying with him a quick partridge , let him cast it out to her , which will make her believe it is the same she flew at . when you cast it out , cry , ware hawk , ware ; make her seize it , and feed her upon it : and this will encourage her to fly out her flight another time . if the next time you fly her ( which must be the third day ) she serve you so again , then must you do as aforesaid with alive partridge carried about you for that purpose : if she serve you so the third time , i would advise you to rid your hands of her as soon as you can . how to make a goshawk fly quickly . the goshawk ( especially soars and niasses ) are very loving to and fond of man , and therefore should be flown with a little more rammage , else frequently , after two or three stroaks with their wings , they will give over the flight , and return to the keeper : wherefore you must fly with them as soon as you can . and yet there is an evil which attends this direction , and that is , by flying over-soon you will pull down your hawk and make her poor , from whence proceeds fearfulness and cowardise . to remedy which , you must give your hawk some respite , and set her up again before you fly her . there are some goshawks ( but very few ) which will not fly when they are in good plight : then must you bate their flesh , and pinch them with scouring , washt meat , and the like . but the best way of flying such an one is when she is lusty and high : and to adde to her vivacity and courage , let her be set abroad in the morning an hour or two , when the weather is not very cold ; for being so weather'd , when she hath flown a partridge to the mark , she will not away until it be retrieved by the spaniels . how to fly a goshawk to the river . a goshawk ( but no tiercel ) may fly the river at mallard , duck , goose , or hern , with other large water-fowl : she is made for that purpose after this manner . first , make her to the fist , as is prescribed in her making to the field : then carry her into the field without bells , and with a live duck , which you must give to one of the company , who must hide himself in some ditch or pit with the duck tied to a creance : then must you draw near him with your hawk unhooded on your fist , and giving him some private notice to throw out the duck , cast off your hawk ; and if she take it at the source , let him reward and feed her with a reasonable gorge : then take her upon your fist and hood her , permitting her to tire and plume upon the leg or wing of the duck. the third day go again with her into the field in like manner , or else find out some plash or pool where wild-fowl lie , taking the advantage of the rising bank : being near the fowl , let some of the company raise them up , and your hawk being unhooded , cast her off ; if she kill any of them at source , make in to her quickly , and cross the fowl's wings , so that she may foot and plume it at her pleasure , rewarding her as before . after this , take her on your fist , and let her tire and plume the leg or wing of the fowl aforesaid . when your goshawk is throughly nouzled , and well in bloud , you may fly her twice a day or oftner , rewarding her as before . an excellent way to preserve a goshawk in the time of her flying , especially in hot weather . take a pint of red-rose-water , put it into a bottle , bruise one stick or two of green liquorish and put in it likewise a little mace , and the quantity of a wallnut of sugar-candy , and draw her meat through it twice or thrice a week , as you shall find occasion : it prevents the phantass , and several diseases they are subject to : besides , it gives a huge breath , and gently scoureth her . how to fly the wild-goose or crane with the goshawk . having mann'd your goshawk , brought her to the fist , and train'd her with a goose in the field , then seek out where wild-geese , cranes , or other large wild-fowl lie : having found them afar off , alight and carry your hawk unhooded behind your horse , stalking towards them until you have got pretty nigh them , holding down your hawk covert under the horse's neck or body , yet so that she may see the fowl : then you must raise them , and casting off your hawk , if she kill , reward her . and thus she may kill four or five in a day . in like manner , you may make her to the crane , and may stalk to fowl which lie in ponds or pits as aforesaid . here note , that if you can fly at great , slight the lesser flights , which will make your hawk the bolder . how to mew a goshawk , and draw her out of the mew , and make her flying . having flown with a goshawk , tiercel , soar , or haggard till march , give her some good quarry in her foot , and having seen her clean from lice , cut off the buttons of her jesses , and throw her into the mew ; which room should be on the ground , and scituated towards the north , if possible . let the pearches therein be lined with canvas or cotton ; for otherwise by hurting her foot she may get the gout or pynn . let the mew have also a window towards the east , and another northward . there must be also a bason of water in the mew for bathing , which must be shifted every three days . feed your hawk with pigeons , or else with the hot flesh of weather-mutton . about the beginning of october , if you find your goshawk fair mew'd and hard penn'd , then give her chickens , lambs-hearts , or calves-hearts , for about twenty days together , to scour her , and make her slise out the slimy substance and glitt out of her pannel , and enseam her . having done thus , some evening draw her out of the mew , and new furnish her with jesses , bells , bewets , and all other things needful for her : then keep her seel'd two or three days , till she will endure the hood patiently ; for mewed hawks are as impatient of the hood as those newly taken . when you have won her to endure the hood , then in an evening by candle-light you may unseel her , and the next day shew her the fist and glove , making her to tire and plume morning and evening , giving her sometimes in the morning ( when her gorge is empty ) a little sugar-candy , which will help her in an excellent manner to endew . when you find your goshawk feed eagerly , and that you think in your judgement she is enseamed , and that you may boldly fly with her , then go with her into the field ; she will then bate , ( if empty ) and fly of her own accord : if she kill , feed and reward her ; but if she fly to the mark with a partridge , then must you retrive it , and serve her as afore declared . some general observations for an ostrager or falconer in keeping and reclaiming a goshawk . it frequently happens that a goshawk or tiercel , where good in their soarage , become worse after they are mewed : and the reason may be , because she was not cherished nor encouraged , to make her take delight in her soarage . for in a manner the major part of a faulconer's skill consists in coying and kind usage of his hawk , so cherishing her that she may take delight in her flight . at the first entring of his hawk he ought always to have a train-partridge in his bag , to serve her with when need requires , to purchase her love : and let him take such observations which may keep his hawk always in good order . as first , he must know naturally all goshawks are full of moist humours , especially in the head , and therefore let him ply them with tiring and pluming morning and evening ; for that will open them in the head , and make them cast water thereat . let the goshawk's tiring be a rum of beef , a pinion or the leg of a chicken , given by the fire , or in the warm sun : this not onely opens her head , but keeps her from slothfulness in good exercise . give her every night casting of feathers or cotton , and in the morning mark whether it be wrought round or not , whether sweet or not , whether moist or dry , and of what colour the water is that drops out of the casting : by these means he shall know what condition his hawk is in . he also ought to regard her mewts , to see whether they be clean or not , and give remedies accordingly . he ought also to consider the season ; for in cold weather he must set his hawk in some warm place where fire is made ; he must line the pearch with canvas or cotton , and must set it so far from the wall that the hawk hurt not her feathers when she bateth . if the weather be temperate , he may then set her in the sun-shine for an hour or two in the morning . let no hens or poultry come near the place where your hawk doth pearch ; and in the spring offer her water every week , or else she will soar away from you when she flieth , and you may go look her . if your hawk bathe her self spontaneously in cold weather after her flight , go presently to the next house and weather her with her back to the fire , and not her gorge , for that will make her sick : and dry your hawk if you have carried her in the rain . a good faulconer will always keep his hawk high and lusty , yet so that she may be always in a condition to fly best . also he must keep his hawk clean , and her feathers whole : and if a feather be broken or bruised , he must presently imp it ; and to that end he must have his imping-needles , his semond , with other instruments always in readiness . the first year it is most requisite to fly your goshawk to the field , and not to the covert ; for so they will learn to hold out , and not turn tail in the midst of their slight : and when they are mewed hawks , you may make them do what you will : and it is better to let her be a little rammage than to be overmanned . her feeding is best on hot meats : and if you would instruct her to kill great fowl , make her trains thereof ; and if you would have her continue those flights , never fly her at less , for that will take her off from them and spoil her . if you will make her to fly with a dog to assist her , then feed your hawk with great fowl , and your dogs with flesh tied under their wings . if you train your hawk with them , rewarding her upon the train , and your dog with her , this will make them acquainted together . thus continue doing till your dog throughly knows his duty : and be sure to keep your dog tied up ; for if you let him go loose , it will spoil the best dog that is : and never give him a reward , but when he maketh in at such fowls to rescue the hawk . call your goshawk to no other thing than your fist , and oftentimes spurt good wine on your goshawks sears : and note , that in all her distempers sweet things are best to be administred in her medicines . of the sparrow-hawk . the last hawk which we shall treat of , is the sparrow-hawk ; of which there are several kinds , and of different plumes . for the kinds , there is the sclavonian , calabrian , corsican , german , vicentian , and veronian , alpisan , sabbean , and bergamascan , in the black vale near the confines of valtolina . it is needless to give you a particular account of them . their plumes are different : some are small plumed and blank hawks , others of a larger feather , some plumed like the quail , some brown or canvas-mail'd , and others have just thirteen feathers in their train , &c. to be short , this character i mav justly give the sparrow-hawk in general , that she is in her kind , and for that game her strength will give her leave to kill , a very good hawk . besides , he that knows how to man , reclaim , and fly with a sparrow-hawk , may easily know how to keep and deal with all other hawks . and herein lieth an excellency in the sparrow-hawk , she serves both for winter and summer with great pleasure , and will fly at all kind of game more than the faulcon . if the winter - sparrow-hawk prove good , she will kill the pie , the chough , the jay , wood-cock , thrush , black-bird , felfare , with divers other birds of the like nature . how to make a sparrow-hawk , whether eyess , brancher , soar , mew'd , or haggard . sparrow-hawks are to be considered as all other kinds of hawks are , according to their age and disposition . the several kinds of sparrow-hawks may be comprehended under these five heads ; the eyesses or nyesses , branchers , soars , mew'd , and haggards . eyesses , are mewed in the wood , and are taken in the eyrie . branchers , are those which have forsaken the eyrie , and are fed near it by the old ones on boughs and branches . soar-hawks , are so called , because , having forsaken the eyrie , and beginning to prey for themselves , they soar up alost for pleasure . mew'd hawks , are such which have once or more shifted the feather . lastly , haggards , are they which prey for themselves , and do also mew in the wood or at large . this division of kindes is not peculiar to the sparrow-hawk , but common to all : give me leave to run them over in order as i have set them down . for the eyress or nyess , ( which is of greatest difficulty to bring to any perfection ) you must first feed her in some cool room which hath two windows , the one to the north , and the other to the east , which must be open , and barred over with laths , not so wide for a hawk to get out , or vermin to come in : strow the chamber with fresh leaves , and do in every respect to this room as i have ordered in a former chapter for the mewing the faulcon . you must feed your eyess with sparrows , young pigeons , and sheeps-hearts . whilst she is very young and little you should cut her meat , or shred it into small pellets , and feed her twice or thrice a day , according as you find her endew it or put it over . when she is full summed and flieth about , then give her whole small birds , and sometimes feed her on your fist , suffering her to strain and kill the birds in your hand ; and sometimes put live birds into the chamber where she is , that she may learn to know to foot and to kill them ; and let her feed upon them in your presence : by this course you will not onely neul her , but take her off from that scurvy quality of hiding her prey when she hath seized it , a natural property belonging to all eyesses . likewise every morning go into the room , call her to your fist , whistle and use such terms as you would have her hereafter acquainted with . when she hath put forth all her feathers and is full summed , then take her out of the chamber , and furnish her with bells , bewets , jesses , and lines . it will be altogether requisite to seel her at first , that she may the better endure the hood and handling : and let it be a rufter-hood that is large and easie , which you must pull off and put on frequently , stroaking her often on the head , till she will stand gently . in the evening by gandle-light unseel her , giving her somewhat to tire upon , handling and stroaking her feathers gently , hooding and unhooding her as often as you think fit . before i proceed any farther , i shall inform you how to seela hawk after the best manner . take a needle threaded with untwisted thread , and casting your hawk take her by the beak , and put the needle through her eye-lid , not right against the sight of the eye , but somewhat nearer the beak , that she may have liberty to see backward ; and have especial care that you hurt not the web : then put your needle through the other eye-lid , drawing the ends of the thread together , tie them over the beak , not with a straight knot , but cut off the threads near to the end of the knot , and so twist them together , that the eye-lids may be raised so upwards that the hawk may not see at all , but as the thread shall slacken , she shall be able to see backwards only , which is the cause that the thread is put nearer the beak . when your eyess is well won to the hood , and to the fist , let her kill small birds thereon ; then call her two or three days or longer , till she will come far off ; then take a live pidgeon tied by the foot with a creance , and stir it till your hawk will bate at it and seize it , but not far off that you may quickly help her at the first , lest the pidgeon struggling with her she prove too strong , and so discourage your young hawk : then let her plume and foot her , and feed her thereupon , whistling the while , that she may know it another time : then hood her , and let her plume and tire a little . you may use her to trains of chicken and quail : and when she will seize readily by often training , ride out with her in the morning into the fields , where calling your sparrow-hawk to your fist , and giving her a bit or two , go with your spaniels to seek some beavy of young quails , advancing your fist aloft , that your hawk may see them when they spring , flying her at advantage : if she kill reward her , &c. if she miss , serve her with the train of a quail . let your dogs hunt on your right hand when they range , but especially when they quest and call , to the end you may the better cast off your hawk . when your hawk is throughly entred and well nouzled , you may then hold your hand low , for she will now bate at the whur : but whatsoever you do , have a quick eye and a good regard to the spaniels , not coveting to be too near them , but a little above them , that you may let your hawk fly coasting at the advantage when the game springeth . of the brancher , sodr , mew'd , and haggard sparrow-hawk . having spoken of the first kind of sparrow-haws , viz. the eyess , the other four in the title of this chapter must consequently be discoursed of . i shall give you but few instructions , for in effect the same precepts that serve for the eyess will serve also for the brancher , soar , mew'd , and haggard hawks ; onely this , these four last require not so much pains to be taken to make them know their game as the eyess , because they have been accustomed to prey for themselves . above all things , the faulconer must take them off from their ill custom of carrying , and that may be done by serving them with great trains , whereby they will learn to abide on the quarry . be very mindful of coying them as much as you can , for they will remember a kindness or injury better than any other hawk . if the hawk be newly taken , and will not feed , then rub her feet with warm flesh , whistling to her , and sometimes putting the flesh unto her beak : if she will not yet feed , rub her feet with a live bird ; if at the crying of the bird the hawk seizeth it with her feet , it is a signe she will feed ; then tear off the skin and feathers of the bird's breast , and put the bird to her beak , and she will eat . when she will feed upon your whistle and chirp , then hood her with a rufter-hood , and feed her betimes in the morning ; and when she hath endewed , give her a beaching in the day-time , and every time you hood her , give her a bit or two ; at evening give her the brains of a hen for her supper : and in every thing else order these hawks aforesaid , as you do the faulcon and the rest . how to mew sparrow-hawks . some use to put their sparrow-hawk into the mew as soon as they leave flying her , cutting off both her bewets , lines , and knots of her jesses , and so leave them in the mew till they are clean mewed . if you will have your sparrow-hawk to fly at quail , partridge , or pheasant-powt , then you must draw her in the beginning of april , and bear her on the fist till she be clean and throughly enseamed . others keep their sparrow-hawks on the pearch until march , and then throw them into the mew , pepering them for lice , if they have any . her mew should be a chamber alost from the ground , eight or nine foot long , and about six foot broad : her windows and pearches must be like the goshawks . her mew being thus provided , in may go in to her in an evening by candle-light , and taking her up softly , pull out all her train-feathers one after another : this shall make her mew the faster , especially if you feed her with hot meat and birds , observing a certain hour to feed her in . once in fourteen days set water before her in the mew : if you perceive she hath any feathers or down which stand staring upon her back , sitting as if she would rouze , then set her water sooner . if you put water by her continually , it delays her mewing ; and to keep it always from her , causeth her to mew her feathers uncleanly : but water once in a fortnight is the best medium for her mewing between those two extreams . thus having given you a summary account of most hawks commonly in use in england , and in most parts of europe , shewing their shapes , complexions , natures , manner of manning , reclaiming , ordering , luring , flying , mewing , &c. i shall next give you an account of the several diseases and maladies they are subject to , with their proper cures and remedies : but before i shall enter thereon , give me leave to inform the ostrager or faulconer of his necessary duties . the duty of a faulconer ; with necessary rules and observations for him to follow . a faulconer ought to consult and consider the quality and mettle of his hawks , and to know which of them he shall fly with early , and with which late . he must be fond of his hawk , patient , and cleanly in keeping her from lice , mites , and the like vermin . he must rather keep his hawks high and full of flesh , than poor and low , which makes them more subject to infirmities than when they are in very good plight . every night after flying , he must give his hawk casting , sometimes plumage , sometimes pellets of cotton , and sometimes physick , as he shall find her diseased by her casting or mewt . every night he must make the place very clean under her pearch , that he may know by her casting whether the hawk stands in need of scourings upwards or downwards . let him remember every evening to weather his hawk , excepting such days wherein she hath bathed ; after which , in the evening she should be put into a warm room on a pearch with a candle burning by her , where she must sit unhooded , if she be not rammage , to the intent she prune and pick her self , and rejoyce by enoiling her self after bathing : and in the morning he ought to weather her , and let her cast , if the hath not done it already , keeping her still hooded till he carry her to the field . in feeding his hawk he must have a care of feeding her with two sorts of meat at one time ; and what he giveth her must be very sweet . if he have an occasion to go abroad , let him have a care that he pearch not his hawk too high from the ground , for fear of bating and hanging by the heels , whereby she may spoil herself . he ought to carry to the field with him mummy in powder , with other medicines ; for frequently the hawk meets with many accidents , as bruises at encounters , &c. neither must he forget to carry with him any of his necessary hawking-implements . lastly , he must be able to make his lures , hoods of all sorts , jesses , bewets , and other needful furniture for his hawk : neither must he be without his coping-irons to cope his hawk's beak , if it be overgrown , and to cope her pounces and talons , as need shall require : neither must he be without his cauterizing-irons . let these instructions suffice , i being willing to leave the rest to the care and observation of the ingenious faulconer . of diseases and dangerous accidents incident to hawks , and their several cures . it is necessary for a skilful faulconer not onely to know how to man , reclaim , keep , fly , imp , and mew his hawks , with other things pertinent to that purpose ; but also to know their diseases , with the proper cures of them , and other accidents frequently befalling hawks , both in their fights and otherways . before we shall characterize their maladies and prescribe rules for their cures , it will not be irrequisite to tell you that hawks , as well as men , ( which seems somewhat strange ) have four complexions , the true indicators of their natures : and as in man his natural complection and constitution is known by his skin , so is the temperament and natural disposition of a hawk by her coat and plume . this opinion hath not been onely averr'd by the ancients , but confirmed by the modern experience of the skilful in the noble art of hawking . take it in this manner . faulcons that are black are melancholick , and are to be physicked with hot and moist medicines , because their complexion is cold and dry ; for which purpose aloes , pepper , cocks-flesh , pigeons , sparrows , goats-flesh , and the like , are very good . faulcons blank are phlegmatick , and must have physick hot and dry , because phlegm is cold and moist ; to which purpose cinamon , cloves , cardamomum , goats-flesh , choughs , &c. are very good . faulcons russet are sanguine and chelerick indifferently mix'd , and their physick must be cold , moderately moist and dry , as myrtles , cassia-fistula , tamarinds , vinegar , i ambs-flesh , and pullets . thus much for the complexions : now for the diseases and their cures . of castings , and mewtings , either good or bad according to their several complexions and smells . castings are of two sorts , plumage , or cotton : the latter is most commonly given in pellets , which must be about the bigness of an hazie-nut , made of fine soft white cotton : after she hath supp'd you must convey this into her gorge . in the morning diligently observe how she hath rolled and cast it , whereby you shall know whether she be in a bad or good condition : for example , if she cast it round , white , not stinking , nor very moist or waterish , you may conclude her sound ; but if she roll it not well , but cast it long , with properties contrary to the former , then she is unfound and full of diseases . besides , if her casting be either black green , yellowish , slimy , or stinking , it denotes your hawk to be diseased . the former casting is remedied by hot meats ; the latter by feeding her well , and washing her meats in cool water , as of endive , &c. and give her one or two castings of cotton , incorporating therewith incense and mummy . but if she continue notwithstanding in this condition , give her an upward scowring made thus : take aloes pulverized one scruple , powder of clove four grains , powder of cubebs three grains ; incorporate these , and wrap them in cotton , and give it your hawk empty , having no meat in her pannel . casting of plumage is to be observed as the former casting : that is , if in the morning you find them round and not stinking , it is a good signe ; but if long , slimy , with indigested flesh sticking to the same , and having an ill scent , it is very bad . here note , that by how much the more sweet or stinking the casting is , by so much is the hawk in a better or worse condition . mewts must be observed as well as castings , in this manner : if the mewt be white , not very thick nor clear , having no black spot in it , or but very little , it is a signe of the healthy constitution of the hawk ; but if it be white and very thick in the middle , though it doth not import sickness , yet it sheweth her to be too gross and over-full of grease ; which you must remedy by giving her moist meats , as the heart of a calf or lamb , &c. and for two mornings after give her some sugar-candy , or else the gut of a chicken well washt and fill'd with oyl-olive : either of these will scour her , and make her to slise freely . it is a very bad and mortal signe , to see your hawk's mewt full of variety of colours : therefore you must speedily prevent ensuing mischiefs by giving her mummy purified and beaten to powder , wrapping it in cotton . if the mewt be more yellow then white , then doth she abound with choler proceeding from great flights in hot weather , also from much bating . this is remedied by washing her meat in bugloss , endive , borage , and such-like cold waters , wringing the said meat after you have so washed it . the black mewt is a most deadly signe , and if it continue four days she will peck over the pearch and die . if she mewt so but once , there is no great danger , for it proceeds either from the blood or guts of the fowl in tiring , or else-from being gorged with filthy meats : in this case give her good warm meat and cotton-casting , with the powder of gloves , nutmeg , and ginger , or mummy alone . if the mewt be green , it is a bad signe , and denotes her troubled with an infected and corrupt liver , or with some apostume , unless she be a rammage - hawk , and then that signe holds not good . her cure is , by feeding her with meat powdered with mummy ; if she will not take it with her food , then give it her in a scowring or casting : but if this ill-colour'd mewting continue still , then give her a scowring of agarick , and after that another of incense pulverized to comfort her . the dark sanguine mewt with a black in it is the most deadly signe of all , and differs but little , if any thing , from the former black mewt . a hawk mewting after this manner is irrecoverable , and therefore it is needless to prescribe a cure. lastly , the gray mewt like sour milk , is a mortal token , yet curable , as shall be shewn hereafter . thus you see how requisite it is for a faulconer to observe diligently every morning his hawk's castings and mewtings , that knowing thereby their maladies , he may timely finde out their remedies . let us now proceed to their particular diseases . of the cataract . the cataract in the eyes of a hawk , is a malady not easily removed , and sometimes incurable , when it is too thick and of a long continuance . it proceedeth from gross humours in the head , which frequently do not onely dim , but extinguish the sight : and sometimes the hood is the cause of this mischief . the cure must be effected by scowring her two or three days with aloes or agarick : then take the powder of washt aloes finely beaten one scruple , and two scruples of sugar-candy ; mingle these together , and with a quill blow it into your hawk's eye afflicted as aforesaid three or four times a day . this is the gentlest and most soveraign medicine of any yet i have tried . but if this will not do , you must use stronger medicines , as the juice of celandine-roots , bathing their eyes often with warm rose-water wherein hath been boil'd the seeds of fenugreek . of the pantas or asthma . the pantas is a dangerous distemper , and few hawks escape which are afflicted therewith . it happens when the lungs are as it were so baked by excessive heat , that the hawk cannot draw her breath , and when drawn , cannot well emit it again . you may judge of the beginning of this distemper by the hawk's labouring much in the pannel , moving her train often up and down at each motion of her pannel ; and she cannot many times mewt or slise ; or if she do , she drops it fast by her . it is known likewise by your hawk's frequent opening her clap and beak . the best remedy is , to scour your hawk with good oyl-olive well washed in several waters till it become clear and white , which you must do after this manner : take an earthen pot with a small hole in the bottom thereof , which you must stop with your finger ; then pour therein your oyl with a quantity of water , and coil these together with a spoon till the water grow darkish ; after which remove your finger , and the water will run out , but the oyl remain behind floating on the top ; thus do seven or eight times , till you have throughly purified the oyl : then take a sheep's gut above an inch long for a faulcon and goshawk , but of less length for lesser hawks , and fill it with this oyl , and fasten it with thread at both ends . your hawk having first cast , convey this gut into her throat , holding her on the fist till she make a mewt ; an hour after she hath done mewting feed her with a calf's heart or a pullet's leg , giving her every third or fourth day a cotton casting with cubebs and cloves . i shall onely adde one receipt more for the pantas or asthma , and that is the oyl of sweet almonds poured into a washt chicken 's gut , and given the hawk ; which is of great efficacy in the cure of this disease . of worms . there are a sort of worms an inch long , which frequently afflict hawks , proceeding from gross and viscous humours in the bowels , occasioned through want of natural heat and ill digestion . you may know when she is troubled with them by her casting her gorge , her stinking breath , her trembling and writhing her train , her croaking in the night , her offering with her beak at her breast or pannel , and by her mewt being small and unclean . you may cure her of them with a scowring of washt aloes , hepatick , mustard-seed , and agarick , of each an equal quantity ; or the powder of harts-horn dried ; or lastly , a scowring of white dittander , aloes , hepatick washt four or five times , cubebs , and a little saffron wrapt in some flesh , to cause her to take it the better . of the filanders . there are several sorts of filanders , but i shall speak but of one sticking to the reins . they are worms as small as a thread , and about an inch long , and lie wrapt up in a thin skin or net near the reins of a hawk , apart from either gut or gorge . you shall know when your hawk is troubled with them , by her poverty , by ruffling her train , by straining the fist or pearch with her pounces , and lastly , by croaking in the night when the filanders prick her . you must remedy this malady betimes , before these worms have enlarged themselves from their proper station , roving elsewhere to your hawk's ruine and destruction . you must not kill them as other worms , for fear of impostumes from their corruption , being incapable to pass away with the hawk's mewt ; but onely stupifie them , that they may be offensive but seldom ; and that is done thus : take a head of garlick , taking away the outmost rinde ; then with a bodkin heated in the fire , make holes in some cloves , then steep them in oyl three days , and after this give her one of the cloves down her throat , and for forty days after she will not be troubled with the filanders . wherefore a faulconer will shew himself prudent , if , seeing his hawk low and poor , he give her once a month a clove of this garlick for prevention of the filanders . another approved medicine for filanders or worms in hawks . take half a dozen cloves of garlick , boil them in milk until they are very tender , then take them out and dry the milk out of them ; then put them into a spoonful of the best oyl of olives you can get , and when she hath cast , in the morning give these to your hawk , feed her not in two hours after , and be sure it be warm meat , and not much , and keep her warm that day for fear of taking cold ; give her the oyl with the garlick : they must steep all night . of hawks lice . these lice do most infest the head , the ply of a hawk's wings , and her train . in the winter you may kill them thus : take two drams of pepper beaten to powder , and mingle it with warm water , and with this lotion wash the places infested with these lice or mites : then set your hawk on a pearch with her back and train against the sun ; then hold in your hand a small stick about a handful long , with a piece of soft wax at the end of it , and with that ( whilst the hawk is weathering her self ) take away those vermin crawling upon the feathers . you may do well to adde to the pepper and water some staves-acre . in the summer-time you may kill the lice with auripigmentum beaten to powder , and strowed on the places where they lie . a safe and easie way to kill lice in hawks . mail your hawk in a piece of cotton , if not in some woollen-cloath , and put between the head and her hood a little wooll or cotton : then take a pipe of tobacco , and , putting the little end in at the tream , blow the smoak , and what lice escape killing , will creep into the cloath . this is a certain way . how to keep and maintain all manner of hawks in health , good plight , and liking . in the first place , never give them a great gorge , especially of gross meats , as beef , pork , and such as are hard to be endewed and put over . secondly , never feed them with the flesh of any beast that hath lately gone to rut ; for that will insensibly destroy them . thirdly , if you are constrained to give your hawk gross food , let it be well soaked first in clean water , and afterwards sufficiently wrung ; in summer with cold water , in winter with luke-warm water . ever observe to reward your hawks with some good live meat , or else they will be brought too low : however , the serving them with washt meats is the way to keep them in health . i shall conclude how to keep hawks in perfect health with this most excellent receipt . take germander , pelamountain , basil , grummel-seed , and broom-flowers , of each half an ounce ; hyssop , sassifras , polypodium , and horse-mints , of each a quarter of an ounce , and the like of nutmegs ; cubebs , borage , mummy , mugwort , sage , and the four kinds of mirobolans , of each half an ounce ; of aloes succotrine the fifth part of an ounce , and of saffron one whole ounce . all these you must pulverize , and every eighth or twelfth day give your hawks the quantity of a bean thereof with their meat . if they will not take it so , put it into a hens gut tied at both ends , and let him stand empty an hour after . of the formica . this is a distemper which commonly seizeth on the horn of hawks beaks , which will eat the beak away : and this is occasioned by a worm , as most men are of opinion . you may perceive it by this ; the beak will grow rugged , and it will begin to separate from the head. to remedy this malady , you must take the gall of a bull , and break it into a dish , and adde thereto the powder of aloes-succatrine : mingle these well together , and anoint the clap or beak of your hawk therewith , and the very place where the formica grows , twice a day ; but touch not her eyes or nares : continue thus doing till your hawk be perfectly cured , and bathe her with orpiment and pepper to keep her from other vermin . of the frownce . the frownce proceedeth from moist and cold humours which descend from the hawk's head to the palate and root of the tongue , by means whereof they lose their appetite , and cannot close their clap. this by some is called the eagles-bane ; for she seldom dieth of age , but of the over-growing of her beak . you may know if your hawk be troubled with this distemper , by opening her beak , and seeing whether her tongue be swoln or no : if it be , she hath it . there are several ways to cure this distemper , but the best that ever yet i could find for it , is , onely to take the powder of alume reduced to a salve with strong wine-vinegar , and wash the hawk's mouth therewith . to cure the dry frownce . take a quill and cut it in the shape of a pen , and at the other end tie a fine little rag ; with one end scrape off the white skin which you will see in the mouth or throat of your hawk until it bleedeth : then with the other end wash it with the juice of lemon or white-wine-vinegar very clean ; then take a little burnt alume , and some of a shoe-soal burnt upon wood-coals and beaten to powder ; mix them , and lay them on the place or places ; but let your hawk have no meat above , nor be ready to be fed : by this i have cured many . of the pip. the pip frequently troubleth hawks , as it doth chickens , and proceedeth from cold and moistness of the head , or from feeding on gross meat not well washt in warm water in the winter , and cold water in the summer . the symptoms of this distemper are the hawk's frequent sniting , and making a noise twice or thrice in her sniting . for the cure hereof , you must cast your hawk gently , and look upon the tip of her tongue , and if you find the pip there , you must scour her with a pill made of agarick and hiera picra given two or three days together with her casting at night ; this will cleanse her head , and the sooner if she be made to tire against the sun in the morning : then bind a little cotton to the end of a stick , and dipping it in good rose-water wash her tongue therewith : after this anoint it three or four days with oyl of sweet almonds and oyl-olive well washed as aforesaid . having so done , you will find the pip all white and soft : then take an awl , and with the point thereof lift up the pip softly , and remove it , as women pip ther chickens , but remove it not till it be throughly ripe ; and wet her tongue and palate twice or thrice a day with the aforesaid oyl , till she be throughly cured . how to remedy that hawk which endeweth not , nor putteth over as she should do . this happens either by being foul within , or by a surfeit ; or else when she was low and poor her keeper over-gorged her , by being too hasty to set her up , and she being weak was not able to put over and endew , and surfeited thereupon . the cure whereof is this : you must feed her with light meats , and a little at once , as with young rats and and mice , chickens or mutton dipt in goats-milk or otherwise ; or give her a quarter of a gorge of the yolk of an egg. if you feed her with the flesh of any living fowl , first steep it well in the blood of the same fowl so shall your hawk mount her flesh apace ; if you also scour her with pills made of lard , marrow of beef , sugar and saffron mixed together , and given her three mornings together , giving her also a reasonable gorge two hours after . how to make a hawk feed eagerly that hath lost her appetite , without bringing her low . a hawk may lose her appetite by taking too great gorges in the evening , which she cannot well endew ; or by being foul in the pannel ; or sometimes by colds . to remedy which , take aloes succotrina , boil'd sugar , and beef marrow , of each alike , onely less of the aloes ; incorporate these , and make them into balls or pills as big as beans , and give of them to your hawk , and hold her in the sun till she hath cast up the filth and slime within her ; then feed her not till noon , at which time give her good meat ; and three days after for the same disease it is good tiring on stock-doves , small birds , rats or mice . how to raise a hawk that is low and poor . the poverty of a hawk happens several ways : either by the ignorance of the faulconer of some latent lurking distemper ; or by her soaring away , and so being lost four or five days , in which time , finding little or no prey , she becomes poor and lean . to set her up you must feed her , a little at once , and often , with good meat and of light digestion , as small birds , rats , mice , &c. or thus : take two spoonfuls of honey , four of fresh butter , and boil them together in a new earthen pot of water ; then take pork well washed , and steep it in that water , giving your hawk a reasonable gorge thereof twice a day , warming the said water when you intend to feed your hawk ; and get some snails that breed in running waters , and give them her in the morning , and they will not onely scour away the gross slimy humours which are within , but also nourish her exceedingly . how to remedy a hawk that is slothful , and is averse to flying . a hawk frequently hath no minde to fly , either by reason of her ill keeping , that is , when she is kept by those who know not how to give her her rights , as bouzing , bathing , &c. or because the hawk is too high and full of grease , or too poor and low : by the first she becomes proud and coy , and by the latter so weak that she wants strength and spirit to perform it . for the curing of which distemper , she ought to be thoroughly view'd by some skilful faulconer , by whom such remedies should be administred to her as are needful for her : but above all , there is nothing like giving her in a morning three or four pills of celandine well washt . of swoln feet in a hawk . hawks have swelling in their feet upon several accounts : sometimes by chafing their feet in flying their prey , striking it , and taking cold thereupon ; sometimes for want of rolling or lining the pearch with some soft warm cloath ; or else through gross humours and foulness within , which through exercise drop down into their feet , and so cause them to swell : lastly , this swelling happens by pricks when they fly fiercely into bushes after game . for a remedy , you must scour your hawk three mornings together with the pills of lard , marrow , sugar and saffron , and set her in the sun : two days after this feed her with good meat : then take bole-armoniack , and half the quantity of sanguis draconis ; and having made them into powder , temper them well together with the white of an egg and rose-water , and anoint her feet twice a day three or four days together , setting her on some cloth to keep her feet warm . how to scour hawks before you cast them into the mew . when mewing-time is come , you must scour and cleanse your hawks ; for in luring and flying-time by foul feeding they ingender filanders and other distempers , whereof they die for want of timely care and cure . when you set down your hawk use the same as you find page , which will not only kill the worm , but scour a hawk also . the best way is , ( when you mean to cast a hawk into the mew ) first to scour her well according to former directions , to cope her , and set her up well in flesh , to discharge her as near as you can of all diseases , also to free her from mites and lice , to set her water , sometimes to feed her with young rats , mice , dogs-flesh , pigeons , rabbets , and now and then with some liquid thing and meats laxative . take notice of this special observation : a haggard is not to be cast in loose to the mew , but is to be mewed on the fist ; for otherwise she will become too coy and strange : and if she fall to bating and beating her self for heat , then must you hood her up , or bespout her with cold water , which is the readiest way to make her leave bating . you must continue her on the fist till she begin to shed her feathers ; then set her down , and tie her to a stone or pearch , as you do the rest ; and after she hath mewed and comes to fly , then let her stand on a block or billet cased or rolled . in the same manner mew goshawks , tierces , and sparrow-hawks ; onely they will not be born on the fist , but be at liberty in the mew , and very cleanly served . fifteen or twenty days before you draw your hawk out of the mew , you must begin to abate her of her diet , the sooner and better to enseam her . and forget not to feed her with washed meat , which will prevent many dangers that may follow . many more diseases there are incident , and accidents happening to hawks , of which with their cures there are large discourses written in italian , french , and english , and therefore i thought fit to insert in this place no other maladies than what most usually occur : if you desire to be further satisfied , i shall refer you to those larger and ( it may be ) less useful volumes . an abstract of such statute-laws as concern hawking . stat. h. . cap. . none shall take out of the nest any eggs of faulcon , goshawk , lanner , or swan , in pain of a year and a days imprisonment , and to incur a fine at the king's pleasure , to be divided betwixt the king and the owner of the ground where the eggs shall be so taken . ii. none shall bare any hawk of english breed called an eyess , goshawk , cassel lanner , lanneret , or faulcon , in pain to forfeit the same to the king. iii. he that brings an eyess from beyond the sea , shall have a certificate under the customers seal where he lands , or if out of scotland , then under the seal of the lord-warden or his lieutenant , testifying that she is a forrein hawk , upon the like pain of forfeiting the hawk . iv. none shall take or fear away any of the hawks abovesaid from their coverts where they use to breed , in pain of l. to be recovered before justices of peace , and divided betwixt the king and the prosecutor . stat. edw. . cap. . a hawk taken up shall be delivered to the sheriff , who after proclamation made in the market-towns of the county ( if challenged ) shall deliver her to the right owner . ii. if the hawk were taken up by a mean man , and be not challenged within four moneths , the sheriff shall detain her , satisfying the party for taking her ; but if by a man of estate , who may conventently keep an hawk , the sheriff shall restore her to him again , he answering for the charge of keeping her . iii. if any do take away or conceal a hawk , he shall answer the value thereof to the owner , and suffer two years imprisonment ; and in case he be not able to answer the value , he shall remain in prison a longer time . stat. edw. . cap. . he that steals and carries away an hawk , not observing the drdinance of edw. . . shall be deemed a felon . finis . the gentleman's recreation : containing direct rules for the famous game of fowling : with instructions for the taking of all manner of land and water-fowl . whether by fowling-piece , net , engine , or otherways . with a short account of singing-birds . to which is added an abstract of all statute or penal-laws relating to that curious art. the third part. london : printed by j. c. and f. c. for n. c. of fowling : or , the compleat art and secrets of fowling , either by water or by land , according to ancient and modern experience . what fowling is ; with the nature and diversity of all manner of fowl. fowling is used two manner of ways : either by enchantment , or enticement ; by winning or wooing the fowl unto you by pipe , whistle , or call ; or else by engine , which unawares surprizeth them . fowl are of divers sorts , which alter in their nature as their feathers ; but by reason of their multiplicity , i shall for brevity-sake distinguish them onely into two kinds , land and water-fowl . the water-fowl are so called from the natural delight they still take in and about the water , gathering from thence all their food and nutriment . here note , that water-fowl are in their own nature the subtilest and wisest of birds , and most careful of their own safety : hence they have been formerly compared to an orderly and well-governed camp , having scouts on land afax off , courts of guards , sentinels , and all-sorts of other watchful officers surrounding the body , to give an alarm on any approach of seeming danger . for in your observation you may take notice , that there will be ever some straggling fowl , which lie aloof from the greater number , which still call first . now it is the nature of water-fowl to fly in great flocks , having always a regard to the general safety ; so that if you see a single fowl , or a couple fly together , you may imagine they have been somewhere affrighted from the rest by some sudden amazement or apprehension of danger : but so naturally are they inclined to society , that they seldom leave wing till they meet together again . and this is occasioned not only by the near approach of men , but also by the beating of haggards on the rivers , as also by the appearance of the very bold buzzard and ring-tail . of water-fowl there are two sorts ; such as live of the water , and such as live on the water : the one taking their sustenance from the water without swimming thereon , but wading and diving for it with their long legs : the other are web-footed and swim , as the swan , goose , mallard , &c. of the haunts of fowl. the thing of greatest moment for the fowler to understand , is the haunts of fowl. in order thereunto you are to understand , that all sorts of greater fowl , viz. those who divide the foot , have their residence by the edge of rivers that are shallow , brooks , and plashes of water : and these appear not in flocks , but you shall see here one single , there a couple , and the like ; which makes them difficult to be taken by engine or device ; but they are the best flights for hawks that can be imagined . likewise these fowl delight in low and boggy places ; and the more sedgie , marish and rotten such grounds are , the fitter they are for the haunting of these fowl. they love also the dry parts of drowned fens , which are overgrown with tall and long rushes , reeds , and sedges . lastly , they delight in half-drowned moors , or the hollow vales of downs , heaths , or plains , where there is shelter either of hedges , hills , tufts of bushes or trees , where they may lurk obscurely . now the lesser fowl , which are web-footed , haunt continually drowned fens , where they may have continually plenty of water , and may swim undisturbed by man or beast : their haunt is likewise in the main streams of rivers , where the current is swiftest and least subject to freez ; and the broader and deeper such rivers are , the greater delight these fowl take therein , the wild-goose and barnacle excepted , who abide no waters above their sounding ; for when they cannot reach the ouze , they instantly remove thence , seeking out more shallow places . these two last named are infinitely delighted with green winter-corn , and therefore you shall see them evermore where such grain is sown , especially if the ends of the lands have much water about them . likewise these smaller fowl do very much frequent small brooks , rivers , ponds , drowned meadows , pastures , moors , plashes , meres , loughs and lakes , especially if well stored with islands unfrequented , and well furnished with shrubs , bushes , reeds , &c. and then they will breed there , and frequent such places both summer and winter . the readiest way of taking great fowl with nets . the first thing you are to consider , is the making of your nets , which must be of the best packthread , with great and large meshes , at least two inches from point to point : for the larger the meshes are , ( so that the fowl cannot creep through them ) the better it is ; for they more certainly intangle them . let not your nets be above two fathom deep , and six in length , which is the greatest proportion that a man is able to overthrow . verge your net on each side with very strong cord , and extend it at each end upon long poles made for that purpose . having thus your nets in readiness , let the fowler observe the haunts of fowl , that is to say , their morning and evening feedings , coming at least two hours before those seasons ; then spreading his net smooth and flat upon the ground , staking the two lower ends firm thereon , let the upper ends stand extended upon the long cord , the farther end thereof being staked fast down to the earth two or three fathom from the net ; and let the stake which staketh down the cord stand in a direct and even line with the lower verge of the net , the distance still observed : then the other end of the cord , which must be at least ten or twelve fathom long , the fowler shall hold in his hand at the uttermost distance aforesaid , where he shall make some artificial shelter either of grass , sods , earth , or such like matter , whereby he may lie out of the sight of the fowl. observe to let the net lie so ready for the game , that upon the least pull it may rise from the earth and fly over . strew over all your net , as it lies upon the ground , some grass , that you may hide it from the fowl. it will not be amiss ( but altogether requisite ) to stake down near your net a live hern , or some other fowl formerly taken , for a stale . when you observe a competent number of fowl come within the verge of your net , then draw your cord suddenly , and so cast the net over them : continue thus doing till the sun be near an hour high , and no longer ; for then their feeding is over for that time ; and so do at evening from about sun-set till twilight . by this means you may not only take great quantities of larger wild-fowl , but also plover , which takes his food as much from land as water . how to take small water-fowl with nets . let your nets be made of the smallest and strongest packthread , and the meshes nothing near so big as those for the greater fowl , about two foot and a half or three foot deep ; line these nets on both sides with false nets , every mesh being about a foot and a half square each way , that as the fowl striketh either through them or against them , so the smaller net may pass through the great meshes , and so streighten and entangle the fowl. these nets you must pitch for the evening-flight of fowl before sun-set , staking them down on each side of the river about half a foot within the water , the lower side of the net being so plumb'd that it may sink so far and no farther : let the upper side of the net be placed slantwise , shoaling against the water , yet not touching the water by near two foot ; and let the strings which support this upper side of the net be fastned to small yielding sticks prickt in the bank , which as the fowl strikes may give liberty to the net to run and entangle them . thus place several of these nets over divers parts of the river , about twelvescore one from another , or as the river or brook shall give leave ; and be confident , if any fowl come on the river that night , you shall have your share . and that you may the sooner obtain your desire , take your gun and go to all the fens and plashes that are a good distance from your nets , and fire it three or four times ; which will so affright the fowl , that they will instantly post to the rivers ; then plant your nets upon these fens and plashes . in the morning go first to the river and see what fowl are there surprized ; and having taken them up with your nets , if you espy any fowl on the river , discharge your gun , which will make them fly to the fens and plashes , and then go and see what you have taken : thus you shall be sure to be furnished with some , though there be never so few abroad . how to take all manner of small birds with bird-lime . in cold weather , that is to say , in frost or snow , all sorts of small birds do congregate in flocks , as larks , chaffinches , lennets , gold-finches , yellowhammers , buntings , sparrows , &c. all these but the lark do perch on trees or bushes as well as feed on the ground : if you perceive they resort about your house or fields adjacent , then use your bird-lime that is well prepared , and not over old ; order it after this manner : take an earthen dish and put the bird-lime into it , and add thereunto some fresh lard , or capons-grease , putting an ounce of either to a quarter of a pound of bird-lime : then setting it over the fire , let it melt gently together ; but let it not boil by any means , for if you do , you will take away the strength of the bird-lime , and so spoil it . having thus prepared it , get a quantity of wheat-ears , as many as you think you shall conveniently use , and cut the straw about a foot long besides the ears ; then from the bottom of the ears to the middle of the straw lime it about six inches : the lime must be warm when you lime the straw , that so it may run thin upon the straw , and therefore the less discernable , and consequently not suspected by the birds . having thus got your lim'd-straws in this manner ready , go into the field adjacent to your house , and carry a bag of chaff and thresht ears , and scatter these together twenty yards wide , ( it is best in a snow ) then take the lim'd-ears and stick them up and down with the ears leaning , or at the end touching the ground ; then retire from the place , and traverse the grounds all round about ; the birds hereupon being disturbed in their other haunts fly hither , and pecking at the ears of corn , finding that they stick unto them , they straightways mount up from the earth , and in their flight the bird-limb'd straws lap under their wings , and falling are not able to disengage themselves from the straw , and so are certainly taken . by the way take this caution ; do not go and take up five or six you see entangled , for that may hinder you it may be from taking three or four dozen at one time . if they be larks that fall where your bird-lim'd straws do lie , go not a near them till they spontaneously rise of themselves , and flying in great flocks ; i can assure you i have caught five dozen at one lift . you may lay some nearer home to take finches , sparrows , yellowhammers , &c. who resort near to houses , and frequent barn-doors , where you may easily take them after the same manner as aforesaid . the taking of sparrows is a very great benefit to the husbandman , for they are his and the farmers principal enemies , of all small birds ; insomuch as i dare assure them , that every dozen of sparrows taken by them in the winter , shall save them a quarter of wheat before harvest be ended . in the taking of them , you may stick the top of your house if thatcht ; and though you never have the birds , yet the destruction of them will be a great advantage . before a barn-door if you lay your twigs , or lim'd-straws , you may there take them with abundance of other small birds . the sparrow is excellent food , and a great restorer of decayed nature . you may also take them at roost in the eaves of thatchthouses , by coming in the night with a clap-net , and rubbing the net against the hole where they are flying out , you clap the net together , and forsake them : the darkest night with a lanthorn and candle is the chiefest time to take them . having performed your morning birding-recreation , go bait the same place where you were before , and bait it with fresh chaff and ears of corn , and let them rest till next morning ; then take some fresh wheat-ears again , and stick them as aforesaid : and when you bait in the afternoon , take away all your lim'd ears , that so the birds may feed boldly , and not be frighted or disturbed against next morning . how to take great fowl with lime-twigs . you must supply your self with good store of rods , which are long , small , and straight-grown twigs , being light and apt to play to and fro . lime the upper-part of these twigs , holding the bird-lime before the fire , so that it may melt , for the better besmearing them . having first well acquainted your self where these fowl do frequent morning and evening , you must then observe before sun-set for the evening-flight , and before day for the morning , that you plant your lime-twigs where these fowl haunt , pinning down for a stale one of the same fowl alive ( which you have formerly taken for that purpose ) which you intend to catch with your bird-lime . round about the stale ( giving the fowl liberty to flutter to and fro ) prick your twigs in rows a foot distant one from the other , till you have covered all the place so haunted , that there shall be no room left , but that they must certainly fall foul with the lime-twigs . prick the rods sloaping with their heads bending into the wind about a foot or somewhat more above ground : if you please ( and i think it the best way ) you may cross-prick your rods , that is , one point into the wind , and another against the wind ; by which means you may take the fowl which way soever they come . place also a stale some distance from your limetwigs , and fasten small strings to it , which upon the sight of any fowl you must pull , then will your stale flutter , which will allure them down . if you see any taken , do not run instantly and take them up if you see any fowl in the air ; for by their fluttering others will be induced to swoop in among them . it will not be amiss to have a well-taught spaniel with you for the retaking of such fowl ( as it is common ) which will flutter away with the limetwigs about them . if you intend to use these twigs for smaller wild-fowl , and such as frequent the water only , then must you fit them in length according to the depth of the river ; and your lime must be very strong water-lime , such as no wet or frost can injure . prick these rods in the water , as you did the others on the land , as much of the rod as is limed being above water ; and here and there among your rods you must stake down a live stale , as a mallard , a widgeon or teal : and thus you may do in any shallow plash or fen. you need not wait continually on your rods , but come thrice a day , and see what is taken , viz. early in the morning , at high noon , and late in the evening ; but come not unattended with your water-spaniel : for if you perceive any of your rods missing , you may conclude some fowl are fastned to them which are crept into some hole , bush , or sedge by the river side , and then will your dog be very necessary for the discovery . do not beat one haunt too much , but when you find their numbers fail , remove and find out another , and in three weeks time your first will be as good as ever . of the great and lesser springes . having noted the morning and evening feeding of divided-footed-fowl , observing the furrows and water-tracts where they usually stalk and paddle to find worms , float-grass-roots , and the like ; you must mark where many furrows meet in one , and break out as it were into one narrow passage , which so descending , afterwards divides it self into other parts and branches ; then mark how every furrow breaketh and cometh into this center or little pit , which is most paddled with the fowl , or which is easiest for fowl to wade in : this being done , take small and short sticks , and prick them cross-wise athwart over all the other passages , one stick within half an inch of the other , making as it were a kind of fence to guard every way but one which you would have the fowl to pass : if they stand but somewhat more than a handful above the water , such is the nature of the fowl that they will not press over them , but stray about till that they find the open way . having thus hemmed in all ways but one , take a stiff stick cut flat on the one side , and prick both ends down into the water , and make the upper part of the flat side of the stick to touch the water , and no more : then make a bow of small hazel or willow made in the fashion of a pear , broad and round at one end , and narrow at the other ; at least a foot long , and five or six inches broad , and at the narrow end make a small nick : then take a good stiff-grown plant of hazel , clean without knot , three or four inches about at the bottom , and an inch at the top , and having made the bottom-end sharp , at the top you must fasten a very strong loop of about an hundred horse-hairs plaited very fast together with strong packthread , and made so smooth that it will run and slip at pleasure : let the loop be of the just quantity of the hoop , made pear-wise as aforesaid : then hard by this loop you must fasten a little broad thin tricker within an inch and half of the end of the plant , which must be made equally sharp at both ends : thrust the bigger sharp end of the plant into the ground close by the edge of the water , the smaller-end with the hoop and the ' tricker must be brought down to the first bridge , and then the hoop made pear-wise being laid on the bridge , one end of the tricker must be set upon the nick of the hoop , and the other end against a nick made on the small end of the plant , which by the violence and bend of the plant shall make them stick and hold together until the hoop be moved . this done , lay the swickle on the hoop in such fashion as the hoop is proportioned ; then from each side of the hoop prick little sticks , making an impaled path to the hoop ; and as you go farther and farther from the hoop or springe , so make the way wider and wider , that the fowl may enter a good way before it shall perceive the fence . by this means the fowl will be enticed to wade up to the springe , which shall be no sooner toucht , but that part of the bird so touching will be instantly ensnared : and thus according to the strength of the plant you shall take any fowl of what bigness soever . the springe for lesser fowl , as woodcock , snipe , plover , &c. is made after the fashion aforesaid , only differing in strength according unto the bigness of the birds you intend to catch . the main plant or sweeper you may make of willow , osier , or any stick that will bend and return to its proper straightness . this device is for the winter only , when much wet is on the ground , and not when the furrows are dry . now if the waters be frozen , you must make plashes ; and the harder the frost , the greater resort will there be of these smaller fowl. of the fowling-piece and the stalking-horse . that is ever esteemed the best fowling-piece which hath the longest barrel , being five foot and a half or six foot long , with an indifferent bore , under harquebuss . provide the best sort of powder as near as you can , and let it not be old , for keeping weakens it much , especially if it grow damp ; therefore when you have occasion to use it , dry it well in a fire-shovel , and sift it through a fine searcher to take away that dust which hindreth the more forcible effects , and fouleth your piece . let your shot be well sized , and of a moderate bigness ; for if it be too great , then it scatters too much : if too small , it hath not weight nor strength sufficient to do execution on a large fowl. shot being not to be had at all times , and in all places , suitable to your occasions and desires , i shall therefore here set down the true process of making all sorts and sizes under mould-shot . take what quantity of lead you please , and melt it down in an iron vessel , and as it melts keep it stirring with an iron-ladle , and clear it of all impurities whatsoever that may arise at the top by skimming them off . then when the lead begins to be of a greenish colour , strew on it auripigmentum finely powdered , as much as will lie on a shilling to pound of lead . then stir them together , and the auripigmentum will flame . your i adle ought to have a notch on one side of the brim for the more easie pouring out of the lead , and the ladle ought to remain in the melted lead , that the heat may be agreeable to it , to prevent all inconveniencies which may happen through excess of heat or cold . then try your lead by droping it into water . if the drops prove round , then the temper of the heat is right ; but if the shot have tails , then there is want both of heat and auripigmentum . then take a copper-plate about the size of a trencher-plate , with an hollowness in the midst about three inches compass , with about forty holes bored according to the size of the shot you intend to cast . the hollow bottom should be thin , but the thicker the brim the better , because it will longer retain the heat . place it on an iron frame over a bucket of water , about four inches from it , and spread burning coals on the plate to keep the lead melted upon it . then take up some lead and pour it gently on the coals on the plate , and it will force its way through the holes into the water , and form it self into shot . thus do till all your lead be run through the holes of the plate : observing to keep your coals alive , that the lead may not cool , and so stop up the holes . whilst you are casting your shot , another person may catch some of the shot with another ladle , placed four or five inches ( underneath the bottom of the plate ) in the water , and by that means you may discern if there are any defects in your process , and rectifie them . the chief business is to keep your lead in a just degree of heat , that it be not so cold as to fill up the holes , nor so hot as to make the shot crack . to remedy the coolness of your lead and plate , you must blow your coals ; to remedy the beat , you must refrain working till it be cool enough , observing , that the cooler your lead , the larger your shot ; the hotter , the smaller . when you have cast your shot , take them out of the water and dry them over the fire with a gentle heat , and be sure to keep them continually stirred that they melt not . when they are dry you are to separate the great shot from the small , by the help of sieves made on purpose , according to their several sizes . if you would have very large shot , you may with a stick force the lead to trickle out of your ladle into the water without the plate . if it stop on the plate , and yet the plate be not too cool , give but the plate a little knock , and it will run again . take care that none of your instruments be greasie . when you have separated your shot , if any prove too large for your purpose , or any ways imperfect , 't is only your pains lost , and it will serve again at your next operation . in shooting , observe always to shoot with the wind , if possible , and not against it ; and rather side-ways , or behind the fowl , than full in their faces . next , observe to chuse the most convenient shelter you can find , as either hedge , bank , tree , or any thing else which may abscond you from the view of the fowl. be sure to have your dog at your heels under good command , not daring to stir till you bid him , having first discharged your piece : for some ill-taught dogs will upon the snap of the cock presently rush out , and spoil all the sport . now if you have not shelter enough , by reason of the nakedness of the banks and want of trees , you must creep upon your hands and knees under the banks , and lying even flat upon your belly , put the nose of your piece over the bank , and so take your level ; for a fowl is so fearful of man , that though an hawk were soaring over her head , yet at the sight of a man she would betake her self to her wing , and run the risque of that danger . but sometime it so happeneth that the fowl are so shie , there is no getting a shoot at them without a stalking-horse , which must be some old jade trained up for that purpose , who will gently , and as you will have him , walk up and down in the water which way you please flodding and eating on the grass that grows therein . you must shelter your self and gun behind his foreshoulder , bending your body down low by his side , and keeping his body still full between you and the fowl : being within shot , take your level from before the forepart of the horse , shooting as it were between the horses neck and the water ; which is much better than shooting under his belly , being more secure , and less perceiveable . now to supply the want of a stalking-horse , which will take up a great deal of time to instruct and make fit for this exercise , you may make one of any pieces of old canyas , which you must shape into the form of an horse , with the head bending downwards as if he grazed . you may stuff it with any light matter ; and do not forget to paint it of the colour of an horse , of which the brown is the best ; and in the midst let it be fix'd to a staff with a sharp iron at the end , to stick into the ground as you shall see occasion , standing fast whilst you take your level . it must be made so portable , that you may bear it with ease in one hand , moving it so as it may seem to graze as you go . let the stature of your artificial stalking-horse be neither too low nor too high ; for the one will not abscond your body , and the other will be apt to frighten the fowl. instead of this stalking-horse , you may fashion out of canvas painted an ox or cow : and this change is necessary , when you have so beaten the fowl with your stalking-horse , that they begin to find your deceit , and will no longer endure it , ( as it frequently falls out . ) then you may stalk with an ox or cow , till the stalking-horse be forgotten , and by this means make your sport lasting and continual . some there are that stalk with stags or red-deer form'd out of painted canvas , with the natural horns of stags fixt thereon , and the colour so lively painted , that the fowl cannot discern the fallacy ; and these are very useful in low fenny grounds , where any such deer do usually feed ; and are more familiar with the fowl , and so feed nearer them than ox , horse , or cow : by which means you shall come within a far nearer distance . there are other dead engines to stalk withal , as an artificial tree , shrub , or bush , which may be made of small wands , and with painted canvas made into the shape of a willow , poplar , or such trees as grow by rivers and water-sides ; for these are the best . if you stalk with a shrub or bush , let them not be so tall as your tree , but much thicker ; which you may make either of one entire bush , or of divers bushes interwoven one with another , either with small withy-wands , cord , or pack-thread , that may not be discerned : and let not your bush exceed the height of a man , but be thicker than four or five , with a spike at the bottom to stick into the ground whilst you take your level . how to take all manner of land fowl by day or night . since the dissolution and spoil of paradise , no man hath either seen , or can give the names of all land-fowl whatever , there being such great variety , every country producing some particular sorts which are unknown to other nations . to avoid prolixity , i shall rank them under two heads . the first are such who are either fit for food or pleasure , either for eating or singing : for eating , pigeons of all sorts . rook , pheasant , partridge , quails , rail , felfares , &c. and for eating or singing , the blackbird , throstle , nightingale , linnet , lark , and bull-finch . secondly , such as are for pleasure onely , and they are all manner of birds of prey , as castrels , ring-tails , buzzards , &c. the general way of taking these land-fowl of several sorts together , is either by day or by night . if by day , it is done with the great net , commonly called the crow-net , and not at all differs in length , depth , bigness of mesh , manner of laying , &c. from the plovernet ; onely it will not be amiss if the cords be longer . this net you may lay before barn-doors , or where corn hath been winnowed , also in stubble-fields , so concealing the net that the fowl may not discern the snare . when you perceive a quantity within the net scraping for food , and you lie concealed afar off , with your cord in your hand suddenly pull the net over upon them . you may do well to take notice of their morning and evening haunts , to worm and feed upon the greenswarth ; and here lay your net , and it will prove as effectual as in other places , so that you observe to abscond your self in some covert so as not to be descried : in the next place , pull not too hastily , but wait for a good number of fowl within the net , and then pull freely and quickly ; for the least deliberation after the net is raised , is the ruine of your design . thus much for day-fowling with the net : now if you will prosecute your sport by night , you must do it according to the nature and manner of the country , or situation or fashion of the ground , whether woody , mountainous , or champain . in plain and champain countries you must use the low-bell , from the end of october until the end of march ; and this method you must follow . the day being shut in , the air mild without moon-shine , take a low-bell , ( which must have a deep and hollow sound , for if it be shrill it is stark naught ) and with it a net whose mesh is twenty yards deep , and so broad , that it may cover five or six lands or more , according to the company you have to carry it . with these instruments go into any stubble corn-field , but wheat is the best . he that carries the bell must go foremost , toling the bell as he goes very mournfully , letting it but now and then knock on both sides : after him must follow the net , born up at each corner and on each side by several persons ; then another must carry some iron or stony vessel which may contain burning , but not blazing coals , and at these you must light bundles of straw : or you may carry links with you . and having pitcht your nets where you think the game lies , beat the ground and make a noise , and as the fowl rise they will be entangled in the net. thus you may take good store of partridge , rails , larks , quails , &c. having so done , extinguish your lights , and proceed laying your net in some other place as before-mentioned . here note , that the sound of the low-bell makes the birds lie close , so as they dare not stir whilst you are pitching the net , for the sound thereof is dreadful to them ; but the sight of the fire much more terrible , which makes them instantly to fly up , and so they become entangled in the net. furthermore , if you intend to have the full fruition of your sport , you must be very silent , and nothing must be heard but the sound of the low-bell till the net is placed and the lights blazing ; but as soon as they are extinguished a general silence must be again . the trammel is much like this net for the low-bell , and may be necessarily used on the same grounds ; onely it ought to be longer , though not much broader . when you come to a place fit for your purpose where birds lodge on the earth , you shall then spread your trammel on the ground ; and let the farthest end thereof , being plumb'd with lead , lie loose on the ground ; but let the foremost ends be born up by two men , and so trail the net along , keeping the foremost ends a yard or more distance from the ground . on each side of the net carry wisps of straw lighted , or links , and let some beat the ground with long poles ; and as the birds rise under the nets , take them . and thus you may continue doing as long as you please , to your great profit and pleasure . of bat-fowling . bat-fowling is the taking of all manner of birds , great and small , by night , which roost in bushes , shrubs , hawthorn-trees , &c. the manner is : you must be very silent till your lights are blazing , and you may either carry nets or none : if none , you must then have long poles with great bushy tops fixt to them ; and having from a cresset or vessel to carry fire in , lighted your straw , or other blazing combustible matter , then must you beat those bushes where you think birds are at roost ; which done , if there be any in those bushes or trees , you will instantly see them fly about the flames : for it is their nature , through their amazedness at the strangeness of the light , and extream darkness round about it , not to depart from it , but they will even scorch their wings in the same , so that those who have the bushy poles may beat them down as they please , and take them up . thus you may continue your sport as long as it is very dark , and no longer . of the day-net , and how to take birds therewith . the day-net is generally used for the taking of larks , buntings , merlins , hobbies , or any birds which play in the air , and will stoop either to stale , prey , gig , glass , or the like . the season for these nets is from august to november : the time you must plant these nets must be before sun-rising . where note , the milder the air , the brighter the sun , and the pleasanter the morning is , the better will your sport be , and of longer continuance . let the place you elect for this purpose be plain and champain , either on barley-stubbles , green lays , or level and flat meadows ; and these places must be remote from any villages , but near adjacent to corn-fields . the fashion of a day-net is this : you must make them of fine packthread , the mesh small , and not above half an inch square each way ; let the length be about three fashom , the breadth one fathom and no more : the shape is like the crow-net , and it must be verg'd about in the same manner with a strong small cord , add the two ends extended upon two small long poles suitable to the breadth of the net , with four stakes , tail-strings , and drawing-lines , as afore-mentioned : only whereas that was but one single net , here must be two of one length , breadth and fashion . these nets must be laid opposite to each other , yet so close and even together , that when they are drawn and pulled over , the sides and edges may meet and touch one the other . these nets being staked down with strong stakes very stiffly on their lines , so as with any nimble twitch you may cast them to and fro at your pleasure ; you shall then to the upper ends of the foremost staves fasten your hand lines or drawing cords , which must be at the least a dozen , a fathom long ; and so extend them of such a reasonable streightness , as with little strength they may raise up the nets and cast them over . when your nets are laid , some twenty or thirty paces , beyond them place your stales , decoys , or playing wantons , upon some pearching boughs , which will not only entice birds of their own feather to stoop , but but also hawks and birds of prey to swoop into your nets . remember to keep the first half dozen you take alive for stales , and to that end have a cage or linnen-bag to put them in : the rest squeez in the hinder-part of the head , and so kill them . and thus do every day . of taking small birds which use hedges and bushes with lime-twigs . the great lime-bush is best for this use , which you must make after this manner : cut down the main arm or chief bough of any bushy tree , whose branches or twigs are long , thick , smooth and straight , without either pricks or knots ; of which the willow or birch-tree are the best : when you have pickt it and trimm'd it from all superfluity , making the twigs neat and clean ; take then of the best bird-lime , well mixed and wrought together with goose-greace or capon's-greace , which being warmed , lime every twig therewith within four fingers of the bottom . the body , from whence the branches have their rise , must be untouch'd with lime . be sure you do not dawb you twigs with too much lime , for that will give distaste to the birds ; yet let none want its proportion , or have any part left bare which ought to be toucht : for , as too much will deter them from coming , so too little will not hold them when they are there . having so done , place your bush on some quick-set or dead hedge neer unto towns-ends , back-yards , old houses , or the like ; for these are the resort of small birds in the spring-time : in the summer and harvest in groves , bushes , white-thorn-trees , quick-set-hedges neer corn-fields , fruit-trees , flax and hemp-lands ; and in the winter about houses , hovels , barns , stacks , or those places where stand ricks of corn , or scattered chaff , &c. as near as you can to any of these haunts plant your lime-bush , and plant your self also at a convenient distance undiscovered , imitating with your mouth the several notes of birds , which you must learn by frequent practice , walking the fields for that very purpose often , observing the variety of several birds sounds , especially such as they call one another by . i have known some so expert herein , that they could imitate the notes of twenty several sorts of birds at least , by which they have caught ten birds to anothers one that was ignorant therein . but if you cannot attain to it by your industry , you must then buy a bird-call , of which there are several sorts , and easie to be framed , some of wood , some of horn , some of cane , and the like . having first learned how to use this call , you shall sit and call the birds unto you ; and as any of them light on your bush , step not to them till you see them sufficiently entangled : neither is it requisite to run for every single bird , but let them alone till more come , for their fluttering is as good as a stale to entice more . this exercise you may use from sun-rising till ten a clock in the morning , and from one till almost sun-set . you may take these small birds with lime-twigs onely , without the bush. when i was a boy , i have taken two or three hundred small twigs about the bigness of rushes , and about three inches long , and have gone with them into a field where were hemp-cocks ; upon the tops of half a score , lying all round together , i have stuck my twigs , and then have gone and beat that field , or the next to it , where i saw any birds ; and commonly in such fields there are infinite numbers of linnets and green-birds which are great lovers of hemp-seed . i say , they fly in such vast flocks , i have caught at one fall of them upon the cocks eight dozen at a time . but to return , there is a pretty way of taking birds with lime-twigs , by placing near them a stale or two made of living night-baits , placing them aloft , that they may be visible to the birds thereabouts ; which will no sooner be perceived , but every bird will come and gaze , wondering at the strangeness of the sight : then they having no other convenient lighting-place but where the lime-twigs are , you may take what number you list of them . but the owl is a far better stale than the bat , being bigger , and more easily to be perceived ; besides , he is never seen abroad , but he is followed and persecuted by all the birds near adjacent . if you have not a living bat or owl , their skins will serve as well being stuffed , and will last you twenty years . there are some have used an owl cut in wood , and naturally painted , with wonderful success . it is strange to me that this bird above all others should be so persecuted by all birds whatsoever , especially by the goose ; and therefore some arch cracks in lincoln-shire and other places where are great quantities of geese , observing their tempers , have made great advantage of them ; for by only throwing a live owl among a flock of geese , they got as many quills as they knew what to do with ; for the geese endeavouring to beat the owl with their wings , never left till they did beat the quills out of their wings , and commonly the best , which are seconds . how to make the best sort of bird-lime , and how to use it . take at midsummer the bark of holly , and pill it from the tree , so much as will fill a reasonable big vessel ; then put to it running water , and set it over the fire , and boil it till the grey and white bark rise from the green , which will take up sixteen hours in the boiling : then take it from the fire , and separate the barks after the water is very well drain'd away : then take all the green bark , and lay it on the ground in a close place and moist floor , and cover it over with all manner of green weeds , as hemlock , docks , thistles , and the like ; thus let it lie ten or twelve days , in which time it will rot , and turn to a filthy slimy matter . then take it and put it into a mortar , and there beat it till it become universally thick and tough , without the discerning of any part of the bark or other substance ; then take it out of the mortar , and carry it to a running stream , and there wash it exceedingly , not leaving any more or foulness within it ; then put it up in a very close earthen pot , and let it stand and purge for divers days together , scumming it as often as any foulness arises for four or five days : when you perceive no more scum , you shall then take it out of that pot , and put it into another clean earthen vessel , cover it close , and keep it for your use . when you are about to use your lime , take what quantity you think fit and put it into a pipkin , adding thereto a third part of goose-greace or capons-greace finely clarified , and set them over a gentle fire , and there let them melt together , and stir them continually till they are well incorporated : then take it from the fire , and stir it till it be cold . when your lime is cold , take your rods and warm them a little over the fire ; then take your lime and wind it about the tops of your rods , then draw your rods a sunder one from the other , and close them again , continually plying and working them together , till by smearing one upon another , you have equally bestowed on each rod a sufficient proportion of lime . if you lime any strings , do it when the lime is very hot and at the thinnest , besmearing the strings on all sides , by folding them together and unfolding them again . if you lime straws , it must be done likewise when the lime is very hot , doing a great quantity together , as many as you can well grasp in your hand , tossing and working them before the fire till they are all besmear'd , every straw having his due proportion of lime : having so done , put them up in cases of leather till you have occasion to use them . now to prevent the freezing of your lime either as it is on twigs , bushes , or straws , you must adde a quarter as much of the oyl called petroleum as of your capons-grease , mix them well together , and then work it on your rods , &c. and so it will ever keep supple , tough , and gentle , and will not be prejudiced should it freeze never so hard . the best and most experienced way of making water . bird-lime . buy what quantity you think fit of the strongest bird-lime you can procure , and wash it as long in a clear spring-water till you find it very pliable , and the hardness thereof removed ; then beat out the water extraordinary well , till you cannot perceive a drop to appear , then dry it well ; after this , put it into a pot made of earth , and mingle therewith capons-grease unsalted , so much as will make it run ; then adde thereto two spoonfuls of strong vinegar , a spoonful of the best sallet-oyl , and a small quantity of venice-turpentine : this is the allowance of these ingredients , which must be added to every pound of strong bird-lime , as aforesaid . having thus mingled them , boil them all gently together over a small fire , stirring it continually ; then take it from the fire and let it cool : when at any time you have occasion to use it , warm it , and then anoint your twigs or straws , or any other small things , and no water will take away the strength thereof . this sort of bird-lime is the best , especially for snipes and felfares . in what manner a man may take snipes with this bird-lime : take what number you shall think most expedient for your purpose , of birch-twigs , and lime fifty or sixty of them very well together . after this , go and seek out those places where snipes do usually frequent , which you may know by their dung. in very hard frosty or snowy weather , where the water lies open , they will lie very thick : having observed the place where they most feed , set two hundred of your twigs , more or less , as you please , at a yard distance one from the other , and let them stand sloaping some one way and some another ; then retire a convenient distance from the place , and you shall find there shall not one snipe in ten miss your twigs , by reason they spread their wings , and fetch a round close to the ground before they light . when you see any taken , stir not at first , for he will feed with the twigs under his wings ; and as others come over the place , he will be a means to entice them down to him . when you see the coast clear , and but few that are not taken , you may then take up your birds fastning one or two of them , that the other flying over , may light at the same place . if there be any other open place near to that where your twigs are planted , you must beat them up : the reason why they delight to haunt open places , and where springs do gently run , is because they cannot feed , by reason of their bills , in places that are hard and stony ; and about these plashes , in snowy weather , they very much resort . the manner of taking felfares by water-bird-lime . about michaelmas , or when the cold weather begins to come in , take your gun and kill some felfares ; then take a couple of them , or one may serve , and fasten them to the top of a tree , in such manner that they may seem to be alive : having so done , prepare two or three hundred twigs , take a great birchen-bough , and therein place your twigs , having first cut off all the small twigs ; then set a felfare upon the top of the bough , making of him fast , and let this bough be planted where the felfares do resort in a morning to feed ; for they keep a constant place to feed in , till there is no more food left . by this means others flying but neer , will quickly espie the top-bird , and fall in whole flocks to him . i have seen at one fall three dozen taken . how to take pigeons with lime-twigs . pigeons are great devourers and destroyers of corn ; wherefore when you find any ground much frequented by them , get a couple of pigeons , either dead or alive ; if dead , put them in such a stiff posture as if they were living and feeding ; then at sun-rising take a quantity of twigs , as many as you think fit , let them be small , ( but i judge wheaten-straws are better for this purpose ) and lay them up and down where your pigeons are placed , and you shall find such sport at every fall that is made , that you may quickly be rid of them without offending the statute : if there come good flights , you may easily take four or five dozen of them in a morning . how to take mag-pies , crows , and gleads with lime-twigs . when you have found any carrion on which crows , pies , kites , &c. are preying upon , over night set your lime-twigs every where about the carrion ; but let them be small , and not set too thick ; if otherwise , being subtile birds , they will suspect some danger or mischief designed against them . when you perceive one to be fast , advance not to him presently ; for most commonly when they are surely caught , they are not sensible thereof . you may take them another way , and that is by joyning to a packthread several nooses of hair up and down the packthread , and peg it down about a yard from the carrion : for many times when they have gotten a piece of flesh , they will be apt to run away to feed by themselves ; and if your nooses be thick , it is two to one but some of the nooses catch him by the legs . how to take rooks when they pull up the corn by the roots . take some thick brown-paper , and divide a sheet into eight parts , and make them up like sugar-loaves ; then lime the inside of the paper a very little ; ( let them be limed three or four days before you set them ) then put some corn in them , and lay threescore or more of them up and down the ground ; lay them as near as you can under some clod of earth , and early in the morning before they come to feed ; and then stand at a distance , and you will see most excellent sport ; for as soon as rooks , crows , or pigeons come to peck out any of the corn , it will hang upon his head , and he will immediately fly bolt upright so high , that he shall soar almost out of sight ; and when he is spent , come tumbling down as if he had been shot in the air. you may take them at ploughing-time when the rooks and crows follow the plough ; but then you must put in worms and maggots of the largest size . how to take birds with baits , either land or water-fowl . if you have a desire to take house-doves , stock-doves , rooks , coughs , or any other-like birds , then take wheat , barley , fetches , tares , or other grain , and boil them very well with good store of nux vomica in ordinary running water : when they are almost boil'd , dry and ready to burst , take them off the fire , and set them by till they be throughly cold . having so done , scatter this grain in the haunts of those birds you have a mind to take ; and as soon as they have tasted hereof , they will fall down into a dead swound , and shall not be able to recover themselves in a good while . and as you take these great land-fowl with this drunken device , so you may take the middle and smaller sort of birds , if you observe to boil with what food they delight in , a quantity of this nux vomica . some , instead of nux vomica , use the lees of wine , the sharper and quicker they are , the better , boiling their grains in these lees , also seeds or any other food , and strewing them in the haunts of those birds you would surprize . these do as effectually as nux vomica ; and it 's the cleanlier and neater way , there being not that poysonous quality in them . you may chuse whether you will boil your grain or seed in the aforesaid lees ; for they will be every whit as effectual if onely steeped a considerable while therein , giving them leave to drink in the lees till they are ready to burst before you use them . others , having neither nux vomica , nor wine-lees , take the juice of hemlock , and steep their grains therein , adding thereto some henbane-seed or poppy-seed , causing them to be infused therein four or five days ; then draining the grain or seed from the liquor , strew them as aforesaid . the birds having tasted hereof , are immediately taken with a dizziness , which will continue some hours , so that they cannot flie ; but they will recover again , if you kill them not . if you intend them for food , let them be first recovered . thus much for the land ; now let us speak of the water-fowl . the ready way by bait to take such fowl as receive part of their food by land , and part by water , as wild-geese , barnacle , grey-plover , mallard , curlew , shoveler , bitter , bustard , with many more ; i say , the best way my experience hath found out is , to take bellengeleaves , roots and all , and having cleansed them very well , put them into a vessel of clear running water , and there let them lie in steep twenty four hours ; then never shift them from the water , but boil them together till the water be almost consumed : then take it off , and set it a cooling . then take a quantity hereof , and go to the haunts of any of the aforesaid fowl , and there spread of this bait in sundry and divers places ; and those that shall taste hereof will be taken with the like drunken dizziness as the former . to make this confection the more effectual , it will be requisite to adde a quantity of brimstone thereunto in its boiling . how to recover fowl thus entranced . if you would restore any of these entranced fowl to their former health , take a little quantity of sallet-oyl , according to the strength and bigness of the fowl , and drop it down the throat of the fowl ; then chafe the head with a little strong white-wine-vinegar , and the fowl will presently recover , and be as well as ever . and thus much for taking fowl of all sorts by baits . a most excellent and approved way how to take the hern . a hern is as great a devourer of fish as any is ; nay some dare affirm , ten times as much as an otter , and shall do more mischief in one week than an otter shall do in three months : for i have been told by one that hath seen a hern that hath been shot at a pond , to have had seventeen carps at once in his belly , which he will digest in six or seven hours , and then betake himself to fishing again . i have been informed by another , that he saw a carp taken out of a hern's belly which was nine inches and an half long . several gentlemen that have kept herns tame , have put fish in a tub , and tried the hern how many small roaches and dace he would eat in a day , and they have found him to eat about fifty in a day , one day with another . one hern that haunts a pond , in a twelvemonths time , shall destroy a thousand store - carps ; and when gentlemen sue their ponds , they think their neighbours have robbed them , not in the least considering an hern is able to devour them in half a years time , if he put in half as many more . now since this ravenous fowl is so destructive to ponds and fish of the river , it will be very necessary to find out a way to destroy that , that destroys so many ; which may be done in this manner . having found out his haunt , get three or four small roaches or dace ; and have a strong hook with wyre to it , draw the wyre just within the skin of the said fish , beginning without side of the gills , running of it to the tail , and then the fish will live five or six days . now if the fish be dead , the hern will not meddle with him . let not your hook bee too rank ; then having a strong line with silk and wyre , about two yards and a half long , ( if you twist not wyre with your silk , the sharpness of his bill will bite it in two immediately ) and tye a round stone about a pound-weight to the line , and lay three or four hooks , and in two or three nights you shall not fail to have him if he comes to your pond . lay not your hooks in the water so deep that the hern cannot wade unto them . colour your line of a dark green , for an hern is a subtile bird. there are several other fowl devourers of fish , as kings-fisher , more-hens , balcoots , cormorant , &c. but none like the hern for ponds and small rivers . how to take pheasants several ways . the taking of pheasants is to be performed three several ways , by nets , by lime-bush , or else by other particular engines , which shall be discours'd of hereafter . the taking of pheasants with nets , is done either generally , or particularly : generally , when the whole eye of pheasants is taken , that is the old cock and old hen with all their powts , as they run together in the obscure woods ; or particularly , when you take none but the old pheasants , or the young , being of an age fit to couple or pair . for the greater facility of taking pheasants , you must first understand their haunts , which are never in open fields , but in thick young copses well grown , and not in old high woods . having thus found out their coverts , which must be solitary and untraced by men or cattel , the next thing will be how to find out the eye or brood of pheasants . the first way , is by going into these young copses , and carefully viewing the same , searching every where ; and by that means at last finding where they run together , as chickens after a hen. or , secondly , you must rise early in a morning , or come late in the evening ; and observe how and when the old cock and hen call their young ones to them , and how the young ones answer back unto them again ; and so from that sound direct your path as near as you can to the place where they are , lying there down so close you may not be discerned ; by which means you will know where they meet , and how accordingly you may pitch your nets . but the most certain way of finding them out , is to have a natural pheasant-call , which you must learn how to use , understanding all their notes , and how to apply them : for they have several notes , and all different ; one to cluck them together when the hen would brood them , another to chide them when they straggle too far , a third to call them to meat when she hath found it , a fourth to make them look out for food themselves , and a fifth to call them about her to sport withal . you must use your call in the morning early , at which time they straggle abroad to find provender ; or else in the evening just about sun-setting , which is their time likewise for feeding . now although these are the best times to use your call , yet you may call them at any other time of the day , onely altering your note . just at , or before sun-rising , your note must be to call them to feed , and so at sun-set : but in the forenoon and afternoon your notes must be to cluck them together to brood , or to chide them for straggling , or to give them notice of some approaching danger . knowing your notes , and how to apply them , with the places where pheasants haunt , which you shall know by the strength of the under-growth , obscureness , darkness , and solitariness of the place , you must then lodge your self as close as possible , and then call at first very softly , lest the pheasants being lodg'd very near you , should be affrighted at a loud note ; but if nothing reply , raise your note higher and higher , till you extend it to the utmost compass : and if there be a pheasant within hearing , she will answer in a note as loud as your own , provided it be not untunable , for that will spoil all . as soon as you hear this answer , if it be from afar , and from one single fowl , creep nearer and nearer unto it , still calling , but not so loud ; and as you approach nearer to it , so will the pheasant to you ; and as you alter your note , so will she : and in all points you must endeavour to imitate her , and in fine you will get sight of her , either on the ground or pearch : then cease your calling , and spread your net between the pheasant and your self , in the most convenient place you can find , with all secrecy and silence , making one end of the net fast to the ground , and holding the other end by a long line in your hand ; by which , when any thing straineth it , you may pull the net close together : which done , call again , and as soon as you perceive the pheasant come underneath your net , then rise up and shew your self , that by giving the pheasant an affright , he may offer to mount , and so be entangled within the net. now if it so fall out that you hear many answers , and from divers corners of the wood , then stir not at all , but keep your place ; and as you hear them by their sounds to come nearer and nearer unto you , so shall you in the mean time prepare your nets ready , and spread them conveniently about you , one pair of nets on the one side , and another on the other side ; then lie close , and apply your self to the call till such time as you have allured them under your nets ; then stand up and shew your self , which will affright them and make them mount , whereby they will be entangled . the fashion of pheasant-nets . you must make these nets of double-twined brown thread dyed blue or green ; let the mesh be reasonably large and square , almost an inch between knot and knot ; let the length of it be about three fathom , and the breadth about seven foot , and verge it on each side , with strong small cord , and let the ends be also so , that it may lie compass-wise and hollow . some make these nets of a much larger size ; but then they are too cumbersome , and hardly to be ruled with one hand : but the others are readier to pitch , and better to take , also more nimble for any purpose you shall employ them to . of driving of pheasant-powts . the driving and taking young pheasants in nets is done after this manner . having either by your eye or call found out an eye of pheasants , you must then ( taking the wind with you , for they will naturally run down the wind ) place your nets cross the little pads and ways which you see they have made , ( for they will make little paths like sheep-tracks ) and as near as you can , come to some special haunts of theirs , which you shall know by the bareness of the ground , mutings , and loose feathers which you shall find there : and these nets must be placed hollow , loose , and circular-wise , the nether part thereof being fastened to the ground , and the upper side lying hollow , loose , and bending , so that when any thing rusheth into it , it may fall and entangle it : which done , you must go before where you found the haunt , and there with your call ( if you find the eye is scattered and separated one from the other ) you must call them together . then take your instrument called a driver , which is made of strong white wands or osiers set fast in a handle , and in two or three places twisted about and bound with other wands , bearing the shape of those things cloath-dressers usually dress their cloath withal : i say , with this driver you must make a gentle noise , raking upon the boughs and bushes round about you ; which as soon as powts do hear , they will instantly run from it a little way , and then stand and listen , keeping all close together : then give another rake , at which they will run again as before : and by thus raking , you will drive them like so many sheep before you which way or whither you please , and consequently at last into your nets . in using your driver there are two things to be observed . the first is secrecy , in concealing your self from the sight of the pheasants ; for if they chance to see you , they will instantly hide themselves in holes and bottoms of bushes , and will not stir from thence by any means whatever , as long as any day endureth . the other thing to be observed , is time and leisure in the work ; for there is nothing obstructs this pastime more than too much haste : for they are very fearful creatures , and are soon startled ; and when once alarm'd , their fears will not suffer them to argue or dispute with the affrighting object ; but the very first apprehension is sufficient to make them all fly at an instant , without staying to behold what they are so much afraid of . of taking pheasants with a lime-bush . having observed their haunts as aforesaid , take a bush , or single rods , and trim them with the best and strongest lime that can be got : let your rods be twelve inches ; your lime-bush must not contain above eight twigs , being the top-branch of some willow-tree , with an indifferent long handle , made sharp either to stick into the ground , or into shrubs and bushes . you may plant your bush near the branch of some little tree which the pheasant usually pearcheth on . when you have placed your bush or rods , take out your call , but remove not from your place , lying close without discovery . if your call be good , and you have skill to use it , you will quickly have all the pheasants within hearing about you ; and if one happen to be entangled , she will go near to entangle all the rest , either by her extraordinary fluttering , or their own amazement and confusion . and as they are taken by the rods on the ground , so you will surprize them with your bushes ; for being scared from below , they will mount to the pearch or bushes , to see what becomes of their fellows , and be there taken themselves . here note , that it is very requisite to count all your rods , and when you have gathered up your pheasants , see what rods you have missing , and then conclude from the miss of them , that some pheasants are run with them into the bushes ; and therefore it will be necessary to have a spaniel which will fetch and carry , and one that will not break nor bruise either flesh or feather . the seasons for the use of nets or lime . the lime is onely for the winter-season , beginning from november , when the trees have shed their leaves , ( and then lime-bushes and branches of trees are alike naked and of the same complexion ) and ending at may , at which time the trees begin to be furnished with leaves . the true use of the nets is from the beginning of may till the latter end of october . so that there is no time of the year but their breeding-time , which may not be exercised in this pleasure ; whence what profit may arise , i shall leave to the judgment of those who keep good houses , and such as have good stomacks . how to take partridges several ways , either by net , engine , driving , or setting . partridges are naturally cowardly , fearful , simple , and foolish , and therefore most easily to be deceived or beguiled with any train , bait , engine , or other device whatever , whether by enticement , call , or stale . it will he necessary in the first place to consider their haunts , which are not ( like the pheasants ) certain , but various ; any covert will serve their turn , and sometimes none at all . the places they most delight in are the corn-fields , especially whilst the corn grows ; for under that covert they shelter , ingender , and breed . neither are these places unfrequented by them when the corn is cut down , by reason of the grain they find therein , especially in wheat-stubble ; and the height thereof they delight in , being to them as a covert or a shelter . now when the wheat-stubble is much trodden by men or beasts , then they betake themselves to the barley-stubble , provided it be fresh and untrodden ; and they will in the furrows amongst the clots , brambles , and long grass , hide both themselves and covies , which are sometimes twenty in number , sometimes five and twenty : nay , i have heard of thirty in a covie . now after the winter-season is come , and that these stubble-fields are plough'd up , or over-soiled with cattle , then do these partridges resort into the up-land meadows , and do lodge in the dead grass or fog under hedges , amongst mole-hills , or under the roots of trees : sometimes they resort to copses and underwoods , especially if any corn-fields are near adjacent , or where grows broom , brakes , fern , or any covert whatsoever . in the harvest-time , when every field is full of men and cattle , then you shall find them in the day-time in the fallow-fields which are next adjoyning to the corn-fields , where they lie lurking till the evening , and then they feed among the shocks or sheaves of corn ; and so they do likewise early in the morning . when you know their haunts according to the scituation of the country and season of the year , your next care must be to find them out in their haunts ; which is done several ways . some do it by the eye onely ; and this art can never be taught , but learned by frequent experience , distinguishing thereby the colour of the partridge from that of the earth , and how and in what manner they lodge and couch together : for which purpose you may come near enough to them , for they are a very lazy bird , and so unwilling to take the wing , that you may even set your foot upon them before they will stir , provided you do not stand and gaze on them , but be in continual motion ; otherwise they will spring up and be gone . there is another way to discover them , and that is by going to their haunts very early in the morning , or at the close of the evening , which is called the jucking-time , and there listening for the calling of the cock - partridge , which will be very loud and earnest ; and after some few calls the hen will answer , and by this means they meet together ; which you shall know by their rejoycing and chattering one with another : upon the hearing of which , take your range about them , drawing nearer and nearer to the place you heard them juck in ; then cast your eye towards the furrows of the lands , and there you will soon find where the covie lies , and so take them as your fancy shall lead you . the best , safest , and easiest way for finding of partridges is by the call , having first learn'd the true and natural notes of the partridge , knowing how to tune every note in its proper key , applying them to their due times and seasons . being perfect herein , either mornings or evenings ( all other times being improper ) go to their haunts , and having convey'd your self into some secret place where you may see and not be seen , listen a while if you can hear the partridges call ; if you do , answer them again in the same note , and as they change or double their notes , so must you in like manner : thus continue doing till they draw nearer and nearer unto you . having them in your view , lay your self on your back , and lie as if you were dead without motion , by which means you may count their whole number . having attained to the knowledge of discovering them where they lie , the next thing will be a ready way how to catch them . of taking partridges with nets . the nets wherewith you ensnare partridges must be every way like your pheasant-nets , both for length and breadth ; onely the mesh must be smaller , being made of the same thread , and dyed of the same colour . having found out the covie , draw forth your nets , and taking a large circumference , walk a good round pace with a careless eye , rather from than towards the partridges , till you have trimmed your nets , and made them ready for the purpose : which done , you must draw in your circumference less and less , till you come within the length of your net : then pricking down a a stick about three foot in length , fasten one end of the line of your net , and make it fast in the earth as you walk about ; ( for you must make no stop nor stay ; ) then , letting the net slip out of your hands , spread it open as you go , and so carry and lay it all over the partridges . but if they should lie straggling , so that you cannot cover them all with one net , then you must draw forth another , and do with that as you did with the former ; doing so with a third , if occasion require : having so done , rush in upon them , who affrighted , will flie up , and so be entangled in the nets . how to take partridges with bird-lime . take of the fairest and largest wheat-straws you can get , and cut them off between knot and knot , and lime them with the strongest lime . then go to the haunts of partridges , and call : if you are answered , then prick at some distance from you your limed straws in many cross rows and ranks cross the lands and furrows , taking in two or three lands at least : then lie close and call again , not ceasing till you have drawn them towards you , so that they be intercepted by the way by your limed straws , which they shall no sooner touch , but they will be ensnared ; and by reason they all run together like a brood of chickens , they will so besmear and daub one another , that very few of them will escape . this way of taking partridges is onely to be used in stubble-fields from august till christmas . but if you will take them in woods , pastures , or meadows , then you must lime rods , as was afore expressed for the pheasant , and stick them in the ground after the same manner . how to drive partridges . the driving of partridges is more delightful than any other way of taking them : the manner of it is thus . make an engine in the form and fashion of a horse , cut out of canvas , and stuff it with straw , or such light matter : with this artificial horse and your nets you must go to the haunts of partridges , and having found out the covie , and pitcht your nets below , you must go above , and taking the advantage of the wind , you must drive downward : let your nets be pitcht slope-wise and hovering . then , having your face covered with something that is green , or of a dark blue , you must , putting the engine before you , stalk towards the partridges with a slow pace , raising them on their feet , but not their wings , and then will they run naturally before you . if they chance to run a by-way , or contrary to your purpose , then cross them with your engine , and by so facing them , they will run into that track you would have them : thus by a gentle slow pace you may make them run and go which way you will , and at last drive them into your net , and so dispose of them at your pleasure . how to take partridges with a setting-dog . there is no art of taking partridges so excellent and pleasant as by the help of a setting-dog : wherefore , before we proceed to the sport , we shall give you an account what this setting-dog is . you are to understand then , that a setting-dog is a certain lusty land-spaniel , taught by nature to hunt the partridge more than any chace whatever , running the fields over with such alacrity and nimbleness , as if there was no limit to his fury and desire , and yet by art under such excellent command , that in the very height of his career by a hem or sound of his master's voice he shall stand , gaze about him , look in his masters face , and observe his directions , whether to proceed , stand still , or retire : nay , when he is even just upon his prey , that he may even take it up in his mouth , yet his obedience is so framed by art , that presently he shall either stand still , or fall down flat on his belly , without daring either to make any noise or motion till his master come to him , and then he will proceed in all things to follow his directions . having a dog thus qualified by art and nature , take him with you where partridges do haunt , there cast off your dog , and by some word of encouragement which he is acquainted with , engage him to range , but never too far from you ; and see that he beat his ground justly and even , without casting about , or flying now here now there , which the mettle of some will do , if not corrected and reproved . and therefore when you perceive this fault , you must presently call him in with a hem , and so check him that he dare not do the like again for that day ; so will he range afterwards with more tem perance , ever and anon looking in his master's face , as if he would gather from thence whether he did well or ill . if in your dog 's ranging you perceive him to stop on the sudden , or stand still , you must then make in to him , ( for without doubt he hath set the partridge ) and as soon as you come to him , command him to go nearer : but if he goes not , but either lies still or stands shaking of his tail , as who would say , here they are under my nose , and withal now and then looks back ; then cease from urging him further , and take your circumference , walking fast with a careless eye , looking straight before the nose of the dog , and thereby see how the covy lie , whether close or straggling . then commanding the dog to lie still , draw forth your net , and prick one end to the ground , and spread your net all open , and so cover as many of the partridges as you can ; which done , make in with a noise , and spring up the partridges ; which shall no sooner rise , but they will be entangled in the net. and if you shall let go the old cock and hen , it will not onely be an act like a gentleman , but a means to increase your pastime . how to take rails , quails , morepoots , &c. from what is contain'd in the foregoing chapters , you may collect a method how to take other fowl , as rails , quails , morepoots , &c. all which are very good flights for hawks . their haunts are much alike with those of the partridge ; onely the quail loves most the wheat-fields , the morepoot most the heath and forest-grounds , and the rails love the long high grass where they may lie obscure . the way of finding them is like that of the partridge , by the eye , the ear , and haunt : but the chief way of all to find them out is the call or pipe , to which they listen with such earnestness , that you can no sooner imitate their notes , but they will answer them , and will pursue the call with such greediness , that they will play and skip about you , nay run over you , especially the quail . the notes of the male and female differ very much , and therefore you must have them both at your command ; and when you hear the male call , you must answer in the females note ; and when the female calls , you must answer in the males note : and thus you will not fall to have them both come to you , who will gaze and listen till the net is cast over them . the way of taking these birds is the same with that of the partridge , and they may be taken with nets or lime , either bush or rod , or engine , which you must stalk with ; or by the setting-dog , which i shall treat of in the next chapter . how to elect and train a setting-dog from a whelp till he come to perfection . the dog which you elect for setting must have a perfect and good scent , and be naturally addicted to the hunting of feathers . and this dog may be either land-spaniel , water-spaniel , or mungrel of them both ; either the shallow-flewed hound , tumbler , lurcher , or small bastard mastiff . but there is none better than the land-spaniel , being of a good and nimble size , rather small than gross , and of a courageous mettle ; which though you cannot discern being young , yet you may very well know from a right breed , which have been known to be strong , lusty and nimble rangers , of active feet , wanton tails , and busie nostrils ; whose tail was without weariness , their search without changeableness , and whom no delight did transport beyond fear or obedience . when you have made choice of your dog , begin to instruct him about four months old , or six months at the uttermost . the first thing that you shall teach your dog , is to make him loving and familiar with you , knowing , you from any other person , and following you where-ever you go . to effect this the better , let him receive his food as near as you can from no other hand but your own ; and when you correct him to keep him in awe , do it rather with words than blows . when you have have so instructed your dog that he will follow none but your self , and can distinguish your frown from your smile , and smooth words from rough , you must then teach him to couch and lie down close to the ground ; first , by laying him often on the ground , and crying , lie close . when he hath done any thing to your mind and pleasure , you must then reward him with a piece of bread : if otherwise , chastise him with words , but few blows . after this , you must teach him to come creeping unto you with his belly and head close upon the ground , as far or as little a way as you shall think fit : and this you may do by saying , come nearer , come nearer , or the like ; and at first , till he understand your meaning , by shewing him a piece of bread or some other food to entice him to you . and this observe in his creeping to you , if he offer to raise his body or head , you must not onely thrust the rising-part down , but threaten him with your angry voice ; which if he seem to slight , then add a sharp jerk or two with a whipcord-lash . you must often renew his lessons till he be very perfect , still encouraging him when he does well . if you walk abroad with him , and he take a fancy to range , even when he is most busie speak to him , and in the height of his pastime make him fall upon his belly and lie close , and after that make him come creeping to you . after this teach him to lead in a string or line , and to follow you close at your heels without trouble or straining of his collar . by that time he hath learned these things aforesaid , i conceive the dog may be a twelvemonth old ; at which time the season of the year being fit , take him into the field and permit him to range , but still in obedience to your command . but if through wantonness he chance to babble or open without cause , you must then correct him sharply , either with a whipcord-lash , or biting him hard at the roots of his ears . having brought him to a good temper and just obedience , then , as soon as you see him come upon the haunt of any partridge , ( which you shall know by his greater eagerness in hunting , as also by a kind of whimpering and whining in his voice , being very desirous to open , but not daring ) you shall speak to him , bidding him take heed , or the like : but if notwithstanding he either rush in and spring the partridge , or opens , and so the partridge escapeth , you must then correct him severely , and cast him off again , and let him hunt in some haunt where you know a covy lies , and see whether he hath mended his fault : and if you catch any with your nets , give him the heads , necks , and pinions for his future encouragement . many more observations there are , which are too numerous here to recite ; wherefore i shall desist , and give you an account of a water-dog , and so finish this present discourse . how to train a water-dog , and the use thereof . i shall begin with the best proportion of a water-dog , and first of his colour . although some do attribute much to the colour , yet experience lets us know they are uncertain observations . to proceed then , your dog may be any colour and yet excellent ; but chuse him of hair long and curled , not loose and shagged : his head must be round and curled , his ears broad and hanging , his eye full , lively and quick , his nose very short , his lip hound-like , his chaps with a full set of strong teeth , his neck thick and short , his breast sharp , his shoulders broad , his fore-legs straight , his chine square , his buttocks round , his belly gaunt , his thighs brawny , &c. for the training this dog , you cannot begin too soon with him ; and therefore as soon as he can lap , you must teach him to couch and lie down , not daring to stir from that posture without leave . observe in his first teaching to let him eat nothing till he deserve it ; and let him have no more teachers , feeders , cherishers , or correctors but one ; and do not alter that word you first use in his information , for the dog takes notice of the sound , not the language . when you have acquainted him with the word suitable to his lesson , you must then teach him to know the word of reprehension , which at first should not be used without a jerk . you must also use words of cherishing , to give him encouragement when he does well : and in all these words you must be constant , and let them be attended with spitting in his mouth , or cherishing of the hand . there is also a word of advice , instructing him when he does amiss . having made him understand these several words , you must next teach him to lead in a string or collar orderly , not running too forward , nor hanging backward . after this you must teach him to come close at your heels without leading ; for he must not range by any means , unless it be to beat fowl from their covert , or to fetch the wounded . in the next place you must teach him to fetch and carry any thing you throw out of your hands . and first try him with the glove , shaking it over his head , and making him snap at it ; and sometimes let him hold it in his mouth , and strive to pull it from him ; and at last throw it a little way , and let him worry it on the ground : and so by degrees make him bring it you where-ever you throw it . from the glove you may teach him to fetch cudgels , bags , nets , &c. if you use him to carry dead fowl , it will not be amiss ; for by that means he will not tear or bruise what fowl you shoot . having perfected this lesson , drop something behind you which the dog doth not see ; and being gone a little way from it , send him back to seek it , by saying , back , i have lost . if he seem amazed , point with your finger , urging him to seek out , and leave him not till he hath done it . then drop something at a greater distance , and make him find out that too , till you have brought him to go back a mile . now may you train him up for your gun , making him stalk after you step by step , or else couch and lie close till you have shot . many more necessary rules there are , which for brevity sake i must omit . the last use of the water-dog is in moulting-time , when wild-fowl cast their feathers and are unable to fly , which is between summer and autumn : at this time bring your dog to their coverts , and hunt them out into the stream , and there with your nets surprize them , driving them into them ; for at this time sheep will not drive more easily . and though some may object , that this sickly time is unseasonable ; yet if they consider what excellent food these fowl will prove when cramm'd , the taking of them may be very excusable . i have eaten of them after they have been fed a while with livers of beast , whey , curds , barley , paste , scalded bran , and such-like ; they have proved exceeding fat , and have tasted not so fishy as they do by their natural feeding , but exceeding sweet , and deserve to be preferred before any fowl whatever . how to take , preserve , and keep all sorts of singing-birds that are commonly known in england . giving also an account of their nature , breeding , feeding , diseases of the same , with their remedies . in the preceeding discourse i have given you a summary account of the several ways and artifices which are used to take either land-fowl , or fowl properly belonging to the water . upon second thoughts i look upon this third part of the gentlemans recreation , called a treatise of fowling imperfect , if i add not now what i omitted before ; a small essay as to the taking , preserving , and keeping all sorts of singing-birds commonly known in these his majesties three kingdoms . they are thus called . the nightingal . the black-bird . the wood-lark . the linnet . the chaff-finch . the rob. red-breast . the starling . the tit-lark . the bull-finch . the canary-bird . the throstle . the skie-lark . the gold-finch . the green-finch . the wren . the red-start . the hedgesparrow . lastly , their diseases and cures . of the nightingal . according to the judgment of most men , the nightingale carries the bell from all other singing-birds , opening her charming mouth not onely sweetly , but with much variety of pleasant notes : it is but a small bird , yet hath a loud voice ; which made the poet call her ----- vox , & praeterea nihil . they are so well known , a description of them would be needless ; and are not onely esteemed of here , but in italy and other parts . they appear to us at the latter end of march , or beginning of april , and very few know where they inhabit all the winter ; some think they sleep all that season . she makes her nest commonly about two foot above ground , either in thick quick-set-hedges , or in beds of nettles where old quick-set hath been thrown together . she hatcheth her young ones about the beginning of may , and naturally delights to frequent cool places , where small brooks are garnished with pleasant groves , and quick-set-hedges are not far distant . that nightingale which in my opinion is the best to keep , is he that is the earliest bird of the spring ; for he will sing the better , having more time to hear the old one sing than those that are hatched later . the young nightingales must be taken out of their nests when they are indifferently well fledg'd in a mediocrity : for if well feathered , they will become sullen ; and if too little , they are so tender the cold will kill them . for their meat give them lean beef , sheeps-heart , or bullocks-heart , taking away first the fat skin that covereth it , and take away the sinews ; after this , soak the like quantity of white bread in water , and squeeze out some of the water ; then mince it small ; then feed them with a stick , taking upon the point thereof the quantity of a grey pea , and give every one of them three or four such gobbets in an hour , as long as they shall endure to be in the nest : when they are able to flie out of the nest , then put them into a cage with several pearches for them to sit upon , and line them with some green bays , for they are very subject to the cramp at first ; and at the bottom of the cage put in some moss or hey , as well for other birds as the nightingale : it is safe to line their cages against winter , or keep them in some warm place . when they are first caged , continue for a while to put some of their meat by them mingled with ants , which will induce them to feed themselves . in the summer you must feed them every day with fresh meat , otherwise it will quickly grow stale or stink . when they begin to moult , give them half egg hard boiled , and half sheeps-heart mingled with saffron and water . here note , duck-eggs will kill them : you may give them sometimes red worms , caterpillars , and hog-lice ; meal-worms make them familiar , suffering them to take them out of your hand . the way of taking old and young is thus : for the young , observe where the cock sings ; and if he sings long , the hen is not far from that place , who oftentimes betrays her off-spring by being too careful ; for when you come near her nest , she will sweet and cur : if notwithstanding this , you cannot find her nest , stick a meal-worm or two upon a thorn , and then lying down or standing , observe which way it is carried by the old one , and drawing near , you will hear the young ones when she feeds them . when you have found out the nest , touch not the young ; for if you do , they will not tarry in the nest. the way to take branchers , by others called pushers , ( because when throughly fleg'd the old ones push them out of the nest ) i say , you must take them after this manner : when you have found where they are , which you shall know by their curring and sweeting ; ( for if you call true , they will answer you immediately : ) having your tackle all ready , scrape , in the ditch or bank-side , the earth about three quarters of a yard square , that it may look fresh ; then take a bird-trap , or net-trap , which you must make after this fashion . how to make a net-trap for nightingales . take a net made of green silk or thread , about the compass of a yard , made after the fashion of a shove-net for fishes ; then get some large wyre , and bending it round , joyn both ends , which you must put into a short stick about an inch and an half long ; then you must have a piece of iron with two cheeks and a hole on each side , through which you must put some fine whip-cord three or four times double , that so it may hold the piece of wood the better unto which the ends of the wyre are put , and with a button on each side the iron , twist the whip-cord , that so the net may play the quicker : you must fasten the net to the wyre as you do a shove-net to the hoop ; then get a board of the compass of your wyre , and joyn your two cheeks of iron at the handle of your board ; then make a hole in the middle of your board ; and put a piece of stick of about two inches long , and a hole at the top of your stick , which you must have a peg to put in with two wyres , an inch and half long , to stick your meal-worm upon ; then tye a string in the middle of the top of your net , drawing the net up , having an eye at the end of the handle to put your thread through , pull it till it stands upright , then pull it through the hole of the stick that stands in the middle of your board , and put your peg in the hole , and that will hold the string that the net cannot fall down : you must put two worms upon the wyres , before you put it into the hole , and set it as gently as you can , that it may fall with the first touch of the nightingale : when you have your net and worm ready , having first scraped the place , then put some ants in your trap-cage , and upon your board put some worms upon thorns , and set them at the bottom of your trap-cage , little holes being made for the same purpose to stick in the ends of your thorns : then plant your trap near to the place where you heard them call , either in the ditch , or by the bank-side , or corner of a hedge , and then walk away ; you may set what number of trap-cages you think convenient . do what is here proposed , and you need not doubt the having of your desires satisfied . having taken your nightingales , ( the times is in july or august ) tye the ends of their wings with some brown thread , that so they may be disenabled to hurt themselves by beating their tender bodies against the top and wyres of the cage . let the cage be covered above half with green bays , and for four or five days let him be very little disturbed by company ; but withal forget not to feed them half a dozen times every day with sheeps-heart and egg shred very fine , and mingle red ants therewith , and a few red earth-worms would not do amiss . here note , that no nightingale at first taking will eat any other food than what is living , as worms , ants , flies , or caterpillars ; which through sullenness if he will not eat , then take him out , and upon the point of a stick ( first opening his bill ) give him four or five gobbets one after another ; then turn him into the cage , strowing the bottom thereof with egg and minced sheeps-heart mingled with some pismires . these nightingales that are taken at this time of the year , will not sing till the middle of october , and then they will hold in song till the middle of june : but the nightingales that are taken from the first of april to the twentieth , are the best birds for song in the whole universe ; and these are taken with trap-cages or trap-nets , as the branchers aforesaid , in june , july ; and august . here observe , that nestlings nor branchers ( except they have an old bird to sing over them ) have not the true song for the first twelve months . when you have so tamed them that they begin to cur and sweet with chearfulness , and record softly to themselves , it is a certain signe that they eat , and then you need not trouble your self with feeding them ; but if they sing before they feed , they commonly prove most excellent birds : those birds that are long a feeding , and make no curring nor sweeting , are not worth the keeping . if you have a bird that will flutter and bolt up his head in the night against the top of the cage , keep him not , for he is not onely good for nothing , but his bad example will teach the best of your birds to do the like . now to the intent you may not keep hens instead of cocks , and so not onely be at useless charge , but be frustrated of your expectation , you shall distinguish their sexes by these observations . the cock in the judgment of some is both longer and bigger : others say the cock hath a greater eye , a longer bill , and a tail more reddish : others pretend to know them by the pinion of the wing , and feathers on the head. these rules i look not upon as infallible , having found them contrary to truth by my own experience : now to undeceive you , take these true experimental observations . first , take notice that if any of your nestlings ( before they can feed themselves ) do record a little to themselves , and in their recording you perceive their throats to wag , you need not doubt that they are cocks ; but when they come to feed themselves , the hen will record as well as the cock ; therefore mark them when young , for it is very difficult to distinguish afterwards . branchers , whether cocks or hens ( when taken and do feed themselves ) will record ; but the cock does it much longer , louder , and oftener . the best sort of nightingales frequent high-ways , orchards , and sing close by houses : these when taken will feed soonest , being more acquainted with the company of people ; and after their feeding will grow familiar , and sing speedily . observe , not to untye too soon the wings of your nightingale ; for if he be not very familiar and tame when he is untyed , he will be apt to beat himself against the cage , and so spoil himself . now as to their diseases and cures , observe this , that at the latter end of august they grow very fat , either abroad or in a cage : when it begins to abate when they do not sing , it is a dangerous signe ; wherefore to remedy this , keep them very warm , giving them saffron in their meat or water : when you perceive the growth of their fat , purge them thrice a week for a month , either with a worm which is found in pigeon-houses , or with a speckled spider , which you may find plentifully about vines , currans , or goose-berry-bushes in august , and at no time else . if they are melancholy , put into their drinking-pot some liquorish with a little white sugar-candy , giving them to feed on sheeps-heart shred small , some meal-worms , and eggs mingled with pismires . it is strange that some of these birds when fat will fast three weeks , which i have known ; but it is better when they eat . nightingales kept in a cage two or three years , are subject to the gout : for their cure , take fresh butter and anoint their feet four or five days , and they will be well again . here note , that for want of keeping them clean , their feet are clog'd , and then their claws will rot off , and are subject to gout and cramp , and will take no delight in themselves ; to prevent these mischiefs , put dry sand into the bottom of their cages . they are likewise troubled with aposthumes and breaking out about their eyes and neb ; for which , use gapons-grease . and thus much of the diseases of the nightingale . of the canary-bird . though many of these birds are lately brought from germany , and therefore are called by the name of that country , yet undoubtedly their original proceeded from the canary-islands . they are in colour much like our green-birds , but differ much in their song and nature ; and in this they differ from all birds : for as others are subject to be fat , the cocks of these never are , by reason of the greatness of their mettle , and their lavish singing ; either of these will not suffer him to keep hardly flesh upon his back . the best of them are shaped long , standing straight and boldly . before you buy either these german or canary-birds , hear them sing , and then you will know how to please your ear or fancy , either with sweet-song , lavish-note , or long-song , which is best , having most variety of notes . some like those that whisk and chew like unto a tit-lark ; others are for those that begin like a skie-lark , and so continue their song with a long , yet sweet note ; a third sort are for those that begin their song with the skie-lark , and then run upon the notes of the nightingale , which is very pleasant if he does it well : the last is for a loud note and lavish , regarding no more in it than a noise . if you would know whether your canary-bird be in health before you purchase him , take him out of the store-cage , and put him into a clean cage alone ; where if he stand boldly without crouching , without shrinking feathers , and his eyes looking brisk and chearfully ; these are good signes of a healthy bird : but now observe , if he bolts his tail like a nightingale after he hath dunged , if shews he is not well ; though he seem lively for the present , there is some distemper near attending : likewise if he either dung very thin and watry , or of a slimy white , and no blackness in it ; these are dangerous signes of death approaching . these birds are subject to many diseases , as imposthumes which afflict their head , and are of a yellow colour , causing a great heaviness , and withal a falling from the pearch , and death ensuing , if this malady be not speedily cured . the most approved cure is to make an ointment of fresh butter and capons-grease melted together , and anoint therewith the bird's imposthume three or four days together : if it become soft , open it gently and let out the matter ; then anoint the place with some of the same ointment , and this will immediately cure him : during the cure , give him figs , and liquorish , and white sugar-candy in his water . canary-birds above three years old are called runts ; at two years old they are called eriffs ; and those of the first year are called branchers ; when they are new flown and cannot feed themselves , they are called pushers ; and those that are brought up by hand , nestlings . now since there are but few canary-birds which breed in england , it being so great a trouble to look after them , i shall here insert nothing concerning the ordering when they intend or begin to build ; what things are necessary for them when they begin to breed ; how to order them when they have young ones ; or how to breed the young ones when taken out of the nest : those who intend to be informed of every thing hereunto belonging , may easily be instructed by applying themselves to several germans in and about the city , who make it their business to breed canary-birds after the best ( german ) fashion . of the black-bird . as some do esteem the nightingale to be the best singing-bird in the world , so in my opinion the black-bird is the worst ; yet they are as frequently kept as their betters , and are in great estimation amongst the vulgar ; for no other reason that i know , than for the loudness and coarseness of his song , as they are borish in their speech , and have little but rusticity in their conditions . to be short , he is better to be eaten than kept , and is much sweeter to the palate when dead , than to the ear when living . she builds her nest upon old stumps of trees by ditch-sides , or in thick hedges . as they begin betimes , that is , in the beginning of march , ( when many times the woods are full of snow ) so they breed often , that is , three or four times a year , according as they lose their nest. the young black-birds are brought up almost with any meat whatsoever ; but above all , they love ground-worms , sheeps-heart , hard eggs , and white bread and milk mixt together . this bird sings somewhat more than three months in the year ; his note , as i said , is harsh , therefore to adde a value to him , let him be taught to whistle ; yet put song and whistle together , in my judgment it is fitter for a large inne than a lady's chamber . of the throstle . of throstles there be five kinds ; the mistle-throstle , the northern-throstle or felfare , the wind-throstle , the wood-song-throstle , and the heath-throstle . the first is the largest of all the five , and the most beautiful ; it feeds for the most part on the berries of mistletoe : and since that they are so good against the falling-sickness and convulsions , these throstles , when dried and pulverized and drank in the water of mistletoe , or black-cherry-water , are much more effectual against those two distempers . he sings but little , and therefore though the young ones are easie to be brought up , being hardy , yet he is not worth the keeping ; for his notes are rambling and confused , yet not lavish neither . the second is the felfare , who comes into england before michaelmas , and goes away about the beginning of march. in hard weather they feed on hips and haws ; but when it is indifferently warm , there being neither frost nor snow on the ground , they feed on young grass and worms . they breed upon certain rocks near the scotish shore three or four times a year , and are there in very great numbers : they are not so fit for the cage as the spit , having a most lamentable untun'd chattering tone : in frost and snow they are very fat , and then are most delicate food ; but being killed in open weather , they are so bitter , that they are not worth the eating . thirdly , the wind-throstle , ( or whindle ) which travels with the felfare out of the north , is a smaller bird , with a dark red under his wing . he breeds in woods and shaws as song-throstles use to do , and hath an indifferent song , exceeding the two former ; but yet they are fitter for the pot or spit than for a cage of avery . the fourth is the wood-song-thrustle , and sings most incomparably , both lavishly , and with variety of notes : to adde to his estimation , he sings at least nine of the twelve months in the year . they build about the same time , place , and manner as the black-bird does : her policy in the building of her nest is much to be admired , since the composure cannot be mended by the art of man : besides the curious building , she leaves a little hole in the bottom of her nest , as i conceive to let out the water , if a violent shower should come , that so her eggs or young ones may not be drowned . they go very soon to nest if the weather favour them , and breed three times a year , that is , in march or april , may and june ; but the first birds usually prove the best . take them in the nest when they are fourteen days old , and keep them warm and clean , not suffering them to sit on their dung , but so contrive it , that they dung over the nest. feed them with raw meat and some bread chopped together with bruised hemp-seed , wetting your bread before you mingle it with the meat . being throughly fledg'd , put them into a cage where they may have room enough , with two or three pearches , and some moss at the bottom of the cage , to keep them clean ; for otherwise they will be troubled with the cramp , and for want of delighting in themselves the singing will be spoil'd . bread and hemp-seed is as good food for them as can be given : and be mindful of furnishing them at least twice a week with fresh water , that they may bathe and prune themselves therein , otherwise they will not thrive . the fifth and last is the heath-throstle , which is the least we have in england , having a dark breast . some are of opinion that this bird exceeds the song-throstle , having better notes , and neater plume . the hen builds by the heath-side in a furz-bush , or stump of an old haw-thorn , and makes not shaws and woods her haunt as other throstles do . she begins not to breed till the middle of april , and breeds but twice in a year ; and if kept clean and well fed , will sing three parts in four of the whole year . their manner of breeding is in like-sort as the former . to know the cock from the hen , according to old country-judgment , is to chuse the top-bird of the nest , which commonly is most fledg'd . others think that to be the cock which hath the largest eye , and most speckles on his breast . others chuse the cock by the pinion of his wing , if it hath a very dark black that goes across it ; but above all , chuse him thus : if his gullet be white with black streaks on each side , his spots on his breast large and black , having his head of a light shining brown , with black streaks under each eye and upon the pinion of the wing ; these are the best marks that ever i observed . of the robin-red-breast . it is the opinion of some , that this little king of birds for sweetness of note comes not much short of the nightingale . it is a very tender bird , and therefore must have its cage lined . they breed very early in the spring , and commonly thrice a year . when the young are about ten days old , take them from the old ones , and keep them in a little bowerbasket : if they tarry long in the nest , they will be sullen , and therefore more difficultly brought up : you must feed them as you feed the nightingale in all respects : finding them grow strong , put them into a cage , put moss in the bottom thereof , and let them stand warm . the way of taking a robin-red-breast is so easie and common , that every boy knows how to take him in a pit-fall ; but with a trap-cage and a meal-worm you may take half a score in a day : hearing them sing , keep those birds which most delight you . if you take any without hearing them sing , thus you shall know whether he be cock or hen ; if a cock , his breast will be of a darker red , and his red will go farther up upon the head than the hens . of the wren . this bird in my opinion is a pretty sweet dapper songster , being of a nature chearful ; as he is pleasant to the ear , so he is to the eye ; and when he sings cocks up his tail , and throws out his notes with so much alacrity and pleasure , that i know not any bird of its bigness more delights the sense of hearing . this bird builds twice a year , about the latter end of april , in shrubs where ivy grows thick , and sometimes in old hovels and barns . they lay a numerous quantity of eggs ; and i can assure you i have seen a nest containing two and twenty : herein are two things greatly to be wondred at ; first , that so small a bird should cover such a great quantity of eggs ; secondly , when they have hatched , to feed them all , and not to miss one bird , and in the dark also . their second time of breeding is in the middle of june : of either breed , what you intend to keep must be taken out of the nest at thirteen or fourteen days old . let their food be sheeps-heart and egg minced very small , or calves or heifers-heart ; but be sure to clear them of the fat and sinews , which must be a general rule to be observed for all meat-birds . feed them in the nest every day very often , but a little at a time ; let the instrument you feed them with be a stick ; and when you observe them to pick it off of their own accord , then eage them , and putting meat to them in a little pan , and about the sides of the cage , to entice them to eat ; however , have a care to feed them too , lest they neglect themselves and die . when they can feed themselves very well , give them once in three days a spider or two . you may teach them to whistle tunes if you so desire it ; for they are easily taught , being a bird that 's very docible . here note , if they be fed with paste , they will live longer than if they fed upon hearts . the brownest and largest of the young wrens are the cocks . of the wood-lark . some prefer the wood-lark before the nightingale ; but it is of this bird as all others , some are more excellent in length and sweetness of song . this bird breeds the soonest of any we have , by reason of his extraordinary mettlesomeness : and therefore if they are not taken in the beginning of february at least , they grow so rank that they will prove good for nothing . the places this bird most delights in are gravelly grounds , and hills lying towards the orient , and in oat-stubs . their building is in your laiers grounds , where the grass is rank and russet , making their nests of bennet-grass , or dead grass of the field under some large tuffet , to shelter them from the injury of the weather . this bird hath very excellent pleasant notes , with great variety , insomuch that i have observed some have had almost thirty several notes ; which if they sing lavish , is a most ravishing melody or harmony , if the nightingale joyn in consort . these birds are never bred from the nests as ever i could hear : i have several times attempted it , but to no purpose ; for notwithstanding my greatest care , they died in a week , either of the cramp or scowring . the times of the year to take them are june , july , august ; and then they are called young branchers , having not yet moulted . they are taken likewise at the latter end of september ; but having then moulted , the young and old are not distinguishable . lastly , they are taken from the beginning of january to the latter end of february , at which time they are all coupled and returned to their breeding-places . the way to take them in june , july , and august , is with an hobby , after this manner : get out in a dewy morning , and go to the sides of some hills which lie to the rising of the sun , where they most usually frequent ; and having sprung them , observe where they fall ; then surround them twice or thrice with your hobby on your fist , causing him to hover when you draw near , by which means they will lie still till you clap a net over them , which you carry on the point of a stick . if three or four go together , take a net like one made for partridges : when you go with a setting-dog onely , the mesh must be smaller , that is , a lark-mesh ; and then your hobby to the lark is like a setting-dog to partridges , and with your net at one draught you may take the whole flock . the wood-lark that is taken in june , july , and august will sing presently , but will not last long , by reason of their moulting . that which is taken in january and february will sing in five or six days , or sooner ; and these are the best , being taken in full stomack , and are more perfect in their song than those taken at other seasons . if in the cage you find him grow poor at the beginning of the spring , give him every two or three days a turff of three-leav'd-grass , ( as is used to the skie-lark ) and boil him a sheeps-heart and mince it small , mingling it among his bread , egg , and hemp-seed , which will cause him to thrive extraordinarily . if he be troubled with lice , ( a distemper he is commonly afflicted withal ) take him out of the cage , and smoak him with tobacco ; give him fresh gravel , and set him in a hot place where the sun shines , and this will cure him if he have strength to bask in the sand. if you would have him sing lavish , feed him with sheeps-heart , egg , bread and hemp-seed mixt together , and put into his water a little liquorish , white sugar-candy , and saffron : let this be done once a week . upon the first taking of your wood-lark thus must you do ; you must put into your cage two pans , one for minc'd meat , and another for oat-meal and whole hemp-seed . then having boil'd an egg hard , take the crums of white bread ; the like quantity of hemp-seed pounded in a mortar , and mingle your bread and it with your egg minc'd very small , and give it him . let there be at the bottom of the cage fine red gravel , and let it be shifted every week at farthest ; for he delights to bask in the sand , which will not be convenient if foul'd with his dung. let the pearch of the cage be lin'd with green bays , or which is better , make a pearch of a mat : and lest they should not find the pan so soon as they should do , to prevent famine , strew upon the sand some oat-meal and hemp-seed . how to know the cock is thus : first , the largeness and length of his call : secondly , his tall walking : thirdly , at evenings the doubling of his note , which artists call cuddling ; but if you hear him sing strong , you cannot be deceived . here note , that if a bird sings not that is taken in february and january within one month after , you may conclude him not worth the keeping , or else is an hen infallibly . the wood-lark as it is naturally endewed with incomparable notes , so it is a tender bird , and difficult to be kept ; but if rightly ordered , and well look'd to , will be a most delightful songster to its master growing better and better every year even to the very last . these birds are very subject to the cramp , giddiness in the head , and to louziness . the best remedy to prevent the cramp , is to shift the cage often with fresh gravel , otherwise the dung will clog to their feet which causeth the cramp . the giddiness of the head proceedeth from feeding upon much hemp-seed : perceiving this distemper , give him some gentles , ( the common bait for fisher-men ) hog-lice , emmets and their eggs , with liquorish , all put into water , we serve in their stead , and will cure immediately . louziness ( which causeth leanness in this bird ) is cured as said before by smoaking tobacco . of the skie-lark : the several ways to take them ; and when taken , how to order them . there is a great difference between one skie-lark and another ; for one may not be worth two pence , when another shall be worth two pounds . this bird is very hardy , and will live upon any food in a manner , so that he have but once a weeks turff of three-leav'd-grass . as the wood-lark hath young ones in march , the skie-lark hath rarely any till the middle of may. they commonly build in corr or thick high grass meadows , and seldom have more than four : take them at a fortnight old , and at fir●● give them minced sheeps-heart with a chopt hard egg mingled : when they can feed alone , give them bread hemp-seed , and oat-meal ; let the bread be mingled with egg , and the hemp-seed bruised : let them have sand in the bottom of their cage ; pearches therein are to no purpose . as the wood-lark is taken with net and hobby , so may the skie-lark be taken also . they are taken likewise in dark nights with a trammel ; this net is about six and thirty yards long , and six yards over , run through with six ribs of pack-thread ; which ribs at the ends are put upon two poles sixteen foot long , made taper at each end , and so is carried between two men half a yard from the ground ; every six steps touching the ground , to cause the birds to fly up , otherwise you may carry the net over them without disturbing them : hearing them fly against the net , clap it down , and they are safe under it . this is a very murdering net , taking all sorts of birds that it comes near , as partridges , quails , woodcocks , snipes , felfares , and what not , almost in every dark night . the next way of taking them is with a pair of day-nets and a glass , which is incomparable pastime in a frosty morning . these nets are commonly seven foot deep , and fifteen long , knit with your french mesh , and very fine thread . these nets take all sorts of small birds that come within their compass , as bunting-larks , and linnets in abundance . these larks are also taken by a low-bell , with a great light carried in a tub both by one man , and the net by another ; this bell and light so amazeth them , that they lie as dead , and stir not till the net overcast them . by this bell are all sorts of fowls and birds taken , as partridge and pheasant ; and if the bell be loowd , or very deep , duck , mallard , woodcock , and snipe may be taken . the last way of taking larks is in a great snow , by taking an hundred or two hundred yards of pack-thread , fastning at every six inches a noose made with horse-hair ; two hairs are sufficient . now since i have already described this way of taking larks , i shall desist , and onely inform you that those larks you intend to preserve for singing , must be taken in october or november : chuse the straightest , largest , and loftiest bird , and he that hath most white on his tail , for these are the marks of the cock. observe in this bird , as in all others , that you give no salt meat , nor bread season'd with salt . of the linnet . their nests are usually in thorn-bushes and furt-bushes ; and some of the hotter sort of them will breed four times a year . the young ones may be taken at four days old , if you intend to teach them to whistle , or learn the song of other birds : for being so young , they know not the tune of the old bird. being so young , keep them very warm , and feed them often , and a little at a time : there must be bruised soaked rape-seeds , with the like quantity of white bread , of which there must be fresh made every day to prevent sowring , which will make them scowr to death : let not their meat be too dry , for fear of being vent-burnt . if you intend they shall whistle , do you whistle to them in the time of feeding , being more apt to learn before they can crack hard seeds . whatever bird you intend your linnet shall learn his notes of , hang him under it , and he will perfectly imitate him : nay , so docible this bird is , as i have been credibly informed , that some of them have been taught to speak . to know the cock from the hen , must not alway be discovered by their breasts ; but the cock is best known by the brownness of his back and the white in his wing ; that is to say , take your young linnet when the wing-feathers are grown , and stretch out his wing , holding his body fast with the other hand ; and then observe the white upon the fourth , fifth , and sixth feather ; if it cast a glistering white , and the white goes close to the quil , this is a sure sign of a cock. many are the diseases of this bird , as the ptisick , known by his panting , staring feathers , lean breast , and spilling his seeds up and down the cage ; and this disease happens for want of water , or for want of green meat in the spring : he is troubled also with streins or convulsions of the breast : sometimes he is afflicted with hoarsness in his voice , being overstrein'd in singing : he is sometimes melancholy , at other times afflicted with scowring , of which there are three sorts ; the first is thin , and with a black or white substance in the middle , not very dangerous ; the second is between a black and white , clammy and sticking , this is bad ; but the third and last is most mortal , which is the white clammy scowring : the several cures i shall not here set down for brevity sake , but refer you to the care of the bird-merchant . of the gold-finch , or christmas-fool , so called in norfolk . they are taken in great plenty about michaelmas , and will soon become tame . the beauty of this birds severally-colour'd feathers is not much taken notice of , because they are so common among us ; but they have been so noted and valued beyond sea , that they have been transported in great quantities for great rarities . they breed commonly in apple-trees and plum-trees thrice a year . you must take the young ones with the nest at ten days old , and feed them after this manner : take some of the best hemp-seed , pound it , sift it , and mix it with the like quantity of white bread , with some flower of canary-seeds ; and taking up the quantity of a white pea upon a small stick , feed them therewith three or four bits at a time , making fresh every day : you must keep these birds very warm till they can feed themselves , for their nature is very tender . for the purgation of this bird , as well as all others which feed on hemp-seed , take the seeds of mellons , succory , and mercury , which is a principal herb for the linnet ; but the best for the gold-finch are lettice and plantain ; and nothing can be more wholesome for him than wall or loom-earth , and some fine sand , and a lump or two of sugar put always into his cage . of the tit-lark . this bird is very short in his song , and no variety in it ; yet some fancy him for his whisking , turring , and chewing : he commonly appears at that time of the year that the nightingale does , which is the beginning of april , and leaves us at the beginning of september : they are fed when taken as the nightingale ; you must cram him at first , for he will not feed himself , by reason he always feeds on live meat in the field , for which cause he is unacquainted with the meat we offer him : when he comes to feed of himself , he will eat what the wood-lark eats , or almost any other meat . this bird breeds about the latter end of april , or beginning of may , and builds her nest on the ground by some pond-side or ditch-side , and feeds her young with caterpillars or flies . they are easily brought up being hardy , and are not subject to colds or cramps as other birds are , but live long if preserved with care . if you breed up this bird young and cleanly , you may please your self with his song ; all that i can say of it is , short and sweet . of the chaf-finch . there is no scarcity of this bird , and in my mind fitter for the spit than a cage , having but one short plain song , yet for that he is admired by some , and kept very charily . they build their nests in hedges and trees of all sorts , and have young ones twice or thrice a year ; they are seldom bred up from the nest , because they are not apt to take another birds song , nor to whistle . the essex-finch is best both for length of song , and variety , concluding it with several notes very prettily . he is very little subject to any disease , onely he is inclinable to be very lousie , if he be not sprinkled with a little wine twice or thrice a month . of the starling . this bird is generally kept by all sorts of people above any other bird for whistling ; but their greatest fault is , they have them too fledg'd out of the nest , and that makes them retain commonly so much of their own harsh notes : therefore those who do intend to have them excellent , and avoid their own squeaking notes , must take them from the old ones at the end of three or four days ; and thus you must do to all birds you would learn to whistle , or speak , or learn another birds song by hanging under him . of the red-start . this bird is a fore-runner of the nightingale , and is of a very sullen dogged temper in a cage ; but abroad is very chearful , and hath a very pleasant kind of whistling song . the cock is fair and beautifully coloured , and is delightful to the eye . they breed thrice a year ; the latter end of april , in may , and towards the latter end of june . they build usually in holes of hollow trees , or under house-eaves : she is the shiest bird i know of her building ; for when she is about her nest , if she perceive any look on , she forsakes it ; and if you touch an egg she never comes more to the nest , and if she have young ones and you do the like , she will either starve them , or break their necks over the nest. now though the old ones are thus dogged , yet if you bring up their young , their nature will alter , and become very tame . you must take them out of the nest about ten days old ; if they stay longer , they will learn somewhat of the old one's sullen temper . you must feed them with sheeps-heart and eggs chopped and mixt together , about the quantity of three white peas , upon the end of a stick , when they open their mouths : when they will thus feed , put them into a cage with meat about it , and a pan of meat therein ; and though he feed himself , yet it will be very sparingly for four or five days , wherefore you must now and then feed him your self . keep him warm in the winter , and he will sing as well in the night as the day . of the bull-finch . the bull-finch hath no song of his own , nor whistle neither , but is very apt to learn any thing almost , if taught by the mouth . of the green-finch . this bird is not worth a keeping for his song , but for his colour , and being a hardy heavy bird to ring the bells . they breed very sillily by the high-way-side , and early before the hedges have leaves upon them ; which causes every one to see their nests at first , so that seldom their first nests come to any thing . they breed three times a year , and the young ones are very hardy birds to be brought up . you may feed them with white bread and rape bruised and soaked together : he is apter to take the whistle than another bird's song . all that can be said of him , he is a very dull bird , and will never kill himself either by singing or whistling . of the hedge-sparrow . this is not so despicable a bird as some would have it ; for if you will mind its song , you will find very delightful notes , and sings early in the spring with great variety . old or young become tame very quickly , and will sing in a short time after they are taken ; so that you take them at the latter end of january or beginning of february : they will feed almost on any thing you give them . they commonly build in a white-thorn or private hedge , laying eggs much different from other birds , being of a very fine blue colour . this bird is very tractable , and will take any bird's song almost , if taken young out of the nest. i shall only speak a few experiments of others , and deliver some observations of my own concerning the length of birds lives , and which are most proper for whistling , and so shall end this treatise . first , as to the length of birds lives : among nightingales some live but one year , some three , some five , some eight , and some twelve ; singing better and better for the first seven or eight years , and after that decline by little and little : they must have careful keepers that can preserve their lives to the fifth year ; experience informs us , where one lives to that age , an hundred die . the wood-lark seldom lives in a cage above six years , and hardly five . the robin-red-breast rarely lives above seven years ; for he is a tender bird , and much subject to the falling-sickness , cramp , and oppression of the stomack . the skie-lark as he is a hardy bird , so he is long liv'd also . all sorts of seed-birds live longer than any soft-beak'd birds , especially the canary and linnet . i have known a canary-bird live and sing within a year of twenty ; in like manner the linnet . so much as to the lives of singing birds ; let us now consider which are most fit for whistling . in the first place i look upon the starling to be the best ; and never heard better than at the grey-hound in st. mary ax , taught and sold by the ingenious master of that house . but since i have spoken of the starling and bull-finch already , i shall insist no farther . the black-bird hath a kind of rude whistle ; and if young taken out of the nest , is very apt to learn. the robin-red-breast is a most incomparable bird for the whistle , and to speak also . a robin is a hot-mettled bird , and therefore he must not be in the hearing of another ; wherefore if you breed two , let them be separated into two several rooms , that they may not hear , and so consequently spoil each other . the canary-bird will learn to whistle any thing almost , if taken young out of the nest , otherwise not ; for being a very hot-mettled bird , he will run upon his own song do what you can . the linnet will learn any tune almost , if not too long , and too full of variety . learn him one tune first , then another , keeping him dark and still , out of the noise of other birds . take this for a general rule for all birds , that the younger they be , the better they will prove , and answer your expectation for all your trouble and pains in bringing up and keeping them . an abstract of such statute-laws as concern fowling . stat. hen. . cap. . none shall take pheasants or partridges with engines in another's ground without license , in pain of l. to be divided betwixt the owner of the ground and prosecutor . stat. hen. . cap. . none shall destroy or take away the eggs of any wild-fowl , in pain to forfeit for every egg of a crane or bustard so taken or destroyed d. of a bittern , hern , or shoveland d. and of a mallard , zeal , or other wild-fowl d. to be divided betwixt the king and the prosecutor . stat. eliz. cap. . none shall kill or take any pheasants or partridges with any net or engine , in the night-time , in pain to forfeit for every pheasant s. and for every partridge s. which if the offender pay not within ten days , he shall suffer one months imprisonment without bail , and enter into bond ( for two years ) with good sureties before some justices of peace , not to offend in the like kind . ii. none shall hawk or hunt with his spaniels in standing grain , or before it is stocked ( except in his own ground , or with the owner's consent ) in pain to forfeit s. to the owner of the said ground , to be recovered as aforesaid . this act shall not restrain fowlers who unwillingly take pheasants or partridges , and forthwith let them go at large . stat. jacob. cap. . every person convicted by his own confession , or by two witnesses upon oath , before two or more justices of peace , to have killed or taken any pheasant , partridge , pigeon , or other game ; or to have taken or destroyed the eggs of pheasants , partridges , or swans , shall by the said justices be committed to prison without bail , unless he immediately pay to the use of the poor where the offence was committed , or he apprehended , s. for every fowl or egg so killed , taken or destroyed ; and after one months commitment , shall before two or more justices of peace be bound with two sufficient sureties in l. apiece , with condition never to offend in the like kind again . ii. every person convicted as abovesaid , to keep a grey-hound , dog , or net to kill or take deer , hare , pheasant , or partridge ( unless he have inheritance of l. per annum , a lease for life of l. per annum , or be worth l. in goods , or otherwise be the son of a baron or knight , or heir apparent of an esquire ) shall suffer imprisonment as aforesaid , unless he pay s. to the use abovesaid . iii. none shall sell , or buy to sell again any pheasant or partridge , ( except by them reared up or brought from beyond sea ) in pain to forfeit for every pheasant s. and every partridge s. to be divided betwixt the prosecutor and the poor of the parish where such offence is committed . stat. jacob. cap. . every person convicted by his own confession , or by two witnesses upon oath , before two or more justices of peace , to have hawked , or destroyed any pheasant or partridge , betwixt the first of july and the last of august , shall suffer one moneths imprisonment without bail , unless he pay to the use of the poor where the offence was committed , or be apprehended s. for every time so hawking , and s. for every pheasant or partridge so taken or destroyed : but this offence shall be prosecuted within six months after it shall be committed . ii. it shall be lawful for the lord of a mannor , or any having free warren , inheritance of l. per annum , free-hold of l. per annum , or goods worth l. or their servants ( licensed by them ) to take pheasants or partridges within their own grounds or precinct , so they do it in the day-time , and only betwixt michaelmass and christmass . iii. if any person of a mean condition shall be convicted by his own confession , or by one witness upon oath before two or , more justices of the peace , to have killed or taken any pheasant or partridge with dogs , nets , or engines , he shall by the said justices be committed to prison without bail , unless he pay to the use of the poor where the offence was committed s. for every pheasant or partridge so killed or taken : and also become bound before one or more justice of peace in a recognizance of l. never to offend in the like kinde agaiu . iv. every constable or headborough ( upon warrant under the hand of two justices of peace ) hath power to search the houses of persons suspected to have any setting-dogs or nets for the the taking of pheasants , or partridges ; and the dogs or nets there found to kill and cut in pieces at pleasure , as things forfeited unto the said officers . v. he that shall be punished by vertue of this act , shall not be punished again by vertue of any other law for the same offence . barbel tench roach dace gudgion pearch loach eele grayling salmon trout carp bream pike the gentleman's recreation : containing direct rules for that noble and delightful art of angling : whereunto is annexed an abstract of all such statute for penal laws relating to that curious art. the fourth part. london , printed by j. c. for n. c. of fishing . the introduction . angling is an excellent art , which as it pleads great antiquity , so the knowledge thereof is with much difficulty to be obtained : and indeed it bears some similitude to poetry in this , that as it is said , poeta nascitur , non fit , so ought the piscator or fisher-man to have a natural inclination unto the art of angling , or his knowledge therein will be always dull and imperfect ; not but that it may be much heightned by practice and experience . now he that intends to be his crafts-master in this harmless pastime or recreation , must not onely diligently search and enquire into the mysteries and depths of this art , but must also be furnished , as aforesaid , with a natural propensity thereunto , attended with observation and patience : and having gotten by observationand practice a competent knowledge , or having conquer'd the difficulties of angling , it will then not onely prove pleasant , but profitable , and be like vertue , a reward to it self . now that i may farther commend this ingenious profession , be pleased to take notice of the antiquity thereof ; some saying it is as ancient as deucalion's flood . some attribute it to the invention of one belus , the first author of vertuous recreations . others say that seth left the knowledge of angling to his posterity ingraven on brazen pillars with the first rudiments of the mathematicks , and other useful arts ; by which means they were preserved from perishing in the universal deluge divers are the opinions of men concerning the antiquity of this art : let it suffice , that certainly it is older than christ's incarnation ; for both job and the prophet amos make mention of fish-hooks , and consequently there must be anglers then in those days the next thing that offers it self in the commendation of this art , is the benefit of contemplation , which is acquired hereby ; which is a thing ( according to the opinion of some learned cloister'd men ) to be preferred before action , because say they ) it makes us mortals the nearer to come to the creator by way of imitation ; for he is all contemplation of his own infinite power goodness , &c. but waving this , i cannot let slip the expression of an ingenious forreiner , who said , that rivers and the inhabitants of the watry element were made for wise men to contemplate , and fools to pass by without consideration . modesty will not permit me to rank my self in the number of the first ; and i shall endeavour to clear my self from the scandal of the last , by giving you a short account of rivers and their watry inhabitants . i shall first discourse of rivers : one whereof i have read of , scituate in epirus , which hath a strange double and contrar property ; the one is , that it will extinguish any torch that is lighted : and the other is , to light a torch never lighted before . the river silarus in a few hours will ( as report saith ) convert a rod into stone . and i my self know a lough in ireland , that in some years will convert wood into stone , of which are made the best hones . cambden makes mention of a well near kerby in cumberland , that ebbs and flows several times every day . the same author makes mention of the river mole in surrey , which , running several miles under ground , being opposed by hills , at last breaks out again so far off , that the inhabitants thereabout boast ( as the spaniards of the river ama ) that they feed several flocks of sheep on a green bridge . there is such another green bridge in wales , the river running a great way under ground , and there di●emboguing it self into the sea. some thereabout report , that they have put a living goose into the hole where the water falls , and she hath swum out at the other end ; but with no feathers on her back . mr. thomas may in his history of the reign of king henry the second , relates two strange things from gricaldus cambrensis , of certain wells in ireland . his words are these : a well there is in munster to be seen , within whose waters whosoe're hath been once drench'd , his hair streight takes an hoary dye . another fountain of quite contrary effect to that in ulster springs ; for there those that have washed once , how old soe're , shall never after have an hoary hair. another thing , though against nature , yet for the strangeness of it i cannot choose but relate , and that is of a certain river near harwood in bedfordshire , which in the year of our lord , ( a little before the civil wars between the houses of york and lancaster burst forth ) of a sudden stood still , and divided it felf asunder , so that men might pass three miles together on foot down the midst of the channel , leaving the waters like a wall behind them . speed in his descript. bedford . i shall conclude with two of the strangest rivers that ever were heard of . the first is a river called eleusina , which is so merrily disposed , ( if you will believe a man of no less authority than aristotle ) that it will dance to a fiddle , bubling at the noise of musick , and will grow very muddy ; but as soon as the musick ceaseth , it ceaseth its motion , returning to its former calmness and clearness . the other is as wonderful , and ( if you will believe josephus that learned jew ) it is a river in judaea , which runs very swisth all the six days of the week , but resteth on the seventh , which is the jewish sabbath . and now a word or two concerning fish : plinsaith , that nature's great and wonderful powers more demonstrated in the sea than on the land : and this may appear by those numerous and various creatures which inhabit in and about that element ; which will appear more at large , if you will read their history written either by rondeletius , gesner , johnstonus , or aldrovandus . the number and the various shapes o● these fishes are not more strange , than their different natures , inclinations and actions . give me leave to speak a little hereof . there is a fish called the cuttle-fish , which w●● cast a long gut out of her throat , with which she a●gles : for lying obscurely in the mud , she perm●● small fish to nibble at it , and by that means draws them near her by little and little , till coming within her reach , she leaps upon them and devours them : hence she is called the sea-angler . the hermit is a fish that when she grows old will seek out a dead fish's shell , fit for her purpose , and there dwell secluded from all company , studying nothing more than how to defend her self against the injuries of wind and weather . the sargus is a fish so lascivious , ( as du-bartas expresseth it rarely well ) that when he cannot find change of mates enough in the sea , he will get ashore and cuckold a goat . goes courting she-goats on the grassy shore , horning their husbands that had horns before . whereas it is reported that the mullet is so chast , that when she is deprived of her mate , she will follow him to the shore and dye . the torpedo , or cramp-fish , is a fish of so baneful and poysonous a nature , that all other fish that come within her reach are immediately stupified and without motion , so that they easily become her prey ; nay , she will so suddenly convey her poyson up the rod and line of the angler , when she feels her self entangled , that his hands and arms immediately losing their strength , become nummed and senseless . the scolopendra hath as rare and strange a way of defending her self from the anglers subtilty , as any fish whatever , if we may credit the relation of du-bartas , whose words are these : but if the scolopendra have suckt in the sowre-sweet morsel with the barbed pin , she hath as rare a trick to rid her from it ; for instantly she all her guts will vomit ; and having clear'd them from the danger , then she fair and softly sups them in again , so that not one of them within her womb changeth his office or his wonted room . the remora is a fish of so strange and secret a property ( and for that reason is often used for a metaphor ) that as the same du-bartas saith , let all the winds in one wind gather them , and ( seconded with neptune's strongest stream ) let all at once blow all their stiffest gales , aftern a galley under all her sails ; let her be holpen with an hundred oars ; each lively handled by five lusty rowers ; the remora fixing her feeble horn into the tempest-beaten vessels stern , stays her stone-still . in the year of our lord , near orford in suffolk , there was a fish taken in the perfect shape of a man ; he was kept by bartholomew de glanvile in the castle of orford above half a year ; but at length , not being carefully looked to , he stole to the sea , and was never seen after . he never spake , but would eat any meat that was given him , especially raw fish , when he had squeezed out the juice : he was often had to church , but never shewed any sign of adoration . let what is already spoken of fish suffice , since it will not onely be impertinent to enlarge farther , but impossible here to give an account of the natures of all fish : i shall therefore refer you to such authors who have made it their business to write large volumes . before i put an end to this introduction , permit me to insert something in the praise of fishermen and fishing . a short encomium , or somewhat in praise of fisher-men and fishing . it is very remarkable , that amongst the twelve holy apostles there were four of them fisher-men , whom our saviour elected and inspired to preach the gospel . and the reason that some give for this choice is , that he knew and found the hearts of such men naturally more fitted for contemplation and quietness , having spirits mild , sweet , and peaceable . besides , our saviour seems to have a more than common respect for their ocupation , for two reasons . first , he never reproved these for their profession , as he did others , viz. the scribes and money-changers . next , he dignified these poor fisher-men with the priority of nomination in the catalogue of his twelve apostles . nay , that which is more observable is this , that our saviour took only three of these fisher-men with him when he ascended the mount to bear him company at his transfiguration . now as to the lawfulness of fishing , i think none can speak against it , since our saviour himself commanded st. peter to fish to pay caesar his tribute . and as the ancients have highly applauded and approved of this ingenious exercise , several of the hero's of old , in the height of their glory , having exercised themselves herein : so several of our eminent late divines have done the like ; as dr. whitaker , learned perkins , dr. nowel dean of st. pauls london , and the incomparable sir henry wotton provost of eaton colledge , who was a great lover of angling , and would frequently say thereof , that it was after his study a rest to his mind , a chearer to his spirits , a diverter of sadness , a calmer of unquiet thoughts , a moderator of passions , a procurer of contentedness ; and that it begot habits of peace and patience in those that profess and practice it . and thus i conclude the praise of angling , though much more might be spoke thereof . how to improve fish-ponds , and the fish therein contained . before i shall lay down such observations and instructions , which with much pains and cost i have collected , to render a fisher-man compleat in that delightful exercise of taking fish : i shall give an account of ponds , and how they may in the best manner be improved . imprimis . consider the scituation of your pond , and the nature of those currents which run into it . in the next place , observe whether it be a breeder , or not ; if it be a breeder , experience will instruct you never to expect any large carps from such ponds , for the greatness of the number of the spawn will over stock the pond ; therefore for large carps a store-pond is ever accounted best . now to make a breeding-pond become a store-pond , when you cannot make a store-pond become a breeding-pond , thus you must do . when you sue your pond , consider what quantity of carps it will maintain ; then put in all milters , or all spawners , by which means in a little time you will have carps that are both large and fat beyond your expectation . by puting in but one sex of them , there is an impossibility of encreasing of them ; but of the roach it will notwithstanding multiply abundantly : therefore it is needful , and altogether necessary for such who keep breeding-ponds , to sue them once in three years , for fear of the encrease of roaches , though none were ever put in , which may seem very strange , if the truth thereof could not be made manifest ; as thus : there are several ponds frequented by wild-ducks , which usually come at nights to feed with the tame ones there abiding : now those wild-ducks bring these roaches with them , for their feeding amongst weeds in rivers . besides the spawn of roaches will hang about their feet and feathers , which is washed off by the water of those ponds they are accustomed to haunt ; by which means in a few years they become so numerous though you your self did not put one into the breeding pond ; for which cause you sind your carps so lean , and almost hunger starved . by the way , give me leave to insert this true story . a gentleman not far from the city of london , had a large pond of about four acres of ground ; a gentleman standing by at the suing thereof , and seeing not only a great quantity of fish , but the best grown that ever he saw , he advised him to put in two or three hundred of stores of carp , about three or four years growth , out of a pond that was over stocked , and to put sixty of those he had taken out ; which accordingly he saw done , fancying to see stately carps at the next suing . after the expiration of four years , this gentleman was advised to sue his pond , to see what monsters four years addition to their growth would produce ; for those sixty carps were from eye to fork from fifteen inches to eighteen inches when he put them in : now having sued his pond , he found almost the whole number of his carps ; but they were in such a lean condition , that he did not know them ; for they were monsters in nature their heads being bigger than their whole bodies , and almost as heavy and this happened it seems by his own foll , by putting in but twenty roaches ; and when the pond was sued there were bushels of small roaches , and these roaches eat up all the sweet feed from the carps ; for roaches are like sheep to great cattle , which eat up and devour all the sweet feed , and what affords the greatest nutriment . this gentleman was very much frustrated of his expectation ; and the fish-monger which came from london to buy a penny-worth as soon as he perceived the monsters , he mounted his horse , and rid as if the devil drove him , not so much as bidding the gentleman farewel . here is to be noted , that ponds which will not breed one carp ; roaches in one year will multiply by thousands ; therefore you must be careful every year to view your pond , and observe if any such fry appears , lest when you come to sue your pond , you be deceived in your expectation . how to make carps grow to an extraordinary bigness in a pond . perceiving about the month of april that your pond begins to grow low in water , then with an iron-rake , rake all the sides of your pond where the water is fallen away ; then sow some hay-seeds , and rake it well ; by this means at the later end of summer there will be a great growth of grass ; which when winter comes , and the pond being raised by rain to the top , will overflow all that grass ; and then the carps having water to carry them to the feed , will fill themselves , and in a short time become as fat as hogs that are kept up for that purpose : do this every summer till you sue your pond , and you will find no river - carp to surpass them either in fatness or sweetness . general observations to be understood by all such who desire to attain to the compleat and perfect art of angling . by no means fish in light and dazling apparel but let your cloathing be of a dark dusky colour . wheresoever you use to angle ( for the angler hath his peculiar haunt ) cast in once in four or five days corn boiled soft ; if for carp and tench , oftner : also you may cast in garbage , livers of beasts , worms chopt in pieces , or grains steeped in blood and dried . this will attract the fish unto the place : and to keep them together as you fish , throw in half a handful of grains of ground malt. this must be done in still water ; but in a stream you must cast your grains above your hook , and not about it ; sor as they float from your hook , so will they draw the fish after them . if you will bait a stream , get some tin-boxes made full of holes no bigger than just fit for a worm to creep through ; then fill these boxes with them , and having fastned a plummet to sink them , cast them into the stream with a string fastned thereto , that you may draw them forth when you please , by the smalness of the holes asoresaid , the worms can crawl out but very leasurely , and as they crawl the fish will resort about them . if you would bait for salmon , trout , umber and the like , in a stream , then take some blood , and therewith incorporate fine clay , barley , and malt ground adding thereto some water ; make all in a paste with gum of lvy ; then form it into cakes , and cast them into the stream . some will knead or stick worms therein fast by the head . if you find your bait take no effect in the attracting of the fish , you may then conclude some pike or pearch lurketh thereabout to seize his prey , for fear of which the fish dare not venture thereabout : you must therefore remove these obstructions of your sport , by taking your trowl ; and let your bait be either brandlings or lob-worms ; or you may use gentles , or minows , which they will greedily snap at . keep your rod neither to dry nor to moist , lest the one make it brittle , and the other rotten . if it be very soultry dry weather , wet your rod a little before you angle : and having struck a good fish , keep your rod bent , and that will hinder him from running to the end of the line , by which means he will either break his hold or the hook. if you would know what bait the fish loves best at the time of your fishing , having taken one , slit his gill , and take out his stomach , and open it without bruising , and there you will find what he last fed on and had a fancy to ; by which means you may bait your hook accordingly . when you fish , shelter your self under some bush or tree , or stand so far from the brink of the river that you can only discern your float : for fish are timorous , and are affrighted at the least sight or motion . the best way of angling with the fly is down the river , and not up , as you will find by experience . you never need make above half a dozen trials in one place , either with fly or ground-bait , when you angle for trout ; for by that time he will either offer to take , or refuse the bait , and not stir at all . if you will have fish bite eagerly and freely , and without suspition , you must present them with such baits as naturally they are inclined to , annd in such manner ar they are accustomed to receive them . if you use pastes for baits , you must add flax or wool , mix a little butter therewith and that will preserve the paste srom washing off your hook. the eyes of such fishes as you kill , are most excellent baits on the hook for almost any sort of fish. lastly , make not this or any other recreation your dayly practice , lest your immoderate exercise therein bring a plague upon you rather than a pleasure . astrological elections for angling in general . if as the wise man saith , ( and i think there is none that dare question his authority ) that there is a proper time and season for every action under the sun , i hope it will not be offensive nor impertinent to show what time and seasons the intelligent angler ought to make choice of , that may answer his expectation . for my own part , i have so often experimented the truth of these rules , that by my good will i would never : angle but at an elected time : the ingenious will not despise them , and for others they were not intended : and they are these ; if you would neptune's scaly subjects get , nights horned queen in the midheaven set : ☽ thence let her on the paphian goddess shine ♀ i th'west , and greet her with a friendly trine . be sure you always fortify the east ; and let the maiden-star possess the west : ♏ however let some aquatick sign ascend , ♋ . ♍ . ♓ . and let all power his happy lord attend . then see the setting constellation be afflicted by some hateful enemy , ♂ at least his lord , the sixth with strength defend ; let active power his radiant lord attend . then may you boldly venture to the flood , and take from thence what fishes you see good . what provision is to be made for angling-tools . the time of providing stocks is in the winter-solstice , when the trees have shed their leaves , and the sap is in the roots : for after january it ascends again into the trunk and branches , at which time it is improper to gather stocks or tops . let your stocks be taper-grown , and your tops the best rush-ground-shoots you can get , not knotty , but proportionable aud slender ; otherwise they will neither cast nor strike well , and by reason of their unpliableness your line will be much endanger'd . having gathered your stocks and tops all in one season , and as straight as you can , bathe them , saving the tops , over a gentle fire , and use them not till fully seasoned , till about a year and four months : they are better if kept two years . now to preserve these stocks or tops from rotting , or worm-eating , rub them over thrice a year with sallet or linseed-oyl ; sweet butter will serve , if never salted ; and with any of these you must chafe well your rods : if bored , pour in either of the oyls , and let them bathe therein twenty sour hours , then pour it out again ; and this will preserve your i ops and stocks from injury how to joyn the stock or top together , or how to make all sorts of rods for fly , ground , or otherwise , with what lengths are best for several sorts of fishing , i need not here relate ; since without putting your self to the trouble , you may purchase them of such as sell them at no dear rates . how to make a line after the best manner . let your hair be round , and twist it even , for that strengthens the line ; and let your hair , as near as you can , be of an equal bigness : then lay them in water for a quarter of an hour , bv which means you will find which of the hairs do shrink ; than twist them over again . some intermingle silk in the twisting , but i cannot approve of it ; but a line of all silk is not amiss ; also a line made of the smallest lute-string is very good , but that it will soon rot by the water . the best colour for lines is the sorrel , white , and grey ; the two last for clear waters , and the grey for muddy rivers : neither is the pale wacry green to be contemned , which colour you may make after this manner . take a pint of strong ale , half a pound of soot , a small quantity of the juice of walnut-leaves , with the like quantity of alum ; put these into a pipkin , and boil them together about half an hour : having so done , take it off the fire , and when it is cold put in your hair. or thus : take a pottle of alum-water , somewhat more than a handful of marigold-flowers , boil them till a yellow scum arise ; then take half a pound of green copperas , with as much verdegreece , and beat them together to a fine powder : put these with the hair into the alum-water , and let it lie ten hours or more ; then take the hair out , and let it dry . in the making your line leave a bought at both ends , the one to put it to and take it srom the rod , the other to hang your lowest link upon to which your hook is fastned ; and so you may change your hook as often as you please . of the hook , flote , and other things worth the observation . your hook ought to be long in the shank , somewhat round in its circumference , the point standing even and straight ; and let the bending be in the shank . use strong , but small silk , in the setting on of your hook , laying the hair on the inside of your hook : for if it be on the outside , the silk will fret and cut it a sunder . as for the flotes , there are divers way of making them : some use your muscovy-duck-quills , which are the best for still waters ; but for strong streams take good sound cork without flaws or holes , and bore it through with a hot iron ; then put into it a quill of a fit proportion ; then pare your cork into a pyramidal form of what bigness you think fit ; after this grind it smooth . to plum your ground , you must carry with you a musquet-bullet with a hole made through it , or any other sort of plummet , tying this to a strong twist , hang it on your hook , and so you will find the depth of the water . and that you may not incommode your tackle , it will be very requisite to make several partitions in pieces of parchment sowed together , by which each utensil may have a place by it self . in any wise forget not to carry a little whetstone with you to sharpen your hooks if you find them blunt and dull . i need not advise you how to carry your bob and palmer , or put you in mind of having several boxes of divers sizes for your hooks , corks , silk , thread , lead , flies , &c. or admonish you not to forget your linnen and wollen bags for all sorts os baits ; but let me forwarn you not to have a paunder that is heavy , for it can never be light enough : those which are made of osiers i think are the best . lastly , forget not carry with you a small pole with a loop at the end thereof , to which you may fasten a small net to land great fish withal . there is another way much better , and that is by the landing-hook , which hath a screw at the end of it to screw it into the socket of a pole : to which socket may be fitted also two other hooks , the one to pull out wood , and the other sharp to our away weeds . of flies natural and artificial , and how to use them . natural flies are innumerable , there being as many kinds as there are different sorts of fruits : to avoid prolixity , i shall onely name some of them , viz. the dun-fly , the stone or may-fly , the red fly , the moor-fly , the tawny-fly , the shel-fly , the cloudy or blackish-fly , the flag-fly , the vine-fly ; also caterpillers , canker-flies , and bear-flies , with thousands more which frequent meadows and rivers , for the contemplation of all , but particularly the recreation of anglers . these come in sooner or later , according to the season of the year , that is , sooner , or later according to the forwardness or backwardness of the spring ; for flies being bred of putrefaction , commence their being according as the heat doth further their seminal vertue unto animation i cannot prescribe you rules to know when each fly cometh in , and is most grateful to every sort of fish ; and therefore i shall leave the knowledge hereof to your own observation . moreover , there are several sorts of flies according to the several natures of divers soils and rivers , or diversity of plants ; yet some there are common to all , although but few . all flies are very good in their seasons for such fish as rise at the fly ; but some more peculiarly good , as being better beloved by some sort of fish . fish generally rise at these flies most eagerly when most sorts of flies resort to the water-side , hanging in a manner in clusters on trees and bushes , delighting themselves to skip thence and play upon the water ; and then do the fish shew their craft in catching them . to the intent you may the better know what kind of fly the fish then most covet , observe thus to do ; coming in the morning to the river-side , beat the bushes with your rod , and take up what variety you may of all sorts of flies , and try them all ; by which means you will quickly know which are in greatest estimation among them . not but that they will change their fly sometimes , but then it is when they have glutted themselves there with for five or six days together , which is commonly upon the going out of that fly : for fish never covet that fly more than when there is greatest plenty , contemning them at their first coming in . there are two ways to fish with these natural flies ; either on the surface of the water , or a little underneath it . now when you angle for chevin , roach , or dace with the natural fly , move it not swiftly when you see the fish make at it , but rather let it glide spontaneously towards it with the stream : if it be in a still and slow water , draw the fly slowly sideways by him , that will make him eager in pursuit of it ; whereas if you should move it swiftly , they will not follow it , being a lazy fish and slow of motion . these fish delight to shew themselves in a sun-shiny-day almost on the very surface of the water , by which means you may pick and choose . the artificial fly is seldome used but in blustering weather , when by the winds the waters are so troubled , that the natural fly cannot be seen , nor rest upon them . there are ( according to the opinion of mr. walton , a very ingenious man , and an excellent angler ) twelve sorts of artificial flies to angle with on the top of the water , of which these are the principal . the first is ( to use his own words ) the dun-fly , in march , made of dun wool , and the feathers of a partridge's wing . the second is a dun-fly too , and made of black wool , and the feathers of a black drake ; the body made of the first , and the wings of the latter . the third is the stone-fly , in april ; the body is made of black wool made yellow under the wings and tail. the fourth is the ruddy-fly , in the beginning of may ; the body being made of red wool , and bound about with black silk , with the feathers of a red capon , which hang dangling on his sides next his tail. the fifth is the yellow or greenish fly , in june ; the body is made of black wool , with a yellow list on either side , and the wings taken off the wings of a buzzard , bound with black braked hemp. the sixth is the moorish-fly ; the body made of duskish wool , and the wings made of the blackish mail of the drake . the seventh is the tawny-fly , good until the middle of june ; the body made of tawny wool , the wings made contrary one against another , of the whitish mail of the white drake . the eighth is the wasp-fly , in july ; the body made of black wool lapt about with yellow silk , the wings made of drake-feathers . the ninth is the shel-fly , good in the middle of july ; the body made of greenish wool lapt about wirh the herle of a peacock's tail , and the wings made of buzzards wings . the tenth and last is the drake-fly , good in august ; the body made of black wool lapt about with black silk , his wings of the mail of the black drake with a black head . and then having named two more , he concludes wittily , thus have you a jury of flies , likely to betray and condemn all the trouts in the river . this in my opinion seems a tedious and difficult way . i should rather think it better to find the fly proper for every season , and that which the fish at that time most eagerly covet , and make one as like it as possibly you may , in colour , shape , and proportion ; and for your better imitation lay the natural fly before you . there are several ways of making these artificial flies , which i shall forbear here to relate , thinking it more proper to leave it to the ingenuity of every particular person , which will be very much help'd by seeing and observing the artist's method in their composition . the best observations i can collect for artificial fly-fishing , are these : first , observe to fish in a river somewhat disturbed by rain , or in a cloudy day , when the waters are moved by a gentle breez : the south-wind is best , the west indifferent , but the east is stark naught . but as to this i give not much credit ; for let the sky be cloudy , and the season not too cold , i 'le bid defiance to any wind that blows not too hard . if it blow high , yet not so high but that you may conveniently guide your tackle , they will rise in plain deeps , where you shall kill the best fish : but if the wind be small , then is the best angling in swift screams ; and be sure to keep your fly in continual motion . secondly , keep as far from the water-side as you can , whether you fish with a fly or worm ; and fish down rhe stream , having the sun on your back , not suffering your line to touch the water but your fly onely . here note , that the light fly makes most sport in a dark night , and the darkest or least fly in a clear dry . thirdly , in clear rivers ever angle with a small fly with slender wings ; but in such as are muddied by rain , use a fly that is larger bodied than ordinary . fourthly , when the water beginneth to clear after rain , and becomes brownish , then use a red or orange fly ; if the day be clear , a light-coloured fly , and a dark fly for dark waters ; if the water be of a wheyish complexion , then use a black or brown fly. i will not say these directions or rules are without exceptions . fifthly , let your line for fly-fishing be twice as long as your rod , unless the river be cumbred with wood. sixthly , for every sort of fly , have several of the same differing in colour , to sute with the different complexions of several waters and weathers . seventhly , you must have a nimble eye , and an active hand to strike presently with the rising of the fish , or else he will be apt to spew out the hook , finding his mistake . eighthly , let your fly fall first into the water ; for if your line fall first , it scares the fish , and therefore you must draw again and cast . ninthly , when you angle in slow rivers or still places with your artificial fly , cast it over cross the river , and let it sink a little in the water , and draw it gently back again , so as you raise no circles , nor break the water ; and let the fly float gently with the current , and hereby you will find excellent sport . lastly , take notice that your salmon-flies must be made with their wings standing one behind the other , whether two or four , he delights in the finest gawdiest colours you can choose , in the wings chiefly , which must be long , and so must the tail. of ground angling . if you fish under the water for a trout , it must be without a float , onely with a plumb of lead , or a bullet , which is better , because it will fowl on the ground . and this way of fishing is very good in cold weather , when the fish swim very low : you must place this bullet about nine inches from the baited hook ; your top must be very gentle , that the fish may more easily run away with the bait , and not be scared with the stifness of the rod. you must not strike as soon as you feel the fish bite , but slack your line a little , that he may the better swallow the bait and hook. when you strike do it gently , for the least matter does it . let your tackle be fine and slender , for that is better than your big and strong lines , which serve onely to fright the fish. you will find it a better way of angling to do it without float or lead , onely making use of a garden-worm , drawing it up and down the stream ; by which you will take more trouts than any other way , especially if it be in a clear day . the morning and evening are the chiefest seasons for the ground-line for trout : but if the day prove cloudy , or the water muddy , you may angle at ground all the day . of night-angling . great fish ( especially trouts ) are like bucks , wary and circumspect in their self-preservation , and know the seasons most fit for them to feed without danger ; and that is the night , as they suppose , thinking then they may most securely range abroad . in your night-angling take two great garden-worms of an equal length , and place them on your hook ; then cast them a good distance , and draw them to you again upon the superficies of the water , not suffering them to sink ; to which end you must not use a plummet . you may easily hear the fish rise , and therefore give him some time to swallow your bait , then strike him gently . if he will not take it at the top , sink your bait by adding some lead , and order your self as at day-angling on the ground . i have frequently experienced it , that the best trouts bite in the night , rising most commonly in the still deeps , but unusually in the streams . instead of these garden-worms you may use a black snail , or a piece of velvet in its likeness : this is a most excellent night-bait for a trout , and nothing like the black snail for a chub in the morning early . you may bait your hook with a minnow for a trout thus : put your hook through the point of his lower chap , and draw it through ; then put your hook in at his mouth , and bring the point to his tail ; then draw your line straight , and it will bring him into a round compass : but be sure you so order his mouth that the water get not in . what times are seasonable , and what unseasonable to angle in . calm and clear weather is very good to angle in ; but cool cloudy weather in summer is best ; but it must not be so boisterously windy as that you cannot guide your tackle . the cooler the weather is in hottest months , the better it is : and if a sudden violent shour hath disturbed and muddied the river , then is your time to angle in the stream at the ground with a red worm . likewise a little before the fish spawn is a very good time for angling ; for then their bellies being full , they come into sandy fords , and there rub their bellies to loosen them , at which time they will bite very freely . if you intend to fish for carp and tench , you must commence your sport early in the morning , fishing from sun-rising till eight of the clock , and from four in the afternoon till night ; and in hot months till it be very late . in the heat of summer carps will shew themselves on the very rim of the water ; at which time , if you fish with a lob-worm as you do with a fly natural , you will have excellent sport , especially if it be among reeds . in march , april , september , and all the winter , ( in which season fish swim deep very near the ground ) i say , in those months it is best fishing in a clear serene warm day , for then they bite fastest : but all the summer-time mornings , evenings , and cool cloudy weather are the best times for angling . here note , that by experience you will find that fish rise best at the fly after a shour of rain that have onely beaten the gnats and flies into the river without muddying them . the proper moneths and times of the day for the fly , are march , april , may , and the beginning of june ; in which months let your times be in the morning about nine , and between three and four in the afternoon . a warm evening is very seasonable , if the gnats play much . after a clear moon shiny-night , if the day succeeding prove cloudy , it is a very good time for angling ; for , having abstained from food all the night , ( for they will not stir for fear in bright nights ) the next day they become hungry and eager , and the gloominess of the day makes them bite boldly . at the opening of sluces or mill-dams go along with the course of the water , and you will find trouts and other fish will then come out to seek for what food the water brings down with it . having shewn you what seasons are most proper and profitable to angle in , i will demonstrate to you such as are not . and first , in the extremity of heat , when the earth is parched with drought , there is little sport to be obtained , especially in muddy or clear shallow rivers . secondly , in the winter or spring-time , when there happeneth any hoary frost , then will not the fish bite kindly all that day , unless it be in the evening , and if that prove serene and pleasant : but it is not convenient to fish at any time when the wind bloweth so high that you cannot manage your tools to advantage . thirdly , sheep-shearing time is an an enemy to the angler , for then the fish glut themselves with what is washt off the sheep , and will scarcely bite till that season be over . likewise sharp east and north nipping-winds do very much prejudice the anglers recreation : neither is it good to fish immediately after spawning-time ; for at that time their appetite is much abated . it is a very strange thing to consider the natural instinct in fish in foreknowing the approach of a showr of rain ; for i have tried , that upon the rise of a gloud that threatned a sudden showr , they would not bite ; from which observation i have often sav'd my self from being wet to the skin . lastly , if the preceding night prove dark and cloudy , the succeeding day will prove ineffectual for fishing , unless for small fish ; for at such times the great ones prey abroad for the lesser , who , by instinct knowing the danger , hide themselves till the morning ; and having fasted all night become then very hungry , whilst the great ones having gorg'd themselves lie absconded all the day long . the next thing we shall insist on , is the way of taking several sorts of fish ( as they are here alphabetically set down ) with several proper baits according to the best of experiences . of the barbel . the barbel is so called by reason of the barb which is under his nose or chaps . he is a leather-mouth'd-fish , that is , such a one as will not break his hold when hook d ; but will frequently break , if big , both rod and line . they swim together in great shoals , and are at worst in april , though not very good at any time . the places where he loves most to resort , are where weeds grow , or in a gravelly rising ground , wherein he will dig and root like a hog with his nose : not but that he frequents the strongest swifts of water sometimes , as deep bridges or wears , where he will so settle himself among the piles and hollow places , or amongst moss or weeds , that let the water be never so swift , he will remain immoveable . this is his custome in the summer-time ; after which times he retires into deep waters and there helps the female to dig a hole in the sand for her to hide her spawn from being devoured by other fish. this fish is of a delicate cast and handsome shape , with small scales placed after a most curious manner ; and as his shape is curious so is his palate , for he will not eat any thing but what is clean ; and therefore if you intend to make any sport with him your bait must be very well scowred . the best for him is a lob-worm , at which he will bite boldly , if you bait your ground the night before with big worms cut in pieces . for him you can never bait the ground too much , nor can you fish for him too early or too late . gentles also are a very good bait for him , if green ; and so is cheese made tough by keeping it in a wet linnen bag a day or two : this cheese steeped in clarified honey , and the ground where you intend to fish baited therewith , will give you an opportunity to catch store enough of barbels , if there be any thereabout . you may do well to bait your hook with cheese that is sost , and sheeps-tallow wrought into a paste : but there is no bait like the well-scowred lob-worm , or cheese steeped in honey an hour or two . when you fish for this barbel , let your rod and line be both loug and strong ; on your line let there be a running plummet , that is a bullet with a hole throw the middle , let a knot or little bit of lead be placed a foot or more above your hook , to keep your bullet from falling down on it : so your worm lay at the bottom where they always bite , and when he takes your bait the plummet will lye and not check the fish , and you may know by the bending of the top of your rod when he bites , and likewise feel him with your hand make a strong snatch , then strike and you rarely fail , if you play him well and tire him ; for as he is very subtile , so is he extraordinary strong and dogged to be dealt withal , and will so struggle , that if you manage him not dextrously , he will break your line . his best time of biting is about nine of the clock , and the chiefest time of fishing for him is at the latter end of may , june , july , and the beginning of august . of the bream . there are two sorts of breams , the one a fresh and the other a salt water-fish , yet neither differ much in shape , nature , or taste . i shall onely speak of the fresh-water bream , which at full growth is a large and stately fish , and breeds either in ponds or rivers ; but chiefly delights in the former , which if he likes , he will not onely grow exceeding fat , but will fill the pond with his issue , even to the starving of the other fish. as for his shape , it is very broad , and thick scaled very excellently , with a forked tail ; his eyes are large , but he hath a very little sucking mouth , disproportionate to his body . the flesh of this fish is accounted more pleasant than wholesome by some : but as for my part , i am of the judgement of the french , who have a great estimation for it ; and if you will but taste his belly or head , you will say it is most excellent food . the bream spawneth in june , or the beginning of july , and is easily taken ; for after one or two gentle turns he will fall upon his side , and so you may draw him to land with ease . the best time of angling for him , is from st. james-tide till bartholomew-tide ; for having had all the summers food , they are exceeding fat . the bream is a great lover of red worms , especially such as are to be found at the root of a great dock , and lie wrapt up in a round clue ; also he loves paste , flag-worms , wasps , green flies , butter-flies , and a grass-hopper with his legs cut off . the way of taking breams is thus : first bait the ground ( where you know they resort ) with a convenient quantity of sweet-ground barley-malt , boyled but a little while , and strained when it is cold : go with it to the place about nine a clock at night , then take your malt , and squeezing it between your hands , throw it into the river , and it will sink : if the stream run hard , cast in your squeezed balls a little above the place you intend to angle in . having thus baited your ground , in the morning bait your hook with the greatest red worm you can get ; you may find them in gardens or chalky commons after a showre of rain ; of which you must store your self beforehand , keeping them a month at least in dry moss , changing the moss every three daies . having baited your hook so that the worm may crawl to and fro , for the better inticing of the fish to bite without suspition , observe where your fish play most and stay longest , which commonly is in the broadest , deepest and stillest part of the river generally in deep and still back waters : then plumb your ground , and fish within half an inch of it ; for although you shall see some breams play on the top of the water , yet these are but the sentinels for them beneath . you may have three or four rods out at a time stuck in the bank-side , and let them be long , the floats swan or goose-quills , which must be sunk with lead , the tops bearing above water about half an inch. let your rods be cast in one above the other about a yard and a half distant , and then withdraw your self from the bank so far that you can perceive nothing but the top of the float ; and when you perceive it sink , then creep to the water-side , and give it as much line as you can : if it be a carp or bream , they will run to the other side ; then strike gently , and hold your rod at a bent a little while , but do not pull , for then you spoil all ; but you must first tire them before you can land them , being very shie . of the two , the carp is the worst , being more brisk and strong . here take notice by the way , if pike or pearch be thereabout , it will be but a folly to think of killing carp or bream ; and therefore you must remove those obstacles , by fishing them out first . and to the intent you may know whether there be those fish of prey thereabout , take a small bleak or gudgeon , and bait it , setting it alive among your rods , two foot deep from your float , with a little red worm at the point of your hook : if a pike be there , he will certainly snap at it . of the bleak . the bleak is an eager fish , and is caught with all sorts of worms bred on trees or plants , also with flies , paste , sheeps-bloud , &c you may angle for them with half a score hooks at once , if you can fasten them all on . also in an evening the bleak will take the natural or artificial fly. if it be a warm clear day , there is no bait so good for the bleak as a small fly at the top of the water , which they will take at any time of the day , but especially in the evening : there is no fish that yields better sport for a young angler than this , for they are so eager that they will leap out of the water at the bait. if the day be cold and cloudy , gentles or cadice are best about two foot under water . this same bleak by some is called a fresh-watersprat , or river-swallow , by reason of his continual motion . some would have him called bleak from the whitish colour , and that is onely under his belly , for his back is of a pleasant sea-green . there is another way of taking bleaks , by whipping them in a boat or on a bank-side in swift water in a summers evening , with a hazel-top about five or six foot long , and a line twice the length of the rod ; but the best way is with a drabble that is tie eight or ten small hooks along a line two inches above one another the biggest hook the lowermost , by which you may sometimes take a better fish , and bait them with gentles , flies , or small red worms , by which means you may take half a dozen or more at one time . of the bull-head , or miller's-thumb . the bull-head is a fish which hath a broad head and wide mouth , with two broad fins near his eyes , and two fins under his belly : instead of his teeth his rough lips assist him in nibbing at the bait . he hath fins also on his back , and one below the vent ; and his tail is round , his body being all over covered with whitish , blackish , and brownish spots . they begin to spawn about april , and are full of spawn all the summer-season . the bull-head's common habitation is in holes , or among stones in clear water in summer ; but in the winter he takes up his quarters with the eel in the mud : so doth the loach and minnow ; or we cannot guess otherwise where their winter-abode should be . he is easily taken in the summer , for he is lazie and simple . you may see him in hot weather lie sunning himself on a flat stone or gravelly ground , at which time you may put your hook ( which must be baited with a small worm ) very near the mouth , at which he seldom refuseth to bite , so that the veriest bungling angler may take him . he is an excellent fish for tast , but of so ill a shape , that many women care not for dressing him , he so much resembles a toad . of the chevin . the chevin spawneth in march , and is a very strong ( yet unactive ) fish , yielding in a very little time after he is struck . the larger he is , the quieter he is taken . as for his food , he loveth all sorts of worms and flies , also cheese , grain , black worms , slitting their bellies that the white may appear : he loveth to have his bait large , and variety of baits at one hook. he delights very much in the pith that grows in the bone of an ox-back , os which you must be careful in taking off the tough outward skin , without breaking the tender inward skin early in the morning angle for your chevin with snails ; but choose some other bait for him in the heat of the day , for then he will not bite at them . in the afternoon fish for him at ground or flie. there is no fly he loveth better than a great moth with a great head , whose body is yellow , with whitish wings ; which is to be found commonly in gardens about the evening . he will not stick sometimes to snap at a lamprey . of the char. i could never read nor hear that the char was taken any where but in a mere in lancashire , called winander-mere , the largest , according to report , that is in the kingdom of england , being ten miles in length , and as smooth as a bowling-green at the bottom . this char is spotted like a trout , and its dimension seldome exceeds seventeen inches or a foot and half . this fish is delicate food , having scarce a bone but what is on the back . now since the place is so remote from london where these chars are taken , i shall for bear to trouble our city-angler with rules and directions how to angle for him , and pass to such fish as are frequently found in every river here near adjacent . of the chub . this fish hath several appellations ; for he is called a chub , a chavender by the french , by some a villian , by others a cheven . as for my part , call him what you please , i like him not for these reasons : first , he is full of small forked bones dispersed every where throughout his body ; next , he eats very waterish ; and lastly , this fish is unfirm , and ( in my opinion ) in a manner tasteless . of all fish he is the best to enter a young angler , for he is very easily taken : however give me leave to prescribe you some more rules than what i have already shewn in the angling for the cheven , which is the same with the chub or chavender you must find out some hole , where you shall have twenty or more of them together in a hot day floating almost on the very surface of the water : let your rod be long and strong , and your line not above a yard or two long , very strong , and an indifferent large hook ; then bait your hook with a grashopper , bob your grashopper up and down one the top of the water , and if there be any chub near he will rise ; but so abscond your self that you may not be seen , for he is a very fearful fish , and therefore the least shadow will make him sink to the bottom of the water , yet he will rise again suddainly ; this is called bobing . having baited your hook drop it gently some two foot before that chub you have elected by your eye to be the best and fairest , and he will instantly bite greedily thereat , and be held so fast by reason of his leather-mouth , that he can seldom break his hold : and therefore you may do well to give him play enough , and so tire him ; otherwise you may endanger your line . if you cannot find a grashopper , then bait your hook with any kind of fly or worm , as i said before , as dors , beetles , bobs , cod or case-worms . when you fish for the chub with a fly , grashopper , or beetle , it must be at the top of the water ; if with other baits , underneath . in march and april angle for your chub with worms ; in may , june , and july , with flies , snails , or cherries . where note he will rarely refuse a grashopper on the top of a swift stream , nor at the bottom the young humble-bee . in august , september , &c. make use of a paste made of parmisan , or holland cheese pounded with saffron in a mortar , adding thereunto a little butter . others make a paste of cheese and turpentine for the winter-season , at which time the chub is in his prime ; for then his forked bones are either lost , or converted into a gristle ; and he is excellent meat baked . in hot weather angle for him in the middle of the water , or near the top thereof ; but in cold weather fish for him near the bottom . to finish all other discourse of this chub , cheven , or chavender , i shall only say that his spawn is excellent ; and if he be large , the head , when the throat is well washt , is the best part of the fish. of the carp . it is confess'd by all , that the carp is the queen of all fresh-water-fish , being not only a good , but subtile fish and living longest of all fish ( excepting the ecl ) out of his proper element . those that die soonest are herrings , for salt-water ; and for fresh-water , trouts . carps are observed to breed several months in one year ; and for this reason you shall hardly ever take either male or female without melt or spawn . they breed ever more naturally in ponds than in running water : in the latter very seldom or never ; and where they breed , they breed innumerably . he that intends to angle for a carp , must arm himself with a world of patience , by reason of the extraordinary subtlety and policy of that fish : they alwaies choose to lie in the deepest places either of ponds or rivers where is but a small running stream . next , you are to observe that the carp will seldom bite in cold weather ; and in hot weather you cannot be too early or too late at your sport : and if he bite , you need not fear his hold , for he is one of those leather-mouth'd-fish , who have their teeth in their throat . when you angle for the carp , your rod and line must be strong ; and because he is so very wary , it is good to intice him by baiting the ground with course paste : in march he seldom resuseth the red worm , the cadice in june , nor the grashopper in july , august , and september . the carp takes delight in worms or sweet pastes , of which there are great variety : the best are made up of honey and sugar , and ought to be thrown into your water some hours before you intend to angle ; or if you throw in your paste made into small pellets two or three days before , it will not be the worse , especially if you throw in also chickens-guts , garbage , or bloud incorporated with bran or cow-dung . you may make your paste in this manner : take a convenient quantity of bean-flour , or any other flour , and mingle it with the flesh of a cat cut small ; make up this composition with honey , and then beat them all together in a mortar so long , till they are so tough as to hang upon a hook without washing off . for the better effecting thereof , mingle therewith some whitish wool ; and if you would keep it all the year , add thereunto some virgins-wax and clarified honey . if you fish with gentles , anoint them with honey and put them on your hook with a piece of scarlet dipt in the like . this is the most approved way to deceive and captivate the subtile carp. honey and crums of white-bread mixt together is a very good paste for a carp. an approved way how to take carp in a muddy pond . vide chap. of the tench . of the dace and dare . the dace , dare and roach , are much of a kind , both in manner of feeding , cunning , goodness and commonly in size the dace or dare will bite at any fly , but especially at the stone-cadice fly or may fly , the latter end of april and the begining or most part of may is a most excellent bait , floating on the top of the water ; which you may gather great quantities of from the reeds and sedge by the water side , or from hawthorne bushes which grow near the bank of a shallow gravel-stream , on which they very much delight to hang : also at ant-flies , of which the blackish is the best , which are found in mole-hills about the months of june , july , august and september . the way of preserving them for your use is , to put them alive into a glass-bottle , having first laid therein some of the moist earth from whence you gatherd them , with some of the roots of the grass of the said hillock : having laid your ant-flies in gently without premdicing their wings , lay a clod of earth over it : thus you may keep them a month , if you bruise them not . if you would keep them longer , put them into a large rundlet , having first wash'd the inside with water and honey : having thus kept them three months , they are an incomparable bait in any stream and clear water , either for dace , dare or roach , and are good also for a chavender , fishing within a handful from the bottom . the best time for making use of the ant-flie , is when they swarm , and that is generally about the latter end of july , and begining of august : they will cover a tree or bush with their multitude , and then if you make use of them , you may load your self with roach or dace in a small time . in a warm day he rarely refuseth a fly at the top of the water : but remember that when you fish under water for him , it is best to be within an handful or something more of the ground . if you would fish for dace or dare in winter , then about alhallontide , where ever you see heath or sandy grounds ploughing up , follow the plough , and you will find a white worm with a red head , as big as the top of a mans little finger . you may know where most of them are , by the number of crows and rooks which sit on the plowed land . the worm is very soft and is by some termed a grub , which is nothing but the spawn of a beetle . gather what quantity you think fit , and put them into a vessel with some of the earth from whence they were taken , and you may keep them all the winter . lastly the young brood of wasps and bees having their heads dipt in blood , are an excellent bait for dace or dare. of the eel . i shall not trouble you with variety of discourses concerning the being of an eel , whether they breed by some generation , or corruption as worms or by certain glutinous dew drops , which falling in may and june on the banks of some ponds or rivers ; are by the heat of the sun turned into eels : and these are by some called yelvers , of which i have seen cakes made , and have eaten thereof when fried , with much satisfaction . i say waving away all discourses of this nature , i shall onely tell you that some have differented eels into four sorts chiefly : namely , the silver-eel , a greenish eel , ( which is called a creg ; ) a blackish eel , with a broad flat head ; and lastly an eel with reddish fins . i shall onely speak of the first , which is the silver eel . this eel is generally believed to have its being from generation , but not by spawning , but the young coming from the female alive , and no bigger than a small needle . this eel may be caught with several sorts of baits but principally with powder'd beef . a garden-worm or lob , or a minnow , or hen's-gut , or garbage of fish , is a very good bait : but some prefer a pride , which others call a lamprey , beyond any yet named . as eels abscond themselves in winter , taking up their constant residence in the mud , without stirring out for six moneths ; so in the summer they take no delight to be abroad in the day , and therefore the most proper time to take them is in the night , with any of those baits aforesaid , fastning your line to the bank-side with your laying-hooks in the water . or you may throw in a line with good store of hooks baited , and plumb'd with a float to discover where the line lieth , that in the morning you may take it up with your drag-hook . there is another way of taking eels , and that is by sniggling . this sniggling is nothing else but taking in the day-time a strong line and hook baited with a lob or garden-worm , and marking such holes and places where the eels use to abscond themselves in the day-time near wears , mills , or flood-gates , and gently by the help of a stick putting your bait into such holes where you imagine eels are : and if there be any , you shall be sure to have a bite ; but then have a care you pull not too hard , lest you spoil all . here note , that the top of your stick must be cleft , wherein you must put a strong hook , but of a narrow compass ; which stick must guide the bait into the hole where the eel is , by which means , if your tackling hold , you may get as large eels as any are in the river , mill-pond , or flood-gate , &c. and as this way of fishing is called sniggling , so it is called broggling for eels . bobbing fot eels is done after another manner : that is , take very large lobs , scowr them well , and with a needle run some strong-twisted silk through them from end to end ; take so many as that you may wrap them about a board a dozen times at least , then tie them fast with the two ends of the silk , that they may hang in so many hanks ; then fasten all to a strong cord , and about a handful and a half above the worms fasten a plumb of three quarters of a pound in weight , and fasten your cord to a strong pole : having so done , fish in muddy water , and you will feel the eels tug lustily at them . when you think they have swallowed them as far as they can , gently draw up your line , till you have brought your eels to the top of the water , and then bring them ashore as fast as you can . the gentleman ( and an experienced angler ) from whom i received this instruction , told me , he hath taken six or seven large eels at a time this very way . there is another way also for taking of eels ( though it be somewhat laborious , and for that reason is best to be made use of in cold weather ) and that is by an instrument called an eel-spear : it is made for the most part with three forks or teeth , jagged on the sides ; but those are better that have four . this you are to strike into the mud at the bottom of the river ; and if you chance to light where they lie , you need not fear taking them if your instrument be good . if you would take verv large eels indeed , bait your night-hooks with small roaches , und let the hooks lie in the mouth of the fish. of the flounder . i shall not go about to tell you the nature of a flounder , or give you his description , since he is a fish so well known to every one . in april , may , june and july , you may fish for the flounder all day long , either in a swift stream or in the still deep , but best in the stream . your most proper baits are all sorts of red worms , wasps and gentles . of the grailing . when you angle for the grailing , you must head your hook upon the shank with a very slender narrow plate of lead , and let it be slenderest at the bent of the hook , that the bait which must be a large grashoper , may with more facility come over it : at the point let there be a cad bait , and keep the bait in continual motion ; and forget not to pull off the grashopper's wings which are uppermost . in the months of march and april , there is an excellent bait for the grailing , which is called a tag-tail : this worm is of a pale flesh-colour , with a yellow tag on his tail , somewhat less then half an inch long ; which is to be found in marled grounds and meadows in fair weather , but not to be seen in cold weather , or after a showre of rain . of the gudgeon . the gudgeon , though small , is a fish of so pleasant a taste , that in my opinion it is very little inferiour to the smelt . i need not describe him , he is so well known . he spawns three or four times in the summer season . his feeding is much like the barbel's , in sharp streams and on gravel , slighting all manner of flies . he is easily taken with a small red worm , fishing near the ground . this fish is leather-mouthed , and will not easily be lost off the hook when struck . you may fish for him with float , your hook being on the ground ; or by hand with a running line on the ground , without either cork or float . wasps , gentles , and cad-baits are good baits for the gudgeon , but the small red worm the best ; you may fish for them with two or three hooks at once and find very pleasant sport where they rise any thing large . when you angle for them , stir up the sand or gravel with a long pole , which will make them gather to that place , and bite faster and with more eagerness . of the guiniad . i cannot say much of this fish , only that it is excellent food ; and therefore i shall conclude my discourse of the guiniad with a very strange observation ; and that is , this fish is not found any where but in a large water called pemble-mere : but that which is most remarkable is this , that the river which runs by chester hath its head or . fountain in merionith shire and in its course runs through this pemble-mere , which abounds as much with guiniads , as the river dee doth with salmon , of each both affording great plenty ; and yet it was never known that any salmon was ever caught in the mere , nor ever any guiniads taken in the river . when d ee that in his course fain in her lap would lie , commixtion with her store , his stream she doth deny , by his complexion prov'd , as he through her doth glide , her wealth again from his she likewise doth divide : those white fish that in her do wondrously abound , are never seen in him ; nor are his salmons found at any time in her ; but as she him disdains , so he again from her as wilfully abstains . draytons polyolb . song . of the loach . the loach , though a small yet a dainty fish : his breeding and feeding is in little and clear swift brooks or rivulets ; here and in sharp streams gravel is his usual food . he is small and slender , seldom exceeding three inches in length : he is bearded like a barbel , having two fins at his sides , four at his belly , and onely one at his tail and is freckled with many black or brown spots . this loach is commonly full of spawn , which is , with the flesh , a very grateful food to weak stomacks affording great nourishment . he is to be taken with a very small worm neer the ground , for he delights to be neer the gravel , and therefore is seldom seen on the top of the water . of the minnow . the minnow is a fish without scales , and one of the least of the watry inhabitants ; but for excellency of meat he may ( in my opinion ) be compared to any fish of greatest value and largest size ; and little things should not be despised . the spawners are usually full of spawn all the summer long , for they breed often , as it is but necessary , being both prey and baits to other fish . they come into the rivers generally about march and april , and there continue till the cold weather drive them into their winter quarters again . of colour this fish is greenish , or wavy sky-coloured ; his belly is very white , but his back is blackish . this fish will bite sharply at a small worm ; and if you will trouble your self to catch enough of them you may make an excellent tansie of them , cutting off their heads and tails , and frying them in eggs , saucing them with butter , sugar and verjuice . anglers use to find him oftner then they would : deep places he seldom frequents . it is a fish no way curious of his feeding , for any bait pleaseth him if he can but swallow it , he will strain hard for what he cannot gorge . the chiefest food he loveth is a small red worm , wasps , or cad-baits . of the pope , or ruff . this fish with a double name is small , and seldome grows bigger than gudgeon ; in shape he is not unlike a pearch , but esteemed better food , being of tast as pleasant and delightful as any fish whatever . the ruff frequents the deepest running places in a gravel river , the exact bottom of which being found by plumbing , and your hooks being baited with small red or brandling worms , ( for i would have you fish with two or three ) you will have incomparable sport as long as you desire . the ruff makes excellent sport with an unexperienced angler , for he is a greedy biter ; and they are in great shoals together where the water is deep , smooth , and calm . if you would catch a good round quantity , bait your ground with earth , and angle for them with a small red worm . of the pike . the pike is a very long-liv'd creature , and if we may credit sir francis bacon , or gesner that famous brutologist , he outlives all other fish ; which is pitty , he being as absolute a tyrant of the fresh-waters , as the salmon is , the king thereof . the larger the pike , the courser the food , the smaller being ever best ; contrary to the nature of eels , which improve their goodness by their bulk and age . he is a melancholick fish , because he never swims in shoals , but rests himself alone ; and he is as bold as any fish whatever , if we may believe report , which informs us a pike hath been known to fight with an otter for a carp he had taken , and was carrying out of the water . another bit a mule by the lip as he was drinking , and stuck thereunto so fast , that by that means the owner of the mule took him . another bit a maid by the foot as she was washing . he will frequently devour his own kind unnaturally ; from whence i suppose he may obtain the name of a freshwater-wolf . as the pike is in nature like the hawk , a bird of prey , so he is like her in generation , neither of them breeding but once a year : and when the pike spawns it is between february and march. the best pikes are found in rivers , the worst in meres or ponds . his common food is either pickerel weed , frogs , or what fish he can procure . this pickerel-weed some say , both feeds and breeds them . there are two ways of fishing for the pike ; first by the ledger , secondly by the walking-bait . the ledger-bait is fix'd in one certain place , whilst the angler may be absent ; and this must be a living bait , either fish or frog . of fish the best are a dace , roach , or pearch : for frogs , the yellowest are the best . how to keep them alive on your hook , your own ingenuity will inform you . when you intend to use the ledger-bait , if it be a fish , stick your hook through his upper lip ; and then fastning it to a strong line at least twelve or fourteen yards in length , tie the other end of the line either to some stake in the ground , or to some bough of a tree near the pike's usual haunt or where you think 't is like he may come . then winde your line on a sorked stick , ( big enough to keep the bait from drawing it under water ) all except about half yard or somewhat more ; and your stick having a small celft at the end , fasten your line therein ; but so , that when the pike comes , he may easily draw it forth , and have line enough to go to his hold and pouch . if your bait be a frog , put the arming-wyre in at his mouth , and out at his gills ; and then with a fine needle and silk sow the upper part of his leg with one stitch onely to your arming-wyre , or tie his leg above the upper joynt to the wyre ; but as gently as you can , lest you hurt him . i have seen excellent sport with living baits tied about the bodies of two or three couple of ducks , driven over a place where store of pikes have frequented . i have observed the pike to strike so violently at the living bait , that being hung he hath drawn the duck clear under water . the like may be done with such baits tied to bladders , suffering them to float down the river , whilst you mind your sport walking on its banks . the next way of angling for a pike is with a trowl with a winch to wind it up withal . as this fish is very strong , so must your tackle ; and your rod must not be very slender at top , where must be placed a ring for your line to run through . your line must be silk two yards and a quarter next the hook , which mast be double , and strongly armed with a wyre about seven inches : the rest of your line may be strong shoemakers-thread . upon the shank of the hook fasten some smooth lead ; and having placed your hook in the mouth of a minnow , dace , or roach ; with your lead sink your bait with his head downward . having so done , cast your bait up and down : if you feel him at the hook , give him length enough to run away with the bait and pouch it ; which when you think he hath done , strike him with a smart jerk , and so continue your sport with him as long as you shall think fit . take likewise this next direction from a friend that speaks not much different . when you intend to trowl , you may make choice either of roach , dace , bleak , or gudgeon to bait withal , ( but for my own part i always prefer the guogeon ) which you must do thus : put your arming-wyre in at the mouth , and thrusting it along by the back bring it out again at the tail , and there faslen it with a thread having your reel in your hand , and your line fastned to your hook through a ring at the top of your rod , cast your bait into some likely place , and move it up and down in the water as you walk gently by the river-side : when you have a bite ( which you may easily feel , for he will give a good tug ) be sure to give him line enough . you may let him lie almost a quarter of an hour before you strike ; and then have a care you do it not too fiercely , lest you endanger your tackle , and lose the fish to boot . if you fish at snap , you must give him leave to run a little , then strike , striking the contrary way to which he runneth . for this way of angling , a spring hook is best ; and your tackle must be much stronger than that for the trowl , because you must strike with greater force . here note , that a large bait more invites the pike to bite , but the lesser takes him more infallibly , either at snap or trowl . if you fish with a dead bait for a pike , this is a most excellent bait : take a minnow , frog that is yellow , dace , or roach , and having dissolved gum of ivy in oil of spike , anoint your baith therewith , and cast it where pikes frequent . having lain a little while at bottom , draw it to the top , and so up the stream , and you will quickly perceive a pike follow it with much eagerness . a pike will bite at all baits , excepting the fly , and bites best about three in the afternoon in clear water with a gentle gale , from the middle of summer to the latter end of autumm ; he then bites best in still places or a gentle stream : but in winter he bites all the day long . in the latter end , and beginning of the spring , he bites most eagerly early in the morning , and late in the evening of the pearch . the pearch is a fish that is hook-backt , somewhat bow'd like a hog , and armed with stiff gristles , and his sides with dry thick scales . he is a bold biter , which appears by his daring to adventure on one of his own kind with more courage than the pike by much . some say there are two sorts of pearches , the one salt-water , and the other fresh : the first hath but one fin on his back , the latter two , which is more than most fishes have . he spawns but once a year , and that is in february or march , and seldome grows longer than two foot . his best time of biting is when the spring is far spent , at which time you may take at one standing all that are in one hole , be they never so many . his baits are a minnow , or little frog ; but a worm called a brandling is best , if well scoured . when he bites give him time enough , and that can hardly be too much . the pearch biteth well all the day long in cool cloudy weather ; but chiefly from eight in the morning till ten , and from three till almost six . you may angle for him with lob-worms well scoured , bobs , oak-worms , gentles , colewort-worms , minnows , dors , wasps , and cad-baits . he will not bite at all the seasons of the year , especially in winter , for then he is very abstemious ; yet if it be warm he will bite then in the midst of the day ; for in winter all fish bite best about the heat of the day . if you rove for a pearch with a minnow , ( which of all baits yields the most delightful recreation to the angler ) it must be alive , sticking your hook through his upper lip or back fin , and letting him swim about mid-water , or somewhat lower ; for which purpose you must have an indifferent large cork with a quill on your line . i always make use of a good strong silk-line , and a good hook arm'd with wyre , so that if a pike do come i may be provided for him , and have by this means taken several . i use also to carry a tin-pot of about two quarts or three pints , in which to keep my minnows or gudgeons alive : the lid of the pot is full of little holes , so that i can give them fresh water without opening it ; which ought to be about every quarter of an hour , lest they die . if you take a small casting-net with you , you may at a cast or two take baits enough to serve you all day without farther trouble . when you fish with a frog , you must fasten the hook through the skin of his leg towards the upper part thereof . the pearch is none of the leather-mouth'd sort of fishes ; and therefore when he bites give him time enough to pouch his bait , lest when you think all sure , his hold break out , and you lose your fish and your patience too . the best place to fish for pearches is in the turning of the water , or edwing in a good gravel scoure , where you will not fail of them , and ruffs before spoke of . he that will take a pearch must first take notice that this fish feeds well , and bites freely . let the angler over-night bait his ground with lob-worms chopt in pieces ; and in the morning let him come to the place , where he must first plumb his ground , then gage his line and bait his hook with a red knotted worm , or a minnow , which is better in my opinion : the hook must be put in at the back of the minnow betwixt the fish and the skin , that the minnow may swim up and down alive , being buoyed up with a cork or quill , that the minnow may have liberty to swim a foot off the ground . let these directions be carefully observed and followed , and the angler need not fear the frustration of his expectations . of the rud. the rud hath a forked tail , and is small of size : some say he is bred of the roach and bream , and is found in ponds ; in some they are in a manner innumerable . there is little less difference between the rud and roach , than there is between the herring and pilchard , their shape being much alike , onely differing in bulk or bigness . since the rud is but a bastard - roach , i shall speak no more on him , but discourse of the genuine roach onely . of the roach . the roach is not looked on as any delicate fish at all ; if there be any thing prizable , it is his spawn . the roach is a very silly fish , being every whit as simple as the carp is crafty . they are more to be esteemed which are found in rivers than in ponds , although those that breed in the latter are of a much larger size ; yet the thames below bridge abounds with very large fat roach , such as i may confidently affirm exceed in magnitude all others either in ponds or rivers . the roach is a leather-mouth'd-fish , having his teeth ( as i said before ) in his throat , as all leather-mouth'd fish have . in april the cads or worms are proper baits to angle for roaches ; in summer fish for them with small white snails or flies : but note , they must be under water , for he will not bite at the top . or , take a may-fly , and with a plumb sink it where you imagine roaches lie , whether in deep water , or near the posts and piles either or bridge or wear having so done , do not hastily , but gently pull your fly up , and you will see the roach ( if any there ) pu sue and take it near the rim of the water lest by flight it should escape . in autumn you may fish for them with paste onely made of the crums of sine white-bread , moulded with a little water and the labour of your hands into a tough paste , colour'd not very deep with red-lead , with which you may mix a little sine cotten or lint , and a little butter ; these last will make it hold on and not wash off your hook. with which you must fish with much circumspection , or you lose your bait . in like manner in winter you may angle for roach with paste ; but gentles are then the better bait . take these next observations experimentally tried by some of us , viz. there is another excellent bait either so : winter or summer , and that is this : take an handful of well dried malt , and put it into a dish of water , and then having grubbed and washed it betwixt our hands till it be clean and free from husks , put that water from it , and having put it into a little fresh water , set it over a gentle fire , and let it boil till it be pretty fest ; then pour the water from it , and with a sharp knife , turning the sprout-end of the corn upward , take off the back-part of the husk with the point of your knife , leaving a kind of inward husk on the corn , or else you spoil all : then cut off a little of the sprout-end , that the white may appear , and also a very little of the other end for the hook to enter . when you make use of this bait , cast now and then a little of it into the water ; and then , if your hook be small and good , you will find it an excellent bait either for roach or dace . another good bait is the young brood of wasps or bees , if you dip their heads in blood. so is the thick blood of a sheep being half dried on a trencher , and then cut into such small pieces as will best fit your hook : a little salt will keep it from turning black , and make it the better . or you may take a handful or two of the largest and best wheat you can get , boil it in a little milk till it be soft , then fry it gently with honey and a little beaten saffron dissolved in milk. the roach spawns about the middle of may ; and the general baits by which he is caught are these : small white snails , bobs , cad-baits , sheeps blood , all sorts of worms , gnats , wasps , paste , and cherries . the way of fishing for roach at london-bridge is after this manner : in the moneths of june , and july , there is great resort of those fish to that place , where those that make a trade of it take a strong cord , at the end whereof is fastned a three-pound weight ; a foot above the lead they fasten a packthread of twelve foot long to the cord , and unto the packthread at convenient distances they add a dozen strong links of hair with roach-hooks at them , baited with a white snail of perriwinkle ; then holding the cord in their hands , the biting of the fish draweth the packthread , and the packthread the cord , which admonisheth them them what to do : whereby sometimes they draw up half a dozen , sometimes less , but commonly two or three at one draught . of the sticklebag . this fish is small , prickly , and without scales and not worth the consideration , but that he is an excellent bait for trouts , especially if his tail on the hook be turned round , at which a trout will bite more eagerly than at penk , roach , or minnow . the loach is every whit as good a bait as the sticklebag , provided you place either aright on the hook. to the intent you may do it , take this observation : the nimble turning of the penk , minnow , loach , or sticklebag , is the perfection of that sort of fishing . that you may attain thereunto , note , that you must put your hook into the mouth of any the aforesaid baits , and out at his tail tying him fast with white thread a little above it , in such manner that he may turn : after this sow up his mouth , and your design is accomplished . this way of baiting is very tempting for large trouts , and seldome fails the angler's expectation . this fish in some places is called a banstickle . of the salmon . the salmons evermore breed in rivers that are not brackish , yet discharge themselves into the sea , and spawn commonly in august , which become samlets in the spring following . the melter and spawner having both performed their natural duty , they then betake themselves to the sea. i have known that when they have been obstructed in their passage , they have grown so impatient , that , clapping their tails to their mouths , with a sudden spring they have leapt clear over wear , or any other obstacle which stood in their way : some having leapt short , have been taken by that means . if they are so obstructed that they cannot find their way to the sea , they become sick , lean , and pine away , and die in two years . if they spawn in the mean time , from thence proceeds a small salmon called a skegger , which will never grow great . it is the sea that makes them grow big ; but it is the fresh rivers that makes them grow fat ; and so much the farther they are from the sea up in the river , the fatter they grow , and the better their food . from a samlet ( which is but little bigger than a minnow ) he grows to be a salmon in as short time as a goslin will grow to be a goose. a salmon biteth best at three of the clock in the afternoon , in the moneths of may , june , july , and august , if the water be clear , and some little breeze of wind stirring , especially if the wind bloweth against the stream , and near the sea. where note , that he hath not his constant residence , like a trout , but removes often , coveting to be as near the spring-head as he may , swimming generally in the deepest and broadest parts of the river near the ground ; and he is caught like a trout , with worm , fly , or minnow . the garden-worm is an excellent bait for the salmon , if it be well scoured , and kept in moss about twenty days , after which time those worms will be very clear , tough and lively . there is a way of fishing for salmon with a ring of wyre on the top of the rod , through which the line may run to what length is thought convenient , having a wheel also near the hand . i have been told that there is no bait more attractive of and eagerly pursued by the salmon and most other fish , than lob-worms scented with the oil of ivy-berries , or the oil of polypodie of the oak mixt with turpentine ; nay , assa foetida they say is incomparably good . the artificial fly is a good bait for a salmon ; but you must then use a trowl as for the pike , he being a strong fish . as the salmon is a large fish , to must your flies be larger than for any other , with wings and tails very long . you shall observe , when you strike him , that he will plunge and bounce , but doth not usually endeavour to run to the length of the line , as the trout will do ; and therefore there is less danger of breaking your line . if you will angle for salmon at ground , then take three or four garden-worms well scoured , and put them on your hook at once , and fish with them in the same manner as you do for trouts . be sure to give the salmon ( as well as all other fish ) time to go gorge the bait , and be not over-hasty , unless your bait be so tender it will not endure nibbling at . much more may be said of salmon-fishing , which i shall pass by , leaving the rest to your own practice and observation . of the tench . i shall now discover an approved way how to take tench and carp in a muddy pond : but know , i do not make publick this following secret , to teach knaves how to rob gentlemens ponds , but that the proper owners may be able upon cases of necessity to supply themselves with fish , without being put to so much trouble and charge as to sue their ponds . but to the purpose . in the first place you must provide your self with a very good large casting-net , well leaded ; let not the meshes from the crown to a full yard and a half be too small ; for then if the pond be any thing of a depth , the fish will strike away before the net comes to the ground : the whole net ought to have a large mesh , well leaded , and deep tucked . the second thing to be done is , to make the place clean from stakes and bushes , and try with the net before you intend for the sport : if your net happen to hang , then all your pains will prove ineffectual ; therefore you must be sure before you cast in your net that you clear and cleanse the place very well twice or thrice with a rake . then take a quarter of a peck of wheat , baking it well in an oven , putting in near three quarts of water ; when it is well baked , take five pints of blood , and incorporate the wheat and blood together , adding thereto as much bran as is sufficient to make a paste thereof : and that it may the better hold together , put some ( lay to it ; after this , knead it well together with a quart of lob worms chopt in pieces , and worked into paste as aforesaid : then roll it into balls as big as a goose-egg , and throw it into the pond within the circumference of your casting-net ; and between whiles throw in some grains ; and when you think the fish have found out the baiting-place , then come in the close of the evening ( having baited very early in the morning ) and cast your net over the baited-place : then take a long pole with a large fork made for the purpose , and stir all about the net ; for the carps and tench are struck up beyond their eyes in mud , and stand exactly upon their heads : let the net lie near an half hour , still stirring with your pole , if the place be not too deep : when you have covered the fish , you may go into the pond , and take them out with your hands ; but if the water be deep , when you find the carps begin to stir , ( for they cannot stand long on their heads in the mud ) then lift up the crown of your net bolt upright with a long staff , that so the fish may play into the tuck of the net. here note , that should you draw up your net suddenly after you have cast it in , it is an hundred pound to a penny whether you should take one carp or tench ; but letting the net lie , the mud will choak them if they remove not out of it . now here i cannot omit a very pleasant story in my opinion : a gentleman having special carps in his pond , but not knowing how to take one of them , unless it were by chance with hook and line ; i desired him that we might taste of his carps , and modestly told him , a brace of them would serve our turns : he answered , i might freely have them , if i knew how to catch them . hereupon i prepared some ingredients , and having baited a convenient place very early in the morning , at the dusk of the evening we came with a casting-net , and at the first throw covered a great quantity of fish , as hereafter will appear ; but not one seem'd to stir a jot under the net , being all struck into the mud. hereupon the gentleman fell a laughing heartily , saying , sir , if i had no other provision to trust to but what fish you shall catch this night , i believe i shall go supperless to bed. hearing him say so , i desired that he would have a little patience , for the fish were asleep , and i was as yet loath to disturb them ; but half an hour hence , if he would stay so long , i should make bold to awake them with a witness : so the gentleman having smoaked a pipe of tobacco a carp began to play in the net ; and after this in a very little time a great many more began to dance and skip : whereupon i lifted up the crown , that they might play in the tuck ; and when i thought they were all got out of the mud i began to draw , and at one draught drew up in the net seventy odd carps , great and small , to the admiration and great satisfaction of the owner and the rest of the company , having in all their life-time not seen the like before . the tench hath but small scales , ( and they smooth ) yet very large fins , with a red circle about his eyes , and a little barb hanging at each corner of his mouth . the slime of a tench is very medicinal to wounded fishes ; and therefore he is commonly called the fishes physitian . the pike is so sensible of his vertue , that he will not injure the tench , though he will seize on any other fish of his size that comes in his way : and when the pike is sick or hurt , he applies himself to the tench , and finds cure by rubbing himself against him . the tench hath a greater love for ponds than clear rivers , and delights himself amongst weeds , and loves to feed in very foul water ; and yet his food is nourishing and pleasant . the time of angling for him is early and late , both morning and evening , in the moneths of june , july and august , or all night in the still parts of the river . he is a great lover of large red worms , and will bite most eagerly at them , if you first dip them in tar. the tench loves also all sorts of paste made up with strong-sented oyls , or with tar , or a paste made of brown bread and honey . he will bite also at a cad-worm , a lob worm , a flag-worm , green gentle , cad-bait , marsh-worm , or soft boyled bread-grain . of the torcoth . the torcoth is a fish having a red belly , but of what estimation i know not ; for that , let the welshmen speak , who best know him : for as i have heard he is only to be found in the pool lin-peris in carnarvanshire . i only name him that you may know there is such a fish . of the trout . it is observed that the trout comes in and goes out of season with the stag and buck , and spawns about october or november : which is the more to be wondred at , because most other fish spawn in warm weather , when the sun by his heat hath adapted the earth and water making them fit for generation . all the winter , the trout is sick , lean and unwholsome , and you shall frequently then find him louzy . these trout-lice are a small worm with a big head sticking close to his sides , and sucking moisture from him that gave them being : and he is not freed from them till the spring or the begining of summer , at which time his strength increaseth ; and then he deserteth the still deep waters , and betakes himself to gravelly ground , against which he never leaves rubing till he hath cleansed himself of his louziness ; and then he delights to be in the sharp streams and such as are swift , where he will lie in wait for minnows and may-flies ; at the latter end of which month he is in his prime , being better and fatter in that month , especially at the latter end thereof , than in any other throughout the whole year . there are several sorts of trouts highly prizable ; as the fordidge-trout , the amerly-trout , the bull-trout in northumberland , with many more which i shall forbear to mention , but only tell you what is generally observed ; and that is , that the red and yellow trouts are the best , and as'to the sex , the female is the best , having a less head and a deeper body then the male. by their hog-back you shall know that they are in season , with the like note for all other fish . the trout is usually caught with a worm , minnow or fly natural or artificial . there are several sorts of worms which are baits for the angler ; the earth-worm , the dug-worm , the maggot or gentle ; but for the trout , the lob-worm and brandling are the best , or squirril-tail , having a red head , streakt down the back , and a broad tail. the brandling is found commonly in an old dung-hill , cow-dung , hogs-dung , or tanners-bark . here note , that whatever worms you fish withal are the better for keeping ; which must be in an earthen pot with moss , which you must change often in summer , that is , once in three or four daies , and in twice as long time in winter . when you fish for a trout by hand on the ground , take a lob-worm and clap your hook into him a little above the middle , and out again a little below the same ; then draw your worm above the arming of your hook , making your first entrance at the tail end , that the point of the hook may come out at the head-end . when you fish with a minnow , take the whitest and middle-sized , for those are the best , and place him so on your hook , that he may turn round when he is drawn against the stream . the best instructions ( for putting the minnow on the hook ) which i can lay down are these : put your hook in at his mouth and out at his gill , drawing it through about three inches ; then put the hook again into his mouth , and let the point and beard come out at his tail ; then the hook and his tail you must tie about with a fine white thread , and let the body of the minnow be almost straight on the hook : then try against the stream whether it will turn ; where note , it cannot turn too fast . if you want a minnow , a small loach or sticklebag will serve the turn : if none of these can be gotten , you may in their season have an artificial one made of cloath by one that is living , which i have found to be every whit as good a bait as what are natural . if you fish with a natural or artificial fly , then follow such directions as i have already prescribed in a foregoing chapter , which particularly discourses of flies natural and artificial . of the umber . it is the opinion some , that the umber and grailing differ onely in names , and are of a trout-kind , but seldom grow to the bigness of a trout , i having never seen nor heard any exceed the length of eighteen inches . he frequents such rivers as the trouts do , and is taken with the same baits , especially the fly ; and ; being a simple fish , is more bold than the trout is . in the winter he absconds himself , but after april he appears abroad , and is very gamesome and pleasant . he is very tender-mouth'd , and therefore quickly lost after he is struck . for what more may be said , i refer you to the chapter of the grailing . thus have i given you an alphabetical and summary account of the nature of fish , and the several ways to take them , according to ancient and modern experience : i shall onely give you more a short discovery of their haunts ; and so i shall conclude this treatise . next to the art of taking fish , the knowledge of their haunts and proper places to find them in according to their kinds is rightly to be considered : for not knowing what rivers or what parts of them are fittest for your baits , or what baits best sute with each river and the fish therein contained , you onely angle at adventure , and , instead of reaping satisfaction , you onely lose your pains and your labour . wherefore in the first place you are to understand , that fishes change places with the season . some in the summer keep always near the top or rim of the water ; others are continually at the bottom . for the first , you may angle with a float or fly ; the latter are to be found at the arches of bridges , mill-ponds , wears , flood-gates , &c. in winter all fish in general fly into deep waters . the barbel , roach , dace , and ruff delight in sandy gravelly ground . the deepest part of the river and the shadows of trees are equally grateful . the bream , pike , and chub choose a clay and ouzie ground . the bream delights most in the midst of a river whose stream is not too rapid , but gently gliding : the pike is for still waters full of fry ; and that he may the better and securer seize his prey , he frequently absconds himself amongst water-docks , under bushes or bull-rushes . carp , tench , and eel frequent still waters , and what are foul and muddy . eels lie lurking under roots or stones : the carp is for the deepest place of the water ; and where there are green weeds the carp and tench delight most of all . pearch delight in gentle streams not too deep , yet they must not be shallow ; and a hollow bank is their chiefest refuge . gudgeons love sandy ground in gentle streams , they affect small rivers above the large , or small brooks , and bite best in the spring till they spawn . the salmon delights most in rivers which ebb and flow , are large , and have a swift current , in such rivers are the greatest plenty . if the rivers are rocky or weedy , so much the better . shad , thwait , plaice , and flounder have the greatest love for salt or brackish waters which ebb and flow . the umber affects marly clay grounds , clear and swift streams ; but they must then be far from the sea , for they seldom come near it . there are many more rules to be observed , which generally hold good , but i will not conclude them infallible , since i have found some of them ( well credited ) very false ; wherefore let every man's experience be his guide in the knowledge of the nature of rivers , and the fish their inhabitants . and therefore it will be very requisite for him that would be compleat in the art of angling , diligently to observe whatever river or water he fisheth in , whether it be muddy , slimy stony , gravelly , swift , or of a slow motion . and as he must have a competent knowledge in rivers , ponds , or all fishable waters he is acquainted with ; so must he know the nature of each filh , and what baits are most proper for every kind , or he shall never attain to the reputation of a good experienced angler . i shall conclude this treatise with the experimental observations of an ingenious gentleman , who hath practiced the art of fishing many years , and therefore the more fit to give directions for the right use of the angle . experimental observations and useful directions for the right use of the angle ; and is a true and brief epitome of the whole art and mystery of the fishing recreation . none certainly is so ignorant to address himself to the river for recreation , but he will be mindful to carry necessary tackle with him : being compleatly furnished therewith let him in the first place consult sun , wind , moon , stars , and change of air ; for without observing times and seasons , his tackle , though never so good , will prove ineffectual . wherefore observe , if the sun be obscured with clouds , and his face hidden from your eyes , then set forth your ground-baits , and use your brightest flies . if the sun shine out gloriously , then use the darkest of your flies . here note , if that the wind be in the south , it blows the fly in the trout's mouth . if the weather be warm , it is no matter in what point of the compass the wind lieth , so that it blow not too high ; the same observation holds good at night as well as day . if the sun shine bright , the moon prove clear , or the stars glitter , there is but little sport to be expected . gentlemen , i write to you that have more than common experience in the art of angling , and therefore i hope you will not expect that i should here inform you how to prosecute the little recreation of the thames , how to catch bleak , dace , &c. since there is hardly any young beginner that is ignorant thereof : whereof omitting such trifling discourse , i shall fall upon that which is somewhat more material , and first , how to take eels . when the angler stays a night or two , let him take five or six lines ( or what number he thinks fit ) each of them about sixteen yards long , and at every two yards long make a noose to hang on a hook armed either to double thread , or silk-twist , for it is better then wyre . his hooks must be baited with millers-thumbs , loaches , minnows or gudgeons : to every noose there must be a line baited , and all the lines mustly cross the river in the deepest place , either with stones or pegged lying in the bottom , you must watch all night , or rise as soon as ever it is break of day ( or else you will lose divers that were hung ) and draw up the lines , on each of which i have known two or three eels or grigs . every one that delights in fly-fishing ought to learn the way of making two sorts of artificial flies , the palmer ribbed with silver or gold , and the may-fly , both which are the ground of all flies . in the making of the palmer-fly he must arm his line on the inside of the hook ; then with a pair of sizers let him cut so much of the brown of a mallards feathers as he shall think sufficient to make the wings ; then let him lay the outermost part of the feather next the hook , and the point of the feather towards the shank of the hook ; let him whip it three or four times about the hook with the same silk he armed the hook ; then make his silk fast : then let him take the hackle of the neck of a cock or capon ( but a plovers top is best ) and let him take off the one side of the feather ; and then he must take the hackle-silk , or gold or silver thread ; and let him make all these fast at the bent of the hook , working them up to the wings ; every bout shifting his fingers , and making a stop , then the gold will fall right , and let him make fast : then work up the hackle to the same place , and make it fast : after this let him take the hook betwixt his finger and thumb in the left hand with needle or pin , and part the wings in twain ; then with the arming-silk ( having fastned all hitherto ) let him whip it about as it falleth cross between the wings , and with his thumb he must turn the point of the feather towards the bent of the hook : then let him work it three or four times about the shank , so fasten it , and view the proportion for other flies . if he make the grounds of hogs-wool , sandy , black , or white , or bears-wool , or of a red bullock two years old , he must work these grounds on a waxed silk , and must arm and set on the wings as aforesaid . the body of the may-fly must be wrought with some of these grounds , which will be admirably well when ribbed with black hair. the oak-fly he must make with orange-tawny and black , for the body ; and the brown of the mallards feather for the wings . the next thing to be observed , is the floating for scale-fish in pond , or river : first , take notice that the feed brings the fish together , as the sheep to the pen ; and there is no better in all angling for feed , than bloud and grains ; though paste is good yet inferiour to these . next , let him observe to plumb his ground , angling with fine tackle , as single hair for half the line next the hook , round and small plumbed according to his float . there is a small red worm with a yellow tip on his tail , which is an excellent bait for this sort of fish or any other . other special baits are these : brandlings , gentles , paste or cadice ( otherwise call'd cock-bait . ) they lie in gravelly husk under the stones in the river . there is a way of trowling for pike with an hazle rod of twelve foot long , with a ring of wyre on the top of the rod for the line to run through : within two foot of the bottom of the rod , there is a hole made to put in a wind to turn with a barrel , to gather sip the line and loose it at pleasure : this is the best manner of trowling . there is another way to take more pikes either in meere , pond , or river , than any trowler with his rod can do , which is done after this manner . take a forked stick with a line of twelve yards long wound upon it ; at the upper end leave about a yard , either to tie a bunch of flags , or a bladder to buoy up the fish , and to carry it from the ground . the bait must be a live fish , either dace , gudgeon , roach , or small trout : the forked stick must have a slit in the one side of the fork to put in the line , that he may set his live fish to swim at a gage , that when a pike taketh the bait , he may have the full liberty of the line for his feed . he may turn these loose either in pond or river , in the pond with the wind all day long , the more the better : at night let him set some small weight that he may stay the buoy till the fish taketh it . for the river he must turn all loose with the stream ; the hooks must be double , the shanks must be somewhat shorter then ordinary ; for the shorter the hook is off the shank , without doubt it will less hurt the fish : and it must be armed with small wyre well softned ; but certainly a hook armed with twisted silk is better . if you arm your hook with wyre , the needle must be made with an eye ; then must he take one of those living baits , and with one of his needles enter within a straws breadth of the gill of the fish , so pull the needle betwixt the skin and the fish , then pull the needle out at the hindmost fin , and draw the arming thorough the fish , until the hook come to lie close to the fishes body having so done , let him put off in meere or pond with the wind ; in the river with the stream : the more that he pulls off in meere or pond , he is the likelier to have the greater pastime . there is a time when pikes go a frogging in ditches , and in the river to sun them , as in may , june , and july ; at these times you shall hardly miss one in twenty ; and thus must the angler deal with them . let him take a line of seven or eight foot , and let him arm a large hook of the largest size that is made , and arm it to his line ; let him lead the shank of his hook neatly , of such a weight that he may guide the hook at his pleasure . he may strike the pike that he sees with the bare hook where he pleases . this line and hook doth far exceed snaring . in the taking of a carp either in pond or river , if the angler intends to add profit to his pleasure , he must take a peck of ale-grains and a good quantity of any blood , and mix the grains together , with which let him bait the ground wherein he intends to angle . this feed will wonderfully attract the scale-fish , as carp , tench , roach , dace , and bream . in the morning early let him prosecute his pastime , plumbing his ground , and angling for a carp with a strong line : the bait must be either paste , or a knotted red worm ; by this means he shall find sport enough . in the taking of a trout with ground-baits thus must the angler do : in the first place he must have a neat taper rod , light before , with a tender hazle top . he may angle with a single hair of five lengths , one tied to the other for the bottom of the line , and a line of three hair'd links for the upper part ; and so if he have room enough he may take the largest trout that swims in the river . he that angles with a line made of three hair'd links at the bottom , and more at the top , may take trouts ; but he that angles with one hair , shall take five trouts to the others one : for this fish is very quick sighted ; therefore the angler both day & night must keep out of sight . he must angle with the point of his rod down the stream . he must begin to angle in march with the ground-baits all day long : but if it prove clear and bright , he must take the morning and evening , or else his labour will be in vain . he that angles with ground-baits , must fit his tackle to his rod , and begin at the upper end of the stream , carrying his line with an upright hand , feeling the plummet running on the ground some ten inches from the hook , plumbing his line according to the swiftness of the stream that he angles in , for one plummet will not serve for all streams . for his bait let him take the red knotted worm , which is very good where brandlings are not to be had . the minnow ( or as some call it a penk ) is a singular bait for a trout ; for he will come as boldly at it as a mastiff-dog at a bear. it will be advantageous to him in his angling to use a line made of three silks and three hairs twisted for the upper most part of the line , and two silks and two hairs twisted for the bottom next the hook , with a swivel nigh to the middle of his line , with an indifferent large hook . let him bait his hook with a minnow , putting the hook through the lowermost part of his mouth , so draw the hook through ; then put the hook in at the mouth again , and let the point of the hook come out at the hindmost fin ; then let him draw his line , and the minnows mouth will close , that no water will get into his belly . as i said before , he must angle with the point of his rod down the stream , drawing the minnow up the stream by little and little nigh the top of the water : the trout seeing the bait will come most fiercely at it ; but the angler must not then presently strike : this is a true way without lead ; for many times they will come to the lead , and forsake the minnow . the next direction is how to angle with a fly for a trout . in the first place let the angler fit himself with a hazle of one piece or two set conveniently together , light and pliable . the lower part of his line next the fly must be of three or four hair'd links ; but if he can attain ( as aforesaid ) to angle with a single hair , he shall meet with more profit and pleasure . before he begin to angle , having the wind on his back , let him try how far he can cast his line , or at what length his fly , and let him be careful that the fly fall first on the water ; for if any of the line light upon the water , he had better to have stood still than to have thrown at all . he must always cast down the stream , with the wind behind and the sun before him ; it is a great advantage to have either sun or moon before him . march is the moneth for him to begin to angle with the fly ; but if the weather prove windy or cloudy , there are several sorts of palmers that are good at that time : the first is a black palmer ribbed with silver : the second a black palmer with an orange-tawny body : thirdly , a palmer whose body is all black : lastly , there is a red palmer ribbed with gold , and a red hackle mixed with orange cruel . these flies serve all the year long morning and evening , whether windy or cloudy weather . but if the air prove serene , he may then imitate the hawthorn-fly , which is all black and very small , and the smaller the better . in may let him take the may-fly and imitate that , which is made several ways : some make them with a shammy body ; 't is best with black hair : others make them with sandy hogs-wool , ribbed with black silk , and winged with a mallards feather several ways , according to the humour of the angler . another called the oak-fly , is made of orange coloured cruel , and black , with a brown wing . lastly , there is another fly , the body whereof is made of the strain of a peacock's feather , which is very good in a bright day . these several sorts of flies will serve the whole year , observing the times and seasons . here note , that the lightest flies are for cloudy and dark weather , the darkest for bright and light , and the rest for indifferent seasons , for which his own judgement , discretion , and experience must guide him . of late days the hogs-wool of several colours , the wool of a red heifer and bears-wool are made use of , which make good grounds , and excellent pastime . the natural-fly is a sure way of angling to augment the anglers recreation . now how to find them take notice that the may-fly is to be found playing at the river side , especially against the rain . the oak-fly is to be found on the but of an oak , or an ash , from the beginning of may to the end of august : it is a browntsh fly , and stands always with his head towards the root of the tree , very easy to be found . the black-flly is to be found on every hawthorn-bush , after the buds are come forth . now with these flies he must use such a rod as to angle with the ground bait : the line must not be so long as the rod. let the angler withdraw his flie as he shall find it most couvenient and advantageous in his angling . when he comes to deep water ( whose motion is but slow ) let him make his line about two yards long , and dop his fly behind a bush , and he shall find incomparable sport . the way to make the best paste , is to take a convenient quantity of fresh butter , as much sheeps-suet that is fresh , a sufficient quantity of the strongest cheese can be gotten , with the pith of an old stale white loaf : let all these be beaten in a mortar till they come to a perfect paste ; and when the angler intends to spend some time in angling , let him put hereof the quantity of a green pea upon his hook , and let him observe what pleasant effects it will produce . an angling song . come lay by all cares , and hang up all sorrow , let 's angle to day , and ne're think of to morrow ; and by the brook-side as we angle a long ; wee 'l cheer up our selves with our sport and a song . sometimes on the grass our selves we will lay , and see how the watery citizens play ; sometimes with a fly stand under a tree . and choose out what fish our captives shall be : thus void of all care we 're more happy then they that sit upon thrones and kingdoms do sway ; for scepters and crowns disquiet still bring , but the man that 's content is more blest than a king. an abstract of such penal statutes as relate to fishing . . edw. . cap. . no salmons shell be taken from the nativity of our lady unto st. martin's day . young salmons may not be destroy'd nor taken by nets nor other engines , at mill pools from the midst of april until st. john paptist . the penalties you may see in the said statute at large . i. eliz. cap. . none shall take and kill any young brood , spawn , os fry of eels , salmon , pike , or any other fish , in any flood-gate , pipe at the tail of a mill , wear , or in any straights , streams , brooks , rivers fresh or salt . nor take or kill any salmons , or trouts not being in season , being ripper salmons , or ripper trouts , shedder salmons , or shedder trouts . ii. none shall take or kill any pike or pickeril not being in length ten inches fish , nor salmon not being in length sixteen inches fish , nor trout under eight inches , nor barbel under twelve inches . iii. none shall take fish with any manner of trammel , &c. in any river or other places , but onely with net or trammel , whereof every besh or mask shall be two inches and ½ broad . angling excepted . iv. nevertheless this statute allows smelts , loaches , minnows , gudgeons , eeles , &c. to be taken by net , &c. in such places , and such ways as heretofore they have been . v. the penalty for every offence is s . and the fish so taken , as also the engine or device whatsoever whereby the offence was committed . eliz. cap. . none may by day or night break down , cut out , or destroy any head or dam of any ponds , pools , motes , &c. where any fish shall be put in or stored withal by the owners thereof . nor shall take , kill , or steal away any of the said fish in the said ponds , &c. against the will of the owner . & car. cap. . it is not , lawful for any person to use any casting-net , thief-net , trammel , shove-net , or other net ; nor to use any angle , hair , noose , spear , or trowl : not to lay any nets , uuears , pots , fish-hooks , or other engines ; or to take any fish by any other means or device whatsoever , in any river , sew , pond , bote , or other uuater ; nor be aiding or assisting thereunto , without the license or consent of the lord or owner of the said water . and in case any person be convict of any of these offences , by his own confession , or by oath of one sufficient witness , within one moneth after the offence be committed , before any justice of the peace of such county , riding , division , or place , wherein such be committed ; every such person in taking , stealing , or killing fish , shall for chery such offence give to the party or parties grieved or injured such recompence for his or their damages , and within such time as the said justice shall appoint , not exceeding treble damages : and over and above pay down presently unto the overseers for the poor where such difence is committed , such sum of money , not exceeding s . as the said iustice shall think meet . and in default of payment , as aforesaid , the same to be levied by distress of the difenders goods , by warrant under the hand and seal of such iustice before whom the difender shall be convicted , rendring the overplus , if any be : and for want of disteess the difender or difenders shall be committed to the house of correction , for such time as the iustice shall think fit , not exceeding one month , unless the party offending shall enter into bond with one competent surery or sureties to the party iniured , not exceeding ten pounds , never to offend in like manner . ii. and rvery iustice of peace , before whom such difender shall be convict , may take , cut in pieces , and destroy all such angles , spears , hairs , nooses , trowls , wears , pots , fish-hooks , nets , or other engines whatsoever , wherewith such difender as aforesaid shall be taken or apprehended . iii. nevertheless , any person aggrieved may appeal to the iustices of the peace in their next quarter sessions ; who may give relief , and make such order therein as shall be agreeable to the tenor of this act : whose order therein shall be final , if no title of land , royalty , or fishery be therein concerned . finis . the table for hunting : being the first part . page . introduction terms of art some general names of hounds and beagels terms relating to forests , &c. of the hound rache and sluth-hound of the blood-hound of the gaze-hound of the grey-hound of the harrier and terrier of the hound levyner or lyemer of the tumbler ibid. of the spaniel of the white hound of fallow-hounds ibid. of the dun-hound the marks of a good hound the election of a dog and bitch for good whelps how to enter young hounds at the hart , &c. of coursing with grey-hounds the laws of the leash or coursing the stiles of hunting different from the english , both antique and forrain of hart-hunting the nature of a hart of the rut of harts of the time of harts mewing of the coats and colours of harts , and their diversities how to know an old hart by the slot , entries , &c. the names and diversities of harts-heads according to hunters terms how to seek a hart in his 〈◊〉 or feeding place according to the seasons of the year 〈◊〉 in what manner the huntsman shall go drawing in the springs directions for harbouring a stag how to find a hart lost the night before how , to find a hart in high woods how to unbarbour a hart and cast off the hounds what subtilties are used in hunting a hart at force how to kill a hart at bay. directions at the death of a buck on hart buck-hunting roe-hunting rain-deer-hunting hart hunting of parks and warrens of coney catching of the ferret of fbx-hunting of badger-hunting of otter-hunting of the squirrel of the martern or wild-cat a short account of beasts not hunted in england , and first of the wolf of wild-goat-hunting of wild-boar hunting of bear-hunting of the beaver of the elk diseases and cures of hounds diseases and cures of spaniels penal laws relating to hunters and hunting penal laws concerning forests and chaces , &c. the table for hawking : being the second part . the introduction page terms of art of the haggard-faulcon how to know the nature and disposition of several hawks , and what must be observed from thence of the faulcon of the manning , luring , flights , and mewing of a faulcon , with other things belonging to an ostrager of bathing a faulcon lately reclaimed ; how to make her , and to hate the check how to enseam a faulcon with her castings and scowrings general instructions for an ostrager or faulconer how to hood a hawk how to make your hawk know your voice and her own feeding how to make your hawk bold and venturous ibid. how to make a hawk know the lure how to make a hawk flying ibid. a flight for a haggard how to make a soar - faulcon , or haggard kill at the very first remedy for a hawks taking stand in a tree how to help a hawk froward and coy through pride of grease ibid. how to make a hawk hold in her head and not mind check how to continue and keep a hawk in her high flying ibid. a flight for the hern of the haggard-faulcon ; why so called , her good shape ' and properties , &c. of the barbary-faulcon of the gerfaulcon ibid. of the saker of the lanner , lanneret , and tunisian of the metlin of the mewing of merlins , faulcons , &c. and which is the best way of mewing of the hobby of the goshawk how to make the soar or haggard - goshawk how to make a goshawk fly to the partridge how to help a goshawk that turneth tail to tail , and giveth over her game how to make a goshawk fly quickly how to fly a goshawk to the river an excellent way to preserve a goshawk in the time of her flying , especially in hot weather how to fly the wild-goose or crane with the goshawk ibid. how to mew a goshawk , and draw her out of the mew , and make her flying some general observations for an ostrager or faulconer in keeping and reclaiming a goshawk of the sparrow-hawk how to make a sparrow-hawk , whether eyess , brancher , soar , mew'd , or haggard how to mew sparrow-hawks the duty of a faulconer , with necessary rules and observations for him to follow of diseases and dangerous accidents incident to hawks , and their several cures of castings and mewtings , either good or bad according to their several complexions and smells . of the cataract of the pantas or asthma of worms of the filanders ibid. another approved medicine for filanders or worms in hawks of hawks lice ibid. a safe and easie way to kill lice in hawks how to keep and maintain all manner of hawks in health , good plight , and liking ibid. of the formica of the frownce of the pip ibid. how to remedy that hawk which endeweth not , nor putteth over as she should do how to make a hawk feed eagerly that bath lost appetite , without bringing her low how to raise a hawk that is low and poor ibid. how to remedy a hawk that is slothful and averse to flying of swoln feet in a hawk ibid. how to scour hawks before you cast them into the mew penal laws relating to hawks and hawking the table for fowling : being the third part . what fowling is , with the nature and diversity of all manner of fowl page of the haunts of fowl the readiest way to take great fowl with nets how to take small water-fowl with nets how to take small birds with bird-lime how to take great fowl with lime-twigs of the great and lesser springs of the fowling-piece and stalking-horse how to take all manner of land-fowl by day and night of bat-fowling of the day-net , and how to take birds therewith ibid. of taking small birds which use hedges and bushes with lime-twigs how to make the best sort of bird-lime , and how to use it the best and most experienced way of making water-bird-lime in what manner snipes may be taken with bird-lime of the bull-finch of the green-finch ibid. of the hedge-sparrow an abstract of such penal laws as concern fowling the table for fishing : being the fourth and last part . the introduction page an encomium , or somewhat in praise of fisher-man and fishing fish-ponds to improve , and the fish therein contained carps to make them grow to an extraordinary bigness in pond general observations to be understood in the art of angling astrological elections for angling in general what provision is to be made for angling-tools a line after the best manner , how to make of the hook , flote , and other things worth the observation flies natural and artificial , and how to use them of ground-angling of night-angling what times are seasonable , and what unseasonable to angle in of the barbel of the bream of the bleak of the bull-head or millers-thumb of the chevin of the char of the chub , cheven , chavender ibid. of the carp of dace or dare of the eel of the flounder of the gudgeon of the guiniard ibid. of the loach of the minnow of the pope or ruff ibid. of the pike of the pearch of the rud of the roach ibid. of the stickleback of the salmon ibid. of the tench of the torcoth of the trout ibid. of the umber or grayling fishes haunt , &c. experimental observations and directions for angling an angling song an abstract of such penal laws as relate to fishing the table for the hunting-horse , being an appendix to the first part. of hunting-horses in general , their excellency , and the necessity and benefit of the art of keeping page of breeding ; the choice of a stallion , and mares , with some general remarks on marks and colours of the age a hunter should be of , before he be put to hunting : of the stable , and groom , and of the horses first taking up from grass , in order to his further dieting how to order the hunter for the first fortnight of the second fortnights diet , and of his first hunting , and what chases are most proper to train him of the horses third fortnights keeping , and first thorough-sweating of making a hunting-match , its advantages and disadvantages of the ordering the hunter for a match or plate of the means to judge of your horses state of body , and of curing all casualties that may happen after matching of riding a hunting-match , or heats for a plate , and the advantages belonging to each finis . the hunter . a discovrse of horsemanship : directing the right way to breed , keep , and train a horse , for ordinary hunting and plates . oxford , printed by l. lichsield , printer to the university , for nicholas cox. . the hunter . chap. i. of hunting-horses in general , their excellency , and the necessity and benefit of the art of keeping . i shall omit to speak in praise of hunting in general , since i would avoid ( as much as might be ) repetitions , and that it is already done at the begining of the foregoing book , with more address than i am master of . but since that author hath spoken nothing of the hunting-horse , which is a principal instrument of that excellent recreation , i desire leave to speak a word in his behalf . in behalf , i say , of this noble creature , to whom all that are followers of hunting are oblig'd : since it is by his strength and vigour that we gratifie at ease our eyes and ears with all the pleasures that hunting affords ; and without whose assistance , a great part of us could enjoy it a little more than in imagination . but t is not to us only , that are huntsmen , but to all mankind , that the hunter is ( or may be ) serviceable . has our prince , or country occasion for our service in the field : on what horse can we venture our lives more securely , than on the hunter ? his readiness to obey the hand and heel , equals him to the mannag'd horse . his being us'd to gallop on all sorts of grounds , as well steep places as deep earths , has so steel'd his couragc , that he declines no military service you can put him on . are there ambuscado's to be laid , discoveries to be made , speedy and long marches to be perform'd ; or any other service , wherein strength of body , purity of wind , or swiftness , are requir'd ? the general may in any of these cases rely on the hunter , with as much confidence , as on the horse that is dress'd in the mannage . in times of peace he is equally useful , not only for pleasure , but also for necessity , and profit . how diverting to the eyes , is a beautiful horse after a pack of dogs ? and with how much ease to our bodies , and delight to our minds , are we carried up to them ; with so much vigour and pride to be discern'd in his countenance , as if he emulated the hounds in their speed , and was desirous to excell them , in his obedience to their common lord. how necessary is the hunter beyond all other horses , if his masters urgent affairs ( where either life or fortune are in hazard , ) exact the performance of a long journey in a short time. if his master , in hopes of advantage , has match'd him against any other horse ; how ready and willing is he , to persorm the utmost that nature is capable of , or his master can reasonably expect from him ? and having art joyn'd to his natural abilities , will not only excell all other horses , but accomplish things beyond his masters hopes , or expectations ; for without its assistance in dieting and exercise , no horse can follow the hounds , or indeed undergo any other extreme labour , without hazarding the melting his grease , the breaking of his wind , or foundring him either in feet , or body : all which are consequences of immoderate labour , and ignorance in this art. that i may therefore give you some light into its mysteries , i shall first direct you how to breed such horses that may be for training ; or else instruct you , how otherwise to procure them . secondly , how to know by shapes , marks , and other tokens , what horse may be most convenient for your purpose . thirdly , how to diet him so , that he may perform all things within his power , without danger . lastly , what manner of exercise is most conducive to this design : and on these heads i intend to inlarge in my following discourse . but before i enter upon my subject propos'd , i think it necessary to answer four objections , that may be made against this art of dieting and training horses , that i may remove all prejudice from the minds of those , who think they may have reason to oppose it ; and that i may vindicate ( with truth ) this art , and clear it from all aspersions . the first objection i shall mention , is made by de grey in his epistle to the reader , ( edit . th . ) where under the umbrage of his love to horses and in pity of the hardships they undergo in hunting , he extreamly inveighs against it , as the sourse of all their miseries . but that i may not be tax'd of prevarication by my reader , and for his satisfaction i shall set down his words , which are these . if the nobility and gentry of this our isle of great britain , did truly know how honourable , and how commendable horsemanship were , and how much they are esteem'd and admir'd , who are the true professors thereof , they would labour more than they now do , to breed and to have good horses ; but it much troubleth me to see , how little esteem gentlemen have thereof . some horses they have , though not for mannage , yet for hunting : but what manner of hunting ? fox-hunting forsooth , or harriers , which be as fleet as petty grey-hounds , wherewith they do so much over-strain the strength of these poor horses , ( forcing them over deep fallows , tough clays , and wet and rough sands , ) that albeit those horses be strong and able , yet are they so toil'd out therewith , as that when they come home at night they would pity the heart of him that loveth an horse to see them so bemired , blooded , spurred , lamentably spent , and tyred out ; whereas if such horses had been ridden to the great-saddle and cannon , they would infinitely have delighted all men that should have beheld them . to this i answer , that for my own part i am not very fond of fox hunting ; but i can see no reason why persons of honour should not gratifie their fancies with this recreation , since from the beginning horses were made for the service of man ; and doubtless for their recreation , as well as more necessary uses . and i am very confident , that if horses be train'd , dieted , and ridden according to art , there will be left no ground for this objection . for by good feeding faintness would be prevented ; and by airing , and due exercise , the horses wind would be so improv'd , that no moderate labour would hurt him ; nay , though a horse by immoderate riding , were reduc'd to such tragical exigencies , as de grey mentions , yet by the assistance of art nature may be in twenty four hours space so reliev'd , that all those dangerous symptoms shall be remov'd , and all the natural faculties act as formerly . now as to the last part of his argument , i appeal to all the greatest masters of academies here , or in foreign parts ; whether in the mannage , the spurs are not as much us'd , ( not to say more , ) as in hunting ; and the duke of newcastle in his methode nouvelle in . p. . says , il n'y a point d' exercise si violent pour les chevaux que celuy de manege ; that is , there is no exercise so violent for horses as the mannage ; so that you see hunting is not the only violent exercise : and salomon de la brove goes further in his cavalarise frangoise , telling us , that mannag'd horses should sometimes be us'd to the chase , since hunting assists his wind , and brings him to a civil acquaintance with other horses : inferring from hence , that hunting procures to an horse two benefits , viz. speed and strength , and reforms in him two vices , salvageness and restiveness . secondly , there are others , that though they may approve of keeping their horses clean , yet are not reconcil'd to hunting ; but being either admirers of coursing , or else keeping horses only for the benefit of their health , and the taking the air ; will not be perswaded , but that they can bring their horses to the same perfection without hunting , as with it . to answer the first of these , i mean coursers ; i affirm , 't is impossible to attain the end of this art by that means : for being oblig'd in search of their game to toil their horses all day , over deep fallows , in a foot-pace only , they are likelier to bring their horses to weariness than perfection . and the same answer may serve the others likewise : for riding a horse up and down the field after nothing , brings a weariness and dislike to an horse in his exercise , through his ignorance of the time , when his labour shall cease ; whether , or to what end he is so labour'd . whereas on the contrary , an horse naturally takes delight in following the dogs , and seems pleas'd with their musick , as is evident by his pricking up his eaers , gazing on them , and preffing to gallop towards them , when ever he hears them in full-cry , ( though at a distance . ) nay further , i have been master of a stonehorse , that so entirely lov'd the hounds , that when at any time ( through eagerness of sport , and desire to save the hare from being eaten ) i have rid in amongst the dogs , he would so carefully avoid treading on them , that he has more than once hazarded my limbs ( by making a false step ) to save theirs . from hence i infer , that doubtless horses extreamly delight in hunting , and consequently , that it is a fit exercise for them . thirdly , others object , that what soever pleasure there may be in hunting , they had rather deny themselves that satisfaction than hazard the laming their horses , which , ( as they are told few , or no hunters escape . that hunters are sometimes lame , i do not deny : but cannot allow , that it proceeds alwaies from this exercise . for 't is the indiscretion of the riders , in overstraining their horses at leaps ; and by that meanes , sometimes clapping them on the back-sinews , catching in their shoos , and such like , and not the sport , that is the cause of lameness . but on the contrary , i will undertake to shew any man twenty other horses lame ( which never knew what belong'd to hunting ) for one hunter . there are several other reasons besides hunting to be given for lameness ; as for instance . much travel though but moderate , if care be wanting ) will produce wind-galls , and splints , which are the fore-runners of lameness . want of exercise will straiten the hoofs , and dry up the sinews ; and too much negligence in travail occasions surbating , foundring , and gravailing . horses on the road oftentimes stumble , and now and then fall , and so become lame . nav , a slip , or an over-reach are as incident to the pad , as to the hunter . and to conclude , the horse that is dressd , is more liable to a strain in the back , and fillets , than the hunter ; by meanes of his short-turns : so that you may perceive that lameness is epidemical , and therefore no more to be objected against hunting-horses , than the rest of that species . fourthly , some again are . enemies to this art of dyeting horses in particular : affirming , that such exact diet makes them tender , sickly , and takes them off their stomach : and that the charges are not only great , but likewise unnecessary . to the first part of this obiection , i answer , that an horse is so far from being made tender , or losing his appetite , by such extream and several feedings , if he have proportionate exercise , that it rather inures him to hardship . for much labour ( if not too violent ) either in man or beast , instead of weakning the ssomack , and causing sickness , does rather advance the appetite and preserve his health ; and it may be observed , that it doth oftner heighten than decay the stomack . in like manner moderate airings purify his wind , and both together render him healthy , and fit for service . as to the several sorts of food , we shall prove in the sequel , that every part of it is both nourishing , and natural to all horses constitutions ; so that consequently , t is not only allowable , but necessary : and to prove this , needs no more ; than to ride an ordinary horse drawn clean , a days hunting , or three heats , and a course , against the best of those horses , which are kept by such persons who think that half a peck a day , and fetching his water at the next spring is horsemanship sufficient ; and they will find by keeping and exercise , the ordinary horse will become long winded , and stick at mark : when the other that is foul-fed , and fat , will soon give out , for want of wind ; or otherwise if he be hardy will dy under the spur ; whereas if the untrained horse had been rightly ordered he would have worsted twenty such horses . now to the charges of keeping , fifty shillings a year disburs'd for bread , besides hay , straw , corn and physick , ( which all horses of value must be allowed ) is all that will be requisite , to keep an horse in as good state for ordinary hunting , as any horse whatsoever . lastly by being skilful in the art of keeping , this advantage will insue ; that no distemper relating either to the head or body can conceal themselves from his keepers knowledge , whose skill will inform him , how to put a stop to them , before they have made any considerable advances to the horses prejudice . and he that grudges so small an expence on so noble and useful a creature as an horse is , deserves never to come on the back of one . chap. ii. of breeding , the choice of a stallion , and mares , with some general remarks on marks and colours . since creation and generation preceeded the art of riding , and that the first thing which is of course to be treated of , is the choice of an horse fit for this exercise of hunting , i shall speak somthing cursorily of the art of breeding , before i treat of the hunter ready for service . to them therefore that have grounds convenient for breed , i shall direct this part of my discourse : and lay them down some few rules that may be serviceable to them , though i shall be as brief as possible , and refer them to markham , de grey , morgan , almond , and farring compleated , ( which is collected from the forementioned authors markham and de grey ) all which have treated of the art of breeding more at large . first therefore i wonld advise you to buy either an arabian horse ( if you can procure him , ) a spaniard , a turk , or a barb , for your stallion , that is well shap'd , of a good colour to beautify your race , and well mark'd , to agree with most mens opinions ; though otherwise they are not so significative as mr. blundevile , and his italian author frederigo grissone , would have us believe . to begin with the arabian ; merchants , and other gentlemen that have travell'd those parts , report , that the right arabians are valu'd at an incredible , as well as an intolerable rate ; being priz'd at five hundred , others say at one , two , and three thousand pounds an horse ; that the arabs are as careful of keeping the genealogies of their horses , as princes in keeping their pedigrees ; that they keep them with medals ; and that each son's portion is usually two suits of arms , two cymeters , and one of these horses . the arabs boast , that they will ride fourscore miles a day , without drawing bitt : which has been perform'd by several of our english horses . but much more was atchiev'd by an high way-man's horse ; who having taken a booty , on the same day rode him from london to york , being one hundred and fifty miles . notwithstanding their great value , and the difficulty in bringing them from scanderoon to england by sea ; yet by the care , and at the charge of some breeders in the north , the arabian horse is no stranger to those parts ; where persons who have the curiosity , may ( as i presume ) at this day see some of the race , if not a true arabian stallion . the spanish horse ( according to the duke of newcastle ) is the noblest horse in the world , and the most beautiful that can be ; no horse is so curiously shap'd all over from head to croup , and he is absolutely the best stallion in the world , whether you design your breed for the mannage , the war , the pad , hunting , or for running horses . but as he is excellent , so he wants not for price , three or four hundred pistols being a common rate for a spanish horse . several have been sold for seven hundred , eight hundred , and a thousand pistols a piece ; and one particular horse , called el bravo , that was sent to the arch-duke leopold , was held worth as much as a mannour of a thousand crowns a year . the best spanish horses are bred in andalouzia , and particularly at cordova , where the king has many studds of mares , and so have several of the spanish nobility and gentry . now besides the great price at first , the charges of the journey from spain to england will be very considerable : for first , he must travel from andalouzia to bilbo , or st sebastien , the neerest ports to england , and is at least four hundred miles : and in that hot country you cannot with safety travel your horse above twenty miles a day , then there is the expence of your groom and farrier , besides the casualty of lameness , sickness , and death : so that though he do prove an extraordinary good horse , by that time he arrives at your own home he will likewise be an extraordinary dear one . the turk is little inferior to the spanish horse in beauty , but somewhat odd-shap'd , his head being somewhat like that of a camel : he hath excellent eyes , a thin neck excellently risen , and somewhat large of body : his croup is like that of a mule ; his legs not so underlimb'd as those of the barb , but very sinewy , good pasterns , and good hoofs : they never amble , but trot very well : and are accounted at this present better stallions for gallopers than barbs , as when i come to speak of them ) i shall shew . some merchants affirm , that there cannot be a more noble and divertive sight to a lover of horses , than to walk into the pastures near constantinople , about soyling-time , where he may see many hundred gallant horses tethred , and every horse has his attendant or keeper , with his little tent ( plac'd near him ) to lie in , that he may look to him , and take care to shift him to fresh grass , as occasion requires . the price of a turk is commonly one hundred or one hundred and fifty pounds a horse , and when bought t is difficult to get a pass ; the grand segnior being so very strict , that he seldom ( but upon extraordinary oecasions ) permits any of his horses to be exported his dominions . but if ( when obtain'd ) you travel by land , without a turk or two for your convoy , you will be sure to have them seiz'd on by the way . then , as in the former , so here , you will find the same difficulties of a long journey , ( for you must come through germany , which is a long way , ) aud the same charges attending it , i mean your groom and farrier , who must be careful that they entrust no persons whatsoever with the care of him , but themselves , especially in shooing of him : for t is the common practice beyond sea , ( as well as here ) where they discover a fine horse , to hire a farrier to prick him , that they may buy him for a stallion . but some people chuse to buy horses at smyrna in anatolia , and from thence , as likewise srom constantinople , transport them to england by sea ; which , if the wind serve right , arrive in england in a month , though generally the merchants make their voyages little less than a quarter of a year . the barb is little inferior to any of the former in beauty , only he is accounted by our modern breeders too slender and lady-like to breed on : and therefore in the north , at this instant , they prefer the spanish horse and turk before him . he is so lazy and negligent in his walk , that he will stumble on carpet-ground . his trot is like that of a cow , his gallop low , and with much ease to himself . but he is for the most part sinewy , and nervous , excellently winded , and good for a course , is he be not over-weighted . the mountain-barbs are accounted tbe best , because they are the strongest and largest . they belong to the allarbes , who value them as much themselves , as they are priz'd by any other nations , and therefore they will not part with them to any persons except to the prince of the band to which they belong ; who can at any time , at his pleasure , command them for his own use . but for the other more ordinary sort , they are to be met with pretty common , in the hands of several of our nobility and gentry ; or if you send into languedoc and provence in france , they may be there bought for forty or fifty pistols a horse . or if you will send into barbary , you may have one for thirty pounds , or thereabouts . but here too the charges and journey will be great ; for though from tunis to marselles in france be no great voyage , yet from marselles to callais by land measures the length of all franee , and from thence they are shipt for england . the next thing of course to be treated of , is the choice of your mares , and the fittest mare to breed out of , according to the duke of newcastle's opinion , is one that has been bred of an english mare , and a stallion of either of these races ; but if such a mare be not to be got , then make choice of a right bred english mare by sire and dam , that is well fore-handed , well underlaid , and strong put together in general ; and in particular , see that she have a lean head , wide nostrils , open chaul , a big weasand , and the windpipe straight and loose , and chuse her about five or six year old , and be sure that the stallion be not too old . now for the food of the stallion , i would have you keep him as high as possible for four or five months before the time of covering , with old clean oats , and split beans , well hull'd ; to which you may add , if you please , bread , ( such as in this book shall be hereafter directed ) and now and then , for variety , you may give him an handful of clean wheat , or oats washt in strong ale ; but as for bay-salt , and anniseeds , which mr. morgan , in his perfection of horsemanship , advises should be scatter'd amongst his provender , i hold them superfluous whilst the horse is in health , but be sure let him have plenty of good old sweet hay , well cleansed from dust , and good wheat-straw to lie on ; and let him be watred twice every day at some fair running spring , or else a clear standing pond-water ( where the other is not to be had ) near some meadow or level piece of ground , where you may gallop him after he hath drunk . when you have brought him to the water , do not suffer him to drink his fill at the first , but after he has taken his first draught , gallop and scope him up and down a little to warm it , and then bring him to the water again , and let him drink what he please , and after that gallop him as you did before , never leaving the water till you find he will drink no more . by this means you will prevent raw crudities , which the coldness of the water would produce to the detriment of the stomach , if you had permitted him to drink his fill at first ; whereas you allowing him his fill ( though by degrees ) at last , you keep his body from drying too fast . and this i take to be much better for your horses than ( according to the forecited morgan ) to incourage his water with whitewine , to qualifie the cold quality thereof : for nature it self is the best directress for the expulsion of her enemies . especially in brutes , where usually she can command the appetite : and therefore i esteem his own natural heat , for warming his water , to be better than that which proceeds from any other . now as to morgan's direction of sweating him every day early in the morning , which he says will not only perfect disgestion ; and exhaust the moisture from his seed , but also strengthen and cleanse his blood and body from all raw and imperfect humors ; i am of opinion t will both dry up the radical moisture too fast , and likewise instead of heightning his pride and lust , ( which he alledges , ) weaken him too much . other rules might be given as to the ordering of them after water , and the hours of feeding , with the quantity &c. but these will be fitter to be handled in another place , and therefore no more of them here . now when your stallion is in lust , and the time for covering is come , which is best to be in may , that the foles may fall in april following , otherwise they will have little or no grass , if they should be put together ( according to markham's opinion ) in the middle of march tho he holds that one fole falling in march is worth two falling in may , because ( saith he ) he possesseth , as it were , two winters in a year , and is thereby so hardened , that nothing can almost after impair him . the time i say being come to put your stallion and mares together , pull off his hinder shoes , and lead him to the place where the stud of mares are , which you intend for covering , which place ought to be close well fenc'd , and in it a little hutt for a man to lie in , and a larger shed with a manger to feed your stallion with breud and corn , during his abode with the mares , and to shelter him in the heat of the day and in rainy weather , and this close ought to be of sufficient langeness to keep your mares well for two months . before you pull of his bridle , let him cover a mare or two in hand , then turn him loose amongst them , and put all your mares to him , as well those which are with foale , as those which are not , for there is no danger in it ; and by that means they will all be serv'd in their height of lust , and according to the intention of nature . when your stallion has cover'd them once , he tries them all over again , and those which will admit him he serves ; and when his business is finish'd , he beats the pale , and attempts to be at liberty ; which when your man finds , ( who is night and day to observe them , and to take care that no other mares are put to your horse , and to give you an account , which take the horse , and which not , &c. ) let him be taken up , and let him be well kept as before ; only you may at the first give him a good mash or two , to help to restore nature , for you will find him nothing but skin and bones , and his mane and tail will rot off . be sure give him never above ten or twelve mares in a season , at most ; otherwise you will scarce recover him against the next years covering-time . when your stallion is past this use , then buy another ; but be sure never make use of a horse of your own breed , for by so doing the best kind would in time degenerate : but you cannot do better ( the duke of newcastle says ) than to let your own mares be cover'd by their sire , for ( according to his own words and opinion ) there is no incest in horses : and by this means they are nearer one degree to the purity and head of the fountain , from which they are deriv'd , since a fine horse got them , and the same fine horse covers them again . now though the duke of newcastle affirms this to be the true way for covering mares , alledging that nature is wiser than art in the act of generation , and that by this way , of a dozen mares he dare affirm that two shall not fail : yet it may not correspond with the interest of some private gentlemen who turn breeders for profit as well as pleasure ; for a good stallion bearing such an extraordinary rate , and they having but one , have reason to be cautions , to avoid as much as can be all hazardous experiments ; which ( with submission to the duke's judgment ) this in some cases may prove . for first , there have been horses of great spirit , that have kill'd themselves through excess of lust , being left to range at their liberty ; and those that have been confin'd to an enclosure , & a select number of mares , have yet in one weeks space so weaken'd nature , that not above half the mares have held . secondly , some mares are of so hot a constitution of nature , and their lust so violent , that if they are permitted to run long with the horse , after they have conceived , will ( if they be high in flesh and lusty ) desire the horse again , which generally hazards the loss of the embrio they go with . to prevent therefore these inconveniences , i shall lay you down an other method ( as briefly as may be , ) which is called covering in hand , as the former is generally term'd out of hand , and the way is this : viz. when you have brought both your horse and mare to as proper condition for breed by art and good feeding , then set some ordinary ston'd-nag by her for a day or two to wooe her , and by that means she will be so prone to lust , that she will readily receive your stallion ; which you should present to her either early in a morning , or late in an evening , for a day or two together , and let him cover her in hand once , or twice if you please , at each time , observing always to give the horse the advantage of ground , and that you have some one ready with a pucket of cold water to throw on the mare 's shape , immediately on the dismounting of the horse , which will make her retain the seed received the better , especially if you get on her back , and trot her about a quarter of an hours space , but in any case have a care of heating , or straining her : and it will not be amiss , if after every such act you let them fast two hours , and then give each of them a warm mash ; and t is odds but this way your mares may be as well serv'd as the other , and yet your stallion will last you much longer . i shall say no more as to the keeping the mares during the time of their being with foale , nor of their foaling ; only this , that if you take care to house them all the winter , and to keep them well , their colts will prove the better . when they are foaled , let them run with their dams till martin-mass , then wean them , and keep them in a convenient house , with a low rack and manger on purpose ; litter them well , and feed them with good hay , and oats and wheat-bran mix'd , which will make them drink , and belly well . the first year you may put them all together , but afterwards they must be separated , the stone-colts from the fillies ; and if you have choice of houses , you may put yearings together , two years old together , and so three years old together , for their better satisfaction and agreement ; as little children best agree together . in a warm fair day you may grant them liberty to run and scope in some enclosed court or back-side , but be sure to take care to put them up again carefully , that they be not hurt . when summer is come , and there is plenty of grass , put them out in some dry ground , that hath convenient watring , and so let them run till martinmass again : then house them as before , and order them in all points as older horses , till they are full five years old , then take them up for good and all , and let your groom back them if he have skill , or else some skilful rider . you may if you please just break your fillies at two years and half old , and let them be cover'd at three ; and by that means they will be so tame and gentle , as not to injure themselves or their foals . but in case of sickness , or any accidental calamity , as lameness , &c. you must then commit them to the farrier's care. the reason why i propose the housing of them every winter , with dry feeding and lodging , is , that they may be the liker their sire in beauty and shape . for the primary cause of the sineness of shape and beauty in horses is heat , and dry feeding . and this is prov'd from the several races we have already mentioned , viz. the spanish horse , barb , and turkish horse , all which countreys are under an hot climate , and by consequence afford little grass : therefore in our more moderate and cold countries we are to assist nature by art , and to supply the want of heat by warm housing , and dry feeding . this is easily made evident by example . for take two colts begot by the same sire , on mares of equal beauty , and house the one every winter , and feed him as directed , and expose the other , till they are four years old , and fit to be back'd ; and you shall find the former like his sire in all respects , and the other fitter for the cart than hunting , as being a dull , heavy , flabby , scarce animated clod ; and all this proceeds from the humidity of the air and earth . from hence you may infer , that 't is not only generation , but , as i may term it , education , that makes a compleat horse ; and such yours will be , if you order them according to the former directions ; for you may with ease break the colt that is by such good management made gentle , and half-back'd to your hand . but i have dwelt longer on this subject than i intended , my business being chiefly to inform the groom ( not the master ) what belong'd to his office ; and therefore i will wander no further from my purpose , but leave it to the rider to follow his own method in rendring colts fit for his masters service : whilst i give some few directions to those gentlemen who will not bestow either trouble or charges on breeding , or have the will but not the convenience to do it , how to elect an horse fit for this exercise . the way for a gentleman to furnish himfelf with an horse , that may be worth training for hunting , is either to enquire out some noted breeder ( of which there are many in the north , ) or else to go to some famous fair , as malton and rippon fairs in yorkshire , the former held on the . day of september yearly , and the latter on may day : or to richmonds in the same shire , ( which , as i am inform'd , does now of late years exceed both the fore-mention'd , being scituate in the middle of the most celebrated part of the breeding country ; ) its fairs are held in easter week , and at rood tyde . northampton has several fairs in the year likewise , as on the . day of april , the th . of september , th . of november , with several others . there are several other fairs , as lenton-fair in notinghamshire , pankridg-fair in staffordshire , &c. which for brevities sake i omit . at any of these places he may make choice of a horse , which as near as can be ought to have these following shapes : viz. his head ought to be lean , large , and long ; his chaul thin , and open ; his ears small , and pricked , or if they be somewhat long , provided they stand upright like those of a fox , it is usually a sign of mettle and toughness his forehead long and broad , not flat , and as we term it mare-fac'd , but rising in the midst like that of a hare , the feather being plac'd above the top of his eye , the contrary being thought by some to betoken blindness . his eyes full , large , and bright ; his nostrils wide , and red within , for an open nostril betokens a good wind ; his mouth large , deep in the wykes , and hairy ; his thropple , weasand , or windpipe , big , loose , and streight when he is rein'd in by the bridle ; for if , when he bridles , it bends in like a bow , ( which is called cock-throppled ) it very much hinders the free passage of his wind his head must be so set on to his neck , that there must be a space felt between his neck and his chaul ; for to be bull-neck'd is uncomely to sight , and prejudicial to the horses wind , as aforesaid . his crest should be firm , thin , and well risen ; his neck long , and straight , yet not loose , and pliant , which the northern-men term withy-cragg'd ; his breast strong , and broad ; his chest deep , his chine short , his body large , and close shut up to the ●ucklebone ; his ribbs round like a barrel , his belly being hid within them . his fillets large , his buttocks rather oval than broad being well let down to the cascoins . his cambrels upright , and not bending , which is called by some sickle-hough'd , though some hold it a sign of toughness and speed. his legs clean , flat , and streight , his joynts short , well knit , and upright , especially betwixt the pasthorns and the hoof , having but little hair on his fetlocks . his hoofs black , strong , and hollow , and rather long and narrow , than big and flat . and lastly , his main and tail should be long , and thin rather than thick , which is counted by some a mark of dulness . as to his colour and marks , i rather incline to believe them grateful to the eye , than any infallible indexes of goodness ; for as the goodness or badness of a man does not consist in his complexion , but in his inward vertues , so neither do colour or marks certainly demonstrate the goodness or badness of an horse , because his qualifications proceed from his inward disposition . but yet i wholly dissent from the opinion of mr. morgan , p. ; who holds , that colour and marks are no more assurance of a good horse ; than the having a feather in a mans hat does prove him a good man or a bad ; inferring that inherent colours are of no greater eminency or value , than those external ones are which may be taken or laid aside at a man 's own will and pleasure . now i say , that altho marks and colour do not absolutely give testimony unto us of a horses goodness , yet they as well as his shape do intimate to us in some part his disposition and qualities . for nature , not being defective , frames every part of the same matter whereof the whole is formed , and therefore the foetus being formed of the copulative seed of its sire and dam , does from them derive as well the accidental as the more essential qualities of its temperament and composition . and for this reason hair it self may osten times receive the variation of its colour from the different temperature of the subject out of which it is produced . and to confirm this , i dare pass my word , that wherever you shall meet with an horse that hath no white about him , especially in his fore-head , though he be otherwise of the best reputed colours , as bay , black , sorrel &c. that horse i dare affirm to be of a dogged and sullen disposition ; especially if he have a small pink eye , and a narrow face , with a nose bending like a hawks bill . but yet i am not positive , that horses even of the most celebrated colours , and marks answerable , do always prove the best ; because i have seen those horses worsted by others , whose marks and colour have been esteemed the worst ; as bright sorrel , and mouse-black with bald faces , and all the leggs white above the knee . but i rather attribute the cause thereof to the ignorance of the rider , that had the training of those best marked horses , than to any defect in nature ; for nature is no counterfeit , as art often is , to make a thing shew to the eye , contrary to what it is in reality . and therefore as i would not have men put too great confidence in marks and colours ; so i would not have them esteemed of so lightly , as the former comparison of mr. morgans would make them ; for it is a constant and inseparable quality for horses to produce hair , which is given them by nature as a tegument and defence against the cold : and if it be shaved off , gall'd , or any waies else removed or taken away , yet it will grow again ; but a feather may be put to , or taken from a mans hat at his pleasure . therefore since colour seemeth to set forth the beauty of an horse , you may for ornament sake and to please your eye , make choice of an horse that is either a brown-bay , dapple-bay , black , sad-chessnut with flaxen main and tail , so that they have either a white star , blaze , or snip , with a white foot ; dapple-grey , or white lyard with black muzzle , eye , and ear. any of these are reputed by most men to give a grace to shape ; tho in themselves they are no perfect signs of goodness . but for his internal endowments , they are more material , and therefore take care that he by nature be of a gentle disposition , to his keeper tractable and docile free from those ill qualities of biting , striking , restiffness , lying down in the water , starting , running away with his rider , plunging , leaping , &c. not but that most , if not all these ill habits may be rectified by art ; for experience has shewn us , that horses which have not been of such a perfect natural composition , as might be desired , have yet been tempered by art , and have not only been reclaimed from their vicious habits , but have been likewise brought to great performance in heats , as well as hunting , as i could instance in several if it were necessary . and therefore since art was invented to perfect nature ; if ( notwithstanding your care ) you have met with a horse subject to any of these ill qualities aforesaid , you must search into the causes of it , which art will help you to discover and remove : and then the cause being taken away , the effect will cease . so that probably , contrary to most peoples opinions a vicious horse , by good management and government may be brought to excell an horse that has a better reputation and fame in the judgment of the generality of horsemen . chap. iii. of the age a hunter should be of before he be put to hunting ; of the stable , and groom , and of the horse's first taking up from grass , in order to his further dieting . having gotten a horse answerable either to the former descriptions , or your own satisfaction at least , i am to suppose that by a skilful rider he is already grounded in the fundamentals of this art , by being taught such obedience , as that he will readily answer to the horseman's helps and corrections both of the bridle , the hand , the voice , the calf of the leg , and the spur ; that he can tell how to take his way forward , and hath gained a true temper of mouth , and a right placing of his head , and that he hath learn'd to stop and turn readily ; for without these things are perfectly taught , and as it were laid for a foundation , he can never proceed effectually . i had thoughts of enlarging upon this particular subject , but i find my discourse is like to swell beyond its bounds , so that i am forced to omit it , and therefore i shall refer you to the directions and prudence of your rider , and only tell you that t is convenient , your horse should be five years old , and well way'd before you begin to hunt him . for though it be a general custom amongst noted horsemen to train their horses up to hunting at four years old , and some sooner , yet at that age his joynts not being full knit , nor he come to his best strength and courage , he is disabled from performing any matter of speed and toughness : and indeed being put to sore labour and toil so young , he runs a very great hazard of strains , and the putting out of splents , spavins , curbs and windgalls , besides the daunting of his spirit , and abating his natural courage , insomuch that he will become melancholly , stiff , and rheumatick , and have all the distempers of old age , when it might be expected he should be in his prime . your horse then being full five , you may if you please put him to grass from the middle of may till bartholmew-tide , or at least from the middle of summer till that time ; for then the season being so violently hot , it will not be convenient to work him : where whilst he is sporting himself at liberty in his pasture , we will if you please take care to provide a good stable for his reception at his taking up , and a good groom to look after him ; both which are more essentially necessary to the hunter than to other horses , which require not that exact care in keeping . first then as to the stable , i could wish every gentleman would be careful to scituate it in a good air , and upon hard dry and firm ground , that in the winter the horse may go and come clean in and out : and if possible let it be seated on an ascent , that the urine , foul water , or any wet , may be convey'd away by trenches , or sinks cut out for that purpose . be sure to suffer no hen-houses , hog-styes , or houses of easment , or any other filthy smells to be near it ; for hen-dung , or feathers swallow'd , oftentimes prove mortal , and the ill air of a jakes as often is the cause of blindness : likewise the very smell of swine will frequently breed the farcy , and no animal whatsoever more delights in cleanliness , or is more offended at unwholesome savours than the horse . let vour stable be built of brick , rather than stone , since the latter is subject to sweating in wet weather : which dampness and moisture is the original of rheums , and catarrhs . let your wall be of a good convenient thickness , as about eighteen or twenty inches thick , both for safety and warmth in winter , and to keep the sun from annoying him in summer , which would hinder concoction . you may ( if you please ) make windows both on the east and north sides , that you may have the benefit of the air during summer , from the north , and of the morning sun during winter from the east . and i would advise you to glaze your windows , and make them with sashes , to let in air at pleasure , and to keep out poultry , for the reasons afore recited ; and likewise to make close wooden shutters , that during the middle time of the day the stable may be dark , which will cause him to take his rest as well in the day as the night . let your floor , ( i mean that part on which he is alwaies to stand , or lye down on , be made of oaken planks , and not pitch'd , for t is easier and warmer for the horse to ly on boards than stones . be sure to lay them level ; for if they are laid higher before than behind ( as they generally are in inns and horse-coursers stables , that their horses may appear to more advantage in stature , ) his hinder-leggs will swell , and he can never lye at ease , because his hinder parts will be still slipping down . lay your planks cross-way , & not at length ; and underneath them sink a good trench , which receiving the urine thro holes bor'd on purpose in the planks , may convey it into some common receptacle . let the ground behind him be raised even with the planks , that he may continually stand on a levell . let the floor behind him be pitcht with small pebble : and be sure let that part of your stable where the rack stands be well wainscoted . i would have two rings placed at each side of his stall , for his halter to run through ; which must have a light wooden logger at the bottom of it , to poise it perpendicularly ; but not so heavy as to tire the horse , or to hinder him from eating . instead of a fix'd manger , i would have you have a locker , or drawer , made in the wainscote partition , for him to eat his corn out of , which you may take in and out to cleanse at pleasure . and whereas some may object the narrowness of the room , you may remedy that at your pleasure , by allowing it to be the larger : tho considering the small quantity of provender , you are to put in at a time , ( as you see hereafter ) you need not make it very large . i would not advise you to make any rack , but instead thereof ( according to the italian fashion ) to give your horse his hay on the ground , upon the litter ; or else you may ( if you please ) nail some boards in the form of a trough , in which you may put his hay , and the boards will prevent him from trampling and spoiling it . some possibly may object , that this way of feeding him , may spoil his crest , and that the blowing upon his hay will soon make it nauseous to his palate . for the spoiling his crest , it rather strengthens it , and makes it firm , whereas , on the contrary , to lift up his head high to the rack will make him withy-cragged : but the way forementioned , he will feed as he lyes , which will be for his ease and satisfaction . as to the quantity of his hay , you are to give it him in such small proportions , ( tho the oftener ) that it may be eaten before his freath can in the least have tainted it . but the chief reason why i advise you to this way is this , because the receiving his hay down upon the ground , will help to cleanse his head from any rheum or dose , which he may have gotten by negligence and over-exercise and induce him by sneezing to throw out all manner of watry humors that may annoy his head. if your stable will allow , you may build several partitions of boards , and at the head towards the manger let them be advanc'd to that height that one horse may not molest or smell to another ; and so divide the whole into as many equal stands or staulls as it will admit of ; allowing to each , room enough to turn about in , and lie down at pleasure . you may make one of your staulls close , which may serve for your groom to lie in , in case of a match , sickness , &c. and where he may burn candle without the horse's discerning of it . behind the horses i would have a range of presses made with peggs in them to hang up saddles , bridles , housing-cloaths , &c. as likewise shelves to place your curry-combs , brushes , dusting-cloaths , oyntments , waters , or any other necessaries upon . now that you may not cumber your stable with oat-binns , i think it necessary to tell you , that the best way is to make use of the invention of mr. farmer of tusmore in oxford-shire . which is done ( according as it is described by the ingenuous dr. plot , in his natural history of oxford-shire ) by letting the oats down from a loft above , out of a vessel like the hopper of a mill , whence they fall into a square pipe let into the wall , of about four inches diagonal , which comes down into a cupboard also set into the wall , but with its end so near the bottom that there shall never be above a gallon , or other desireable quantity in the cupboard at a time , which being taken away and given to the horses , another gallon presently succeeds ; so that in the lower part of the stable , where the horses stand , there is not one inch of room taken up for the whole provision of oats ; which contrivance hath also this further convenience , that by this motion the oats are kept constantly sweet , ( the taking away one gallon moving the whole mass above , ) which laid up any otherwise in great quantities , grow frequently musty . now i would have you have two made , the one for the oats , the other for your split beans , and both let into your range of presses ; the partitions may easily be made over head , to separate your oats from your beans . or if you like not this way , you may convert it into an hay-loft , or chambers for your grooms , which you fancy ; but whatever you make choice of , let the floor overhead be seil'd , that no dust from above fall upon your horses . but if you have the convenience of a rick-yard , so that you keep your hay abroad , it is the opinion of some knowing horsemen , that to tuck it out of the rick by little and little , as you have occasion to use it , makes it spend much better than it would otherwise do out of the hay-tallet . as to the rest of its perquisites , a dung. yard , a pump , or a conduit , are necessary ; and if you can have that convenience , some pond or running river near hand . but be sure , never let the front of your stable be without litter , that by frequent practice your horse may learn to empty his bladder when he is come from airing , which will be both healthful for your horse , and profitable for your land. having thus laid down a modell for a stable , my next business is to tell the groom his duty ; i mean not those which generally appertain to all servants , such as are obedience , fidelity , patience , diligence &c. but those more essentially belonging to this office. first then he must love his horse in the next degree to his master , and to endeavour by fair usage to acquire a reciprocal love from him again , and an exact obedience , which if he know how to pay it to his master , he will the better be able to teach it his horse ; and both the one and the other are to be obtain'd by fair means , rather than by passion and outrage . for those who are so irrational themselves , as not to be able to command their own passions , are not fit to undertake the reclaiming of an horse , ( who by nature is an irrational creature ) from his . he must then put in practice that patience , which i would have him master of , at all times , and by that and fair means he shall attain his end : for nothing is more tractable than an horse , if you make use of kindness to win him . next , neatness is requisite in a groom , to keep his stable clean swept and in order ; his saddles , housing-cloaths , stirrops , leathers , and girths , cleane , and above all his horse clean dress'd and rubb'd . diligence in the last place is requisite both in a daily practice of his duty , and in observing any the smallest alteration whether casual or accidental , either in his countenance , as symptoms of sickness , or in his limbs and gate , as lameness , or in his appetite , as forsaking his meat , and immediately upon any such discovery to seek out for remedy . this is the substance of the groom's duty in general , and which i shall treat of more at large as occasion shall offer it self . in the mean time since bartholomew-tide is now come , and the pride and strength of the grass nipp'd by the severe frosts , and cold dews which accompany this season , so that the nourishment thereof turneth into raw crudities , and the coldness of the night ( which is an enemy to the horse ) abates as much flesh and lust as he getteth in the day , we will now take him up from grass whilst his coat lies smooth and sleek . having brought him home , let your groom so that night set him up in some secure and spacious house , where he may evacuate his body , and so be brought to warmer keeping by degrees ; the next day stable him . but tho it be held as a general rule amongst the generality of grooms , not to cloath or ; dress their horses , till two or three days after their stabling , i can find no reason but custom to perswade one to it ; but it being little conducive either to the advantage or prejudice of the horse , i shall leave it to their own fancies : but as to the giving of wheat-straw , to take up his belly , ( a custom us'd by grooms generally at the horse's first housing , ) i am utterly averse from it . for the nature of a horse being hot and dry , if he should feed on straw , which is so likewise , it would straighten his guts , and cause an inflammation of the liver , and by that means distemper the blood ; and besides it would make his body so costive , that it would cause a retention of nature , and make him dung with great pain and difficulty ; whereas full feeding would expell the excrements , according to the true intention and inclination of nature . therefore let moderate airing , warm cloathing , good old hay , and old corn , supply the place of wheat-straw . to begin then methodically , that your groom may not be to seek in any part of his duty , i shall acquaint him , that his first business is , after he hath brought his horse into the stable , in the morning to water him , and then to rub over his body with a hard wisp a little moisten'd , and then with a woollen cloath , then to cleanse his sheath with his wet hand from all the dust it had contracted during his running , and to wash his yard either with white-wine , or water . then he may trim him according to the manner that other horses are trimm'd , except the inside of his ears , which ( though some still continue that fashion ) ought not to be meddled with , for fear of making him catch cold . when this is done , let him have him to the farrier , and there get a sett of shoos answerable to the shape of his foot , and not to pare his foot that it may fit his shoo , as too many farriers do , not only in brabant and flanders , but here likewise . be sure let his feet be well open'd betwixt the quarters and the thrush , to prevent hoof-binding ; and let them be open'd straight , and not side-ways , for by that means in two or three shooings , his heels ( which are the strength of his feet ) will be cut quite away . pare his foot as hollow as you can , and then the shoo will not press upon it . the shoo must come near to the heel , yet not be set so close as to bruise it ; nor yet so open as to catch in his shoos , if at any time he happen to over-reach , and so hazard the pulling them off , the breaking of his hoof , or the bruising of his heel . the webbs of the shoos must be neither too broad , nor too narrow , but of a middle size , about the breadth of an inch , with slop'd spunges ; and even with his foot ; for though it would be for the advantage of the travelling horse's heel , to have the shoo sit a little wider than the hoof , on both sides , that the shoo might bear his weight , and not his foot touch the ground ; yet the hunter being often forc'd to gallop on rotten spungy earth , to have them larger would hazard laming , and pulling off his shoos , as hath been shown before . there is an old proverb , before behind , and behind before ; that is , in the fore-feet the veins lie behind , and in the hinder-feet they lie before . therefore let the farrier take care that he prick him not , but leave a space at the heel of the fore-feet , and a space between the nails at the toe . when your shoo is set on according to this direction , you will find a great deal of his hoof left to be cut off at his toe . when that is cut off , and his feet smooth'd with a filé , you will find him to stand so firm , and his feet will be so strong , that he will tread as boldly on stones as on carpet-ground . by that time he is shod , i presume 't will be time to water him , therefore rake him to the river , and let him , after he has drank , stand some time in the water , which will close up the holes ( according to the opinion of some horsemen ) which the driving of the nails made . then have him gently home , and having ty'd him up to the rack , rub him all over body and legs with dry straw ; then stop his feet with cow-dung , sift him a quarter of a peck of clean old oats , and give them to him ; then litter him , and leave him a sufficient quantity of old hay to serve him all night , and so leave him till the next morning . chap. iv. how to order the hunter for the first fortnight . i presume by this your horse will have evacuated all his grass , and his shoes will be so well setled to his feet , that he may be fit to be rid abroad to air without danger of surbating . therefore 't is now necessary that i begin in a more particular manner to direct our unexperienc'd groom how he ought to proceed to order his horse according to art. first then you are to visit your horse early in the morning , to wit , by five a clock if in summer , or six , if in winter , and having put up his litter under his stall , and made clean your stable , you shall then feel his ribs , his chaule and his flank , for those are the cheif signes by which you must learn to judge of the good , or evil state of your horses body , as i shall now shew you . lay your hands on the lower part of his short-ribs , near the flank , and if you feel his fat to be exceeding soft and tender , and to yield as it were under your hand , than you may be confident it is unsound , and that the least violent labour , or travail will dissolve it : which being dissolv'd , e're it be hardned by good dyet , if it be not then remov'd by scouring , the fat or grease belonging to the outward parts of the body will fall down into his heels , and so cause gowtiness and swelling . i need not trouble you with the outward signs of this distemper , they are evident to the eye : but tho every groom can inform you when a horse is said to have the grease fallen into his heels , yet may be he cannot instruct you in the cause why travail disperseth it for a time , and when the horse is cold it returns with more violence than before . the reason therefore is this : the grease which by indiscreet exercise , and negligence in keeping is melted and fallen into his legs , standing still in the stable cools and congeals , and so unites it self with other ill humours , which flow to the affected part , so that they stop the natural circulation of the blood , and cause inflamations , and swellings as aforesaid but travail producing warmth in his limbs thaws as it were the congeal'd humours , and disperses them throughout the body in general ; till rest gives them opportunity to unite and settle again . now tho most grooms are of opinion that this distemper is not to be prevented by care or caution , that when it has once seaz'd a horse it remains incureable ; yet they are mistaken in both , for by art it may be prevented , and by art cured : altho the cure is so difficult to be wrought , that a groom cannot be too careful to prevent it . as for the nward grease which is in his stomack , bag , and guts , if when once ' melted it be not remov'd by art , medicine and good keeping , it putrifies , and breeds those mortal diseases , which inevitably destroy the horse , tho it be half a year or three quarters of a year after . and this is generally the source of most feavers , surfeits , consumptions , &c. and such other distempers which carry off infinite numbers of horses , for want of the farriers knowledge in the first causes of the distemper : which to prevent you shall follow the ensuing directions . after by feeling on his ribs you have found his fat soft and unsound ; you shall feele his chaule , and if you find any fleshy substance , or great round kirnells or knots , you may be assured that , as his outward fat is unsound , so inwardly he is full of glut , and pursive , by means of gross and tough humours cleaving to the hollow places of the lungs stopping so his windpipe that his wind cannot find free passage , nor his body be capable of much labour . therefore the chief end and intention of art is by good sound food to enseame and harden his fat , and by moderate exercise , warm cloathing , and gentle phisick to cleanse away his inward glut , that his wind , and other parts being freed from all grossness , his courage and activity in any labour or service may appear to be more than redoubled . the same observations you must make from his flank , which you will find alwaies to correspond , with the ribs and chaule , for till he is drawn clean it will feel thick to your gripe , but when he is enseam'd , you will perceive nothing but two thin skins ; and by these three observations of the ribs , flank , and chaps , you may , at any time pass an indifferent judgment of your horses being in a good condition or a bad . when you have made these remarks , you shall sift your horse a handful or two ( and no more ) of good old sound oates , and give them to him , to preserve his stomack from cold humours that might oppress it by drinking fasting , and likewise to make him drink the better . when he hath eaten them , pull off his coller , and rub his head , face , ears , and nape of the neck with a clean rubbing cloth made of hemp , for 't is soveraign for the head , and dissolveth all gross and filthy humours . then take a small snaffle , and wash it in fair water , and put it on his head , drawing the reins through the headstall , to prevent his slipping it over his head , and so tye him up to the rack , and dress him thus ; first in your right-hand take a curry-comb suitable to your horses skin , ( as if your horses coat be short and smooth , then must the curry-comb be blunt , but if long and rough , then must the teeth be long and and sharp , standing with your face opposite to the horses , hold the left cheek of the headstall in your left-hand , and curry him with a good hard hand from the root of his ears , all a long his neck to his shoulders : then go over all his body with a more moderate hand , then curry his buttocks down to the hinder cambrell with an hard hand again : then change your hand , and laying your right arm over his back , joyn your right-side to his left , and so curry him gently from the top of his withers , to the lower part of his shoulder , ever now and then fetching your stroke over the left side of his breast , and so curry him down to knee , but no further : then curry him all under his belly , near his fore-bowels , and in a word all over very well , his legs under the knees and cambrels only excepted . and as you dress'd the left-side , so must you the right likewise . now by the way take notice , whether your horse keeps a riggling up and down , biting the rack-staves , and now and then offering to snap at you , or lifting up his leg to strike at you , when you are currying him : if he do 't is an apparent sign of his displeasure by reason of the sharpness of the comb , and therefore you must file the teeth thereof more blunt : but if you perceive that he plays these , or such like tricks through wantonness and the pseasure he takes in the friction , then you shall ever now and then correct him with your whip gently for his waggishness . this currying is only to raise the dust , and therefore after you have thus curried him , you must take either a horse-tail ( nail d to an handle ) or a clean dusting-cloath of cotten , and with it strike off the loose dust rais'd by your curry-comb then dress him all over with the french-brush , both head , body , and legs to the very fet-locks , observing always to cleanse the brush from the filth it gathers from the bottom of the hair , by rubbing it on the curry-comb . then dust him the second time . then with your hand wet in water rub his body all over , and as near as you can leave no loose hairs behind you ; and with your wet hands pick and cleanse his eys , ears , nostrils , sheath , cods , and tuel , and so rub him till he be as dry as at first . then take an hair-patch , and rub his body all over , but especially his fore-bowels under his belly , his flank , and between his hinder thighs . lastly , wipe him over with a fine white linnen rubber . when you have thus drest him , take a large saddle-cloath ( made on purpose , ) that may reach down to the spurring-place , and lap it about his body ; then clap on his saddle , and throw a cloth over him for fear of catching cold . then take two ropes of straw twisted extream hard together , and with them rub and chafe his legs from the knees and cambrels downwards to the ground , picking his fetlock-joynts with your hands from dust , filth , and scabs . then take another hair-patch kept on purpose for his legs , ( for you must have two ) and with it rub and dress his legs also . now by the way let me give you this necessary caution , be sure whilst you are dressing your horse let him not stand naked , his body being expos'd to the penetration of the air , whilst you are telling a banbury-story to some comrades , that accidentally come into the stable , as i have seen some grooms , that would stand lolling over their horses , when they were uncloath'd , and trifle away their time by listning to some idle discourse ; but when you have stripp'd him fall to your business roundly , without any intermission till you have sadled him , and thrown his cloth over him . and the reason why i advise you to throw a cloth over him , whilst you are dressing his legs is this ; that although t is a general rule amongst grooms , that an horse cannot take cold whilst he is dressing , yet is that saying to be understood only of his body , not of his legs ; for the rubbing of his legs will not prevent catching cold in his body when this is done , you shall with an iron picker pick his feet clean , ( that the stopping of his feet may not be a means of his taking up stones in them , ) comb down his main and tail with a wet main-comb , then spirt some beer into his mouth , and so draw him out of the stable . being mounted , rake or walk him to some running river , or fresh clear spring , distant a mile or two from your stable , ( which will refine his mouth which he may have lost , during his summers running , and will likewise settle his body upon his rake , ) and there let him drink about half his draught at first , to prevent raw crudities arising in his stomach . after he hath drunk bring him calmly out of the water , and so ride him gently for a while ; for nothing is more unbeseeming a horseman , than to thrust his horse into a swift gallop , as soon as he comes out of the water , for these three causes . first , it is not only hazards the breaking of his wind , but also assuredly endanges the incording , or bursting of him . secondly , it begets in him an ill habit of running away , as soon as he hath done drinking . lastly , the foresight he hath of such violent exercise , makes him oftentimes refuse to quench his thirst : and therefore ( as i said ) first walk him a little way , and then put him into a gentle gallop for or score , then give him wind : and after he hath been rak'd a pretty space , then shew him the water again , and let him drink what he pleases , and then gallop him again ; and thus do till he will drink no more , but be sure to observe always that you gallop him not so much as either to chafe , or sweat him . now by the way observe , that in his galloping after water , ( after the first weeks enseaming , ) if sometimes you give him a watering course sharply , of twelve or twenty score , ( as you find your horse , ) it will quicken his spirits , and cause him to gallop more pleasantly , and teach him to mannage his limbs more nimbly , and to stretch forth his body largely . when your horse hath done drinking , then rake him to the top of the next hill , ( if there be any near your watring-place , ) for there in the morning the air is purest , or else to some such place , as he may gain best advantage both of sun and air , and there air him a foot-pace an hour , or so long as you ( in your discretion ) shall think sufficient for the state of his body , and then ride him home . during the time of your horses airing , you will easily perceive several marks of your horses satisfaction , and the pleasure which he takes in this exercise . for he will gape , yawn , and as it were shrug his body . if he offer to stand still , to dung , or stale , which his airing will provoke , be sure give him leave , as likewise to stare about , neigh , or listen after any noise . now airing brings several advantages to the horse . first , it purifies the blood , ( if the air be clean and pure , ) it purges the body from many gross and suffocating humors , and so hardens and enseams the horses fat , that it is not near so liable to be dissolv'd by ordinary exercise . secondly , it teaches him how to let his wind rake equally and keep time with the other actions or motions of his body . thirdly , it sharpens the appetite , and provokes the stomach , ( which is of great advantage both to hunters and gallopers , who are apt to loose their stomach through excess or want of exercise ) : for the sharpness of the air will drive the horses natural heat from the exterior to the interior parts , which heat by furthering concoction creates an appetite . lastly , it increases lust and courage in him , provided he not too early air'd . but whereas mr. markam , in his way to get wealth , o. pag. . directs , if your horse be very fat to air him before sun-rise , and after sun-set ; and that the author of the gentleman's jockey , o. pag. . says , that nothing is more wholsome than early and late airings ; i think the contrary may be made out from experience . for in this art , all things that any ways hinder the strength and vigor of nature , are to be avoided ; now , that extreamity of cold , and being out early and late do so , is evidently seen by horses that run abroad all winter , which however hardily bred , and kept with the best care and fodder , yet cannot by any means be advanc'd to so good case in winter as an indifferent pasture will raise them to in summer . and this holding true of the nocturnal colds , must needs be verified in some proportionate measure of the morning and evening dews , and that piercing cold which is observ'd to be more intense at the opening and close of the day , than any part of the night . besides that , the dews and moist rimes do as much injury to a horse , as the sharpest colds or frosts : since ( as i have found by experience ) a horse any ways inclinable to catarrhs , rheums , or any other cold distempers , is apt to have the humors augmented , and the disease most senbsily increasd by these early and late airings . but if he be not had forth to aire till the sun be risen , ( as you must cast to have him dress'd , and ready to lead forth against that time ) his spirits will be chear'd and comforted by that universal comforter of all living creatures ; and indeed all horses naturally desire to enjoy the sun's warmth , as you may observe by those horses which lie out all night , who as soon as the sun is risen , will repair to those places where they may have the most benefit of his beams , and by them be in part reliev'd from the coldness of the foregoing night . and besides the benefit of the sun , the air will be so mild and temperate , as it will rather invigorate than prey upon his spirits , and more increase his strength than impair it neither , tho we disallow of early and late airings , need we be at a loss to bring down our horses fat , and from being pursive , and too high in flesh , to reduce him to cleanness , and a more moderate state of body : for if you do but observe this one rule of keeping a fat horse so much longer out at a time both morning and evening , you will undoubtedly obtain your end by such long airing , joyn'd with true sound heats , which you may expect indeed , but will never find from those that are shorter , how early and late soever : for this method joyn'd with good feeding is the best prescription can be given in this case , and t is from the length of your airings only , that you must hope to bring your horse to a perfect wind , and true courage . and therefore a horse that is high in flesh , is a fitter subject to work on , than one that is low , because he is better able to endure labour , whereas the other must of necessity be so favoured in training , to improve his strength and flesh , that he is in danger ( without he be under the care of a very skilful keeper ) of proving thick wind ed for want of true exercise in training . when you are returned from airing , and are dismounted , lead your horse on the straw , which ( as i told you before ) should always lye before the stable door ; and there by whistling and stirring up the litter under his belly will provoke him to stale , which a little practice will bring him to , and is advantagious for the horses health , and the keeping of your stable clean ; then lead him into his staul ( which ought likewise to be well littered ) and having ty'd up his head to the empty rack , take off his saddle , rubb his body and leggs all over with the french-brush , then with the hair-patch , and last of all with the woollen cloath . then you shall cloath him with a linnen cloath next to his body , and over that a canvas cloath , and both made so fit as to cover his breast and to come pretty low down to his legs , which is the turkish way of cloathing , who are the most curious people ( sales the duke of newcaslle ) in keeping their horses , and esteem them the most of any nation . over the forementioned put a body-cloath of six , or eight straps , which is better than a sircingle and pad stuft with wisps , because this keeps his belly in shape , and is not so subject to hurt him . now these cloathes will be sufficient for him at his first stabling , because being inur'd to the cool air he will not be so apt to take cold , the weather likewise at that season being indifferently warm ; but when sharp weather approaches , and that you find his hair rise about his outward parts that are uncloathed , as neck , gascoins , &c. then add another cloath , which ought to be of woolen , and for any horse bred under this climate , and kept only for ordinary hunting , this is cloathing sufficient . now the design of cloathings is only by their help joyn'd to the warmth of the stable , and the litter ( which must alwaies lye under the horse ) to keep his body in such a moderate natural heat , as shall be sufficient to assist nature , that skilful physitian in expelling her enemies , by dissolving those raw and gross humours which are subject to annoy the horse , and which would very much prejudice him if they were not removed ; which warm cloathing does in a great measure by dispersing them into the outward parts , and expelling them by sweating as he sleeps and lyes down , which will be a meanes to purge his body , and keep it clean from glut , and redundant humours . but yet ( as in all things the golden mean is best ) there is a meane to be observ'd too here : for as too few cloathes will not assist nature sufficiently in the expulsion of her enemies , so too many will force her too much , and cause weakness in your horse by too violent sweatings . therefore you must have a care of following the example of some ignorant grooms , who because they have acquired a false reputation by living in some noblemans or gentlemans service , that are noted sportsmen , think they are able to give laws to all their fraternity , and therefore without any reason heap multiplicity of cloaths on the horse as if they meant to bury him in woolen . you must know , that both the temperature of the weather and the state of his body are to be observed ; and that all horses are not to be cloathed alike . your fine-skined horses , as the barb , turk , spanish horse &c. require more clothes then our english common horses , that are bred in a colder climate , and have naturally thicker skin 's , and a longer coat . but that you may not erre i have told you already how you are to cloath your horse , and therefore shall only add this one general rule , that a rough coat shews want of cloaths , and a smooth coat cloathing sufficient : ever observing , that by his countenance , his dung , and other outward characters ( which i shall by and by give you more at large ) you perceive your horse to to be in health , and yet notwithstanding your horses coat still stares , you must add more cloathes till it lye ; as on the other hand if it will lye withe the assist - of a single linnen cloath it is sufficient . but if when he has been in keeping some time , you perceive him apt to sweat in the night , 't is a sign that he is over-fed , and wants exercise : but if he sweat at his first coming from grass , you must know that there is cause rather to encrease , than diminish the cloathes i have alloted at his first housing ; for it proceeds from the foul humours which oppress nature , and when by exercise they are evacuated , nature will cease working , and he will continue in a temperate state of body all the year after . when he is cloath'd up , pick his feet cleane with an iron picker , and wash his hoofs clean with a spung dipt in fair watet , and then dry them with straw or a linnen cloath , and if there be occasion and that you find your horses , legs durty , you may bathe them likewise , only you must be sure to rub them dry before you go out of your stable , then leave him on his snaffle for an hour , or more , which will assist his appetite . when an hour is expired , you shall come to him again , and having tuck'd an handful of hay , and dusted it , you shall let your horse tease it out of your hand till he hath eaten it ; then pull off his bridle , and having rub'd his head and neck clean , with the hempen-cloth , as before , pull his eares , and stop his nostrils to make him snore , which will help to bring away the moist humours which oppress his brain , and then put on his coller , and give him a quarter of oats clean drest , in a sive , having first made his locker , or manger clean with a wispe of straw , and a cloth. whilst he is eating his corn , you shall sweep out your stable , and see that all things are neat about him , and turning up his cloaths , you shall rub his fillets , buttocks , and gascoins over with the hairpatch , and after that with a woolen-cloth ; then spread a clean flannel fillet-cloth over his fillets and buttocks ( which will make his coat lye smooth ) and turn down his housing-cloaths upon it . then anoint his hoofs round from the cronet to the toe with this ointment , viz. take four ounces of venice turpentine , three ounces of bees wax , two ounces of the best rosin , one pound of dogs-grease , half a pint of train oyle , melt all these ingredients ( except the turpentine ) together , being melted remove them from the fire , and then put in the turpentine , and keep it stirring , till all be well incorporated , then put it in a gally pot , and when it is cold cover it close from dust , and reserve it for use . after this pick his feet with an iron picker , and stop them with cow-dung ; and by this time your horse ( if he be not a very slow feeder ) will have eaten his oates , which if you find he does with a good stomack , sift him another quart , and throw them to feed him by little and little , whilst he eats with an appetite ; but if he fumbles with his corn , then give him no more at that time . and this i think a better direction than to prescribe a set quantity of provender , as all authors i have yet met with have done . for without doubt no certain quantity of meat can be allotted for all sorts of horses , any more than for all sorts of men ; and therefore proportion the quantity to the horses appetite : but be sure at all times give him his full feeding , for that will keep his body in better state and temper , and increase his strength and vigor . whereas on the contrary , to keep your horse always sharp-set , is the ready way to procure a surfeit , if at any time he can come at his fill of provender ; according to the common proverb , two hungry meales make the third a glutton . but tho you perceive he gather flesh too fast upon such home-feeding ; yet be sure not to stint him for it , but only increase his labour , and that will assist both his strength and wind. when these things are done , you shall dust a pretty of hay , and throw it down to him on his litter , after you have taken it up under him ; and then shutting up the windows and stable door , leave him till one a clock in the afternoon ; at which time you shall come to him , and having rubb'd over his head , neck , fillets , buttocks , and legs , as before , with the hair-patch and woollen-cloath , you shall feed him as before , and then leave him till the time of his evening watring , ( which should be about three of the clock in winter , and four in summer ; ) and then having put back his foul litter , and swept away that and his dung , you shall dress and saddle him as before , and mounting him you shall rake him to the water , and after drinking and galloping you shall air him along by the river side , till you think it time to go home ; then order him in all points , as to rubbing , feeding , stopping his feet , &c. as you did in the morning ; and having fed him at six a clock , be sure feed him again about nine ; and having litter'd him well , and thrown him hay enough to serve him for all night , you shall leave him till the next morning . and as you have spent this day , so you must order him in all respects for a fortnight together , and by that time his flesh will be so harden'd , and his wind so improv'd ; his mouth will be so quicken'd , and his gallop brought to so good a stroke , that he will be fit to be put to moderate hunting . now during this fortnights keeping you are to make several observations , as to the nature and disposition of your horse , the temper of his body , the course of his digestion , &c. and order him accordingly . as first , if he be of a churlish disposition , you must reclaim him by severity ; if of a loving temper , you must win him by kindness . secondly , you must observe whether he be a foul feeder , or of a nice stomach ; if he be quick at his meat , and retain a good stomach , then four times of full feeding , in a day and a nights space , is sufficient ; but if he be a slender feeder , and slow at his meat , then you must give but a little at once , and often , as about every two hours , for fresh meat will draw on his appetite ; and you must always leave a little meat in his locker for him to eat at his own leisure betwixt the times of his feeding ; and when at any time you find any left , you shall sweep it away , and give him fresh , and expose that to the sun and air , which will prevent mustiness and reduce it to its first sweetness , before it was blown upon . now as to the manner of feeding , you may sharpen his stomach by change of meat , as giving one meal clean oats , another oats and split-beans , and ( when you have brought him to eat bread ) you may give him another meal of bread , always observing to give him oftenest that which he likes best ; or if you please you may give him both corn and bread at the same time , provided you give him that last which he eats best , and which has the best digestion . t is observ'd of some horses , that they are of so hot a constitution , that without they may drink at every bit they cannot eat , and those horses usually carry no belly ; in this case therefore you must let a pale of water stand continually before them , or at least offer them water at noon , besides what they fetch abroad at their ordinary times . next you are to observe the nature of his digestion , that is , whether he retains his food long , which is the sign of a bad digestion ; or whether nature does expel the dung more frequently ; which if he do , and that his dung be loose and bright t is a sign of a good habit of body ; but if he dung hard , and seldom , then on the contrary t is a sign of a dry body ; and therefore to remedy this , you shall once in a day give him a handful or two of oats , well wash'd in good strong ale , for this will loosen his body , and keep it moist , and you will sind it also good for his wind , notwithstand-the opinion of some to the contrary . chap v. of the second fortnights diet , and of his first hunting , and what chases are most proper to train him . by that time you have spent this fortnight , according to the foregoing rules , your horse will be in a pretty good state of body ; for the gross humors will be dry'd in his body , and his flesh will begin to be harden'd , which you will perceive ( as i told you at first ) by his chaul , his short ribs , and his flank ; for the kernels under his chaps will not feel so gross as at first they did , his flesh on his short ribs will not feel so soft and loose , nor the thin part of his flank so thick as at his first housing ; so that now you may without hazard adventure to hunt him moderately . but before i proceed , i think it necessary to clear one point , which i have heard much discuss'd amongst horsemen , which is , what sort of chase is most proper for the training of a young horse ? some being of one opinion , some of another . for some would have a horse , which is design d either for a buck-hunter or fox-hunter , us'd from the beginning to the chase which they are design'd for . others think those chases too violent for a young . horse , and therefore chuse to train him after harriers ; and of this opinion i must own my self to be , since exporience has fully shewn me the advantages of the one , and the inconveniences of the other . now to prove this assertion , let us take a slight view of the several chases which are commonly used by our nobility and gentry , where the horse is made a companion and member of the sport , and they are these ; the stag , buck , hind , fox , otter , and hare . as for the three first here mention'd , as there is not much difference in the hunting of them , so the inconveniences from each chase are in a manner the same also . for which soever you hunt , t is either in covert , or at force . now if deer be hunted in a park , they usually chuse the most woody parts of it , as a refuge from the pursuits of their enemies , which is both unpleasant to the rider , and troublesome to the horse , to follow the dogs thro the thick bushes ; and besides , usually the ground in parks is full of mole-banks , trenches , &c. which is dangerous for a young horse to gallop on , till he has attain'd to some perfection in his stroke . but if they be turn'd out of the park , and be hunted at force , you will find , that as soon as you have unharbour'd or rous'd them , they will immediately make out end ways before the hounds five or six , nay sometimes ten miles , they following in full cry so swiftly , that a horse must be compell'd to run up and down hill without any intermission ; leaping hedg , ditch , and dale , nay often crossing rivers , to the great danger of the rider , as well as of the horse . so that in my opinion t is altogether improper to put a young horse to such violent labour at the first , till by practice and degrees he hath been made acquainted with hard service . now besides the swiftness and violence of this chase , and the danger of cracking his wind , and bursting his belly ; besides the straining of his limbs by such desperate riding , and the creating in a young horse a loathsomness to his labour , by undergoing such violent and unusual service ; the seasons for these chases begining about midsummer , and ending about holy-rood-tide , which is that part of the year in which the sun's heat is excessive , and so scorches the earth , that a violent chase would hazard the melting his grease and the weight of the rider , by reason of the hardness of the ground , would occasion foundring , splents , and windgalls , insomuch that in short time the horse would prove altogether vseless . but here i cannot but desire to be rightly understood , since tho i object against these chases as improper for young horses , yet i do not mean that horses should be excluded this recreation ; but i would have those which are imploy'd herein , to be horses of stay'd years , and by long practice and experience have been rightly train'd to hunting . young horses ( as the duke of new castle says ) being as subject to diseases as young children , and therefore he advises any man that would buy a horse for use in his ordinary occasions , as for journeys , hawking or hunting , never to buy a horse until the mark be out of his mouth , and if he be sound of wind , limb , and sight , he will last you eight or nine years with good keeping , and never fail you ; and therefore ( pursues he i am always ready to buy for such purposes an old nag , of some huntsman , or falconer , that is sound , and that is the useful nag , for he gallops on all grounds , leaps over hedges and ditches ; and this will not fail you in your journey , nor anywhere , and is the only nag of use for pleasure or journey thus far the duke . and if it may be permitted to add to his advice , i would have them strait-bodied clean-timbred nags , such as may be light , nimble , and of middle stature , for those horses are not near so subject to lamness as those of bulk and strength , the causes whereof have been already declar'd . the next chase propos'd was that of the fox , which although it be a recreation much in use , and highly applauded by the generality of the nobility and gentry ; yet with submission to their judgment i never could find that pleasure in it which has been represented to me by some of its admirers : and i am sure it is inconvenient for the training of a young horse , since it is swift without respite , and of long continuance , both which , as i have already fhew'd , are distastful to him ; but the greatest inconvenience that happens to a horse in this chase is this ; that when a fox is unkennel'd , he seldom or never betakes himself to a champion countrey , but remains in the strongest coverts , and in the thickest woods ; so that a horse can but seldom enjoy the pleasure of accompanying the hounds , without hazarding being stubb'd , or other as dangerous accidents . the fittest horses sor this chase are horses of great strength and ability , since this chase begins at christmas , which is the worst time of riding , and ends at our lady-day , when the ground is best for it . the next chase to be spoken of is the ottexs , which although it may seem delightful to some , yet i cannot by any means think it convenient for a horse : for he that will truly pursue this amphibians sport , must often swim his horse to the equal hazard both of the rider and the horse . but to conclude with the last , and the best of chases , and that is the hare . it is in my opinion the most pleasant and delightful chase of any whatsoever , and the most beneficial for training a young horse . it is swift , and of some indurance , like that of the fox , but far more pleasant to the horse , because hares commonly run the champion country ; and the scent not being so hot as the foxes , the dogs are oftner at default , and by that means the horse has many sobbs , whereby he recovers wind , and regains new strength . this chase begins at michaelmass , and lasts till the end of february . now the best dogs , to bring your horse to perfection of wind and speed , are your fleet northern hounds ; for they , by means of their hard-running , will draw him up to that extraordinary speed , that he will not have time to loiter , and by continual practice will be so inur'd and habituated to the violence of their speed , that in a short time he will be able to ride on all sorts of ground , and be at such command upon the hand , that he will strike at what rate you please , and three-quarters speed will be less troublesome to him than a canterbury-gallop . i have often thought this one of the reasons why your northern breeders for the generality excel those of the south ; since certainly the speed of their hounds contributes much to the excellence of their horses , and makes them endure a four mile course without sobbs , which some horsemen call whole-running : but of this more in another place . the time being now come that he may be hunted , you shall order him on his days of rest in all points , as to his dressing , hours of feeding , watring , &c. as in the first fortnight afore directed ; only since his labour is now to be increas'd , you must endeavour to increase his strength and courage likewise ; and this will be effected by adding to his oats a third part of clean old beans spelted on a mill , and as an overplus to allow him bread made after this manner . take four pecks of clean old beans , and two pecks of wheat , and grind them together , and sift the meal thro a meal-sieve of an indifferent fineness , and knead it with warm water and good store of barm , and let it lie an hour or more to swell , for by that means the bread will be the lighter , and have the easier and quicker digestion ; after which being with a brake or any other way exceedingly well-kneaded , make it up into great houshold peck-loaves , which will be a means to avoid crust , and prevent its drying too soon ; bake them thoroughly , and let them stand a good while in the oven to soke , then draw them , and turning the bottoms upwards let them stand to cool . when your bread is a day old you may venture to feed your horse with it , having first chipt away the crust ; and sometimes giving him bread , sometimes oats , and now and then oats and spelted beans , according as you find his stomach ; you need not fear but such feeding will bring him into as good condition as you need desire for ordinary hunting . when your bread is prepar'd , and you first fortnight expir'd , you must then pitch upon a day for his first going abroad after the dogs , and the day before you hunt you must always order him after this manner . in the morning proceed in your usual method as before , only observe that day to give him no beans , because they are hard of digestion , but give most of bread if you can draw him on to eat it , because it is more nourishing than oats ; and after your evening watering , which ought to be somewhat earlier than at other times , give him onely a little hay out of your hand , and no more till the next day that he returns from hunting : and to prevent his eating his litter , or any thing else but what you give him , you shall instead of a muzzle put on a cavezone joyn'd to a headstall of a bridle , being lin'd with double leather for fear of hurting him , and tying it so straight as to hinder his eating ; and this will prevent sickness in your horse , which is incident to some horses when their muzzle is fet on , notwithstanding the invention of the lattice-window , now adays so much in use ; but this way your horses nostrils are fully at liberty , and he will never prove sick . but as to his corn , give him his meals , both after his watering , and at nine a clock , at which time be sure to litter him very well , that he may the better take his rest , and leave him for that night . the next morning come to him very early , as about four a clock , and having dress'd a quarter of a peck of oats very clean , put them into his locker , and pour into it a quart of good strong ale , and after having mix'd the oats and ale very well give him them to eat , whilst you put back his dung and foul litter , and make clean his stable , but if he will not eat wash'd oats then give him dry ; but be sure put no beans to them . when he has done eating , bridle him , and tie him up to the ring , and dress him . when he is dress'd saddle him ; then throw his cloth over him , and let him stand till the hounds are ready to go forth . but be sure not to draw your saddle girths straight till you are ready to mount , left by that means he become sick . but generally old horses are so crafty , that when an ignorant groom goes to girt them up hard , they will streth out their bodies to such a bigness by holding their wind , ( on purpose to gain ease after they are girt ) that t will appear difficult to girt them ; but afterwards they let go their wind , and their bodies fa l again . when the hounds are unkennell'd , ( which should not be till sun-rising ) go into the field along with them , and rake your horse up and down gently till a hare be started ; always observing to let him smell to other horses dung , ( if he be desirous of it ) which will provoke him to empty himself , and let him stand still when he does so : and if you meet with any dead fog , rushes , or such like , ride him upon them , and by whistling provoke him to empty his bladder . when the hare is started , you are not to follow the hounds as the other hunters do , but to confider , that this being the first time of your horses hunting , he is not so well vers'd in the different sorts of grounds as to know how to gallop smoothly , and with ease on them ; and therefore you are not to put him as yet to above half his speed , that he may learn to carry a staid body , and to mannage his legs both upon fallows , and greenswarth . neither are you to gallop him often , nor any long time together , for fear of discouraging him , and breeding in him a dislike to this exercise ; but observing to cross the fields still to your best advantage , you shall make in to the hounds at every default , and still keep your horse ( as much as these rules will allow you ) within the cry of the dogs , that he may be us'd to their cry ; and you will find , that in a very short time he will take such delight and pleasure in their musick , that he will be desirous to follow them more eagerly . now if at any time the chase be lead over any carpet ground , or sandy high-way , on which your horse may lay out his body smoothly , you may there gallop him for a quarter or half a mile , to teach him to lay out his body , and to gather up his legs , to enlarge and shorten his stroke , according to the different earths he gallops on , as if on green-swarth , meadow , moore , heath , &c. then to stoop , and run more on the shoulders ; if amongst mole-hills , or over high ridges and furrows , then to gallop more roundly , and in less compass , or according to the vulgar phrase two up and two down , that thereby he may strike his furrow clear , and avoid setting his fore-feet in the bottom of it , and by that means fall over ; but by this way of galloping , tho he should happen to set his feet in a furrow , yet carrying his body so round and resting on the hand in his gallop , would prevent his falling ; and to this perfection nothing but use , and such moderate exercise can bring him . according to these rules you may spend your time in hunting , till about three a clock in the afternoon , at which time you shall have him home in a foot pace as you came out in the morning , and besure that he be cool before you bring him out of the field ; and as you are going home consider with your self , whether or no he hath sweat a little , ( for you must not sweat him much the first time ; ) but if not , then gallop him gently on some skelping earth , till he sweat at the roots of his ears , a little on his neck , and in his flanck , but it must be done of his own voluntary motion , without the compulsion of whip and spur : and then when he is cool as aforesaid , have him home and stable him , and besure avoid walking him in hand to cool him , for fear he cool too fast , or washing him , for fear of causing an obstruction of the natural course of the humours , ( which are thought by some horse-men to abound most in winter ) and by that means cause an inflamation in his legs , which is the parent of the scratches . when you set him up in his staul ( which must be well litter'd against his coming home ) tye up his head to the ring with the bridle , and then rub him well with dry straw all over both head , neck , fore-bowels , belly , flank , buttocks and legs ; and afterwards rub his body over with a dry cloth till there be not a wet hair left about him , then take off his saddle and rub the place where the saddle stood dry likewise , and so cloath him with his ordinary cloaths with all speed , for fear least he take cold ; and if you think him too hot throw a spare cloath over him , to prevent his cooling too fast , which you may abate when you please , and so let him stand on his snaffle two hours or more , stirring him with your whip now and then in his staul , to to keep his legs and joynts from growing stiff . when that time is expired , and you think it may be throughout cold , then come to him , and having drawn his bridle rubbed his head , and pick'd his feet from durt and gravel which he may have gather'd abroad , put on his coller , and sift him a quart , or three pints of oates , and mix with them a handful of clean dusted hempseed , and give them to him ; but give him not above the quantity prescribed , for fear of taking away his stomack , which will be very much weakned through the heat of his body , and want of water . then remove the spare-cloth ( if you have not done it before , ) for fear of keeping him hot too long , and when he has eaten his corn , throw a pretty quantity of hay clean dusted , on his litter , and let him rest two or three hours , or there abouts . whilest you are absent from him , you shall prepare him a good mash , made of half a peck of mault well ground , and water that is boiling hot , observing to put no more water than your mault will sweeten , and your horse will drink , and then stir them together with a rudder , or stick and then cover it over with cloths , till the water has extracted the strength of the malt , which will be evident to your taste and touch , for t will be almost as sweet as honey , and feel ropy like birdlime ; then when it is cold , that you can scarce perceive it to smoak , offer it to your horse , but not before , lest the steam ascend into his nostrils , and thereby offend him with its scent ; and when he has drunk the water , let him if he please eat the malt also . but if he refuse to drink , yet you must give him no other water that night , but by placing it in one corner at the head of his stall , in such manner that he may not throw it down , ( which you may effect by nailing a spar across before the bucket ) let it stand by him all night , that he may drink at his pleasure . now you will find this mash , or ( as some call it ) horse-caudle , very beneficial to your horse on several accounts ; for it will comfort his stomach , and keep his body in a due temperate heat after his days hunting ; it will cleanse and bring away all manner of grease and gross humours , which have been dissolved by this days labour , and the fume of the malt-grains , after he has drunk the water , will disperse watry humours , which might otherwise annoy his head , and is allow'd by all horsemen to be very advantageous on that account . when he has eaten his mash , then strip him of his clothes , and run him over with your curry-comb , french brush , hair patch , and wollen cloath , and clothe him up again , and then cleanse his legs as well as his body of all dirt and filth which may annoy them , as you have been directed in dressing ; then remove him into another stall ( that you may not wet his litter ) and bathe his legs all over from the knees with warm beef-broth , or , which is better , with a quart of warm urine , in which four ounces of salt-peter hath been dissolv'd ; then rub his legs dry as when you came in from water , set him into his stall , and give him a good home-feeding of oats , or bread , ( which he likes best ) or both , and having shook good store of litter under him , that he may rest the better , and thrown him hay enough for all night on it , shut up your stable close , and leave him to his rest till morning . the next morning come to him betwixt six and seven a clock , for that is time enough , because the mornings rest is as pleasant and refreshing to the horse as it is to a man , for then the meat being concocted the sleep is more sweet , and the brain is at that time more thin and pure . if he be laid disturb him not , but stay till he rises of his own accord , ( and to know this you ought to have a private peep . hole ) but if he be risen , then go to him , and the first thing you must do is to put back his dung from his litter , and to observe what colour it is of : observe whether it be greasie , and shining outwardly , and break it with your feet , that you may see whether it be so inwardly ; for if it be greasie and foul either within or without , ( which you may know by its outward shining , and by spots like soap , which will appear within ) or if it appear of a dark brown colour , and harder than it was , it is a sign that your former days hunting was beneficial to him , by dissolving part of the inward glut which was within him ; and therefore the next time you hunt you must increase his labour but a little . but if you perceive no such symptoms , but that his dung appears bright , and rather soft than hard , without grease , and in a word that it holds the same pale yellow colour it did before you hunted him , then t is a sign that days hunting made no dissolution , but that his body remains in the same state still , and therefore the next days hunting you may almost double his labour . when you have made these remarks from his dung , you shall then proceed to order him as in his days of rest ; that is to say , you shall give him a handful or two of oats before water ; then dress , water , air , feed , &c. as in the first fortnight . now as to his feeding you must remember the way i have already shew'd , of changing his food ; as giving him one while bread , another oats , a third time oats and beans , which you find he likes best ; observing always , that variety will sharpen his appetite . but bread being his chief food , as being more nourishing and strong than the others , you must feed him often'st with it . and as in the first fortnight i directed you to observe his digestion , whether it were quick or slow , so likewise must you do now that he begins to eat bread. if you find him quick , and that he retains his bread but a little while , then ( as i have already directed ) you shall only slightly chip your bread ; but if he be slow , and retains it long , cut away all the crust , and give it to some other horse , and feed your hunter only with the crum ; for that being light of digestion soon converts to chyle and excrements , but the crust being slow of digestion requires by reason of its hardness longer time before it be concocted . the next day after he has rested , you shall hunt him again as you did the first day , observing from the remarks you have made , to hunt him more or less , according as you find the temper and constitution of your horse ; and when you are return'd home , observe to put in practice the same rules which you have just now read ; and thus hunt your horse three times a week for a fortnight together , observing to give him his full feeding , and no other scowrings but mashes , and hempseed , which is equal in its vertue to the former , and only carries off superfluous humours in the dung. and here before i conclude this chapter , i cannot but take notice of the abuse of scowrings , and my own ignorance , being led away by the perswasions and my mistaken opinion of other mens skill , who because they could talk of giving a scowring , ( tho experience has since taught me , that they never knew the operation of them , nay nor the disposition of the horses which they kept ) i thought most eminent and skilful horse-doctors . but indeed i found to my cost , that my ignorance led me into the same mistake with those men , that take physick by way of prevention , and by that means render their bodies more lyable to diseases , their pores being so much opened by physick . in like manner i found that tho i bought horses of sound and strong constitutions , yet by following the false rules and practices of others i quickly brought them to weak habits of body ; and by continually using them to unnecessary physick , to be tender , and apt to take cold and surfeits on every small occasion : which taught me to know , that as kitchen physick is best for a man , ( unless he languish under some more than ordinary distemper ) so natural and true sound feeding is best for a horse , it strengthning his constitution , and keeping his body in good temper ; for a horse that is full-fed with good natural diet is not subject to costivencss ; and from hence i infer , that a horse which is sound , and in health , and of a strong constitution , needs little physick more than good wholsom meat , and his fill of it , provided you order him as he ought to be when he is come from hunting . but as horses no more than men are free from distempers ; but by reason of abuses and unkind masters are rather more liable to them , ( it being become a proverb , as many diseases as a horse ) ; so when at any time they happen recourse must be had to physick : and as it is good in its true use , so i shall in the subsequent part of my discourse set down when , and what manner of scourings are useful , and how they are to be applied with skill , and safety ; of which in its proper place . chap. vi. of the horses third fortnights keeping , and first thorough-sweating . by this time your horse will be drawn so clean , his flesh will be so inseam'd , and his wind so improved , that he will be able to ride a chase of three or four miles without much blowing , or sweating ; and you will find by his chaul and flank , as well as his ribs , that he is in an indifferent good state of body , and therefore this next fortnight you must increase his labour , by which means you will come to a true knowledge of what he is able to do , and whether or no he will ever be fit for plates , or a match . when your horse is set over night , and fed early in the morning , ( as in the last fortnights preparation for hunting was directed ) then go into the field with him , and when your horse is empty , as he will be by that time you have started your game , you shall follow the dogs at a good round rate , as at half-speed , and so continue till you have kill'd or lost your first hare . this will so rack your horses wind , and by this time he will have so emptied himself , that he will be fit to be rid the next chase briskly ; which as soon as begun you shall follow the dogs at three quarters speed , as near to them as is consistent with the discretion of a good horseman , and a true huntsman ; but be sure as yet not to strain him . during this daies riding you shall observe your horse's sweat , under his saddle , and forebowels , if it appear white like froth , or soap-sudds , 't is a sign of inward glut and foulness , and that your daies sport was fully sufficient , and therefore you shall have him home , and order him as before you are directed . but if your sport has been so indifferent , as not to sweat your horse thoroughly , then you shall make a train-sent of four miles long , or thereabout , and laying on your fleetest dogs , ride it briskly , and then having first cool'd him in the field , ride him home and use him as aforesaid . now that i may not leave you in ignorance what a train-scent is , i shall acquaint you that it has its name , as i suppose , from the manner of it , viz. the trailing or dragging of a dead cat , or fox , ( and in case of necessity a red-herring ) three or four miles , ( according to the will of the rider , or the directions given him ) and then laying the dogs on the scent . but this caveat let me give all huntsmen , to to keep about two or three couple of the fleetest hounds you can possibly procure for this purpose only . for although i have seen skillful sportsmen use their harriers in this case , for their diversion ; yet i would perswade them not to use them to it often ; for it will teach them to lie off the line , and fling so wide , that they will never be worth any thing . when you unbridle your horse , give him instead of hempsecd and oates , a handsome quantity of rye bread , ( to which end i would advise you to bake a peck loaf for this purpose ) which being cold and moist will assist in cooling his body after his labour , and prevent costiveness , to which you will find him addicted , then give him hay , and afterwards a mash , and then order him in all points as formerly . the next morning if you perceive by his dung that his body is distempred , and he is hard and bound , then take some crumms of your rye-bread and work it with as much sweet fresh butter as will make it into paste , and then making it into balls about the bigness of a large wallnut , give him or of them in the morning fasting ; and then setting on your saddle upon his cloth , mount him , and gallop him gently in some adjoyning grass-plat , or close till he begin to sweat under his eares , then lead him into the stable , and let him be well rub'd , and throwing a spare cloth over him , and good store of fresh litter under him , let him stand two hours on the bridle , then give him a quantity of rye-bread , then throw him some hay to chew upon , and after that get him another warm mash , and then feed him with bread and corn as much as he will , and be sure to allow him what hay he will eat . the next day water him abroad , and order him as in his daies of rest . the day following hunt him again , but by no meanes so severely as you did the time before till the afternoon , but then ride him after the dogs briskly , and if that does not make him sweat throghly make another train-scent , and follow the dogs three quarters speed , that he may sweat heartily . when you have a little cooled him , have him home , and upon his first entrance into the stable give him two or three balls as big as wallnuts , of this most excellent scowring ; viz. take butter four ounces , lenitive electuary two ounces , gromell broom and parsly seeds , of each one ounce , aniseeds , liquorish and cream of tartar , of each half an ounce , jallap an ounce make the seeds into powder , and stir them into a paste , with the electuary and the butter ; knead it well , and keep it close in a pot for use . as soon as you have given your horse these balls rub him dry , then dress him and cloath him up warm and let him stand two or three hours on the snaffle , then give him two or three handfulls of rye-bread , and order him as you did before as to hay provinder , mash &c. and so leave him till the morning . then come to him and first observe his dung whether it keep the true colour , or whether it appear dark , or black , or red and high coloured ; next whether it be loose and thin , or hard and dry . if it be of the right colour i mean pale yellow t is a sign of health , strength and cleanness ; if it be dark , or black , then t is a sign there is grease and other ill humours stirred up which are not yet evacuated : if it be red and high coloured , then t is a token that his blood is feaverish and distempered through inward heat : if it be loose and thin , t is a sign of weakness , but if hard and dry , it shews the horse to be hot inwardly , or else that he is a foul feeder : but if his dung carry a medium betwixt hard and soft , and smell strong , t is a sign of health and vigour . when these observations have been taken notice of concerning his dung , then you shall feed , dress , water , &c. as in his former days of rest ; observing always to give variety , and his belly full of corn and bread. the next have him abroad in the field again , but by no means put him to any labour , further than to rake him from hill to hill after the dogs , to keep him within sound of their cry ; for the design of this day 's exercise is only to keep him in breath , and get him an appetite . observe as you ride , that you let him stand still to dung ; and look back on it that you may draw inferences from the faeces . when the day is well nigh spent bring him home without the least sweat , and order him as at other times , only observe to give no scourings , nor rye-bread . you may if you please water your horse this day , both at your going into the field and at your coming home , observing to gallop after it , to warm the water in his belly . the next is a day of rest. in the same manner in every respect as you have spent this week you must spend the next likewise , without alteration in any point ; and by that time assure your self that your horse will be drawn clean enough for any ordinary hunting ; so that afterward observing to hunt your horse moderately twice or thrice a week , according to your own pleasure , and the constitution of your horses body , you need not question but to have him in as good state and strength as you would desire , without danger of his wind , eye-sight , feet , or body . now when you have thus according to art drawn your horse clean , you will perceive those signs which i told you of , verified ; for his flesh on his short ribs and buttocks will be as hard as a board , his flank will be thin , and nothing to be felt but a double skin , and chaps so clean from fat , glut or kernels , that you may hide your fists in them ; and above all his exercise will give plain demonstration of the truth of this art , for he will run three or four miles three quarters speed without sweating , or scarce blowing , i say when this is perfected , you must avoid all scourings after hunting , ( because nature has nothing to work on ) but rye-bread and a mash , except your horse be now and then troubled with some little poze in the head ; and then you shall bruise a little mustard seed in a fine linnen rag , and steep it in a quart of strong ale for three or four hours , and then untying the rag mix the mustard-seed and the ale with a quarter of a peck of oats , and give it your horse . lastly , when your horse is drawn clean , you must beware that he grows not foul again thro want of either airing , or hunting , or any other negligence , lest by that means you procure to your self and your horse double pains and labour , and no thanks from your master . chap. vii . of making a hunting-match , its advantages and disadvantages . since many persons of honour delight in good horses , both for hunters as well as gallopers , it may not be improper to speak a word in this place concerning the advantages or disadvantages which happen in making of hunting-matches ; since he that proceeds cautiously and upon truegrounds in matching his horse is already in a great measure sure of gaining the prize , at least if the proverb be true , that a match well made is half won . the first thing to be consider'd by him that designs to match his horse , for his own advantage and his horses credit , is this ; that he do not flatter himself in the opinion of his horse , by fancying that he is swifter than the wind , when he is but a slow galloper ; and that he is whole-running , ( that is , will run four miles without a sobb at the height of his speed ) when he is not able to run a mile . and the ground of this error i suppose arises from a gentleman 's being mistaken in the speed of his hounds , who for want of tryal against other dogs that have been really fleet , has suppos'd his own to be swist , when in reality they were but of middle speed ; and because his horse ( when trained ) was able to follow them all day , and at any hour to command them upon , deep as well as light earths , has therefore falsly concluded him to be swift as the best ; but upon tryal against a horse that has been rightly train'd after hounds that were truly fleet , has to his cost bought his experience , and been convinc'd of his error . therefore i would perswade all lovers of hunters to get two or three couple of try'd hounds , and once or twice a week to follow after them a train-scent ; and when he is able to top them on all sorts of earth , and to endure heats and colds stoutly , then he may the better relie on his speed and toughness . that horse which is able to ride a hare-chase of five or six miles briskly , and with good courage , till his body be as it were bath'd in sweat ; and then upon the death of the hare , in a nipping frosty morning can endure to stand still , till the sweat be frozen on his back , so that the cold may pierce him as well as the heat ; and then even in that extremity of cold to ride another chase , as briskly and with as much courage , as he did in the former : that horse which can thus endure heats and colds oftenest is of most value amongst sports-men . and indeed t is not every horse that is able to endure such extraordinary toyl ; and i my self have seen very brave horses to the eye , that have rid the first chase to admiration , that when the cold had struck to them , and they began to grow stiff , have flagg'd the second , and given quite out the third heat . therefore to make a judgment of the goodness of your own horse , observe him after the death of the first hare , if the chase has been any thing brisk ; if when he is cold , he shrinks up his body , and draws his legs up together , t is an infallible token of want of courage ; and the same you may collect from the slackning of his girths after the first chase , and from the setting of his teeth , and the dulness of his countenance ; all which are true marks of faintness , and tyring : and therefore there is no reliance on such a horse , in case of a wager . but if on the contrary , you are master of a horse ( not only in your own judgment , but in the opinion of knowing horsemen ) that is approv'd for speed , and toughness , and you are desirous to match him , or otherwise to run for a ' plate ; i will to the best of my power tell you the advantages that are to be gain'd in matching . but before i enter upon the subject propos'd , i think it convenient to tell you the way our ancestors had of making their matches , and our modern way of deciding wagers . first then the old way of tryal was by running so many train-scents after hounds , as was agreed on between the parties concern'd and a bell-court , this being found not so uncertain and more durable than hare-hunting , and the advantage consisted in having the trains led on earth most suitable to the nature of the horses . now others chose to hunt the hare till such an hour prefix'd , and then to run the wild-goose-chase , which , because it is not known to all huntsmen , i shall explain the use and manner of it the wildgoose chase received its name from the manner of the flight which is made by wildgeese , which is generally one after another : so the two horses after the running of twelvescore yards , had liberty , which horse soever could get the leading , to ride what ground he pleas'd ; the hindmost horse being bound to follow him , within a certain distance agreed on by articles , or else to be whipt up by the triers or judges which rode by , and which ever horse could distance the other won the match . but this chase was found by experience so inhumane , aud so destructive to good horses , especially when two good horses were match'd ; for neither being able to distance the other , till ready both to sink under their riders through weakness , oftentimes the match was fain to be drawn , and left undecided , tho both the horses were quite spoyl'd . this brought them to run trainscents , which afterwards was chang'd to three heats , and a straight course ; and that the lovers of hunting-horses might be encourag'd to keep good ones , plates have been erected in many places of this land , purposely for hunters , and some their articles exclude all others , ( namely gallopers ) from running . but whether you design to match your horse against any one horse in particular , or to put him in for a plate , where he must run against all that come in general ; yet t is necessary that you know the nature and disposition of your horse , before you venture any wager on his head ; that is to say , whether he be hot and fiery , or cool and temperate in riding ; whether he be very swift , but not hard at bottom , or slow , but yet sure , and one that will stick at mark ; on what sort of earths he most delights to gallop on , whether to climb or run down hills , or else to skelp on a flat ; whether to run on deep , or light grounds ; whether on rack-ways , or carpet-ground ; whether amongst mole-hills , or on meadow ground ; whether he be well-winded , or thick winded , so that tho he will answer a spur , and mend upon lapping , yet he must have ease by sobs . all these things must be known , to the end that you may draw those advantages from them which may be offer'd in matching ; as this for example . if your horse be hot and fiery , t is odds but he is fleet withall ( for generally those horses are so ) and and delights to run upon light and hard flats ; and must be held hard by the rider that he may have time to recover wind by sobbs ; or else his fury will choak him . but whereas it is the general opinion that nothing that is violent can be lasting ; and therefore that it is impossible that such hot mettled horses can be tough and hard at bottom . this i conceive may be but a popular errour ; for i have sometimes seen by art those two qualities reconciled , at least so far , as to make the most fiery horse managable , and to endure both whip and spur ; and then tho he should not prove at bottom so truly tough as the craving drudge , yet by his riders management his speed shall answer it in all points and serve in its stead ; but to return to my subject .. the best way to match such a horse is to agree to run train-scents and the fewer the better for you , before you come to the course : also in these train-scents the shorter you make your distance the better : and above all things be sure agree to have the leading of the first trayn , and then making choice of such grounds as your horse may best shew his speed , and the flectest doggs you can procure , give your hounds as much law before you , as your tryers will allow , and then making a loose try to win the match with a wind ; but if you faile in this attempt then beare your horse , and save him for the course at last . but if your horse be slow , yet well winded , and a true spurr'd nagg ; then the more trainscents you run before you come to run the straight course the better . observing here too , to gain the leading of the first train , which in this case you must lead it upon such deep earths that it may not end near any light ground . for this is the rule received among horsemen that the next train is to begin where the last ends , and the last train is to be ended at the starting post of the course . therefore observe to end your last on deep earths as well as the first . in the next place have a care of making a match of a suddain , and in drink , for fear least you repent when you are sober . neither make a match against a horse , which you do not know , without first consulting some skilfull or trusty friend , on whose judgment and honesty you can safely rely , and who is able to give a good account of your adversaries horse's speed and his manner of riding ; and if you find him any ways correspondent to your own in speed or goodness be not too peremptory to venture , but upon some reasonable probabilities of winning : for t is neither braggs nor fancy that will make your horse run one jot the better , or your adversarys the worse : and remember this , that there is no horse so good , but there may be another as good ; and then if you proceed on good grounds , and true judgment , you may be the bolder to go on , and stand to your match , notwithstanding the opinion of other men may be against you . one material advise i had like to have forgot and that is this ; be sure at no time give advantage of weight , for you will find the inconvenience of it at the latter end of the day : for tho a horse seel it not when he is fresh , yet it will sink him very much when he grows weak a horse-length lost by odds of weight in the first train , may prove a distance in the streight course at last ; sor the weight is the same every heat tho his strength be not . but if on the other side you gain any advantage of weight , article that the horseman shall ride so much weight as you are agreed on , besides the saddle , for by this means the rider ( if he be not weight of him self ) must carry the dead weight somewhere about him , which will be troublesome to the rider as well as the horse ; and the more to the latter , since t is more remote from his back then if it were in the saddle , and by consequence will more disorder his stroke if the rider incline to either side then if it were nearer the center ; as you may see by a pair of scales , where if the pin be not placed exactly in the midst of the beam , the longest part ( as being most distant from the center ) will be the heaviest . now as to the time that you take for dyeting , that must be according to the nature of your horse , and the present state of body he is in ; for tho he may be clean enough for ordinary hunting , yet he may be far distant from that perfect state of body , that is required in a match , and to keep him in such strict dyet all the season , ( except on such extraordinary occasions ) would be an unnecessary expence . as to your horses disposition for running , you must know it by use and observation , for in this point horses very much differ , for some run best when they are high in case , others when they are in middle condition of flesh , and some again when they appear to the eye poor , and low in flesh ; there fore according to your horses nature , and the time required to bring him into his best state , you must order your day for the tryal of your match to be . but if you design to put him in for some hunting plate ; there neither the choice of your ground , the weight , nor the horses you are to run against are at your disposal , but you must take them as you find them ; only the time for bringing your horse into a good condition is at your own discretion , since you may begin as soon or as late as you please to keep him in strict dyet , the time for all plates being usually fixt , and annually the same . chap. ix . of the ordering the hunter , for a match or a plate . when you have either matcht your horse , or entertained thoughts of putting him in for a plate , you must consider that you ought to reserve a month at the least , to draw his body perfectly clean , and to refine his wind to that degree of perfection which art is capable of attaining to . first then you must take an exact view of the state of his body ; both outwardly and inwardly as whether he be low or high in flesh , or whether he be dull and heavy when abroad , and this occasioned through too much hard riding , or through some grease that by hunting has been dissolved , but for want of a scowring has not been removed . if he appear sluggish and melancholy from either of these causes ; than give him half an ounce of diapente in a pint of good old malligo sack , which will both cleanse his body , and revive his spirits : and then for the first week you shall feed him continually with bread , oats and split beans , giving him sometimes the one and sometimes the other , according as he likes , always leaving some in his locker to eat at his own leisure when you are absent ; and when you return at your hours of feeding to take away what is left , and to give him fresh till you have made him wanton and playfull . to which end you shall observe that though you ride him every day morning and evening on airing , and every other day on hunting , yet you are not to sweat him , or put him to any violent labour , the design this week being to keep him in wind and breath , and to prevent pursiveness . but you are to observe that both your oats , beans and bread are to be now ordered after another manner then you did before , for first you must dry your oats well in the sun , then put them into a clean , bag and beat them soundly with a flail or cudgel , till you think they are hulled ; then take them out of the bagg and winnow them clean both from hulls and dust and so give them to your horse as you have occasion . your beans in like manner must be separated from the hulls which are apt to breed glut , and must either be thrown away or given amongst chaf to some more ordinary horse . and for your bread whereas before you only chipt it , now you must cut the crust clean away , and dispose of it as you please ; for t is hard of digestion , and will be apt to heat and dry his body . and now that you are to put him into stricter keeping , you are to make a finer sort of bread then before , as thus ; take two pecks of beans , and two of wheat , and grind them together , but not too fine , to prevent too much bran being in the bread ; and dress one peck of the meal through a fine range , and knead it up with new ale-barm , and the whites of a dozen new layd eggs , and so bake it in a loaf by it self , and the rest dress through a boulter , and knead it only with ale and barm ; and use it in all other points as the former : now the peck-loaf is to be given your horse when you set him , and the other at ordinary times . this bread assists . nature much in increasing the strength , courage and wind of your horse ; provided you add thereto ( as i have always told you ) true labour , as any bread whatsoever ; nay even as either of m. de-greys sorts of bread , which he mentions in his compleat horseman º p. . ed. º especially his last , which he says is better bread , and a greater cooler ; and which he prescribes to make thus , take wheat meal one peck , rye-meal , beans and oat-meal , all ground very small , of each half a peck , aniseeds , and licorish , of each one ounce , white sugar-candy four ounces all in fine powder , the yolks and whites of twenty eggs well beaten , and so much vvhite-wine as will knead it into a paste , make this into great loaves , bake them well , and after they be two or three days old , let him eat of this bread , but chip away the out side . now the reason why i have cited this is , because i have heard several ( who would be thought knowing horsemen ) applaud this very bread beyond any other to be met with in any book , tho for my part i can find nothing excellent in the whole composition . for first oat-meal tho it be strong , yet it is a dry grain , hard of digestion , and a great dryer up of the blood. the wheat is of a drying quality likewise , tho it be light ; for the aniseed and licorish , they are not only physical but hot also ; so that the body becomes over heated , and thereby costive . and yet these people will not be perswaded , but these drugs will make him long-winded ; possibly they might assist him in neighing , as some men say it doth songsters in vocal musick , wherein there is no exercise of the body used ; but where bodily strength is required , i am apt to believe it more prejudicial than profitable . but here some will object that there is rye and beanes both which are moistning ; especially the rye which is both cold and moyst , and is the very reason degrey himself gives why he put rye into his latter bread , because ( says he ) rye is a loosner and a cooler , and therefore it will make the horse more soluble . i have already said , that if his body have feeding proportionate to his labour , the horse will continue in a right state of health . yet since he is hot by nature , and labour might increase his natural heat , and render him costive , therefore i have all along prescribd him rye-bread alone as physical . but here let the horse be in what condition soever , whether bound in his body or laxative , yet rye being a part of your bread , your horse must continually feed thereon , which has this undeniable disadvantage , that if he be loose in his body , this bread ( to use de grey's own words ) will make him more soluble . and now whilst i am discoursing of horsebread , i cannot but condemn another curiosity in some feeders , who think , by dressing their meal to the utmost degree of fineness they do wonders , and that such pure food must of necessity bring him to the greatest perfection imaginable both of body and wind. but in this point i think they are deceiv'd , for the meal being dress'd so very fine , nothing remains but the quintessence of it ; which tho it be lightned by barm and whites of eggs , yet when it is above a day old t will begin to harden , ( as may be observ'd by manchet ) and especially if oatmeal be in it , by reason of its drying quality , whereby it will not be so easie of digestion as it would be otherwise if it had no bran in it ; and by consequence will be more apt to oppress his stomach , if he be heated , before it be throughly digested , and so breed raw crudities , and an inflammation of the blood , and by that means hazard a surfeit , than which nothing can be of worse consequence to a horse that is match'd . and therefore t is that i advise , that your horse-bread should only be made of wheat and beans , and that it should not be dress'd too fine , nor too course , but so , as that there may be neither so much bran left as to annoy the blood , nor so little as to make your bread too close and solid ; but you may leave some on purpose to scowr the maw , and further your horses digestion . and thus much by way of digression . having spoken to the first condition of horses which we propos'd , viz. melancholly , and low in flesh , we are now to speak of those which are brisk and lively ; which if your horse be so , that when you lead him out of the stable he will leap and play about you , then you must not only avoid giving him the scowring last mention'd of sack and diapente , but any other whatsoever : for there being no foul humours , or any superfluous matter left in his body for the physick to work on , it will prey upon the strength of his body , and by that means weaken it , which it must be your utmost endeavour to preserve by full feeding and sound labour , which will necessarily produce a perfect wind , which is the support of strength , for when his wind once fails , his strength avails nothing . as to the manner of it , if your horse be ingag'd in a hunting-match , you shall sweat him twice this week , but not by hunting him after the hare , as formerly , but by train-scents , since the former on this occasion may prove deceitful ; for tho the hounds be very swift , yet the scent being cold the dogs will often be at fault , and by that means the horse will have many sobs , so that when he comes to run train-scents in earnest your horse will look for case , his wind being not so perfect as in art it ought to be . therefore lead your train-scents with a dead cat over such grounds as you are likely to run on and best agrees with yous horses humour , and be sure make choice of the fleetest hounds you can get , and then your horse will be kept up to the hight of his speed . as to the number of train-scents that you are to ride at a time , i hat you must order according to your match , or ( which is better ) according to your horse's strength , and ability for performing his heats . for if you labour him beyond his strength , t will take him off his speed , weaken his limbs , and daunt his spirit . if you give him too little exercise , it will give opportunity for pursiveness and ill humours , as glut , &c. to increase in him , and gain in him a habit of laziness , that when he comes to be put to labour above his usual rate , he will grow restiff , and settle like a jade , either of which will redound to your discredit , and therefore it must be from your own knowledge in the state of his body , and not from any general directions in writing , that you must steer your course . only this direction may be given you , that if you are to run eight train-scents and the straight course , more or less , you are to put him to such severe labour not above twice in your whole months keeping ; and and if it be in the first fortnight , t will be the better , for then he will have a compleat fortnight to recover his strength again ; and for his labour in his last fortnight , let it be proportionate to his strength and wind , as sometimes half his task , and then three parts of it . only observe that the last tryal you make in the first fortnight be a train-scent more than your match , for by that means you will find what he is able to do . and for the proportion of his exercise , twice a week ( as i have already said ) is sufficient to keep him in breath , and yet will not diminish or injure his vigour . but if your hunting-match be to run sewer train-scents , then you may put him to his whole task the oftner , according as you find him in condition ; only observe that you are not to strain him for ten daies at least before he ride his match , that he may be led into the field in perfect strength and vigour . if you intend him for a plate , let him take his heats according to this direction , only let it be on the place , that he may be acquainted with the ground ; and as for the hounds you may omit them , as not being ty'd to their speed , but that of your adversaries horse's . but as to your number of heats , let them be according to what the articles exact ; only observe that as to the sharpness of them , they must be regulated according to the temper of his strength , and the purity of his wind. and when you heat him provide some horses upon the course to run at him , which will quicken his spirits , and encourage him , when he finds he can command them at his pleasure . and here too the same rule must be observed , not to give your horse a bloody heat for ten daies or a fortnight before the plate be to be run for : and let his last heat which you give him before the day of tryal be in all his cloathes , and just skelp it over ; which will make him run the next time much more vigorously , when he shall be stript naked , and feel the cold air pierce him . but now that i am speaking of sweating , it may be expected that i should lay down some rules how to order a horse that is in keeping for a match in frosty weather , or in case he be an old strain'd horse , so that you dare not heat him in hard weather , for fear of lameing him a fresh . in these cases some horsemen have practic'd sweating their horse in the house , by laying on him multiplicity of cloathes , being first made hot at the fire ; which is the most unnatural way of sweating a horse that can be , since 't is provok'd by heat arising from the outward parts , and is too violent , the extreamity of the heat joyn'd to the weight of the cloathes , not only weakning , but almost smothering him . the next way in use , is to give him his heat ahroad , as i just now mention'd in his cloathes , but this too is not so natural and kindly , as without his cloathes , since here too the heat is augmented from without , and consequently abates his strength the more , and yet doth not altogether so well improve his wind. therefore if either you have a horse that has been strain'd , or otherwise the weather be unseasonable , find out some dead jog , or sandy way , though of but half a miles length , and there breath your horse till he sweat as you would have him . i remember to have heard of a gentleman having match'd his horse for a very considerable summ ; and the weather proving hard , took this course to keep his horse in breath ; he caused straw , and foul litter to be spread all along round an adjoyning close , and every morning his servnats shook it up and turn'd it , to keep it hollow and soft , and then the horse was had forth to gallop on it after his water , and by this meanes kept his horse in tollerable wind. now during this month both on his resting-daies , and after his sweats on heating-daies , you are to observe the same rules which you were taught in the first week of your third fortnights keeping ; only you are to omit all scourings , but rye-bread and mashes ; since your horse being in so perfect a state of body has no need of any . only if you think there may be any occasion , and that your horse prove thirsty , about eight or nine a clock at night you may give him this tulip to , cool him and quench his thirst. take barly-water two quarts : of syrrup of violets ounces , of syrrup of lemmons ounces , mix them together , and give them to your horse to drink ; if he refuse , fasten it from falling as you did the mash , and so let it stand by him all night . during the last fortnight , you must not only dry your oats , and hull them by beating , but likewise take half a strike of oats and wash them in the whites of a dozen or twenty eggs , and stirring them therein let them soke all night ; then the next morning take them and spread them abroad in the sun , till they be as dry as at first , and so give them to your horse , and when they are spent prepare more in the same manner . this food is light of digestion , and very sovereign for his wind. ●is beans must be order'd as before , only give them not so frequently , if he will eat his oats without them ; and for his bread this fortnight let it be three parts wheat to one of beans , and let it be ordered as before directed . and likewise if you find him inclin'd to costiveness forget not to relieve nature by giving him oats wash'd in two or three whites of eggs and ale beat together ; for that , as i have told you already , will cool his body , and keep it moist . during the last week omit giving him a mash , only give the barly-water as before ; but as to hay let him have as much as he will eat ( which will not be much , if he have his fill of better food ) till a day before he is to ride his match , but then you must hold your hand , that he may have time to digest that which he has eaten , and then and not before you may muzzle him with your cavezone ; and be sure that day , and so till the morning he is led out , to feed him as much as possible , for such a days labour will require something to maintain strength . therefore in the morning , an hour before you are to lead out , give him a tost or two of white-bread steept in sack. which will revive his spirits , and so lead him into the field . but if you are to run for a plate , which usually is not till three a clock in the after-noon , then by all means have him out early in the morning to air , that he may empty his body , and when he is come in from airing feed him with tosts in sack ; for you must consider , that as too much fulness will endanger his wind , so too long fasting will cause faintness . when he has eaten what you think fit to give him , put on his cavezone , and then having chaf'd his legs soundly with piece-grease and brandy warm'd together , or train-oyl , ( which ought likewise to be us'd daily at noon for a week , before the match , or longer if you see cause , ) shake up his litter , and shutting up your stable close , and preventing any noise to be made near him , leave him to his rest till the hour come that he is to go into the field . as to platting his main and tail , shooing him with plates , pitehing his saddle and girths , and the like preparations , they are things which every groom can instruct you in , and therefore i shall not trouble you with rules concerning them , but in lieu thereof shall add some farther directions how to judge of the state of your horses body , and if you find any thing amiss therein how to redress it . chap ix . of the means to judge of your horses state of body , and of curing all casualties that may happen after matching . there are several observations to be made by you during your dieting your horse , which if you miscarry in , may be the loss of your match , or your share in the plate . therefore , that you may know how to proceed regularly in this art , i shall endeavour to summe them up . first then you are to observe his chaule , his ribs , and his flank , according to the rules formerly laid down ; for if he be clean within , he will also be clean there ; but yet he may feel clean there , when he is not clean within ; and therefore those grooms are very conceited , who upon their first view of a horse and handling of his flank , pronounce him to be in a true state of body ; for gentle airing , warm cloathing , scanty feeding , may disperse the gross fat and glut , and drive it from the outward parts , so that he may appear clean , when in reality he is not so : and therefore you are only a competent judg , who know how he was cleansed . therefore you are to observe , first , whether in all points you have proceeded according to art in his training ; as whether he performs his heats with vigor and true courage , whether he have been all along home-fed , whether you have not suffer'd pursiveness to increase by too little labour , or abated his flesh and strength by too much . these things are the very grounds of keeping , and therefore ought to be scan'd and consider'd with judgment . next you are to observe his manner of feeding , as whether he holds his appetite or no ; and observe what sort of food he likes best , and of that give him oftenest ; and in case his stomach abate , keep him out longer morning and night , at his airings . in like manner you must observe his dung , which tho it be as fallacious oftentimes as a sick-man's water , it being liable to alteration on the change of dyet , or being influene'd by the air , yet being clean and in health it will usually be a pale yellow colour , and be voided in round pellets ; but if it be loose , and soft , it is an infallible sign of weakness , and therefore must by good feeding be remedied as soon as possible . but if it be hard and dry , so that he cannot dung but with difficulty and straining , then you must endeavour to relieve nature , but not with scowrings , which would weaken too much , but rather chuse to give him this glister , which will both cool and refresh him . take a quart of whey , of syrrup of violets , and pulpe of cassia , of each four ounces and of manna half an ounce ; this will purge him gently , and is most excellent to cool his bowels . the next thing to be considered is lamness , which if it proceed from old strains you must make use of this oyntment , which i have several times experimented with good success . take fresh butter , oyle of bayes , dialthea , and turpentine of each two ounces , mix and boyle them together on a soft fire , and when they are well incorporated , as hot as the horse can suffer it , annoint the horse twice a day , and give him exercise , by airing him abroad morning and evening a foot pace , and you will find it a certain remedy for any strain in the shoulder , clap on the back sinews , or any grief what soever , that proceeds from strains . but if you only fear lameness from old strains , then you must be careful that your exercise be moderate , and alwaies when you come in from water and his legs are rub'd dry , annoint them with such supple oyntments , as are accounted good for the limbs , as linseed , train , sheepsfoot , neatsfoot , nerve-oyle and the like ; all which may be used on his daies of rest , but on his heating daies urine and salt-peter . some horsemen make use of brandie and sallet oyl mix'd , and bathe his legs , and afterwards heat it in with a hot iron , and commend it as the best thing for the limbs of an old stiff horse . but if your horse through negligence , or any casualtie happen to have the grease fall into his heels , you must endeavour ro remove it by a good sound heat , and a scowring after it , and apply to his legs this poultiss . take of honey a pound , of turpentine , common gum , meal of linseed , and the meal of fenugreek , of each ounces , and the powder of bay-berries well search'd ounces , mix and boyle all these well together ; then take it off , and put to it a pint of white-wine , then boyle it again , till it be very thick : and with this , as hot as the horse can suffer it , lap his legs about plai ster-wise , and renew it only once in three daies , and it will certainly bring his legs within compass . if your horses feet be bad , either surbated , or foundred , then instead of cow-dung , you may stop them with blew-clay and vinegor temperd together , and on his heating-daies at night stop them with grey-sope , and keep it in with a peice of an old shoo-sole . if your horse be troubled with any dose in his head give him mustard-seed amongst his provender , but if it be a worse cold , which you will perceive by his ratling , then give him this lambitive , or electuary . take of honey and treacle , each half a pound , having mixt these together , add to them powder of comminseed , liquorish , bay-berries , anniseeds , each an ounce , mix all these together , and put them to the honey and treakle , which will make it of a thick consistance . if your horse hath a cold , instead of his oates before water , give him the quantity of a walnut of this lambitive on the top of a stick or in a spoon , and let him lick it off ; and the same do after airing , when first you come in , and you will find the advantage of it . these at present are all the inconveniencies that i can call to mind , which are lyable to hunters , or gallopers in their keeping ; and tho through inadvertency , or want of memory i should have omitted any , yet from these grounds , you may form your remedies for any common accident or distemper ; and now that we draw near to the match-day , and the end of our discourse , we will only discuss some few rules relating to the tryal of the hunting match . i mean rules to be observed in riding , and so conclude . chap. x. of riding a hunting-match , or heats for a plate , and the advantages belonging to each . i have endeavoured to shew the necessity and the manner of training and dieting horses , but this alone is not sufficient to the winning of either match or plate without a knowing and an honest rider , and a skilful judge or tryer be joyn'd thereto ; but since no man is fitter to ride the horse than he that has the training of him , i shall lay down some general rules how to ride to the best advantage either a hunting-match , or three heats and a course for a plate . the first requisite in a rider , next to faithfulness in his trust , is to have a good close seat , his knees being held firm to his saddle-skirts , his toes turn'd inward and his spurs outward from the horses sides , his left hand governing his horses mouth , and his right commanding his whip ; observing during all the tryal throughout to sit firm in his saddle , without waving , or standing up in his stirrops , which very much incommodes the horse , notwithstanding the conceited opinion of some jockeys that it is a becoming seat. when you spur your horse , strike him not hard with the calves of your legs , as if you would beat the wind out of his body , bust iust turn your toes outwards , and bring the spurs quick to his sides ; and such a sharp stroke will be more serviceable to the quickning of your horse , and sooner draw blood . be sure not to spur your horse but when there is occasion , and avoid spurring him under the fore bowels , between his shoulders , and his girths near the heart ( which is the tend'rest place ) till the last extremity . when you whip your horse let it be over the shoulder on the near side , except upon hard running , and when you are at all ; then be sure with a strong jerk to strike your horse in the flank , for there the skin is tender'st , and most sensible of the lash . observe when you whip or spur your horse , and that you are certain he is at the top of his speed , if then he clap his ears in his pole , or whisk his tail , be sure that you bear him hard , and give him as much comfort as ever you can , by sawing his snaffle to and fro in his mouth , and by that means forcing him to open his mouth , which will comfort him , and give him wind . if there be any high wind stirring when you ride , observe if it be in your face to let your adversary lead , and to hold hard behind him till you see your opportunity of giving a loose ; yet you must observe to ride so close to him , that his horse may break the wind from yours , and that you by stooping low in your seat may shelter your self under him , which will assist the strength of your horse . but if the wind be in your back , ride exactly behind him , that your horse may alone enjoy the benefit of the wind , by being as it were blown forward , and by breaking it from him as much as you can possible . next observe what ground your horse delights to run best on , bearing your horse ( as much as your adversary will give you leave ) on level carpet-ground , because your horse naturally will be desirous to spend himself more freely thereon . but on deep earths &c. give him more liberty , because he will naturally favour himself thereupon . be sure , if you are to run up hill , to favour your horse and bear him , for fear of running him out of wind ; but down hill , ( if your horses feet and shoulders will endure it , and you dare venture your own neck ) always give him a loose . only take this for a general rule , that if you find your horse to have the heels of the other , that then you be careful to preserve his speed till the last train-scent , if you are not to run a straight course , but if so , then till the course , & so to husband it then too , that you may be able to make a push for it at the last post. next you are to observe the nature of your opposites horse , and if he be fiery , then to run just behind , or just cheek by joul , and with your whip make as much noise as you can , that you may force him on faster then his rider would have him , and by that means spend him the sooner . or else keep just before him upon such a slow gallop , that he may either over reach or by treading on your horses heels ( if he will not take the leading ) endanger falling over . observe on what ground the contrary horse runs worst and on that earth be sure to give a loose that your adversaries being forced to follow you , may hazzard stumbling , or clapping on the back sinnws . observe likewise in your riding the several helps and corrections of the hand the whip and the spur , and when and how often he makes use of them ; and when you perceive that his horse begins to be blown by any of the former synptoms , as whisking his tail , clapping down his ears , holding out his nose like a pig &c. you may then take it for granted that he is at the top of what he can do ; therefore in this case observe how your own rides , and if he run cheerfully and strongly without spurring , then be sure keep your adversary to the same speed without giving him ease and by that means you will quickly bring him to give out , or else distance him . observe at the end of every train-sent what condition , the other horse is in ; and how he holds out in his labour ; which you may be able to give a judgment of by his looks , the working of his flank , and the slackness of his girths . for if he look dull t is a sign his spirits sail him ; if his flanks beat much , t is a token that his wind begins to fail him , and then of necessiity his strength must too . if his wind fail him , then his body will grow thin and appear tuckt up , which will make his girths appear slack to the eye . and therefore take this for a rule that there is no greater sign of weakness then this which i have last mentioned ; so that if your adversaries horse want girting after the first scent , provided he were close-girt at his first starting , you need not much dispair of winning your wager . when each train-scent is ended ( and so likewise after every heat for a plate ) you must have dry straw , and dry cloaths both linnen and woollen which have been steep'd in urine and salt-peter a day , or two , and then dryed in the sun ; and likewise one , or two of each which have been so steeped , must be brought wet into the field ; and after the train is ended you must have two or three helpers , and after your groom has with a knife of heat ( as the d. of new-castle calls it ) which is an old piece of a sword blade , scrapt off all the sweat from your horses neck , body &c. you must see that they first with straw , and then with their dry cloaths rub him dry all over , whilst others are employed about his leggs ; and as soon as they are rub'd dry then chafe them with your wet cloaths , and never give over till you are called by the judges to start again . this will keep his joynts plyant and nimble , and prevent any inflammation which might arise from any old strain . the next thing to be considered is the judges , or tryers office , which is to see that all things are ordered according to the articles , which to that end ought to be publickly read before the horses start. next that each tryer on whose side the train is to be led , according to the articles give directions for its leading according to the advise of the rider , or his knowledge of the nature and disposition of that horse on whose side he is chose . next that each tryer be so advantageously mounted , as to ride up behind the horses , ( but not upon them ) all day ; and to observe that the contrary horse ride his true-ground , and observe the articles in every particular , or else not to permit him to proceed . next that after each train scent be ended , each tryer look to that horse against whom he is chosen , and observe that he be no ways reliev'd but with rubbing , except liberty on both sides be given to the contrary . next , as soon as the time which is allow'd for rubbing be expired , which is generally half an hour , they shall command them to mount , and if either rider refuse , it may be lawful for the other to start without him , and having beat him the distance agreed on , the wager is to be adjudg'd on his side . next , the tryers shall keep off all other horses from crossing the riders , or leading them ; only they themselves may be allow'd to instruct the riders by word of mouth how to ride , whether slow , or fast , according to the advantages he perceives may be gain'd by his directions lastly , if there be any weight agreed on , they shall see that both horses bring their true weight to the starting place , and carry it to the end of the train , on penalty of losing the wager . the same rules are to be observ'd ( especially this last ) by those gentlemen which are chosen to be judges at a race for a plate ; onely they usually stay in the stand , that they may the better see which horse wins the heat . now for running for a plate , there are not so many observations to be made , nor more directions requir'd than what have been already mention'd ; onely this , that if you know your horse to be tough at bottom , and that he will stick at mark , to ride him each heat according to the best of his performance , and avoid as much as possible either riding at any particular horse , or staying for any , but to ride each heat throughout with the best speed you can . but if you have a very fiery horse to manage , or one that is hard-mouth'd , and difficult to be held , then start behind the rest of the horses with all the coolness and gentleness imaginable ; and when you find your horse to begin to ride at some command , then put up to the other horses , and if you find they ride at their ease , and are hard held , then endeavour to draw them on faster ; but if you find their wind begin to rake hot , and that they want a sob , if your own horse be in wind , and you have a loose in your hand , keep them up to their speed , till you come within three quarters of a mile of the end of the heat ; and then give a loose , and push for it , and leave to fortune and your horses goodness the event of your success . many more rules there are which may not occur at present to my memory , and others which i purposely omit ; but these may serve the honest jockey , and for the others which relate to foul-play , as crossing , hanging on the posts , leaning on the other horseman , yoking , &c. i desire not to instruct any one in them , and could wish that they might never be made use of , but be wholly relinquish'd by all honest horsemen . lastly , when either your hunting-match , or your tryal for the plate is ended , as soon as you have rubb'd your horse dry , you shall cloath him up , and ride him home , where the first thing you give him shall be this drink to comfort him . take a pint and a half of sweet milk , and put three yolks of eggs beaten into it ; then make it luke-warm , and put in three penny-worth of saffron , and three spoonfuls of sallet-oyl , and give it him in a horn. when this is done dress him slightly over with your curry comb , brush , and woollen cloth ; and then bath the place where the saddle stood with warm sack to prevent warbles , and wash the spurring-places with piss and salt , and then afterwards annoint them with turpentine and powder of jet mix'd together ; and be sure let the stable be very well litter'd ; and then cloath him up with all speed , and so let him stand two hours . then feed him with rye-bread , after that with a very good mash : then give him his belly full of hay , and what corn or bread he will eat . then bathe his legs well with urine and salt-peter , leave him corn in his locker , and so let him rest till the next morning ; at which time order him as before directed in his days of rest. thus i have imparted to the publick what my own experience has taught me , relating to this part of horsemanship . i desire no person to rely on it further then they shall find it advantageous upon practice and tryal . if others more skilful would be as free to communicate their observations on this subject , this profitable part of knowledge might then perhaps be improv'd to perfection . the giving a specimen was all that is here design'd . if the reader finds any errors , he is desir'd either to pardon or amend them . to those that either know no better , or want other helps , this possibly may prove no unwelcome piece of service . errata . pag. . l. . for rot read moot . p. . l. . for lyare r. lyard . p. . l. . for doser . pose . p. . l. . for that by r. that if by . p. . l. . for to feed him &c. in some copies , r. him , and so feed him by little and little . p. . l. . for daler . pale . p. . l. . for so inhumane , r. too inhumane ib. l. . dele so . finis . the compleat angler or, the contemplative man's recreation. being a discourse of fish and fishing, not unworthy the perusal of most anglers. walton, izaak, - . this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing w ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing w estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; :e [ ]) the compleat angler or, the contemplative man's recreation. being a discourse of fish and fishing, not unworthy the perusal of most anglers. walton, izaak, - . [ ], , [ ] p. : ill. (metal cuts), music printed by t. maxey for rich. marriot, in s. dunstans church-yard fleetstreet, london, : . dedication signed: iz. wa. [i.e. izaak walton]. the words "the compleat .. recreation." on title are engraved in a decorative cartouche. the last leaf is blank. annotation on thomason copy: "may. .". reproduction of the original in the british library. eng fishing -- early works to . a r (wing w ). civilwar no the compleat angler or, the contemplative man's recreation. being a discourse of fish and fishing, not unworthy the perusal of most anglers. walton, izaak b the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - tcp staff (michigan) sampled and proofread - tcp staff (michigan) text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the compleat angler or the contemplative man's recreation . being a discourse of fish and fishing , not unworthy the perusal of most anglers . simon peter said , i go a fishing : and they said , we also wil go with thee . john . . london , printed by t. maxey for rich. marriot , in s. dunstans church-yard , fleetstreet , . to the right worshipful john offley of madely manor in the county of stafford , esq my most honoured friend . sir , i have made so ill use of your former favors , as by them to be encouraged to intreat that they may be enlarged to the patronage and protection of this book . and i have put on a modest confidence , that i shall not be denyed , because 't is a discourse of fish and fishing , which you both know so well , and love and practice so much . you are assur'd ( though there be ignorant men of an other belief ) that angling is an art ; and you know that art better then any that i know : and that this is truth , is demōstrated by the fruits of that pleasant labor which you enjoy when you purpose to give rest to your mind , and devest your self of your more serious business , and ( which is often ) dedicate a day or two to this recreation . at which time , if common anglers should attend you , and be eye-witnesses of the success , not of your fortune , but your skill , it would doubtless beget in them an emulation to be like you , and that emulation might beget an industrious diligence to be so : but i know it is not atainable by common capacities . sir , this pleasant curiositie of fish and fishing ( of wch you are so great a master ) has been thought worthy the pens and practices of divers in other nations , which have been reputed men of great learning and wisdome ; and amongst those of this nation , i remember sir henry wotton ( a dear lover of this art ) has told me , that his intentions were to write a discourse of the art , and in the praise of angling , and doubtless he had done so , if death had not prevented him ; the remembrance of which hath often made me sorry ; for , if he had lived to do it , then the unlearned angler ( of which i am one ) had seen some treatise of this art worthy his perusal , which ( though some have undertaken it ) i could never yet see in english . but mine may be thought as weak and as unworthy of common view : and i do here freely confess , that i should rather excuse my self , then censure others , my own discourse being liable to so many exceptions ; against which , you ( sir ) might make this one , that it can contribute nothing to your knowledge ; and lest a longer epistle may diminish your pleasure , i shal not adventure to make this epistle longer then to add this following truth , that i am really , sir , your most affectionate friend , and most humble servant , iz. wa. to the reader of this discourse : but especially , to the honest angler . i think fit to tell thee these following truths ; that i did not undertake to write , or to publish this discourse of fish and fishing , to please my self , and that i wish it may not displease others ; for , i have contest there are many defects in it . and yet , i cannot doubt , but that by it , some readers may receive so much profit or pleasure , as if they be not very busie men , may make it not unworthy the time of their perusall ; and this is all the confidence that i can put on concerning the merit of this book . and i wish the reader also to take notice , that in writing of it , i have made a recreation , of a recreation ; and that it might prove so to thee in the reading , and not to read dull , and tediously , i have in severall places mixt some innocent mirth ; of which , if thou be a severe , sowr complexioned man , then i here disallow thee to be a competent judg. for divines say , there are offences given ; and offences taken , but not given . and i am the willinger to justifie this innocent mirth , because the whole discourse is a kind of picture of my owne disposition , at least of my disposition in such daies and times as i allow my self , when honest nat. and r. r. and i go a fishing together ; and let me adde this , that he that likes not the discourse , should like the pictures of the trout and other fish , which i may commend , because they concern not my self . and i am also to tel the reader , that in that which is the more usefull part of this discourse ; that is to say , the observations of the nature and breeding , and seasons , and catching of fish , i am not so simple as not to think but that he may find exceptions in some of these ; and therefore i must intreat him to know , or rather note , that severall countreys , and several rivers alter the time and manner of fishes breeding ; and therefore if he bring not candor to the reading of this discourse , he shall both injure me , and possibly himself too by too many criticisms . now for the art of catching fish ; that is to say , how to make a man that was none , an angler by a book : he that undertakes it , shall undertake a harder task then hales , that in his printed book * undertook by it to teach the art of fencing , and was laught at for his labour . not but that something usefull might be observed out of that book ; but that art was not to be taught by words ; nor is the art of angling . and yet , i think , that most that love that game , may here learn something that may be worth their money , if they be not needy : and if they be , then my advice is , that they forbear ; for , i write not to get money , but for pleasure ; and this discourse boasts of no more : for i hate to promise much , and fail . but pleasure i have found both in the search and conference about what is here offered to thy view and censure ; i wish thee as much in the perusal of it , and so might here take my leave ; but i will stay thee a little longer by telling thee , that whereas it is said by many , that in fly-fishing for a trout , the angler must observe his twelve flyes for every month , i say , if he observe that , he shall be as certain to catch fish , as they that make hay by the fair dayes in almanacks , and be no surer : for doubtless , three or four flyes rightly made , do serve for a tront all summer ; and for winter-flies , all anglers know , they are as useful as an almanack out of date . of these ( because no man is born an artist nor an angler ) i thought fit to give thee this notice . i might say more , but it is not fit for this place ; but if this discourse which follows shall come to a second impression , which is possible , for slight books have been in this age observed to have that fortune ; i shall then for thy sake be glad to correct what is faulty , or by a conference with any to explain or enlarge what is defective : but for this time i have neither awillingness nor leasure to say more , then wish thee a rainy evening toread this book in , and that the east wind may never blow when thou goest a fishing . farewel . iz. wa. because in this discourse of fish and fishing i have not observed a method , which ( though the discourse be not long ) may be some inconvenience to the reader , i have therefore for his easier finding out some particular things which are spoken of , made this following table . the first chapter is spent in a vindication or commendation of the art of angling . in the second are some observations of the nature of the otter , and also some observations of the chub or cheven , with directions how and with what baits to fish for him . in chapt. . are some observations of trouts , both of their nature , their kinds , and their breeding . in chap . are some direction concerning baits for the trout , with advise how to make the fly , and keep the live baits . in chap. . are some direction how to fish for the trout by night ; and a qucstion , whether fish hear ? and lastly diroction bow to fish for the umber or greyling . in chap. . are some observations concerning the salmon , with direction how to fish for him . in chap. . are several observatiens concerning the , luce or pike , with some directions how and with what baits to fish for him . in chap. . are several observations of the nature and breeding of carps , with some observations how to angle for them . in chap . are some observations concerning the bream , the tench and pearch , with some directions with what baits to fish for them . in chap. . are several observations of the nature and breeding of eeles , with advice how to fish for them . in chap. . are some observations of the nature and breeding of barbels , with some advice how , and with what baits to fish for them ; as also for the gudgion and bleak . in chap. . are general directions how and with what baits to fish for the ruffe or pope , the roch , the dace , and other smal fish , with directions how to keep ant-flies and gentles in winter , with some other observations not unfit to be known of anglers . in chap. . are observations for the colouring of your rod and hair . these directions the reader may take as an ease in his search after some particular fish , and the baits proper for them ; and he will shew himselfe courteous in mending or passing by some few errors in the printer , which are not so many but that they may be pardoned . ( i ) the complete angler . or , the contemplative mans recreation . piscator . viator . piscator . you are wel overtaken sir ; a good morning to you ; i have stretch'd my legs up totnam hil to overtake you , hoping your businesse may occasion you towards ware , this fine pleasant fresh may day in the morning . viator . sir , i shall almost answer your hopes : for my purpose is to be at hodsdess ( three miles short of that town ) i wil not say , before i drink ; but before i break my fast : for i have appointed a friend or two to meet me there at the thatcht house , about nine of the clock this morning ; and that made me so early up , and indeed , to walk so fast . pisc. sir , i know the thatcht house very well : i often make it my resting place , and taste a cup of ale there , for which liquor that place is very remarkable ; and to that house i shall by your favour accompany you , and either abate of my pace , or mend it , to enjoy such a companion as you seem to be , knowing that ( as the italians say ) good company makes the way seem the shorter . viat . it may do so sir , with the help of good discourse , which ( me thinks ) i may promise from you , that both look and speak so chearfully . and to invite you to it , i do here promise you , that for my part , i will be as free and open-hearted , as discretion will warrant me to be with a stranger . pisc. sir , i am right glad of your answer ; and in confidence that you speak the truth , i shall ( sir ) put on a boldnesse to ask , whether pleasure or businesse hath occasioned your journey . viat . indeed , sir , a little businesse , and more pleasure : for my purpose is to bestow a day or two in hunting the otter ( which my friend that i go to meet , tells me is more pleasant then any hunting whatsoever : ) and having dispatcht a little businesse this day , my purpose is to morrow to follow a pack of dogs of honest mr. — , who hath appointed me and my friend to meet him upon amwel hill to morrow morning by day break . pisc. sir , my fortune hath answered my desires ; and my purpose is to bestow a day or two in helping to destroy some of those villanous vermin : for i hate them perfectly , because they love fish so well , or rather , because they destroy so much : indeed , so much , that in my judgment , all men that keep otter dogs ought to have a pension from the commonwealth to incourage them to destroy the very breed of those base otters , they do so much mischief . viat . but what say you to the foxes of this nation ? would not you as willingly have them destroyed ? for doubtlesse they do as much mischief as the otters . pisc. oh sir , if they do , it is not so much to me and my fraternitie , as that base vermin the otters do . viat . why sir , i pray , of what fraternity are you , that you are so angry with the poor otter ? pis. i am a brother of the angle , and therefore an enemy to the otter , he does me and my friends so much mischief ; for you are to know , that we anglers all love one another : and therefore do i hate the otter perfectly , even for their sakes that are of my brotherhood . viat . sir , to be plain with you , i am sorry you are an angler : for i have heard many grave , serious men pitie , and many pleasant men scoffe at anglers . pisc. sir , there are many men that are by others taken to be serious grave men , which we contemn and pitic ; men of sowre complexions ; mony-getting-men , that spend all their time first in getting , and next in anxious care to keep it : men that are condemn'd to be rich , and alwayes discontented , or busie . for these poor-rich-men , wee anglers pitie them ; and stand in no need to borrow their thoughts to think our selves happie : for ( trust me , sir ) we enjoy a contentednesse above the reach of such dispositions . and as for any scoffer , qui mockat mockabitur . let mee tell you , ( that you may tell him ) what the wittie french-man sayes in such a case . when my cat and i entertaine each other with mutuall apish tricks ( as playing with a garter , ) who knows but that i make her more sport then she makes me ? shall i conclude her simple , that has her time to begin or refuse sportivenesse as freely as i my self have ? nay , who knows but that our agreeing no better , is the defect of my not under standing her language ? ( for doubtlesse cats talk and reason with one another ) and that shee laughs at , and censures my folly , for making her sport , and pittes mee for understanding her no better ? to this purpose speaks mountagne concerning cats : and i hope i may take as great a libertie to blame any scoffer , that has never heard what an angler can say in the justification of his art and pleasure . but , if this satisfie not , i pray bid the scoffer put this epigram into his pocket , and read it every morning for his breakfast ( for i wish him no better ; ) hee shall finde it fix'd before the dialogues of lucian ( who may be justly accounted the father of the family of all scoffers : ) and though i owe none of that fraternitie so much as good will , yet i have taken a little pleasant pains to make such a conversion of it as may make it the fitter for all of that fraternity . lucian well skill'd in scoffing , this has writ , friend , that 's your folly which you think your wit : this you vent oft , void both of wit and fear , meaning an other , when your self you jeer , but no more of the scoffer ; for since solomon sayes , he is an abomination to men , he shall be so to me ; and i think , to all that love vertue and angling . viat . sir , you have almost amazed me : for though i am no scoffer , yet i have ( i pray let me speak it without offence ) alwayes look'd upon anglers as more patient , and more simple men , then ( i fear ) i shall finde you to be . piscat . sir , i hope you will not judge my earnestnesse to be impatience : and for my simplicitie , if by that you mean a harmlesnesse , or that simplicity that was usually found in the primitive christians , who were ( as most anglers are ) quiet men , and followed peace ; men that were too wise to sell their consciences to buy riches for vexation , and a fear to die . men that lived in those times when there were fewer lawyers , for then a lordship might have been safely conveyed in a piece of parchment no bigger then your hand , though several skins are not sufficient to do it in this wiser age . i say , sir , if you take us anglers to be such simple men as i have spoken of , then both my self , and those of my profession will be glad to be so understood . but if by simplicitie you meant to expresse any general defect in the understanding of those that professe and practise angling , i hope to make it appear to you , that there is so much contrary reason ( if you have but the patience to hear it ) as may remove all the anticipations that time or discourse may have possess'd you with , against that ancient and laudable art . viat . why ( sir ) is angling of antiquitie , and an art , and an art not easily learn'd ? pis. yes ( sir : ) and i doubt not but that if you and i were to converse together but til night , i should leave you possess'd with the same happie thoughts that now possesse me ; not onely for the antiquitie of it , but that it deserves commendations ; and that 't is an art ; and worthy the knowledge and practice of a wise , and a serious man . viat . sir , i pray speak of them what you shall think fit ; for wee have yet five miles to walk before wee shall come to the thatcht house . and , sir , though my infirmities are many , yet i dare promise you , that both my patience and attention will indure to hear what you will say till wee come thither : and if you please to begin in order with the antiquity , when that is done , you shall not want my attention to the commendations and accommodations of it : and lastly , if you shall convince me that 't is an art , and an art worth learning , i shall beg i may become your scholer , both to wait upon you , and to be instructed in the art it self . pisc. oh sir , 't is not to be questioned , but that it is an art , and an art worth your learning : the question wil rather be , whether you be capable of learning it ? for he that learns it , must not onely bring an enquiring , searching , and discerning wit ; but he must bring also that patience you talk of , and a love and propensity to the art it felf : but having once got and practised it , then doubt not but the art will ( both for the pleasure and profit of it ) prove like to vertue , a reward to it self . viat . sir , i am now become so ful of expectation , that i long much to have you proceed in your discourse : and first , i pray sir , let me hear concerning the antiquity of it . pisc. sir , i wil preface no longer , but proceed in order as you desire me : and first for the antiquity of angling , i shall not say much ; but onely this ; some say , it is as ancient as deucalions floud : and others ( which i like better ) say , that belus ( who was the inventer of godly and vertuous recreations ) was the inventer of it : and some others say , ( for former times have had their disquisitions about it ) that seth , one of the sons of adam , taught it to his sons , and that by them it was derived to posterity . others say , that he left it engraven on those pillars which hee erected to preserve the knowledg of the mathematicks , musick , and the rest of those precious arts , which by gods appointment or allowance , and his noble industry were thereby preserved from perishing in noah's floud . these ( my worthy friend ) have been the opinions of some men , that possibly may have endeavoured to make it more ancient then may well be warranted . but for my part , i shall content my self in telling you , that angling is much more ancient then the incarnation of our saviour : for both in the prophet amos , and before him in job , ( which last book is judged to be written by moses ) mention is made of fish-hooks , which must imply anglers in those times . but ( my worthy friend ) as i would rather prove my self to be a gentleman , by being learned and humble , valiant and inoffensive , vertuous and communicable , then by a fond ostentation of riches ; or ( wanting these vertues my self ) boast that these were in my ancestors ; [ and yet i confesse , that where a noble and ancient descent and such merits meet in any man , it is a double dignification of that person : ] and so , if this antiquitie of angling ( which , for my part , i have not forc'd ) shall , like an ancient familie , be either an honour , or an ornament to this vertuous art which i both love and practise , i shall be the gladder that i made an accidental mention of it ; and shall proceed to the justification , or rather commendation of it . viat . my worthy friend , i am much pleased with your discourse , for that you seem to be so ingenuous , and so modest , as not to stretch arguments into hyperbolicall expressions , but such as indeed they will reasonably bear ; and i pray , proceed to the justification , or commendations of angling , which i also long to hear from you . pisc. sir , i shall proceed ; and my next discourse shall be rather a commendation , then a justification of angling : for , in my judgment , if it deserves to be commended , it is more then justified ; for some practices that may be justified , deserve no commendation : yet there are none that deserve commendation but may be justified . and now having said thus much by way of preparation , i am next to tell you , that in ancient times a debate hath risen , ( and it is not yet resolved ) whether contemplation or action be the chiefest thing wherin the happiness of a man doth most consist in this world ? concerning which , some have maintained their opinion of the first , by saying , [ that the nearer we mortals come to god by way of imitation , the more happy we are : ] and that god injoyes himself only by contemplation of his own goodness , eternity , infiniteness and power , and the like ; and upon this ground many of them prefer contemplation before action : and indeed , many of the fathers seem to approve this opinion , as may appear in their comments upon the words of our saviour to * martha . and contrary to these , others of equal authority and credit , have preferred action to be chief ; as experiments in physick , and the application of it , both for the ease and prolongation of mans life , by which man is enabled to act , and to do good to others : and they say also , that action is not only . doctrinal , but a maintainer of humane society ; and for these , and other reasons , to be preferr'd before contemplation . concerning which two opinions , i shall forbear to add a third , by declaring my own , and rest my self contented in telling you ( my worthy friend ) that both these meet together , and do most properly belong to the most honest , ingenious , harmless art of angling . and first i shall tel you what some have observed , and i have sound in my self , that the very sitting by the rivers side , is not only the fittest place for , but will invite the anglers to contemplation : that it is the fittest place , seems to be witnessed by the children of israel * , who having banish'd all mirth and musick from their pensive hearts , and having hung up their then mute instruments upon the willow trees , growing by the rivers of babylon , sate down upon those banks bemoaning the ruines of sion , and contemplating their own sad condition , and an ingenuous spaniard sayes , [ that both rivers , and the inhabitants of the watery element , were created for wise men to contemplate , and fools to pass by without consideration . and though i am too wise to rank my self in the first number , yet give me leave to free my self from the last , by offering to thee a short contemplation , first of rivers , and then of fish : concerning which , i doubt not but to relate to you many things very considerable . concerning rivers , there be divers wonders reported of them by authors , of such credit , that we need not deny them an historical faith . as of a river in epirus , that puts out any lighted torch , and kindles any torch that was not lighted . of the river selarus , that in a few hours turns a rod or a wand into stone ( and our camden mentions the like wonder in england : ) that there is a river in arabia , of which all the sheep that drink thereof have their wool turned into a vermilion colour . and one of no less credit then aristotle , tels us of a merry river , the river elusina , that dances at the noise of musick , that with musick it bubbles , dances , and growes sandy , but returns to a wonted calmness and clearness when the musick ceases . and lastly , ( for i would not tire your patience ) fosephus , that learned few , tells us of a river in fudea , that runs and moves swiftly all the six dayes of the week , and stands still and rests upon their sabbath day . but sir , lest this discourse may seem tedious , i shall give it a sweet conclusion out of that holy poet mr. george herbert his divine contemplation on gods providence . lord , who hath praise enough , nay , who hath any ? none can express thy works , but he that knows them ; and none can know thy works , they are so many , and so complete , but only he that owes them . we all acknowledge both thy power and love to be exact , transcendent , and divine ; who dost so strangely , and so sweetly move , whilst all things have their end , yet none but thine . wherefore , most sacred spirit , i here present for me , and all my fellows , praise to thee ; and just it is that i should pay the rent , because the benefit accrues to me . and as concerning fish , in that psalm , wherein , for height of poetry and wonders , the prophet david seems even to exceed himself ; how doth he there express himselfe in choice metaphors , even to the amazement of a contemplative reader , concerning the sea , the rivers , and the fish therein contained . and the great naturallist pliny sayes , [ that natures great and wonderful power is more demonstrated in the sea , then on the land ] and this may appear by the numerous and various creatures , inhabiting both in and about that element : as to the readers of gesner , randelitius , pliny , aristotle , and others is demonstrated : but i will sweeten this discourse also out of a contemplation in divine dubartas , who sayes , god quickned in the sea and in the rivers , so many fishes of so many features , that in the waters we may see all creatures ; even all that on the earth is to be found , as if the world were in deep waters drownd . for seas ( as well as skies ) have sun , moon , stars ; ( as wel as air ) swallows , rooks , and stares ; ( as wel as earth ) vines , roses , nettles , melons , mushroms , pinks , gilliflowers and many milions of other plants , more rare , more strange then these ; as very fishes living in the seas ; and also rams , calves , horses , hares and hogs , wolves , urchins , lions , elephants and dogs ; yea , men and maids , and which i most admire , the mitred bishop , and the cowled fryer . of which examples but a few years since , were shewn the norway and polonian prince . these seem to be wonders , but have had so many confirmations from men of learning and credit , that you need not doubt them ; nor are the number , nor the various shapes of fishes , more strange or more fit for contemplation , then their different natures , inclinations and actions : concerning which i shall beg your patient ear a little longer . the cuttle-fish wil cast a long gut out of her throat , which ( like as an angler does his line ) she sendeth forth and pulleth in again at her pleasure , according as she sees some little fish come neer to her ; and the cuttle-fish ( being then hid in the gravel ) lets the smaller fish nibble and bite the end of it ; at which time shee by little and little draws the smaller fish so neer to her , that she may leap upon her , and then catches and devours her : and for this reason some have called this fish the seaangler . there are also lustful and chaste fishes , of which i shall also give you examples . and first , what dubartas sayes of a fish called the sargus ; which ( because none can express it better then he does ) i shall give you in his own words , supposing it shall not have the less credit for being verse , for he hath gathered this , and other observations out of authors that have been great and industrious searchers into the secrets of nature . the adulterous sargus doth not only change , wives everyday in the deep streams , but ( strange ) as if the honey of sea-love delight could not suffice his ranging appetite , goes courting she-goats on the grassie shore , horning their husbands that had horns before . and the same author writes concerning the cantharus , that which you shall also heare in his own words . but contrary , the constant cantharus , is ever constant to his faithful spouse , in nuptial duties spending his chaste life , never loves any but his own dear wife . sir , but a little longer , andi have done . viat . sir , take what liberty you think fit , for your discourse seems to be musick , and charms me into an attention . pisc. why then sir , i will take a little libertie to tell , or rather to remember you what is said of turtle doves : first , that they silently plight their troth and marry ; and that then , the survivor scorns ( as the thracian women are said to do ) to out-live his or her mate ; and this is taken for such a truth , that if the survivor shall ever couple with another , the he or she , not only the living , but the dead , is denyed the name and honour of a true turtle dove . and to parallel this land variety , & teach mankind moral faithfulness , & to condemn those that talk of religion , and yet come short of the moral faith of fish and fowl ; men that violate the law , affirm'd by saint paul to be writ in their hearts , and which he sayes shal at the last day condemn and leave them without excuse . i pray hearken to what dubartas sings , ( for the hearing of such conjugal faithfulness , will be musick to all chaste ears ) and therefore , i say , hearken to what dubartas sings of the mullet : but for chaste love the mullet hath no peer , for , if the fisher hath surprised her pheer , as mad with wo , to shoare she followeth , prest to consort him both in life and death . on the contrary , what shall i say of the house-cock , which treads any hen , and then ( contrary to the swan , the partridg , and pigeon ) takes no care to hatch , to feed , or to cherish his own brood , but is sensless though they perish . and 't is considerable , that the hen ( which because she also takes any cock , expects it not ) who is sure the chickens be her own , hath by a moral impression her care , and affection to her own broode , more then doubled , even to such a height , that our saviour in expressing his love to jerusalem , quotes her for an example of tender affection , as his father had done job for a pattern of patience . and to parallel this cock , there be divers fishes that cast their spawne on flags or stones , and then leave it uncovered and exposed to become a prey , and be devoured by vermine or other fishes : but other fishes ( as namely the barbel ) take such care for the preservation of their seed , that ( unlike to the cock or the cuckoe ) they mutually labour ( both the spawner , and the melter ) to cover their spawne with sand , or watch it , or hide it in some secret place unfrequented by vermine , or by any fish but themselves . sir , these examples may , to you and others , seem strange ; but they are testified , some by aristotle , some by pliny , some by gesner , and by divers others of credit , and are believed and known by divers , both of wisdom and experience , to be a truth ; and are ( as i said at the beginning ) fit for the contemplation of a most serious , and a most pious man . and that they be fit for the contemplation of the most prudent and pious , and peaceable men , seems to be testified by the practice of so many devout and contemplative men ; as the patriarks or prophets of old , and of the apostles of our saviour in these later times , of which twelve he chose four that were fishermen : concerning which choice some have made these observations . first , that he never reproved these for their imployment or calling , as he did the scribes and the mony-changers . and secondly , that he found the hearts of such men , men that by nature were fitted for contemplation and quietness ; men of mild , and sweet , and peaceable spirits , ( as indeed most anglers are ) these men our blessed saviour ( who is observed to love to plant grace in good natures ) though nothing be too hard for him , yet these men he chose to call from their irreprovable imployment , and gave them grace to be his disciples and to follow him . and it is observable , that it was our saviours will that his four fishermen apostles should have a prioritie of nomination in the catalogue of his twelve apostles , as namely first , s. peter , andrew , james and john , and then the rest in their order . and it is yet more observable , that when our blessed saviour went up into the mount , at his transfiguration , when he left the rest of his disciples and chose onely three to bear him company , that these three were all fisher-men . and since i have your promise to hear me with patience , i will take a liberty to look back upon an observation that hath been made by an ingenuous and learned man , who observes that god hath been pleased to allow those whom he himselfe hath appointed , to write his holy will in holy writ , yet to express his will in such metaphors as their former affections or practise had inclined them to ; and he brings solomon for an example , who before his conversion was remarkably amorous , and after by gods appointment , writ that love-song betwixt god and his church . and if this hold in reason ( as i see none to the contrary ) then it may be probably concluded , that moses ( whom i told you before , writ the book of job ) and the prophet amos were both anglers , for you shal in all the old testament , find fish-hooks but twice mentioned ; namely , by meek moses , the friend of god ; and by the humble prophet amos . concerning which last , namely , the prophet amos , i shall make but this observation , that he that shall read the humble , lowly , plain stile of that prophet , and compare it with the high , glorious , eloquent stile of the prophet isaiah ( though they be both equally true ) may easily believe him to be a good natured , plaine fisher-man . which i do the rather believe , by comparing the affectionate , lowly , humble epistles of s. peter , s. james and s. john , whom we know were fishers , with the glorious language and high metaphors of s. paul , whom we know was not . let me give you the example of two men more , that have lived nearer to our own times : first of doctor nowel sometimes dean of s. paul's , ( in which church his monument stands yet undefaced ) a man that in the reformation of queen elizabeth ( not that of henry the viii . ) was so noted for his meek spirit , deep learning , prudence and piety , that the then parliament and convocation , both chose , injoyned , and trusted him to be the man to make a catechism for publick use , such a one as should stand as a rule for faith and manners to their posteritie : and the good man ( though he was very learned , yet knowing that god leads us not to heaven by hard questions ) made that good , plain , unperplext catechism , that is printed with the old service book . i say , this good man was as dear a lover , and constant practicer of angling , as any age can produce ; and his custome was to spend ( besides his fixt hours of prayer ( those hours which by command of the church were enjoined the old clergy , and voluntarily dedicated to devotion by many primitive christians : ) besides those hours , this good man was observed to spend , or if you will , to bestow a tenth part of his time in angling ; and also ( for i have conversed with those which have conversed with him ) to bestow a tenth part of his revenue , and all his fish , amongst the poor that inhabited near to those rivers in which it was caught , saying often , that charity gave life to religion : and at his return would praise god he had spent that day free from worldly trouble , both harmlesly and in a recreation that became a church-man . my next and last example shall be that undervaluer of money , the late provost of eaton colledg , sir henry wotton , ( a man with whom i have often fish'd and convers'd ) a man whose forraign imployments in the service of this nation , and whose experience , learning , wit and cheerfulness , made his company to be esteemed one of the delights of mankind ; this man , whose very approbation of angling were sufficient to convince any modest censurer of it , this man was also a most dear lover , and a frequent practicer of the art of angling , of which he would say , [ 't was an imployment for his idle time , which was not idly spent ; ] for angling was after tedious study [ a rest to his mind , a cheerer of his spirits , a divertion of sadness , a calmer of unquiet thoughts , a moderator of passions , a procurer of contentedness , and that it begot habits of peace and patience in those that profest and practic'd it . sir , this was the saying of that learned man ; and i do easily believe that peace , and patience , and a calm content did cohabit in the cheerful heart of sir henry wotton , because i know , that when he was beyond seventy years of age he made this description of a part of the present pleasure that possest him , as he sate quietly in a summers evening on a bank a fishing ; it is a description of the spring , which because it glides as soft and sweetly from his pen , as that river does now by which it was then made , i shall repeat unto you . this day dame nature seem'd in love : the lustie sap began to move ; fresh juice did stir th' imbracing vines , and birds had drawn their valentines . the jealous trout , that low did lye , rose at a well dissembled flie ; there stood my friend with patient skill , attending of his trembling quil . already were the caves possest with the swift pilgrims daivbed nest : the groves already did rejoice , in philomels triumphing voice : the showrs were short , the weather mild , the morning fresh , the evening smil'd . jone takes her neat rubb'd pail , and now she trips to milk the sand-red cow ; where , for some sturdy foot-ball swain , jone strokes a sillibub or twaine . the fields and gardens were beset with tulips , crocus , violet , and now , though late , the modest rose did more then half a blush disclose . thus all looks gay and full of chear to welcome the new liveried year . these were the thoughts that then possest the undisturbed mind of sir henry wotton . will you hear the wish of another angler , and the commendation of his happy life , which he also sings in verse . let me live harmlesly , and near the brink of trent or avon have a dwelling place , where i may see my quil or cork down sink , with eager bit of pearch , or bleak , or dace ; and on the world and my creator think , whilst some men strive , ill gotten goods t' imbrace ; and others spend their time in base excess of wine or worse , in war and wantonness . let them that list these pastimes still pursue , and on such pleasing fancies feed their sill , so i the fields and meadows green may view , and daily by fresh rivers walk at will , among the daifies and the violets blue , red hyacinth , and yellow daffadil , purple narcissus , like the morning rayes , pale ganderglass and azure culverkayes . i count it higher pleasure to behold the stately compass of the lofty skie , and in the midst thereof ( like burning gold ) the flaming chariot of the worlds great eye , the watry clouds , that in the aire up rold , with sundry kinds of painted colours flye ; and fair aurora lifting up her head , still blushing , rise from old tithonius bed . the hils and mountains raised from the plains , the plains extended level with the ground , the grounds divided into sundry vains , the vains inclos'd with rivers running round ; these rivers making way through natures chains with headlong course into the sea profound ; the raging sea , beneath the vallies low , where lakes , and rils , and rivulets do flow . the loftie woods , the forrests wide and long adorn'd with leaves & branches fresh & green , in whose cool bowres the birds with many a song do welcom with their quire the sūmers queen : the meadows fair , where flora's gifts among are intermixt , with verdant grass between . the silver-scaled fish that softly swim , within the sweet brooks chrystal watry stream . all these , and many more of his creation , that made the heavens , the angler oft doth see , taking therein no little delectation , to think how strange , how wonderful they be ; framing thereof an inward contemplation , to set his heart from other fancies free ; and whilst he looks on these with joyful eye , his mind is rapt above the starry skie . sir , i am glad my memory did not lose these last verses , because they are somewhat more pleasant and more sutable to may day , then my harsh discourse , and i am glad your patience hath held out so long , as to hear them and me ; for both together have brought us within the sight of the thatcht house ; and i must be your debtor ( if you think it worth your attention ) for the rest of my promised discourse , till some other opportunity and a like time of leisure . viat . sir , you have angled me on with much pleasure to the thatcht house , and i now find your words true , that good company makes the way seem short ; for , trust me , sir , i thought we had wanted three miles of the thatcht house , till you shewed it me : but now we are at it , we 'l turn into it , and refresh our selves with a cup of ale and a little rest . pisc. most gladly ( sir ) and we 'l drink a civil cup to all the otter hunters that are to meet you to morrow . viat . that we wil , sir , and to all the lovers of angling too , of which number , i am now one my self , for by the help of your good discourse and company , i have put on new thoughts both of the art of angling , and of all that profess it : and if you will but meet me too morrow at the time and place appointed , and bestow one day with me and my friends in hunting the otter , i will the next two dayes wait upon you , and we two will for that time do nothing but angle , and talk of fish and fishing . pisc. 't is a match , sir , i 'l not fail you , god willing , to be at amwel hil to morrow morning before sun-rising . chap. ii. viat . my friend piscator , you have kept time with my thoughts , for the sun is just rising , and i my self just now come to this place , and the dogs have just now put down an otter , look down at the bottom of the hil , there in that meadow , chequered with water lillies and lady-smocks , there you may see what work they make : look , you see all busie , men and dogs , dogs and men , all busie . pisc. sir , i am right glad to meet you , and glad to have so fair an entrance into this dayes sport , and glad to see so many dogs , and more men all in pursuit of the otter ; le ts complement no longer , but joine unto them ; come honest viator , le ts be gone , le ts make haste , i long to be doing ; no reasonable hedge or ditch shall hold me . viat . gentleman huntsman , where found you this otter ? hunt. marry ( sir ) we found her a mile off this place a fishing ; she has this morning eaten the greatest part of this trout , she has only left thus much of it as you see , and was fishing for more ; when we came we found her just at it : but we were here very early , we were here an hour before sun-rise , and have given her no rest since we came : sure she 'l hardly escape all these dogs and men . i am to have the skin if we kill him . viat . why , sir , what 's the skin worth ? hunt. 't is worth ten shillings to make gloves ; the gloves of an otter are the best fortification for your hands against wet weather that can be thought of . pis. i pray , honest huntsman , let me ask you a pleasant question , do you hunt a beast or a fish ? h. sir , it is not in my power to resolve you ; for the question has been debated among many great clerks , and they seem to differ about it ; but most agree , that his tail is fish : and if his body be fish too , then i may say , that a fish will walk upon land ( for an otter does so ) sometimes five or six , or ten miles in a night . but ( sir ) i can tell you certainly , that he devours much fish , and kils and spoils much more : and i can tell you , that he can smel a fish in the water one hundred yards from him ( gesner sayes , much farther ) and that his stones are good against the falling-sickness : and that there is an herb benione , which being hung in a linen cloth near a fish pond , or any haunt that he uses , makes him to avoid the place , which proves he can smell both by water and land . and thus much for my knowledg of the otter , which you may now see above water at vent , and the dogs close with him ; i now see he will not last long , follow therefore my masters , follow , for sweetlips was like to have him at this vent . via . oh me , all the horse are got over the river , what shall we do now ? hun . marry , stay a little & follow , both they and the dogs will be suddenly on this side again , i warrant you , and the otter too it may be : now have at him with ki lbuck , for he vents again . via . marry so he is , for look he vents in that corner . now , now ringwood has him . come bring him to me . look , 't is a bitch otter upon my word , and she has lately whelped , le ts go to the place where she was put down , and not far from it , you will find all her young ones , i dare warrant you : and kill them all too . hunt. come gentlemen , come all , le ts go to the place where we put downe the otter ; look you , hereabout it was that shee kennell'd ; look you , here it was indeed , for here 's her young ones , no less then five : come le ts kill them all . pisc. no , i pray sir ; save me one , and i 'll try if i can make her tame , as i know an ingenuous gentleman in leicester-shire has done ; who hath not only made her tame , but to catch fish , and doe many things of much pleasure . hunt. take one with all my heart ; but let us kill the rest . and now le ts go to an honest alehouse and sing old rose , and rejoice all of us together . viat . come my friend , let me invite you along with us ; i 'll bear your charges this night , and you shall beare mine to morrow ; for my intention is to accompany you a day or two in fishing . pisc. sir , your request is granted , and i shall be right glad , both to exchange such a courtesie , and also to enjoy your company . viat . well , now le ts go to your sport of angling . pisc. le ts be going with all my heart , god keep you all , gentlemen , and send you meet this day with another bitch otter , and kill her merrily , and all her young ones too . viat . now piscator , where wil you begin to fish ? pisc. we are not yet come to a likely place , i must walk a mile further yet before i begin . viat . well then , i pray , as we walk , tell me freely how do you like my hoste , and the company ? is not mine hoste a witty man ? pisc. sir , to speak truly , he is not to me ; for most of his conceits were either scripture-jests , or lascivious jests ; for which i count no man witty : for the divel will help a man that way inclin'd , to the first , and his own corrupt nature ( which he alwayes carries with him ) to the latter . but a companion that feasts the company with wit and mirth , and leaves out the sin ( which is usually mixt with them ) he is the man : and indeed , such a man should have his charges born : and to such company i hope to bring you this night ; for at trout-hal , not far from this place , where i purpose to lodg to night , there is usually an angler that proves good company . but for such discourse as we heard last night , it infects others ; the very boyes will learn to talk and swear as they heard mine host , and another of the company that shall be nameless ; well , you know what example is able to do , and i know what the poet sayes in the like case : — many a one owes to his country his religion : and in another would as strongly grow , had but his nurse or mother taught him so . this is reason put into verse , and worthy the consideration of a wise man . but of this no more , for though i love civility , yet i hate severe censures : i 'll to my own art , and i doubt not but at yonder tree i shall catch a chub , and then we 'll turn to an honest cleanly ale house that i know right well , rest our selves , and dress it for our dinner . via . oh , sir , a chub is the worst fish that swims , i hoped for a trout for my dinner . pis. trust me , sir , there is not a likely place for a trout hereabout , and we staid so long to take our leave of your huntsmen this morning , that the sun is got so high , and shines so clear , that i will not undertake the catching of a trout till evening ; and though a chub be by you and many others reckoned the worst of all fish , yet you shall see i 'll make it good fish by dressing it . viat . why , how will you dress him ? pisc. i 'l tell you when i have caught him : look you here , sir , do you see ? ( but you must stand very close ) there lye upon the top of the water twenty chubs : i 'll catch only one , and that shall be the biggest of them all : and that i will do so , i 'll hold you twenty to one . viat . i marry , sir , now you talk like an artist , and i 'll say , you are one , when i shall see you perform what you say you can do ; but i yet doubt it . pisc. and that you shall see me do presently ; look , the biggest of these chubs has had some bruise upon his tail , and that looks like a white spot ; that very chub i mean to catch ; sit you but down in the shade , and stay but a little while , and i 'l warrant you i 'l bring him to you . viat . i 'l sit down and hope well , because you seem to be so confident . pisc. look you sir , there he is , that very chub that i shewed you , with the white spot on his tail ; and i 'l be as certain to make him a good dish of meat , as i was to catch him . i 'l now lead you to an honest ale-house , where we shall find a cleanly room , lavender in the windowes , and twenty ballads stuck about the wall ; there my hostis ( which i may tel you , is both cleanly and conveniently handsome ( has drest many a one for me , and shall now dress it after my fashion , and i warrant it good meat . viat . come sir , with all my heart , for i begin to be hungry , and long to be at it , and indeed to rest my self too ; for though i have walk'd but four miles this morning , yet i begin to be weary ; yesterdayes hunting hangs stil upon me . pisc. wel sir , and you shal quickly be at rest , for yonder is the house i mean to bring you to . come hostis , how do you ? wil you first give us a cup of your best ale , and then dress this chub , as you drest my last , when i and my friend were here about eight or ten daies ago ? but you must do me one courtesie , it must be done instantly . host. i wil do it , mr. piscator , and with all the speed i can . pisc. now sir , has not my hostis made haste ? and does not the fish look lovely ? viat . both , upon my word sir , and therefore le ts say grace and fall to eating of it . pisc. well sir , how do you like it ? viat . trust me , 't is as good meat as ever i tasted : now let me thank you for it , drink to you , and beg a courtesie of you ; but it must not be deny'd me . pisc. what is it , i pray sir ? you are so modest , that me thinks i may promise to grant it before it is asked . viat . why sir , it is that from henceforth you will allow me to call you master , and that really i may be your scholer , for you are such a companion , and have so quickly caught , and so excellently cook'd this fish , as makes me ambitious to be your scholer . pisc. give me your hand : from this time forward i wil be your master , and teach you as much of this art as i am able ; and will , as you desire me , tel you somewhat of the nature of some of the fish which we are to angle for ; and i am sure i shal tel you more then every angler yet knows . and first i will tel you how you shall catch such a chub as this was ; & then how to cook him as this was : i could not have begun to teach you to catch any fish more easily then this fish is caught ; but then it must be this particular way , and this you must do : go to the same hole , where in most hot days you will finde floting neer the top of the water , at least a dozen or twenty chubs ; get a grashopper or two as you goe , and get secretly behinde the tree , put it then upon your hook , and let your hook hang a quarter of a yard short of the top of the water , and'tis very likely that the shadow of your rod , which you must rest on the tree , will cause the chubs to sink down to the bottom with fear ; for they be a very fearful fish , and the shadow of a bird flying over them will make them do so ; but they will presently rise up to the top again , and there lie soaring till some shadow affrights them again : when they lie upon the top of the water , look out the best chub , which you setting your self in a fit place , may very easily doe , and move your rod as softly as a snail moves , to that chub you intend to catch ; let your bait fall gently upon the water three or four inches before him , and he will infallibly take the bait , and you will be as sure to catch him ; for hee is one of the leather-mouth'd fishes , of which a hook does scarce ever lose his hold : and therefore give him play enough before you offer to take him out of the water . go your way presently , take my rod , and doe as i bid you , and i will sit down and mend my tackling till you return back . viat . truly , my loving master , you have offered mee as fair as i could wish : i le goe and observe your directions . look you , master , what i have done ; that which joyes my heart ; caught just such another chub as yours was . pisc. marry , and i am glad of it : i am like to have a towardly scholer of you . i now see , that with advice and practice you wil make an angler in a short time . viat . but master , what if i could not have found a grashopper ? pis. then i may tel you , that a black snail , with his belly slit , to shew his white ; or a piece of soft cheese wil usually do as wel ; nay , sometimes a worm , or any kind of fly ; as the ant-fly , the flesh-fly , or wall-fly , or the dor or beetle , ( which you may find under a cow-turd ) or a bob , which you wil find in the same place , and in time wil be a beetle ; it is a short white worm , like to , and bigger then a gentle ; or a cod-worm , or case-worm any of these wil do very wel to fish in such a manner . and after this manner you may catch a trout : in a hot evening , when as you walk by a brook , and shal see or hear him leap at flies , then if you get a grashopper , put it on your hook , with your line about two yards long , standing behind a bush or tree where his hole is , and make your bait stir up and down on the top of the water ; you may , if you stand close , be sure of a bit , but not sure to catch him , for he is not a leather mouthed fish : and after this manner you may fish for him with almost any kind of live flie , but especially with a grashopper . viat . but before you go further , i pray good master , what mean you by a leather mouthed fish . pisc. by a leather mouthed fish , i mean such as have their teeth in their throat , as the chub or cheven , and so the barbel , the gudgion and carp , and divers others have ; and the hook being stuck into the leather or skin of such fish , does very seldome or never lose its hold : but on the contrary , a pike , a pearch , or trout , and so some other fish which have not their teeth in their throats , but in their mouthes , which you shal observe to be very full of bones , and the skin very thin , and little of it : i say , of these fish the hook nevertakes so sure hold , but you often lose the fish unless he have gorg'd it . viat . i thank you good master for this observation ; but now what shal be done with my chub or cheven that i have caught . pisc. marry sir , it shall be given away to some poor body , for i le warrant you i le give you a trout for your supper ; and it is a good beginning of your art to offer your first fruits to the poor , who will both thank god and you for it . and now le ts walk towards the water again , and as i go i le tel you when you catch your next chub , how to dresse it as this was . viat . come ( good master ) i long to be going and learn your direction . pisc. you must dress it , or see it drest thus : when you have scaled him , wash him very cleane , cut off his tail and fins ; and wash him not after you gut him , but chine or cut him through the middle as a salt fish is cut , then give him four or five scotches with your knife , broil him upon wood-cole or char-cole ; but as he is broiling , baste him often with butter that shal be choicely good ; and put good store of salt into your butter , or salt him gently as you broil or baste him ; and bruise or cut very smal into your butter , a little time , or some other sweet herb that is in the garden where you eat him : thus used , it takes away the watrish taste which the chub or chevin has , and makes him a choice dish of meat , as you your self know ; for thus was that dress'd , which you did eat of to your dinner . or you may ( for variety ) dress a chub another way , and you wil find him very good , and his tongue and head almost as good as a carps ; but then you must be sure that no grasse or weeds be left in his mouth or throat . thus you must dress him : slit him through the middle , then cut him into four pieces ; then put him into a pewter dish , and cover him with another , put into him as much white wine as wil cover him , or spring water and vinegar , and store of salt , with some branches of time , and other sweet herbs ; let him then be boiled gently over a chafing-dish with wood coles , and when he is almost boiled enough , put half of the liquor from him , not the top of it ; put then into him a convenient quantity of the best butter you can get , with a little nutmeg grated into it , and sippets of white bread : thus ordered , you wil find the chevin and the sauce too , a choice dish of meat : and i have been the more careful to give you a perfect direction how to dress him , because he is a fish undervalued by many , and i would gladly restore him to some of his credit which he has lost by ill cookery . viat . but master , have you no other way to catch a cheven , or chub ? pisc. yes that i have , but i must take time to tel it you hereafter ; or indeed , you must learn it by observation and practice , though this way that i have taught you was the easiest to catch a chub , at this time , and at this place . and now weare come again to the river ; i wil ( as the souldier sayes ) prepare for skirmish ; that is , draw out my tackling , and try to catch a trout for supper . viat . trust me master , i see now it is a harder matter to catch a trout then a chub ; for i have put on patience , and followed you this two hours , and not seen a fish stir , neither at your minnow nor your worm . pisc. wel scholer , you must indure worse luck sometime , or you will never make a good angler . but what say you now ? there is a trout now , and a good one too , if i can but hold him ; and two or three turns more will tire him : now you see he lies still , and the sleight is to land him : reach me that landing net : so ( sir ) now he is mine own , what say you ? is not this worth all my labour ? viat . on my word master , this is a gallant trout ; what shall we do with him ? pisc. marry ee'n eat him to supper : we 'l go to my hostis , from whence we came ; she told me , as i was going out of door , that my brothet peter , a good angler , and a cheerful companion , had sent word he would lodg there to night , and bring a friend with him . my hostis has two beds , and i know you and i may have the best : we 'l rejoice with my brother peter and his friend , tel tales , or sing ballads , or make a catch , or find some harmless sport to content us . viat . a match , good master , le ts go to that house , for the linnen looks white , and smels of lavender , and i long to lye in a pair of sheets that smels so : le ts be going , good master , for i am hungry again with fishing . pisc. nay , stay a little good scholer , i caught my last trout with a worm , now i wil put on a minow and try a quarter of an hour about yonder trees for another , and so walk towards our lodging . look you scholer , thereabout we shall have a bit presently , or not at all : have with you ( sir ! ) on my word i have him . oh it is a great loggerheaded chub : come , hang him upon that willow twig , and let 's be going . but turn out of the way a little , good scholer , towards yonder high hedg : we 'l sit whilst this showr falls so gently upon the teeming earth , and gives a sweeter smel to the lovely slowers that adorn the verdant meadows . look , under that broad beech tree i sate down when i was last this way a fishing , and the birds in the adjoining , grove seemed to have a friendly contention with an echo , whose dead voice seemed to live in a hollow cave , near to the brow of that primrose hil ; there i sate viewing the silver streams glide silently towards their center , the tempestuous sea , yet sometimes opposed by rugged roots , and pibble stones , which broke their waves , and turned them into some : and sometimes viewing the harmless lambs , some leaping securely in the cool shade , whilst others sported themselvs in the cheerful sun ; and others were craving comfort from the swolne udders of their bleating dams . as i thus sate , these and other sighs had so fully possest my soul , that i thought as the poet has happily expre 〈…〉 t it : i was for that time lifted above earth ; and possest joyes not promis'd in my birth . as i left this place , and entered into the next field , a second pleasure entertained me , 't was a handsome milk-maid , that had cast away all care , and sung like a nightingale ; her voice was good , and the ditty fitted for it ; 't was that smooth song which was made by kit marlow , now at least fifty years ago ; and the milk maids mother sung an answer to it , which was made by sir walter raleigh in his yonger dayes . they were old fashioned poetry , but choicely good , i think much better then that now in fashion in this critical age . look yonder , on my word , yonder they be both a milking again : i wil give her the chub , and perswade them to sing those two songs to us . pisc. god speed , good woman , i have been a fishing , and am going to bleak hall to my bed , and having caught more fish then wil sup my self and friend , wil bestow this upon you and your daughter , for i use to sel none . milkw . marry god requite you sir , and we 'l eat it cheerfully : wil you drink a draught of red cows milk ? pisc. no , i thank you : but i pray do us a courtesie that shal stand you and your daughter in nothing , and we wil think our selves stil something in your debt ; it is but to sing us a song , that that was sung by you and your daughter , when i last past over this meadow , about eight or nine dayes since . milk . what song was it , i pray ? was it , comeshepherds deck your heads : or , as at noon dulcina rested : or philida flouts me ? pisc. no , it is none of those : it is a song that your daughter sung the first part , and you sung the answer to it . milk . o i know it now , i learn'd the first part in my golden age , when i was about the age of my daughter , and the later part , which indeed fits me best , but two or three years ago ; you shal , god willing , hear them both . come maudlin , sing the first part to the gentlemen with a merrie heart , and i le sing the second . the milk maids song . come live with me , and be my love , and we wil all the pleasures prove that vallies , groves , or hils , or fields , or woods and steepie mountains yeelds . where we will sit upon the rocks , and see the shepherds feed our flocks , by shallow rivers , to whose falls mellodious birds sing madrigals . and i wil make thee beds of roses , and then a thousand fragrant posies , a cap of flowers and a kirtle , imbroidered all with leaves of mirtle . a gown made of the finest wool which from our pretty lambs we pull , slippers lin'd choicely for the cold , with buckles of the purest gold . a belt of straw and ivie buds , with coral clasps , and amber studs : and if these pleasures may thee move , come live with me , and be my love . the shepherds swains shal dance and sing for thy delight each may morning : if these delights thy mind may move , then live with me , and be my love . via . trust me master , it is a choice song , and sweetly sung by honest maudlin : i le bestow sir thomas overbury's milk maids wish upon her , that she may dye in the spring , and have good store of flowers stuck round about her winding sheet . the milk maids mothers answer . if all the world and love were young , and truth in every shepherds tongue ? these pretty pleasures might me move , to live with thee , and be thy love . but time drives flocks from field to fold : when rivers rage and rocks grow cold , and philomel becometh dumb , the rest complains of cares to come . the flowers do fade , and wanton fields to wayward winter reckoning yeilds . a honey tongue , a heart of gall , is fancies spring , but sorrows fall . thy gowns , thy shooes , thy beds of roses , thy cap , thy kirtle , and thy posies , soon break , soon wither , soon forgotten , in folly ripe , in reason rotten . thy belt of straw and ivie buds , thy coral clasps and amber studs , all these in me no means can move to come to thee , and be thy love . but could youth last , and love stil breed , had joyes no date , nor age no need ; then those delights my mind might move to live with thee , & be thy love . pisc. wel sung , good woman , i thank you , i 'l give you another dish of fish one of these dayes , and then beg another song of you . come scholer , let maudlin alone , do not you offer to spoil her voice . look , yonder comes my hostis to cal us to supper . how now ? is my brother peter come ? host. yes , and a friend with him , they are both glad to hear you are in these parts , and long to see you , and are hungry , and long to be at supper . chap. iii. piscat . vvel met brother peter , i heard you & a friend would lodg here to night , and that has made me and my friend cast to lodge here too ; my friend is one that would faine be a brother of the angle : he has been an angler but this day , and i have taught him how to catch a chub by daping with a grashopper , and he has caught a lusty one of nineteen inches long . but i pray you brother , who is it that is your companion ? peter . brother piscator , my friend is an honest country man , and his name is coridon , a most downright witty merry companion that met me here purposely to eat a trout and be pleasant , and i have not yet wet my line since i came from home : but i wil fit him to morrow with a trout for his breakfast , if the weather be any thing like . pisc. nay brother , you shall not delay him so long , for look you here is a trout will fill six reasonable bellies . come hostis , dress it presently , and get us what other meat the house will afford , and give us some good ale , and le ts be merrie . peter . on my word , this trout is in perfect season . come , i thank you , and here 's a hearty draught to you , and to all the brothers of the angle , wheresoever they be , and to my young brothers good fortune to morrow ; i wil furnish him with a rod , if you wil furnish him with the rest of the tackling , we wil set him up and make him a fisher . and i wil tel him one thing for his encouragement , that his fortune hath made him happy to be a scholer to such a master ; a master that knowes as much both of the nature and breeding of fish , as any man ; and can also tell him as well how to catch and cook them , from the minow to the sammon , as any that i ever met withall . pisc. trust me , brother peter , i find my scholer to be so sutable to my own humour , which is to be free and pleasant , and civilly merry , that my resolution is to hide nothing from him . believe me , scholer , this is my resolution : and so here 's to you a hearty draught , and to all that love us , and the honest art of angling . viat . trust me , good master , you shall not sow your seed in barren ground , for i hope to return you an increase answerable to your hopes ; but however , you shal find me obedient , and thankful , and serviceable to my best abilitie . pisc. 't is enough , honest scholer , come le ts to supper . come my friend coridon , this trout looks lovely , it was twenty two inches when it was taken , and the belly of it look'd some part of it as yellow as a marygold , and part of it as white as a lily , and yet me thinks it looks better in this good sawce . coridon . indeed , honest friend , it looks well , and tastes well , i thank you for it , and so does my friend peter , or else he is to blame . pet. yes , and so i do , we all thank you , and when we have supt , i wil get my friend coridon to sing you a song , for requital . cor. i wil sing a song if any body wil sing another ; else , to be plain with you , i wil sing none : i am none of those that sing for meat , but for company ; i say , 't is merry in hall when men sing all . pisc. i 'l promise you i 'l sing a song that was lately made at my request by mr. william basse , one that has made the choice songs of the hunter in his carrere , and of tom of bedlam , and many others of note ; and this that i wil sing is in praise of angling . cor. and then mine shall be the praise of a country mans life . what will the rest sing of ? pet. i wil promise you i wil sing another song in praise of angling , to morrow night , for we wil not part till then , but fish to morrow , and sup together , and the next day every man leave fishing , and fall to his business . viat . t is a match , and i wil provide you a song or a ketch against then too , that shal give some addition of mirth to the company ; for we wil be merrie . pisc. t is a match my masters ; le ts ev'n say grace , and turn to the fire , drink the other cup to wet our whistles , and so sing away all sad thoughts . come on my masters , who begins ? i think it is best to draw cuts and avoid contention . pet. it is a match . look , the shortest cut fals to coridon . cor. well then , i wil begin ; for i hate contention . coridons song . oh the sweet contentment the country man doth find ! high trolollie loliloe high trolollie lee , that quiet contemplation possesseth all my mind : then care away , and wend along with me . for courts are full of flattery , as hath too oft been tri'd ; high trolollie lollie loe high trolollie lee , the city full of wantonness , and both are full of pride : then care away , and wend along with me . but oh the honest country man speaks truly from his heart , high trolollie lollie loe high trolollie lee , his pride is in his tillage , his horses and his cart : then care away , and wend along with me . our clothing is good sheep skins gray russet for our wives , high trolollie lollie loe high trolollie lee . 't is warmth and not gay clothing that doth prolong our lives : then care away , and wend along with me . the ploughman , though he labor hard , yet on the holy-day , high trolollie lollie loe high trolollie lee , no emperor so merrily does pass his time away : then care away , and wend along with me . to recompence our tillage , the heavens afford us showrs ; high trolollie lollie loe high trolollie lee , and for our sweet refreshments the earth affords us bowers : then careaway , &c. the cuckee and the nightingale full merrily do sing , high trolollie lollie loe high trolollie lee , and with their pleasant roundelayes bid welcome to the spring : then care away , and wend along with me . this is not half the happiness the country man injoyes ; high trolollie lollie loe high trolollie lee , though others think they have as much yet he that sayes so lies : then come away , turn county man with me . pisc. well sung coridon , this song was sung with mettle , and it was choicely fitted to the occasion ; i shall love you for it as long as i know you : i would you were a brother of the angle , for a companion that is cheerful and free from swearing and scurrilous discourse , is worth gold . i love such mirth as does not make friends ashamed to look upon one another next morning ; nor men ( that cannot wel bear it ) to repent the money they spend when they be warmed with drink : and take this for a rule , you may pick out such times and such companies , that you may make your selves merrier for a little then a great deal of money ; for 't is the company and not the charge that makes the feast : and such a companion you prove , i thank you for it . but i will not complement you out of the debt that i owe you , and therefore i will begin my song , and wish it may be as well liked . the anglers song . as inward love breeds outward talk , the hound some praise , and some the hawk , some better pleas'd with private sport , use tenis , some a mistris court : but these delights i neither wish , nor envy , while i freely fish . who hunts , doth oft in danger ride ; who hauks , lures oft both far & wide ; who uses games , may often prove a loser ; but who fals in love , is fettered in fond cupids snare : my angle breeds me no such care . of recreation there is none so free as fishing is alone ; all other pastimes do no less then mind and body both possess ; my hand alone my work can do , so i can fish and study too . i care not , i , to fish in seas , fresh rivers best my mind do please , whose sweet calm course i contemplate , and seek in life to imitate ; in civil bounds i fain would keep , and for my past offences weep . and when the timerous trout i wait to take , and he devours my bait , how poor a thing sometimes i find will captivate a greedy mind : and when none bite , i praise the wise , whom vain alurements ne're surprise . but yet though while i fish , i fast , i make good fortune my repast , and thereunto my friend invite , in whom i more then that delight : who is more welcome to my dish , then to my angle was my fish . as well content no prize to take as use of taken prize to make ; for so our lord was pleased when he fishers made fishers of men ; where ( which is in no other game ) a man may fish and praise his name . the first men that our saviour dear did chuse to wait upon him here , blest fishers were ; and fish the last food was , that he on earth did taste : i therefore strive to follow those , whom he to follow him hath chose . w. b. cor. well sung brother , you have paid your debt in good coyn , we anglers are all beholding to the good man that made this song . come hostis , give us more ale and lets drin k to him . and now lets everie one go to bed that we may rise early ; but first le ts pay our reckoning , for i wil have nothing to hinder me in the morning , for i will prevent the sun-rising . pet. a match : come coridon , you are to be my bed-fellow : i know brother you and your scholer wil lie together ; but where shal we meet to morrow night ? for my friend coridon and i will go up the water towards ware . pisc. and my scholer and i vvill go down tovvards waltam . cor. then le ts meet here , for here are fresh sheets that smel of lavender , and , i am sure , we cannot expect better meat and better usage . pet. 't is a match . good night to every body . pisc. and so say i. viat . and so say i. pisc. good morrow good hostis , i see my brother peter is in bed still ; come , give my scholer and me a cup of ale , and be sure you get us a good dish of meat against supper , for we shall come hither as hungry as hawks . come scholer , le ts be going . viat . good master , as we walk towards the water , wil you be pleased to make the way seeme shorter by telling me first the nature of the trout , and then how to catch him . pisc. my honest scholer , i wil do it freely : the trout ( for which i love to angle above any fish ) may be justly said ( as the ancient poets say of wine , and we english say of venson ) to be a generous fish , because he has his seasons , a fish that comes in , and goes out with the stag or buck : and you are to observe , that as there be some barren does , that are good in summer ; so there be some barren trouts , that are good in winter ; but there are not many that are so , for usually they be in their perfection in the month of may , and decline with the buck : now you are to take notice , that in several countries , as in germany and in other parts compar'd to ours , they differ much in their bigness , shape , and other wayes , and so do trouts ; 't is wel known that in the lake lemon , the lake of geneva , there are trouts taken , of three cubits long , as is affirmed by gesner , a writer of good credit : and mercator sayes , the trouts that are taken in the lake of geneva , are a great part of the merchandize of that famous city . and you are further to know , that there be certaine waters that breed trouts remarkable , both for their number and smalness - i know a little brook in kent that breeds them to a number incredible , and you may take them twentie or fortie in an hour , but none greater then about the size of a gudgion . there are also in divers rivers , especially that relate to , or be near to the sea , ( as vvinchester , or the thames about vvindsor ) a little trout called a samlet or skegger trout ( in both which places i have caught twentie or fortie at a standing ) that will bite as fast and as freely as minnows ; these be by some taken to be young salmons , but in those waters they never grow to bee bigger then a herring . there is also in kent , neer to canterbury , a trout ( called there a fordig trout ) a trout ( that bears the name of the town where'tis usually caught ) that is accounted rare meat , many of them near the bigness of a salmon , but knowne by their different colour , and in their best season cut very white ; and none have been known to be caught with an angle , unless it were one that was caught by honest sir george hastings , an excellent angler ( and now withgod ) and he has told me , he thought that trout bit not for hunger , but wantonness ; and 't is the rather to be believed , because both he then , and many others before him have been curious to search into their bellies what the food was by which they lived ; and have found out nothing by which they might satisfie their curiositie . concerning which you are to take notice , that it is reported , there is a fish that hath not any mouth , but lives by taking breath by the porinss of her gils , and feeds and is nourish'd by no man knows what ; and this may be believed of the fordig trout , which ( as it is said of the stork , that he knowes his season , so he ) knows his times ( i think almost his day ) of coming into that river out of the sea , where he lives ( and it is like feeds ) nine months of the year , and about three in the river of fordig . and now for some confirmation of this ; you are to know , that this trout is thought to eat nothing in the fresh water ; and it may be the better believed , because it is well known , that swallowes , which are not seen to flye in england for six months in the year , but about michaelmas leave us for a hotter climate ; yet some of them , that have been left behind their fellows , have been found ( many thousand at a time ) in hollow trees , where they have been observed to live and sleep out the whole winter without meat ; and so albertus observes that there is one kind of frog that hath her mouth naturally shut up about the end of august , and that she lives so all the winter , and though it be strange to some , yet it is known to too many amongst us to bee doubted . and so much for these fordidg trouts , which never afford an angler sport , but either live their time of being in the fresh water by their meat formerly gotten in the sea , ( not unlike the swallow or frog ) or by the vertue of the fresh water only , as the camelion is said to live by the air . there is also in northumberland , a trout , called a bull trout , of a much greater length and bignesse then any in these southern parts ; and there is in many rivers that relate to the sea , salmon trouts as much different one from another , both in shape and in their spots , as we see sheep differ one from another in their shape and bigness , and in the finess of their wool : and certainly as some pastures do breed larger sheep , so do some rivers , by reason of the ground over which they run , breed larger trouts . now the next thing that i will commend to your consideration is , that the trout is of a more sudden growth then other fish : concerning which you are also to take notice , that he lives not so long as the pearch and divers other fishes do , as sir francis bacon hath observed in his history of life and death . and next , you are to take notice , that after hee is come to his full growth , he declines in his bodie , but keeps his bigness or thrives in his head till his death . and you are to know that he wil about ( especially before ) the time of his spawning , get almost miraculously through weires and floud-gates against the stream , even through such high and swift places as is almost incredible . next , that the trout usually spawns about october or november , but in some rivers a little sooner or later ; which is the more observable , because most other fish spawne in the spring or summer , when the sun hath warmed both the earth and water , and made it fit for generation . and next , you are to note , that till the sun gets to such a height as to warm the earth and the water , the trout is sick , and lean , and lowsie , and unwholsome : for you shall in winter find him to have a big head , and then to be lank , and thin , & lean ; at which time many of them have sticking on them sugs , or trout lice , which is a kind of a worm , in shape like a clove or a pin , with a big head , and sticks close to him and sucks his moisture ; those i think the trout breeds himselfe , and never thrives til he free himself from them , which is till warm weather comes , and then as he growes stronger , he gets from the dead , still water , into the sharp streames and the gravel , and there rubs off these worms or lice : and then as he grows stronger , so he gets him into swifter and swifter streams , and there lies at the watch for any flie or minow that comes neer to him ; and he especially loves the may flie , which is bred of the cod-worm or caddis ; and these make the trout bold and lustie , and he is usually fatter , and better meat at the end of that month , then at any time of the year . now you are to know , that it is observed , that usually the best trouts are either red or yellow , though some be white and yet good ; but that is not usual ; and it is a note observable that the female trout hath usually a less head and a deeper body then the male trout ; and a little head to any fish , either trout , salmon , or other fish , is a sign that that fish is in season . but yet you are to note , that as you see some willows or palm trees bud and blossome sooner then others do , so some trouts be in some rivers sooner in season ; and as the holly or oak are longer before they cast their leaves , so are some trouts in some rivers longer before they go out of season . chap. iv. and having told you these observations concerning trouts , i shall next tell you how to catch them : which is usually with a worm , or a minnow ( which some call a penke ; ) or with a flie , either a natural or an artificial flie : concerning which three i wil give you some observations and directions . for worms , there be very many sorts ; some bred onely in the earth , as the earth worm ; others amongst or of plants , as the dug worm ; and others in the bodies of living creatures ; or some of dead flesh , as the magot or gentle , and others . now these be most of them particularly good for particular fishes : but for the trout the dew-worm , ( which some also cal the lob-worm ) and the brandling are the chief ; and especially the first for a great trout , and the later for a lesse . there be also of lob-worms , some called squireltnils ( a worm which has a red head , a streak down the back , and a broad tail ) which are noted to be the best , because they are the toughest , and and most lively , and live longest in the water : for you are to know , that a dead worm is but a dead bait , and like to catch nothing , compared to a lively , quick , stirring worm : and for a brandling , hee is usually found in an old dunghil , or some very rotten place neer to it ; but most usually in cow dung , or hogs dung , rather then horse dung , which is somewhat too hot and dry for that worm . there are also divers other kindes of worms , which for colour and shape alter even as the ground out of which they are got : as the marshworm , the tag-tail , the flag-worm , the dock-worm , the oake-worm , the gilt-tail , and too many to name , even as many sorts , as some think there be of severall kinds of birds in the air : of which i shall say no more , but tell you , that what worms soever you fish with , are the better for being long kept before they be used ; and in case you have not been so provident , then the way to cleanse and scoure them quickly , is to put them all night in water , if they be lob-worms , and then put them into your bag with fennel : but you must not put your brandling above an hour in water , and then put them into fennel for sudden use : but if you have time , and purpose to keep them long , then they be best preserved in an earthen pot with good store of mosse , which is to be fresh every week or eight dayes ; or at least taken from them , and clean wash'd , and wrung betwixt your hands till it be dry , and then put it to them again : and for moss , you are to note , that there be divers kindes of it , which i could name to you , but wil onely tel you , that that which is likest a bucks horn is the best ; except it be white moss , which grows on some heaths , and is hard to be found . for the minnow or penke , he is easily found and caught in april , for then hee appears in the rivers : but nature hath taught him to shelter and hide himself in the winter in ditches that be neer to the river , and there both to hide and keep himself warm in the weeds , which rot not so soon as in a running river ; in which place if hee were in winter , the distempered floods that are usually in that season , would suffer him to have no rest , but carry him headlong to mils and weires to his confusion . and of these minnows , first you are to know , that the biggest size is not the best ; and next , that the middle size and the whitest are the best : and then you are to know , that i cannot well teach in words , but must shew you how to put it on your hook , that it may turn the better : and you are also to know , that it is impossible it should turn too quick : and you are yet to know , that in case you want a minnow , then a small loch , or a sticklebag , or any other small fish will serve as wel : and you are yet to know , that you may salt , and by that means keep them fit for use three or four dayes or longer ; and that of salt , bay salt is the best . now for flies , which is the third bait wherewith trouts are usually taken . you are to know , that there are as many sorts of flies as there be of fruits : i will name you but some of them : as the dun flie , the stone flie , the red flie , the moor flie , the tawny flie , the shel flie , the cloudy or blackish flie : there be of flies , caterpillars , and canker flies , and bear flies ; and indeed , too many either for mee to name , or for you to remember : and their breeding is so various and wonderful , that i might easily amaze my self , and tire you in a relation of them . and yet i wil exercise your promised patience by saying a little of the caterpillar , or the palmer flie or worm ; that by them you may guess what a work it were in a discourse but to run over those very many flies , worms , and little living creatures with which the sun and summer adorn and beautifie the river banks and meadows , both for the recreation and contemplation of the angler : and which ( i think ) i my self enjoy more then any other man that is not of my profession . pliny holds an opinion , that many have their birth or being from a dew that in the spring falls upon the leaves of trees ; and that some kinds of them are from a dew left upon herbs or flowers : and others from a dew left upon colworts or cabbages : all which kindes of dews being thickened and condensed , are by the suns generative heat most of them hatch'd , and in three dayes made living creatures , and of several shapes and colours ; some being hard and tough , some smooth and soft ; some are horned in their head , some in their tail , some have none ; some have hair , some none ; some have sixteen feet , some less , and some have none : but ( as our topsel hath with great diligence observed ) those which have none , move upon the earth , or upon broad leaves , their motion being not unlike to the waves of the sea . some of them hee also observes to be bred of the eggs of other caterpillers : and that those in their time turn to be butter-flies ; and again , that their eggs turn the following yeer to be caterpillers . 't is endlesse to tell you what the curious searchers into natures productions , have observed of these worms and flies : but yet i shall tell you what our topsel sayes of the canker , or palmer-worm , or caterpiller ; that whereas others content themselves to feed on particular herbs or leaves ( for most think , those very leaves that gave them life and shape , gives them a particular feeding and nourishment , and that upon them they usually abide ; ) yet he observes , that this is called a pilgrim or palmer-worm , for his very wandering life and various food ; not contenting himself ( as others do ) with any certain place for his abode , nor any certain kinde of herb or flower for his feeding ; but will boldly and disorderly wander up and down , and not endure to be kept to a diet , or fixt to a particular place . nay , the very colours of caterpillers are , as one has observed , very elegant and beautiful : i shal ( for a taste of the rest ) describe one of them , which i will sometime the next month , shew you feeding on a willow tree , and you shal find him punctually to answer this very description : his lips and mouth somewhat yellow , his eyes black as jet , his fore-head purple , his feet and hinder parts green , his tail two forked and black , the whole body stain'd with a kind of red spots which run along the neck and shoulder-blades , not unlike the form of a cross , or the letter x , made thus cross-wise , and a white line drawn down his back to his tail ; all which add much beauty to his whole body . and it is to me observable , that at a fix'd age this caterpiller gives over to eat , a d towards winter comes to be cover d over with a strange shell or crust , and so lives a kind of dead life , without eating all the winter , and ( as others of several kinds turn to be several kinds of flies and vermin , the spring following ) so this caterpiller then turns to be a painted butterflye . come , come my scholer , you fee the river stops our morning walk , and i wil also here stop my discourse , only as we sit down under this honey-suckle hedge , whilst i look a line to fit the rod that our brother peter has lent you , i shall for a little confirmation of what i have said , repeat the observation of the lord bartas . god not contented to each kind to give , and to infuse the vertue generative , by his wise power made many creatures breed of liveless bodies , without venus deed . so the cold humour breeds the salamander , who ( in effect ) like to her births commander , i th child with hundred winters , with her touch quencheth the fire , though glowing ne'r so much so in the fire in burning furnace springs the fly perausta with the flaming wings ; without the fire it dies , in it , it joyes , living in that which all things else destroyes . so slow boötes underneath him sees in th' icie islands goslings hatcht of trees , whose fruitful leaves falling into the water , are turn'd ( 't is known ) to living fowls soon after so rotten planks of broken ships , do change to barnacles . oh transformation strange ! 't was first a green tree , then a broken hull , lately a mushroom , now a flying gull. vi . oh my good master , this morning walk has been spent to my great pleasure and wonder : but i pray , when shall i have your direction how to make artificial flyes , like to those that the trout loves best ? and also how to use them ? pisc. my honest scholer , it is now past five of the clock , we will fish til nine , and then go to breakfast : go you to yonder sycamore tree , and hide your bottle of drink under the hollow root of it ; for about that time , and in that place , we wil make a brave breakfast with a piece of powdered bief , and a radish or two that i have in my fish-bag ; we shall , i warrant you , make a good honest , wholsome , hungry breakfast , and i will give you direction for the making and using of your fly : and in the mean time , there is your rod and line ; and my advice is , that you fish as you see mee do , and le ts try which can catch the first fish . viat . i thank you , master , i will observe and practice your direction as far as i am able . pisc. look you scholer , you see i have hold of a good fish : i now see it is a trout ; i pray put that net under him , and touch not my line , for if you do , then wee break all . well done , scholer , i thank you . now for an other . trust me , i have another bite : come scholer , come lay down your rod , and help me to land this as you did the other . so , now we shall be sure to have a good dish of fish for supper . viat . i am glad of that , but i have no fortune ; sure master yours is a better rod , and better tackling . pisc. nay then , take mine and i will fish with yours . look you , scholer , i have another : come , do as you did before . and now i have a bite at another . oh me he has broke all , there 's half a line and a good hook lost . viat . master , i can neither catch with the first nor second angle ; i have no fortune . pisc. look you , scholer , i have yet another : and now having caught three brace of trouts , i will tel you a short tale as we walk towards our breakfast . a scholer ( a preacher i should say ) that was to preach to procure the approbation of a parish , that he might be their lecturer , had got from a fellow pupil of his the copy of a sermon that was first preached with a great commendation by him that composed and precht it ; and though the borrower of it preach't it word for word , as it was at first , yet it was utterly dislik'd as it was preach'd by the second ; which the sermon borrower complained of to the lender of it , and was thus answered ; i lent you indeed my fiddle , but not my fiddlestick ; and you are to know , that every one cannot make musick with my words which are fitted for my own mouth . and so my scholer , you are to know , that as the ill pronunciation or ill accenting of a word in a sermon spoiles it , so the ill carriage of your line , or not fishing even to a foot in a right place , makes you lose your labour : and you are to know , that though you have my fiddle , that is , my very rod and tacklings with which you see i catch fish , yet you have not my fiddle stick , that is , skill to know how to carry your hand and line ; and this must be taught you ( for you are to remember i told you angling is an art ) either by practice , or a long observation , or both . but now le ts say grace , and fall to breakfast ; what say you scholer , to the providence of an old angler ? does not this meat taste well ? and was not this place well chosen to eat it ? for this sycamore tree will shade us from the suns heat . viat . all excellent good , master , and my stomack excellent too ; i have been at many costly dinners that have not afforded me half this content : and now good master , to your promised direction for making and ordering my artificiall flye . pisc. my honest scholer , i will do it , for it is a debt due unto you , by my promise : and because you shall not think your self more engaged to me then indeed you really are , therefore i will tell you freely , i find mr. thomas barker ( a gentleman that has spent much time and money in angling ) deal so judicially and freely in a little book of his of angling , and especially of making and angling with a flye for a trout , that i will give you his very directions without much variation , which shal follow . let your rod be light , and very gentle , i think the best are of two pieces ; the line should not exceed , especially for three or four links towards the hook ) i say , not exceed three or four haires ; but if you can attain to angle with one haire , you will have more rises , and catch more fish . now you must bee sure not to cumber your selfe with too long a line , as most do : and before you begin to angle , cast to have the wind on your back , and the sun ( if it shines ) to be before you , and to fish down the streame ) and carry the point or top of the rod downeward ; by which meanes the shadow of your selfe , and rod too will be the least offensive to the fish , for the sight of any shadow amazes the fish , and spoiles your sport , of which you must take a great care . in the middle of march ( till which time a man should not in honestie catch a trout ) or in april , if the weather be dark , or a little windy , or cloudie , the best fishing is with the palmer-worm , of which i last spoke to you ; but of these there be divers kinds , or at least of divers colours , these and the may-fly are the ground of all fly-angling , which are to be thus made : first you must arm your hook , with the line in the inside of it ; then take your scissers and cut so much of a browne malards feather as in your own reason wil make the wings of it , you having withall regard to the bigness or littleness of your hook , then lay the outmost part of your feather next to your hook , then the point of your feather next the shank of your hook ; and having so done , whip it three or four times about the hook with the same silk , with which your hook was armed , and having made the silk fast , take the hackel of a cock or capons neck , or a plovers top , which is usually better ; take off the one side of the feather , and then take the hackel , silk or crewel , gold or silver thred , make these fast at the bent of the hook , that is to say , below your arming ) then you must take the hackel , the silver or gold thred , and work it up to the wings , shifting or stil removing your fingers as you turn the silk about the hook : and still looking at every stop or turne that your gold , or what materials soever you make your fly of , do lye right and neatly ; and if you find they do so , then when you have made the head , make all fast , and then work your hackel up to the head , and make that fast ; and then with a needle or pin divide the wing into two , and then with the arming silk whip it about cross-wayes betwixt the wings , and then with your thumb you must turn the point of the feather towards the bent of the hook , and then work three or four times about the shank of the hook , and then view the proportion , and if all be neat , and to your liking , fasten . i consess , no direction can be given to make a man of a dull capacity able to make a flye well ; and yet i know , this , with a little practice , wil help an ingenuous angler in a good degree ; but to see a fly made by another , is the best teaching to make it , and then an ingenuous angler may walk by the river and mark what fly falls on the water that day , and catch one of them , if he see the trouts leap at a fly of that kind , and having alwaies hooks ready hung with him , and having a bag also , alwaies with him with bears hair , or the hair of a brown or sad coloured heifer , hackels of a cock or capon , several coloured silk and crewel to make the body of the fly , the feathers of a drakes head , black or brown sheeps wool , or hogs wool , or hair , thred of gold , and of silver ; silk of several colours ( especially sad coloured to make the head : ) and there be also other colour'd feathers both of birds and of peckled fowl . i say , having those with him in a bag , and trying to make a flie , though he miss at first , yet shal he at last hit it better , even to a perfection which none can well reach him ; and if he hit to make his flie right , and have the luck to hit also where there is store of trouts , and a right wind , he shall catch such store of them , as will encourage him to grow more and more in love with the art of flie-making . viat . but my loving master , if any wind will not serve , then i wish i were in lapland , to buy a good wind of one of the honest witches , that sell so many winds , and so cheap . pisc. marry scholer , but i would not be there , nor indeed from under this tree ; for look how it begins to rain , and by the clouds ( if i mistake not ) we shall presently have a smoaking showre , and therefore sit close , this sycamore tree will shelter us , and i will tell you , as they shall come into my mind , more observations of fliefishing for a trout . but first , for the winde ; you are to take notice that of the windes the south winde is said to be best . one observes , that when the winde is south , it blows you bait into a fishes mouth . next to that the west winde is believed to be the best : and having told you that the east winde is the worst , i need not tell you which winde is best in the third degree . and yet ( as solomon observes , that hee that considers the winde shall never sow : so hee that busies his head too much about them , ( if the weather be not made extreme cold by as east winde ) shall be a little superstitious : for as it is observed by some , that there is no good horse of a bad colour ; so i have observed ; that if it be a clowdy day , and not extreme cold , let the winde fit in what corner it will , and do its worst . and yet that this for a rule , that i would willingly fish on the lee shore : and you are to take notice , that the fish lies , or swimms neere the bottom in winter then in summer , and also neerer the bottom in any cold day . but i promised to tell you more of the flie-fishing for a trout , ( which i may haave time enough to do , for you see it rains may-butter . ) first for a may-flie , you may make his body with greenish coloued crewel , or willow colour , darkning it in most places , with waxed silk , or rib'd with a black hare , or some of them rib'd with silver thred ; and such wings for the colour as you see the flie to have at that season ; nay at that very day on the water . or you may make the oak-flie , with an orange - tawny and black ground , and the brown of a mallards feather for the wings ; and you are to know , that these two are most excellent flies , that is , the may flie and the oak flie : and let me again tell you , that you keep as far from the water as you can possibly , whether you fish with a flie or worm , and fish down the stream , and when you fish with a flie , if it be possible , let no part of your line touch the water , but your flie only ; and be stil moving your fly upon the water , or casting it into the water ; you your self , being also alwaies moving down the stream . ms. barker commends severall sorts of the palmer flies , not only those rib'd with silver and gold , but others that have their bodies all made of black , or some with red , and a red hackel ; you may also make the hawthorn-flie , whichis all black and not big , but very smal , the smaller the better ; or the oak-fly , the body of which is orange colour and black crewel , with a brown wing , or a fly made with a peacocks feather , is excellent in a bright day : you must be sure you want not in your magazin bag , the peacocks feather , and grounds of such wool , and crewel as will make the grass-hopper : and note , that usually , the smallest flies are best ; and note also , that , the light flie does usually make most sport in a dark day : and the darkest and least flie in a bright or cleare day ; and lastly note , that you are to repaire upon any occasion to your magazin bag , and upon any occasion vary and make them according to your fancy . and now i shall tell you , that the fishing with a naturall flie is excellent , and affords much pleasure ; they may be found thus , the may-fly usually in and about that month neer to the river side , especially against rain ; the oak-fly on the butt or body of an oak or ash , from the beginning of may to the end of august it is a brownish fly , and easie to be so found , and stands usually with his head downward , that is to say , towards the root of the tree ; the final black fly , or hawthorn fly is to be had on any hawthorn bush , after the leaves be come forth ; with these and a short line ( as i shewed to angle for a chub ) you may dap or dop , and also with a grashopper , behind a tree , or in any deep hole , still making it to move on the top of the water , as if it were alive , and still keeping yourself out of sight , you shall certainly have sport if there be trouts ; yea in a hot day , but especially in the evening of a hot day . and now , scholer , my direction for fly-fishing is ended with this showre , for it has done raining , and now look about you , and see how pleasantly that meadow looks , 〈…〉 ay and the earth smels as sweetly too . come let me tell you what holy mr. herbert saies of such days and flowers as these , and then we will thank god that we enoy them , and walk to the reverand sit down quietly and try to catch the other brace of trouts . sweet day , so cool , so calm , so bright , the bridal of the earth and skie , sweet dews shal weep thy fall to night , for thou must die . sweet rose , whose hew angry and brave bids the rash gazer wipe his eye , thy root is ever in its grave , and thou must die . sweet spring , ful of sweet days & roses , a box where sweets ccompacted lie ; my musick shewes you have your closes , and all must die . only a sweet and vertuous soul , like seasoned timber never gives , but when the whole world turns to cole , then chiefly lives . viat . i thank you , good master , for your good direction for fly-fishing , and for the sweet enjoyment of the pleasant day , which is so far spent without offence to god or man : and i thank you for the sweet close of your discourse with mr. herberts verses , which i have heard , loved angling ; and i do the rather believe it , because he had a spirit sutable to anglers , and to those primitive christians that you love , and have so much commended . pisc. well , my loving scholer , and i am pleased to know that you are so well pleased with my direction and discourse ; and i hope you will be pleased too , if you find a trout at one of our angles , which we left in the water to fish for it self ; you shall chuse which shall be yours , and it is an even lay , one catches : and let me tell you , this kind of fishing , and laying night-hooks , are like putting money to use , for they both work for the owners , when they do nothing but sleep , or eat , or rejoice , as you know we have done this last hour , and sate as quietly and as free from cares under this sycamore , as virgils tityrus and his melibaeus did under their broad beech tree : no life , my honest scholer , no life so happy and so pleasant as the anglers , unless it be the beggers life in summer ; for then only they take no care , but are as happy as we anglers . viat . indeed master , and so they be , as is witnessed by the beggers song , made long since by frank davison , a good poet , who was not a begger , though he were a good poet . pisc. can you sing it , scholer ? viat . sit down a little , good master , and i wil try . bright shines the sun , play , beggers , play ; here 's scraps enough to serve to day : what noise of viols is so sweet as when our merry clappers ring ? what mirth doth want when beggers meet ? a beggers life is for a king : eat , drink and play , sleep when we list , go where we will so stocks be mist . bright shines the sun ; play , beggers , &c. the world is ours , and ours alone , for we alone have world at will ; we purchase not , all is our own ; both fields and streets we beggers fill : play beggers play , play , beggers play , here 's scraps enough to serve to day . a hundred herds of black and white upon our gowns securely feed , and yet if any if any dare us bite , he dies therefore as sure as creed : thus beggers lord it as they please , and only beggers live at ease : bright shines the sun , play beggers play , here 's scraps enough to serve to day . pisc. i thank you good scholer , this song was well humor'd by the maker , and well remembred and sung by you ; and i pray forget not the k 〈…〉 tch which you promised to make against night for our country man honest coridon will expect your ketch and my song , which i must be forc'd to patch up , for it is so long since i learnt it , that i have forgot a part of it . but come , le ts stretch our legs a little in a gentle walk to the river , and try what 〈…〉 erest our angles wil pay us for lending them so long to be used by the trouts . viat . oh me , look you master , a fish , a fish . pisc. i marry sir , that was a good fish indeed ; if i had had the luck to have taken up that rod , 't is twenty to one he should not have broke my line by running to the rods end , as you suffered him ; i would have held him , unless he had been fellow to the great trout that is neer an ell long , which had his picture drawne , and now to be seen at mine hoste rickabies at the george in ware ; and it may be , by giving that trout the rod , that is , by casting it to him into the water , i might have caught him at the long run , for so i use alwaies to do when i meet with an over-grown fish , and you will learn to do so hereafter ; for i tell you , scholer , fishing is an art , or at least , it is an art to catch fish . viat . but , master , will this trout die , for it is like he has the hook in his belly ? pisc. i wil tel you , scholer , that unless the hook be fast in his very gorge , he wil live , and a little time with the help of the water , wil rust the hook , & it wil in time wear away as the gravel does in the horse hoof , which only leaves a false quarter . and now scholer , le ts go to my rod . look you scholer , i have a fish too , but it proves a loggerheaded chub ; and this is not much a miss , for this wil pleasure some poor body , as we go to our lodging to meet our brother peter and honest coridon - come , now bait your hook again , and lay it into the water , for it rains again , and we wil ev'n retire to the sycamore tree , and there i wil give you more directions concerning fishing ; for i would fain make you an artist . viat . yes , good master , i pray let it be so . chap. v. pisc. vvel , scholer , now we are sate downe and are at ease , i shall tel you a little more of trout fishing before i speak of the salmon , ( which i purpose shall be next ) and then of the pike . or luce you are to know , there is night as well as day-fishing for a trout , and that then the best are out of their holds ; and the manner of taking them is on the top of the water with a great lob or garden worm , or rather two ; which you are to fish for in a place where the water runs somewhat quietly ( for in a stream it wil not be so well discerned . ) i say , in a quiet or dead place neer to some swift , there draw your bait over the top of the water to and fro , and if there be a good trout in the hole , he wil take it , especially if the night be dark ; for then he lies boldly neer the top of the water , watching the motion of any frog or water-mouse , or rat betwixt him and the skie , which he hunts for if he sees the water but wrinkle or move in one of these dead holes , wher the great trouts usually lye neer to their hold . and you must fish for him with a strong line , and not a little hook , and let him have time to gorge your hook , for he does not usually forsake it , as he oft will in the day-fishing : and if the night be not dark , then fish so with an artificial fly of a light colour ; nay he will somtimes rise at a dead mouse or a piece of cloth ; or any thing that seemes to swim cross the water , or to be in motion : this is a choice way , but i have not oft used it because it is void of the pleasures that such dayes as these that we now injoy , afford an angler . and you are to know , that in hamp-shire , ( which i think exceeds all england for pleasant brooks , and store of trouts ) they use to catch trouts in the night by the light of a torch or straw , which when they have discovered , they strike with a trout spear ; this kind of way they catch many , but i would not believe it till i was an eye-witness of it , nor like it now i have seen it . viat . but master , do not trouts see us in the night ? pisc. yes , and hear , and smel too , both then and in the day time , for gesner observes , the otter smels a fish forty furlong off him in the water ; and that it may be true , is affirmed by sir francis bacon ( in the eighth century of his natural history ) who there proves , that waters may be the medium of sounds , by demonstrating it thus , that if you knock two stones together very deep under the water , those that stand on a bank neer to that place may hear the noise without any diminution of it by the water . he also offers the like experiment concerning the letting an anchor fall by a very long cable or rope on a rock , or the sand within the sea : and this being so well observed and demonstrated , as it is by that learned man , has made me to believe that eeles unbed themselves , and stir at the noise of the thunder , and not only as some think , by the motion or the stirring of the earth , which is occasioned by that thunder . and this reason of sir francis bacons has made me crave pardon of one that i laught at , for affirming that he knew carps come to a certain place in a pond to be fed at the ringing of a bel ; and it shall be a rule for me to make as little noise , as i can when i am a fishing , until sir francis bacon be confuted , which i shal give any man leave to do , and so leave off this philosophical discourse for a discourse of fishing . of which my next shall be to tell you , it is certain , that certain fields neer lemster , a town in herefordshire , are observed , that they make the sheep that graze upon them more fat then the next , and also to bear finer wool ; that is to say , that that year in which they feed in such a particular pasture , they shall yeeld finer wool then the yeer before they came to feed in it , and courser again if they shall return to their former pasture , and again return to a finer wool being fed in the fine wool ground . which i tell you , that you may the better believe that i am certain , if i catch a trout in one meadow , he shall be white and faint , and very like to be lowsie ; and as certainly if i catch a trout in the next meadow , he shal be strong , and red , and lusty , and much better meat : trust me ( scholer ) i have caught many a trout in a particular meadow , that the very shape and inamelled colour of him , has joyed me to look upon him , and i have with solomon concluded , every thing is beautifull in his season . it is now time to tell you next , ( according to promise ) some observations of the salmon ; but first , i wil tel you there is a fish , called by some an umber , and by some a greyling , a choice fish , esteemed by many to be equally good with the trout : it is a fish that is usually about eighteen inches long , he lives in such streams as the trout does ; and is indeed taken with the same bait as a trout is , for he will bite both at the minnow , the worm , and the fly , both natural and artificial : of this fish there be many in trent , and in the river that runs by salisbury , and in some other lesser brooks ; but he is not so general a fish as the trout , nor to me either so good to eat , or so pleasant to fish for as the trout is ; of which two fishes i will now take my leave , and come to my promised observations of the salmon , and a little advice for the catching him . chap. vi . the salmon is ever bred in the fresh rivers ( and in most rivers about the month of august ) and never grows big but in the sea ; and there to an incredible bigness in a very short time ; to which place they covet to swim , by the instinct of nature , about a set time : but if they be stopp'd by mills , floud-gates or weirs , or be by accident lost in the fresh water , when the others go ( which is usually by flocks or sholes ) then they thrive not . and the old salmon , both the melter and spawner , strive also to get into the sea before winter ; but being stopt that course , or lost ; gro v sick in fresh waters , and by degrees unseasonable , and kipper , that is , to have a bony gristle , to grow ( not unlike a hauks beak ) on one of his chaps , which hinders him from feeding , and then he pines and dies . but if he gets to sea , then that gristle wears away , or is cast off ( as the eagle is said to cast his bill ) and he recovers his strength , and comes next summer to the same river , ( if it be possible ) to enjoy the former pleasures that there possest him ; for ( as one has wittily observed ) he has ( like some persons of honour and riches , which have both their winter and summer houses ) the fresh rivers for summer , and the salt water for winter to spend his life in ; which is not ( as sir francis bacon hath observed ) above ten years : and it is to be observed , that though they grow big in the sea , yet they grow not fat but in fresh rivers ; and it is observed , that the farther they get from the sea , the better they be . and it is observed , that , to the end they may get far from the sea , either to spawne or to possess the pleasure that they then and there find , they will force themselves over the tops of weirs , or hedges , or stops in the water , by taking their tails into their mouthes , and leaping over those places , even to a height beyond common belief : and sometimes by forcing themselves against the streame through sluces and floud-gates , beyond common credit . and 't is observed by gesner , that there is none bigger then in england , nor none better then in thames . and for the salmons sudden growth , it has been observed by tying a ribon in the tail of some number of the young salmons , which have been taken in weires , as they swimm'd towards the salt water , and then by taking a part of them again with the same mark , at the same place , at their returne from the sea , which is usually about six months after ; and the like experiment hath been tried upon young swallows , who have after six months absence , been oserved to return to the same chimney , there to make their nests , and their habitations for the summer following ; which hath inclined many to think , that every salmon usually returns to the same river in which it was bred , as young pigeons taken out of the same dove-cote , have also been observed to do . and you are yet to observe further , that the he salmon susually bigger then the spawner , and that he is more kipper , & less able to endure a winter in the fresh water , then the she is ; yet she is at that time of looking less kipper and better , as watry and as bad meat . and yet you are to observe , that as there is no general rule without an exception , so there is some few rivers in this nation that have trouts and salmon in season in winter . but for the observations of that and many other things , i must in manners omit , because they wil prove too large for our narrow compass of time , and therefore i shall next fall upon my direction how to fish for the salmon . and for that , first , you shall observe , that usually he staies not long in a place ( as trouts wil ) but ( as i said ) covets still to go neerer the spring head ; and that he does not ( as the trout and many other fish ) lie neer the water side or bank , or roots of trees , but swims usually in the middle , and neer the ground ; and that there you are to fish for him , and that he is to be caught as the trout is , with a worm , a minnow , ( which some call a penke ) or with a fly . and you are to observe , that he is very , very seldom observed to bite at a minnow ( yet sometime he will ) and not oft at a fly , but more usually at a worm , and then most usually at a lob or garden worm , which should be wel scowred , that is to say , seven or eight dayes in moss before you fish with them ; and if you double your time of eight into sixteen , or more , into twenty or more days , it is still the better , for the worms will stil be clearer , tougher , and more lively , and continue so longer upon your hook . and now i shall tell you , that which may be called a secret : i have been a fishing with old oliver henly ( now with god ) a noted fisher , both for trout and salmon , and have observed that he would usually take three or four worms out of his bag and put them into a little box in his pocket , where he would usually let them continue half an hour or more , before he would bait his hook with them ; i have ask'd him his reason , and he has replied , he did but pick the best out to be in a readiness against he baited his hook the next time : but he has been observed both by others , and my self , to catch more fish then i or any other body that has ever gone a fishing with him , could do , especially s 〈…〉 s ; and i have been told lately by one of his most intimate and secret friends , that the box in which he put those worms was anointed with a drop , or two , or three of the oil of ivy-berries , made by expression or infusion , and that by the wormes remaining in that box an hour , or a like time , they had incorporated a kind of smel that was irresistibly attractive , enough to force any fish , within the smel of them , to bite . this i heard not long since from a friend , but have not tryed it ; yet i grant it probable , and refer my reader to sir francis bacons natural history , where he proves fishes may hear ; and i am certain gesner sayes , the otter can smell in the water , and know not but that fish may do so too : 't is left for a lover of angling , or any that desires to improve that art , to try this conclusion . i shall also impart another experiment ( but not tryed by my selfe ) which i wil deliver in the same words as it was by a friend , given me in writing . take the stinking oil drawn out of poly pody of the oak , by a retort mixt with turpentine , and hivehoney , and annoint your hait therewith , and it will doubtlesse draw the fish to it . but in these things i have no great faith , yet grant it probable , and have had from some chimical men ( namely , from sir george hastings and others ) an affirmation of them to be very advantageous : but no more of these , especially not in this place . i might here , before i take my leave of the salmon , tell you , that there is more then one sort of them , as namely , a tecon , and another called in some places a samlet , or by some , a skegger : but these ( and others which i forbear to name ) may be fish of another kind , and differ , as we know a herring and a pilcher do ; but must by me be left to the disquisitions of men of more leisure and of greater abilities , then i profess my self to have . and lastly , i am to borrow so much of your promised patience , as to tell you , that the trout or salmon , being in season , have at their first taking out of the water ( which continues during life ) their bodies adorned , the one with such red spots , and the other with black or blackish spots , which gives them such an addition of natural beautie , as i ( that yet am no enemy to it ) think was never given to any woman by the artificial paint or patches in which they so much pride themselves in this age . and so i shall leave them and proceed to some observations of the pike . chap. vii pisc. it is not to be doubted but that the luce , or pikrell , or pike breeds by spawning ; and yet gesner sayes , that some of them breed , where none ever was , out of a weed called pikrell-weed , and other glutinous matter , which with the help of the suns heat proves in some particular ponds ( apted by nature for it ) to become pikes . sir francis bacon observes the pike to be the longest lived of any fresh water fish , and yet that his life is not usually above fortie years ; and yet gesner mentions a pike taken in swedeland in the year , with a ring about his neck , declaring he was put into the pond by frederick the second , more then two hundred years before he was last taken , as the inscription of that ring , being greek , was interpreted by the then bishop of worms . but of this no more , but that it is observed that the old or very great pikes have in them more of state then goodness ; the smaller or middle siz'd pikes being by the most and choicest palates observed to be the best meat ; but contrary , the eele is observed to be the better for age and bigness . all pikes that live long prove chargeable to their keepers , because their life is maintained by the death of so many other fish , even those of his owne kind , which has made him by some writers to bee called the tyrant of the rivers , or the fresh water-wolf , by reason of his bold , greedy , devouring disposition ; which is so keen , as gesner relates , a man going to a pond ( where it seems a pike had devoured all the fish ) to water his mule , had a pike bit his mule by the lips , to which the pike hung so fast , that the mule drew him out of the water , and by that accident the owner of the mule got the pike ; i tell you who relates it , and shall with it tel you what a wise man has observed , it is a hard thing to perswade the belly , because it hath no ears . but if this relation of gesners bee dis-believed , it is too evident to bee doubted that a pike will devoure a fish of his own kind , that shall be bigger then this belly or throat will receive ; and swallow a part of him , and let the other part remaine in his mouth till the swallowed part be digested , and then swallow that other part that was in his mouth , and so put it over by degrees . and it is observed , that the pike will eat venemous things ( as some kind of frogs are ) and yet live without being harmed by them : for , as some say , he has in him a natural balsome or antidote against all poison : and others , that he never eats a venemous frog till he hath first killed her , and then ( as ducks are observed to do to frogs in spawning time , at which time some frogs are observed to be venemous ) so throughly washt her , by tumbling her up and down in the water , that he may devour her without danger . and gesner affirms , that a polonian gentleman did faithfully assure him , he had seen two young geese at one time in the belly of a pike : and hee observes , that in spain there is no pikes , and that the biggest are in the lake thracimane in italy , and the next , if not equal to them , are the pikes of england . the pike is also observed to be a melancholly , and a bold fish ; melancholly , because he alwaies swims or rests himselfe alone , and never swims in sholes , or with company , as roach , and dace , and most other fish do : and bold , because he fears not a shadow , or to see or be seen of any body , as the trout and chub , and all other fish do . and it is observed by gesner , that the bones , and hearts , & gals of pikes are very medicinable for several diseases , as to stop bloud , to abate fevers , to cure agues , to oppose or expel the infection of the plague , and to be many wayes medicinable and useful for the good of mankind ; but that the biting of a pike is venemous and hard to be cured . and it is observed ; that the pike is a fish that breeds but once a year , and that other fish ( as namely loaches ) do breed oftner ; as we are certaine . pigeons do almost every month , and yet the hawk , a bird of prey ( as the pike is of fish ) breeds but once in twelve months : and you are to note , that his time of breeding or spawning is usually about the end of february ; or somewhat later , in march , as the weather proves colder or warmer : and to note , that his manner of breeding is thus , a he and a she pike will usually go together out of a river into some ditch or creek , and that there the spawner casts her eggs , and the melter hovers over her all that time that she is casting her spawn , but touches her not . i might say more of this , but it might be thought curiosity or worse , and shall therefore forbear it , and take up so much of your attention as to tell you , that the best of pikes are noted to be in rivers , then those in great ponds or meres , and the worst in smal ponds . his feeding is usually fish or frogs , and sometime a weed of his owne , called pikrel-weed , of which i told you some think some pikes are bred ; for they have observed , that where no pikes have been put into a pond , yet that there they have been found , and that there has been plenty of that weed in that pond , and that that weed both breeds and feeds them ; but whether those pikes so bred will ever breed by generation as the others do , i shall leave to the disquisitions of men of more curiosity and leisure then i profess my self to have ; and shall proceed to tell you , that you may fish for a pike , either with a ledger , or a walking bait ; and you are to note , that i call that a ledger which is fix'd , or made to rest in one certaine place when you shall be absent ; and that i call that a walking bait , which you take with you , and have ever in motion . concerning which two , i shall give you this direction , that your ledger bait is best to be a living bait , whether it be a fish or a frog ; and that you may make them live the longer , you may , or indeed you must take this course : first , for your live bait of fi 〈…〉 h , a roch or dace is ( i think ) best and most tempting and a pearch the longest liv'd on a hook ; you must take your knife , ( which cannot be too sharp ) and betwixt the head and the fin on his back , cut or make an insition , or such a scar as you may put the arming wyer of your hook into it , with as little bruising or hurting the fish as art and diligence will enable you to do , and so carrying your arming wyer along his back , unto , or neer the tail of your fish , betwixt the skin and the body of it , draw out that wyer or arming of your hook at another scar neer to his tail ; then tye him about it with thred ; but no harder then of necessitie you must to prevent hurting the fish ; and the better to avoid hurting the fish , some have a kind of probe to open the way ; for the more easie entrance and passage of your wyer or arming : but as for these , time and a little experience will teach you better than i can by words ; for of this i will for the present say no more , but come next to give you some directions how to bait your hook with a frog . viat . but , good master , did not you say even now , that some frogs were venomous , and is it not dangerous to touch them ? pisc. yes , but i wil give you some rules or cautions concerning them . and first , you are to note , there is two kinds of frogs ; that is to say , ( if i may so express my self ) a flesh and a fish-frog : by flesh frogs , i mean , frogs that breed and live on the land ; and of these there be several sorts and colours , some being peckled , some greenish , some blackish , or brown : the green frog , which is a smal one , is by topsell taken to be venomous ; and so is the padock , or frog-padock , which usually keeps or breeds on the land , and is very large and bony , and big , especially the she frog of that kind ; yet these will sometime come into the water , but it is not often ; and the land frogs are some of them observed by him , to breed by laying eggs , and others to breed of the slime and dust of the earth , and that in winter they turn to slime again , and that the next summer that very slime returns to be a living creature ; this is the opinion of pliny : and * cardanas undertakes to give reason for the raining of frogs ; but if it were in my power , it should rain none but water frogs , for those i think are not venemous , especially the right water frog , which about february or march breeds in ditches by slime and blackish eggs in that slime , about which time of breeding the he and she frog are observed to use divers simber salts , and to croke and make a noise , which the land frog , or padock frog never does . now of these water frogs , you are to chuse the yellowest that you can get , for that the pike ever likes best , and thus use your frog , that he may continue long alive : put your hook into his mouth , which you may easily do from about the middle of april till august , and then the frogs mouth grows up and he continues so for at least six months without eating , but is sustained , none , but he whose name is wonderful , knows how . i say , put your hook , i mean the arming wire , through his mouth and out at his gills , and then with a fine needle and silk sow the upper part of his leg with only one stitch to the armed wire of your hook , or tie the frogs leg above the upper joint to the armed wire , and in so doing use him as though you loved him , that is , harme him as little as you may possibly , that he may live the longer . and now , having given you this direction for the baiting your ledger hook with a live fish or frog , my next must be to tell you , how your hook thus baited must or may be used ; and it is thus : having fastned your hook to a line , which if it be not fourteen yards long , should not be less than twelve ; you are to fasten that line to any bow neer to a hole where a pike is , or is likely to lye , or to have a haunt ; and then wind your line on any forked stick , all your line , except a half yard of it , or rather more , and split that forked stick with such a nick or notch at one end of it , as may keep the line from any more of it ravelling from about the stick , then so much of it as you intended ; and chuse your forked stick to be of that bigness as may keep the fish or frog from pulling the forked stick under the water till the pike bites , and then the pike having pulled the line forth of the clift or nick in which it was gently fastned , will have line enough to go to his hold and powch the bait : and if you would have this ledger bait to keep at a fixt place , undisturbed by wind or other accidents , which may drive it to the shoare side ( for you are to note , that it is likeliest to catch a pike in the midst of the water ) then hang a small plummet of lead , a stone , or piece of tyle , or a turfe in a string , and cast it into the water , with the forked stick to hang upon the ground , to be as an anchor to keep the forked stick from moving out of your intended place till the pike come . this i take to be a very good way , to use so many ledger baits as you intend to make tryal of . or if you bait your hooks thus , with live fish or frogs , and in a windy day , fasten them thus to a bow or bundle of straw , and by the help of that wind can get them to move cross a pond or mere , you are like to stand still on the shoar and see sport , if there be any store of pikes ; or these live baits may make sport , being tied about the body or wings of a goose or duck , and she chased over a pond : and the like may be done with turning three or four live baits thus fastned to bladders , or boughs , or bottles of hay , or flags , to swim down a river , whilst you walk quietly on the shore along with them , and are still in expectation of sport . the rest must be taught you by practice , for time will not alow me to say more of this kind of fishing with live baits . and for your dead bait for a pike , for that you may be taught by one dayes going a fishing with me or any other body that fishes for him , for the baiting your hook with a dead gudgion or a roch , and moving it up and down the water , is too easie a thing to take up any time to direct you to do it ; and yet , because i cut you short in that , i will commute for it , by telling you that that was told me for a secret : it is this : dissolve gum of ivie in oyle of spike , and therewith annoint your dead bait for a pike , and then cast it into a likely place , and when it has layen a short time at the bottom , draw it towards the top of the water , and so up the stream , and it is more then likely that you have a pike follow you with more then common eagerness . this has not been tryed by me , but told me by a friend of note , that pretended to do me a courtesie : but if this direction to catch a pike thus do you no good , i am certaine this direction how to roste him when he is caught , is choicely good , for i have tryed it , and it is somewhat the better for not being common ; but with my direction you must take thiscaution , that your pike must not be a smal one . first open your pike at the gills , and if need be , cut also a little slit towards his belly ; out of these , take his guts , and keep his liver , which you are to shred very small with : time , sweet margerom , and a little winter-savoury ; to these put some pickled oysters , and some anchovis , both these last whole for the anchovis will melt , and the oysters should not . ) to these you must add also a pound of sweet butter , which you are to mix with the herbs that are shred , and let them all be well salted ( if the pike be more then a yard long , then you may put into these herbs more then a pound , or if he be less , then less butter will suffice : ) these being thus mixt , with a blade or two of mace , must be put into the pike's belly , and then his belly so sowed up ; then you are to thrust the spit through his mouth out at his tail ; and then with four , or five , or six split sticks or very thin laths , and a convenient quantitie of tape or filiting , these laths are to be tyed round about the pike's body , from his head to his tail , and the tape tied somewhat thick to prevent his breaking or falling off from the spit ; let him be roasted very leisurely , and often basted with claret wine , and anchovis , and butter mixt together ; and also with what moisture falls from him into the pan : when you have rosted him sufficiently , you are to hold under him ( when you unwind or cut the tape that ties him ) such a dish as you purpose to eat him out of , and let him fall into it with the sawce that is rosted in his belly ; and by this means the pike will be kept unbroken and complete ; then to the sawce , which was within him , and also in the pan , you are to add a fit quantity of the best butter , and to squeeze the juice of three or four oranges : lastly , you may either put into the pike with the oysters ; two cloves of garlick , and take it whole out when the pike is cut off the spit , or to give the sawce a hogoe , let the dish ( into which you let the pike fall ) be rubed with it ; the using or not using of this garlick is left to your discretion . this dish of meat is too good for any but anglers or honest men ; and , i trust , you wil prove both , and therefore i have trusted you with this secret . and now i shall proceed to give you some observations concerning the carp . chap. viii . pisc. the carp is a stately , a good , and a subtle fish , a fish that hath not ( as it is said ) been long in england , but said to be by one mr. mascall ( a gentleman then living at plumsted in sussex ) brought into this nation : and for the better confirmation of this , you are to remember i told you that gesner sayes , there is not a pike in spain , and that except the eele , which lives longest out of the water , there is none that will endure more hardness , or live longer then a carp will out of it , and so the report of his being brought out of a forrain nation into this , is the more probable . carps and loches are observed to breed several months in one year , which most other fish do not , and it is the rather believed , because you shall scarce or never take a male carp without a melt , or a female without a roe or spawn ; and for the most part very much , and especially all the summer season ; and it is observed , that they breed more naturally in ponds then in running waters , and that those that live in rivers are taken by men of the best palates to be much the better meat . and it is observed , that in some ponds carps will not breed , especially in cold ponds ; but where they will breed , they breed innumerably , if there be no pikes nor pearch to devour their spawn , when it is cast upon grass , or flags , or weeds , where it lies ten or twelve dayes before it be enlivened . the carp , if he have water room and good feed , will grow to a very great bigness and length : i have heard , to above a yard long ; though i never saw one above thirty three inches , which was a very great and goodly fish . now as the increase of carps is wonderful for their number ; so there is not a reason found out , i think , by any , why the should breed in some ponds , and not in others of the same nature , for soil and all other circumstances ; and as their breeding , so are their decayes also very mysterious ; i have both read it , and been told by a gentleman of tryed honestie , that he has knowne sixtie or more large carps put into several ponds neer to a house , where by reason of the stakes in the ponds , and the owners constant being neer to them , it was impossible they should be stole away from him , and that when he has after three or four years emptied the pond , and expected an increase from them by breeding young ones ( for that they might do so , he had , as the rule is , put in three melters for one spawner ) he has , i say , after three or four years found neither a young nor old carp remaining : and the like i have known of one that has almost watched his pond , and at a like distance of time at the fishing of a pond , found of seventy or eighty large carps , not above five or six : and that he had forborn longer to fish the said pond , but that he saw in a hot day in summer , a large carp swim neer to the top of the water with a frog upon his head , and that he upon that occasion caused his pond to be let dry : and i say , of seventie or eighty carps , only found five or six in the said pond , and those very sick and lean , and with every one a frog sticking so fast on the head of the said carps , that the frog would not bee got off without extreme force or killing , and the gentleman that did affirm this to me , told me he saw it , and did declare his belief to be ( and i also believe the same ) that he thought the other carps that were so strangely lost , were so killed by frogs , and then devoured . but i am faln into this discourse by accident , of which i might say more , but it has proved longer then i intended , and possibly may not to you be considerable ; i shall therefore give you three or four more short observations of the carp , and then fall upon some directions how you shall fish for him . the age of carps is by s. francis bacon ( in his history of life and death ) observed to be but ten years ; yet others think they live longer : but most conclude , that ( contrary to the pike or luce ) all carps are the better for age and bigness ; the tongues of carps are noted to be choice and costly meat , especially to them that buy them ; but gesner sayes , carps have no tongues like other fish , but a piece of flesh-like-fish in their mouth like to a tongue , and may be so called , but it is certain it is choicely good , and that the carp is to be reckoned amongst those leather mouthed fish , which i told you have their teeth in their throat , and for that reason he is very seldome lost by breaking his hold , if your hook bee once stuck into his chaps . i told you , that sir francis bacon thinks that the carp lives but ten years ; but janus dubravius ( a germane as i think ) has writ a book in latine of fish and fish ponds , in which he sayes , that carps begin to spawn at the age of three yeers , and continue to do so till thirty ; he sayes also , that in the time of their breeding , which is in summer when the sun hath warmed both the earth and water , and so apted them also for generation , that then three or four male carps will follow a female , and that then she putting on a seeming coyness , they force her through weeds and flags , where she lets fall her eggs or spawn , which sticks fast to the weeds , and then they let fall their melt upon it , and so it becomes in a short time to be a living fish ; and , as i told you , it is thought the carp does this several months in the yeer , and most believe that most fish breed after this manner , except the eeles and it is thought that all carps are not bred by generation , but that some breed otherwayes , as some pikes do . and my first direction is , that if you will fish for a carp , you must put on a very large measure of patience , especially to fish for a river carp : i have knowne a very good fisher angle diligently four or six hours in a day , for three or four dayes together for a river carp , and not have a bite : and you are to note , that in some ponds it is as hard to catch a carp as in a river ; that is to say , where they have store of feed , & the water is of a clayish colour ; but you are to remember , that i have told you there is no rule without an exception , and therefore being possest with that hope and patience which i wish to all fishers , especially to the carpangler , i shall tell you with what bait to fish for him ; but that must be either early or ate , and let me tell you , that in hot weather ( for he will seldome bite in cold ) you cannot bee too early or too late at it . the carp bites either at wormes or at paste ; and of worms i - think the blewish marsh or meadow worm is best ; but possibly another worm not too big may do as well , and so may a gentle ; and as for pastes , there are almost as many sorts as there are medicines for the tooth-ach , but doubtless sweet pastes are best ; i mean , pastes mixt with honey , or with sugar ; which , that you may the better beguile this crafty fish , should be thrown into the pond or place in which you fish for him some hours before you undertake your tryal of skil by the angle-rod : and doubtless , if it be thrown into the water a day or two before , at several times , and in smal pellets , you are the likelier when you fish for the carp , to obtain your desired sport : or in a large pond , to draw them to any certain place , that they may the better and with more hope be fished for ; you are to throw into it , in some certaine place , either grains , or bloud mixt with cow-dung , or with bran ; or any garbage , as chickens guts or the like , and then some of your smal sweet pellets , with which you purpose to angle ; these smal pellets , being few of them thrown in as you are angling . and your paste must bee thus made : take the flesh of a rabet or cat cut smal , and bean-flower , or ( if not easily got then ) other flowre , and then mix these together , and put to them either sugar , or honey , which i think better , and then beat these together in a mortar ; or sometimes work them in your hands , ( your hands being very clean ) and then make it into a ball , or two , or three , as you like best for your use : but you must work or pound it so long in the mortar , as to make it so tough as to hang upon your hook without washing from it , yet not too hard ; or that you may the better keep it on your hook , you may kneade with your paste a little ( and not much ) white or yellowish wool . and if you would have this paste keep all the year for any other fish , then mix with it virgins-wax and clarified honey , and work them together with your hands before the fire ; then make these into balls , and it will keep all the yeer . chap. ix . pisc. the bream being at a fuli growth , is a large and stately fish , he will breed both in rivers and ponds , but loves best to live in ponds , where , if he likes the aire , he will grow not only to be very large , but as fat as a hog , he is by gesner taken to be more pleasant or sweet then wholesome ; this fish is long in growing , but breeds exceedingly in a water that pleases him , yea , in many ponds so fast , as to over store them , and starve the other fish . the baits good for to catch the bream are many ; as namely , young wasps , and a paste made of brown bread and honey , or gentels , or especially a worm , a worm that is not much unlike a magot , which you will find at the roots of docks , or of flags , or of rushes that grow in the water , or watry places , and a grashopper having his legs nip'd off , or a flye that is in june and july to be found amongst the green reed , growing by the water side , those are said to bee excellent baits . i doubt not but there be many others that both the bream and the carp also would bite at ; but these time and experience will teach you how to find out : and so having according to my promise given you these short observations concerning the bream , i shall also give you some observations concerning the tench , and those also very briefly . the tench is observed to love to live in ponds ; but if he be in a river , then in the still places of the river , he is observed to be a physician to other fishes , and is so called by many that have been searchers into the nature of fish ; and it is said , that a pike will neither devour nor hurt him , because the pike being sick or hurt by any accident , is cured by touching the tench , and the tench does the like to other fishes , either by touching them , or by being in their company . he will bite at a paste made of brown bread and honey , or at a marsh-worm , or a lob-worm ; he will bite also at a smaller worm , with his head nip'd off , and a cod-worm put on the hook before the worm ; and i doubt not but that he will also in the three hot months ( for in the nine colder he stirs not much ) bite at a flag-worm , or at a green gentle , but can positively say no more of the tench , he being a fish that i have not often angled for ; but i wish my honest scholer may , and be ever fortunate when hee fishes . viat . i thank you good master : but i pray sir , since you see it still rains may butter , give me some observations and directions concerning the pearch , for they say he is both a very good and a bold biting fish , and i would fain learne to fish for him . pisc. you say true , scholer , the pearch is a very good , and a very bold biting fish , he is one of the fishes of prey , that , like the pike and trout , carries his teeth in his mouth , not in his throat , and dare venture to kill and devour another fish ; this fish , and the pike are ( sayes gesner ) the best of fresh water fish ; he spawns but once a year , and is by physicians held very nutritive ; yet by many to be hard of digestion : they abound more in the river poe , and in england , ( sayes randelitius ) then other parts , and have in their brain a stone , which is in forrain parts sold by apothecaries , being there noted to be very medicinable against the stone in the reins : these be a part of the commendations which some philosophycal brain have bestowed upon the fresh-water pearch , yet they commend the sea pearch , which is known by having but one fin on his back , ( of which they say , we english see but a few ) to be a much better fish . the pearch grows slowly , yet will grow , as i have been credibly informed , to be almost two foot long ; for my informer told me , such a one was not long since taken by sir abraham williams , a gentleman of worth , and a lover of angling , that yet lives , and i wish he may : this was a deep bodied fish ; and doubtless durst have devoured a pike of half his own length ; for i have told you , he is a bold fish , such a one , as but for extreme hunger , the pike will not devour ; for to affright the pike , the pearch will set up his fins , much like as a turkie-cock wil sometimes set up his tail . but , my scholer , the pearch is not only valiant to defend himself , but he is ( as you said ) a bold biting fish , yet he he will not bite at all seasons of the yeer ; he is very abstemious in winter ; and hath been observed by some , not usually to bite till the mulberry tree buds , that is to say , till extreme frosts be past for that spring ; for when the mulberry tree blossomes , many gardners observe their forward fruit to be past the danger of frosts , and some have made the like observation of the pearches biting . viat . nay , good master , one fish more , for you see it rains still , and you know our angles are like money put to usury ; they may thrive though we sit still and do nothing , but talk & enjoy one another . come , come the other fish , good master . pisc. but scholer , have you nothing to mix with this discourse , which now grows both tedious and tiresome ? shall i have nothing from you that seems to have both a good memorie , and a chearful spirit ? viat . yes , master , i will speak you a coppie of verses that were made by doctor donne , and made to shew the world that hee could make soft and smooth verses , when he thought them fit and worth his labour ; and i love them the better , because they allude to rivers , and fish , and fishing . they bee these : come live with me , and be my love , and we will some new pleasures prove , of golden sands , and christal brooks , with silken lines and silver hooks . there will the river wispering run , warm'd by thy eyes more then the sun ; and there th' inamel'd fish wil stay , begging themselves they may betray . when thou wilt swim in that live bath , each fish , which every channel hath most amorously to thee will swim , gladder to catch thee , then thou him . if thou , to be so seen , beest loath by sun or moon , thou darknest both ; and , if mine eyes have leave to see , i need not their light , having thee . let others freeze with angling reeds , and cut their legs with shels & weeds , or treacherously poor fish beset , with strangling snares , or windowy net . let coarse bold hands , from slimy nest , the bedded fish in banks outwrest , let curious traitors sleave silk flies , to ' witch poor wandring fishes eyes . for thee , thou needst no such deceit , for thou thy self art thine own bait ; that fish that is not catch'd thereby , is wiser far , alas , then i. pisc. well remembred , honest scholer , i thank you for these choice verses , which i have heard formerly , but had quite forgot , till they were recovered by your happie memorie . well , being i have now rested my self a little , i will make you some requital , by telling you some observations of the eele , for it rains still , and ( as you say ) our angles are as money put to use , that thrive when we play . chap. x. it is agreed by most men , that the eele is both a good and a most daintie fish ; but most men differ about his breeding ; some say , they breed by generation as other fish do ; and others , that they breed ( as some worms do ) out of the putrifaction of the earth , and divers other waies ; those that denie them to breed by generation , as other fish do , ask , if any man ever saw an eel to have spawn or melt ? and they are answered , that they may be as certain of their breeding , as if they had seen spawn ; for they say , that they are certain that eeles have all parts fit for generation , like other fish , but so smal as not to be easily discerned , by reason of their fatness ; but that discerned they may be ; and that the hee and the she eele may be distinguished by their fins . and others say , that eeles growing old , breed other eeles out of the corruption of their own age , which sir francis bacon sayes , exceeds not ten years . and others say , that eeles are bred of a particular dew falling in the months of may or june on the banks of some particular ponds or rivers ( apted by nature for that end ) which in a few dayes is by the suns heat turned into eeles . i have seen in the beginning of july , in a river not far from canterbury , some parts of it covered over with young eeles about the thickness of a straw ; and these eeles did lye on the top of that water , as thick as motes are said to be in the sun ; and i have heard the like of other rivers , as namely , in severn , and in a pond or mere in stafford-shire , where about a set time in summer , such small eeles abound so much , that many of the poorer sort of people , that inhabit near to it , take such eeles out of this mere , with sieves or sheets , and make a kind of eele-cake of them , and eat it like as bread . and gesner quotes venerable bede to say , that in england there is an iland called ely , by reason of the innumerable number of eeles that breed in it . but that eeles may be bred as some worms and some kind of bees and wasps are , either of dew , or out of the corruption of the earth , seems to be made probable by the barnacles and young goslings bred by the suns heat and the rotten planks of an old ship , and hatched of trees , both which are related for truths by dubartas , and our learned cambden , and laborious gerrard in his herball . it is said by randelitius , that those eeles that are bred in rivers , that relate to , or be neer to the sea , never return to the fresh waters ( as the salmon does alwaies desire to do ) when they have once tasted the salt water ; and i do the more easily believe this , because i am certain that powdered bief is a most excellent bait to catch an eele : and sr. francis bacon will allow the eeles life to be but ten years ; yet he in his history of life and death , mentions a lamprey , belonging to the roman emperor , to be made tame , and so kept for almost threescore yeers ; and that such useful and pleasant observations were made of this lamprey , that crassus the oratour ( who kept her ) lamented her death . it is granted by all , or most men , that eeles , for about six months ( that is to say , the six cold months of the yeer ) stir not up and down , neither in the rivers nor the pools in which they are , but get into the soft earth or mud , and there many of them together bed themselves , and live without feeding upon any thing ( as i have told you some swallows have been observed to do in hollow trees for those six cold months ) ; and this the eele and swallow do , as not being able to endure winter weather ; for gesner quotes albertus to say , that in the yeer ( that years winter being more cold then usual ) eeles did by natures instinct get out of the water into a stack of hay in a meadow upon dry ground , and there bedded themselves , but yet at last died there . i shall say no more of the eele , but that , as it is observed , he is impatient of cold , so it has been observed , that in warm weather an eele has been known to live five days out of the water . and lastly , let me tell you , that some curious searchers into the natures of fish , observe that there be several sorts or kinds of eeles , as the silver-eele , and green or greenish eel ( with which the river of thames abounds , and are called gregs ) ; and a blackish eele , whose head is more flat and bigger then ordinary eeles ; and also an eele whose fins are redish , and but seldome taken in this nation ( and yet taken sometimes ) : these several kinds of eeles , are ( say some ) diversly bred ; as namely , out of the corruption of the earth , and by dew , and other wayes ( as i have said to you : ) and yet it is affirmed by some , that for a certain , the silvereele breeds by generation , but not by spawning as other fish do , but that her brood come alive from her no bigger nor longer then a pin , and i have had too many testimonies of this to doubt the truth of it . and this eele of which i have said so much to you , may be caught with divers kinds of baits ; as namely , with powdered bief , with a lob or garden-worm , with a minnow , or gut of a hen , chicken , or with almost any thing , for he is a greedy fish : but the eele seldome stirs in the day , but then hides himselfe , and therefore he is usually caught by night , with one of these baits of which i have spoken , and then caught by laying hooks , which you are to fasten to the bank , or twigs of a tree ; or by throwing a string cross the stream , with many hooks at it , and baited with the foresaid baits , and a clod or plummer , or stone , thrown into the river with this line , that so you may in the morning find it neer to some fixt place , and then take it up with a drag-hook or otherwise : but these things are indeed too common to be spoken of ; and an hours fishing with any angler will teach you better , both for these , and many other common things in the practical part of angling , then a weeks discourse . i shall therefore conclude this direction for taking the eele , by telling you , that in a warm day in summer , i have taken many a good eele by snigling , and have been much pleased with that sport . and because you that are but a young angler , know not what snigling is , i wil now teach it to you : you remember i told you that eeles do not usually stir in the day time , for then they hide themselvs under some covert , or under boards , or planks about floud-gates , or weirs , ormils , or in holes in the river banks ; and you observing your time in a warm day , when the water is lowest , may take a hook tied to a strong line , or to a string about a yard long , and then into one of these holes , or between any boards about a mill , or under any great stone or plank , or any place where you think an eele may hide or shelter her selfe , there with the help of a short stick put in your bait , but leisurely , and as far as you may conveniently ; and it is scarce to be doubted , but that if there be an eel within the sight of it , the eele will bite instantly , and as certainly gorge it ; and you need not doubt to have him , if you pull him not our of the hole too quickly , but pull him out by degrees , for he lying folded double in his hole , will , with the help of his taile , break all , unless you give him time to be wearied with pulling , and so get him out by degrees ; not pulling too hard . and thus much for this present time concerning the eele : i will next tel you a little of the barbell , and hope with a little discourse of him , to have an end of this showr , and fal to fishing , for the weather clears up a little . chap. xi . pisc. the barbell , is so called ( sayes gesner ) from or by reason of his beard , or wattels at his mouth , his mouth being under his nose or chaps , and he is one of the leather mouthed fish that has his teeth in his throat , he loves to live in very swift streams , and where it is gravelly , and in the gravel will root or dig with his nose like a hog , and there nest himself , taking so fast hold of any weeds or moss that grows on stones , or on piles about weirs , or floud-gates , or bridges , that the water is not able , be it never so swift , to force him from the place which he seems to contend for : this is his constant custome in summer , when both he , and most living creatures joy and sport themselves in the sun ; but at the approach of winter , then he forsakes the swift streams and shallow waters , and by degrees retires to those parts of the river that are quiet and deeper ; in which places , ( and i think about that time ) he spawns ; and as i have formerly told you , with the help of the melter , hides his spawn or eggs in holes , which they both dig in the gravel , and then they mutually labour to cover it with the same sand to prevent it from being devoured by other fish . there be such store of this fish in the river danubie , that randeitius sayes , they may in some places of it , and in some months of the yeer , be taken by those that dwel neer to the river , with their hands , eight or ten load at a time ; he sayes , they begin to be good in may , and that they cease to be so in august ; but it is f●und to be otherwise in this nation : but thus far we agree with him , that the spawne of a barbell is , if be not poison , as he sayes , yet that it is dangerous meat , and especially in the month of may ; and gesner declares , it had an ill effect upon him , to the indangering of his life . the barbell is also curious for his baits , that is to say , that they be clean and sweet ; that is to say , to have your worms well scowred , and not kept in sowre or mustie moss ; for at a well scowred lob-worm , he will bite as boldly as at any bait , especially , if the night or two before you fish for him , you shall bait the places where you intend to fish for him with big worms cut into pieces : and gentles ( not being too much scowred , but green ) are a choice bait for him , and so is cheese , which is not to be too hard , but kept a day or two in a wet linnen cloth to make it tough ; with this you may also bait the water a day or two before you fish for the barbel , and be much the likelier to catch store ; and if the cheese were laid in clarified honey a short time before ( as namely , an hour or two ) you were still the likelier to catch fish ; some have directed to cut the cheese into thin pieces , and toste it , and then tye it on the hook with fine silk : and some advise to fish for the barbell with sheeps tallow and soft cheese beaten or work'd into a paste , and that it is choicely good in august , and i believe it : but doubtless the lob-worm well scoured , and the gentle not too much scowred , and cheese ordered as i have directed , are baits enough , and i think wil 〈…〉 erve in any month ; though i shall commend any angler that tryes conclusions , and is industrious to improve the art . and now , my honest scholer , the long showre , and my tedious discourse are both ended together ; and i shall give you but this observation , that when you fish for a barbell , your rod and line be both long , and of good strength , for you will find him a heavy and a doged fish to be dealt withal , yet he seldom or never breaks his hold if he be once strucken . and now le ts go and see what interest the trouts will pay us for letting our angle-rods lye so long and so quietly in the water . come , scholer ; which will you take up ? viat . which you think fit , master . pisc. why , you shall take up that ; for i am certain by viewing the line , it has a fish at it . look you , scholer , well done . come now , take up the other too ; well , now you may tell my brother peter at night , that you have caught a lease of trouts this day . and now le ts move toward our lodging , and drink a draught of red-cows milk , as we go , and give pretty maudlin and her mother a brace of trouts for their supper . viat . master , i like your motion very well , and i think it is now about milking time , and yonder they be at it . pisc. god speed you good woman , i thank you both for our songs last night ; i and my companion had such fortune a fishing this day , that we resolve to give you and maudlin a brace of trouts for supper , and we will now taste a draught of your red cows milk . milkw . marry , and that you shal with all my heart , and i will be still your debtor : when you come next this way , if you will but speak the word , i will make you a good sillabuh , and then you may sit down in a hay cock and eat it , and maudlin shal sit by and sing you the good old song of the hunting in chevy chase , or some other good ballad , for she hath good store of them : maudlin hath a notable memory . viat . we thank you , and intend once in a month to call upon you again , and give you a little warning , and so good night ; good night maudlin . and now , good master , le ts lose no time , but tell me somewhat more of fishing ; and if you please , first something of fishing for a gudgion . pisc. i will , honest scholer . the gudgion is an excellent fish to eat , and good also to enter a young angler ; he is easie to bee taken with a smal red worm at the ground and is one of those leather mouthed fish that has his teeth in his throat , and will hardly be lost off from the hook if he be once strucken : they be usually scattered up and down every river in the shallows , in the heat of summer ; but in autome , when the weeds begin to grow sowre or rot , and the weather colder , then they gather together , and get into the deeper parts of the water , and are to be fish'd for there , with your hook alwaies touching the ground , if you fish for him with a flote or with a cork ; but many will fish for the gudgion by hand , with a running line upon the ground without a cork as a trout is fished for , and it is an excellent way . there is also another fish called a pope , and by some a ruffe , a fish that is not known to be in some rivers ; it is much like the pearch for his shape , but will not grow to be bigger then a gudgion ; he is an excellent fish , no fish that swims is of a pleasanter taste ; and he is also excellent to enter a young angler , for he is a greedy biter , and they will usually lye abundance of them together in one reserved place where the water is deep , and runs quietly , and an easie angler , if he has found where they lye , may catch fortie or fiftie , or sometimes twice so many at a standing . there is also a bleak , a fish that is ever in motion , and therefore called by some the river swallow ; for just as you shall observe the swallow to be most evenings in summer ever in motion , making short and quick turns when he flies to catch flies in the aire , by which he lives , so does the bleak at the top of the water ; and this fish is best caught with a fine smal artificial fly , which is to be of a brown colour , and very smal , and the hook answerable : there is no better sport then whiping for bleaks in a boat in a summers evening , with a hazle top about five or six foot long , and a line twice the length of the rod . i have heard sir henry wotton say , that there be many that in italy will catch swallows so , or especially martines ( the bird-angler standing on the top of a steeple to do it , and with a line twice so long , as i have spoke of ) and let me tell you , scholer , that both martins and blekes be most excellent meat . i might now tell you how to catch roch and dace , and some other fish of little note , that i have not yet spoke of ; but you see we are almost at our lodging , and indeed if we were not , i would omit to give you any directions concerning them , or how to fish for them , not but that they be both good fish ( being in season ) and especially to some palates , and they also make the angler good sport ( and you know the hunter sayes , there is more sport in hunting the hare , then in eating of her ) but i will forbear to give you any direction concerning them , because you may go a few dayes and take the pleasure of the fresh aire , and bear any common angler company that fishes for them , and by that means learn more then any direction i can give you in words , can make you capable of ; and i will therefore end my discourse , for yonder comes our brother peter and honest coridon , but i will promise you that as you and i fish , and walk to morrow towards london , if i have now forgotten any thing , that i can then remember , i will not keep it from you . well met , gentlemen , this is luckie that we meet so just together at this very door . come hostis , where are you ? is supper ready ? come , first give us drink , and be as quick as you can , for i believe wee are all very hungry . wel , brother peter and coridon to you both ; come drink , and tell me what luck of fish : we two have caught but ten trouts , of which my scholer caught three ; look here 's eight , and a brace we gave away : we have had a most pleasant day for fishing , and talking , and now returned home both weary and hungry , and now meat and rest will be pleasant . pet. and coridon and i have not had an unpleasant day , and yet i have caught but five trouts ; for indeed we went to a good honest ale-house , and there we plaid at shovelboard half the day ; all the time that it rained we were there , and as merry as they that fish'd , and i am glad we are now with a dry house over our heads , for heark how it rains and blows . come hostis , give us more ale , and our supper with what haste you may , and when we have sup'd , le ts have your song , piscator , and the ketch that your scholer promised us , or else coridon wil be doged . pisc. nay , i will not be worse then my word , you shall not want my song , and i hope i shall be perfect in it . viat . and i hope the like for my ketch , which i have ready too , and therefore le ts go merrily to supper , and then have a gentle touch at singing and drinking ; but the last with moderation . cor. come , now for your song , for we have fed heartily . come hostis , give us a little more drink , and lay a few more sticks on the fire , and now sing when you will . pisc. well then , here 's to you coridon ; and now for my song . oh the brave fishers life , it is the best of any , 't is full of pleasure , void of strife , and 't is belov'd of many : other joyes are but toyes , only this lawful is , for our skil breeds no ill , but content and pleasure . in a morning up we rise ere aurora's peeping , drink a cup to wash our eyes , leave the sluggard sleeping ; then we go too and fro , with our knacks at our backs , to such streams as the thames if we have the leisure . when we please to walk abroad for our recreation , in the fields is our abode , full of delectation : where in a brook with a hook , or a lake fish we take , there we sit for a bit , till we fish intangle . we have gentles in a horn , we have paste and worms too , we can watch both night and morn , suffer rain and storms too : none do here use to swear , oathes do fray fish away , we sit still , watch our quill , fishers must not rangle . if the suns excessive heat make our bodies swelter , to an osier hedge we get for a friendly shelter , where in a dike pearch or pike , roch or dace we do chase bleak or gudgion without grudging , we are still contented . or we sometimes pass an hour , under a green willow , that defends us from a showr , making earth our pillow , there we may think and pray before death stops our breath ; other joyes are but toyes and to be lamented . viat . well sung , master ; this dayes fortune and pleasure , and this nights company and song , do all make me more and more in love with angling . gentlemen , my master left me alone for an hour this day , and i verily believe he retir'd himself from talking with me , that he might be so perfect in this song ; was it not master ? pisc. yes indeed , for it is many yeers since i learn'd it , and having forgotten a part of it , i was forced to pa 〈…〉 ch it up by the help of my own invention , who am not excellent at poetry , as my part of the song may testifie : but of that i will say no more , least you should think i mean by discommending it , to beg your commendations of it . and therefore without replications , le ts hear your ketch , scholer , which i hope will be a good one , for you are both musical , and have a good fancie to boot . viat . marry , and that you shall , and as freely as i would have my honest master tel me some more secrets of fish and fishing as we walk and fish towards london to morrow . but master , first let me tell you , that that very hour which you were absent from me , i sate down under a willow tree by the water side , and considered what you had told me of the owner of that pleasant meadow in which you then left me , that he had a plentiful estate , and not a heart to think so ; that he had at this time many law suites depending , and that they both damp'd his mirth and took up so much of his time and thoughts , that he himselfe had not leisure to take the sweet content that i , who pretended no title , took in his fields ; for i could there sit quietly , and looking on the water , see fishes leaping at flies of several shapes and colours ; looking on the hils , could behold them spotted with woods and groves ; looking down the meadows , could see here a boy gathering l●llies and lady-smocks , and there a girle cropping culverkeys and cowsl●ps , all to make garlands sut●ble to this pleasant month of may ; these and many other field-flowers so perfum'd the air , that i thought this meadow like the field in sicily ( of which diodorus speaks ) where the perfumes arising from the place , makes all dogs that hunt in it , to fall off , and to lose their hottest sent . i say , as i thus sate joying in mine own happy condition , and pittying that rich mans that ought this , and many other pleasant groves and meadows about me , i did thankfully remember what my saviour said , that the meek possess the earth ; for indeed they are free from those high , those restless thoughts and contentions which corrode the sweets of life . for they , and they only , can say as the poet has happily exprest it , hail blest estate of poverty ! happy enjoyment of such minds , as rich in low contentedness , can , like the reeds in roughest winds , by yeelding make that blow but smal at which proud oaks andcedars fal gentlemen , these were a part of the thoughts that then possest me , and i there made a conversion of a piece of an old ketch , and added more to it , fitting them to be sung by us anglers : come , master , you can sing well , you must sing a part of it as it is in this paper . the anglers song . for two voyces , treble and basse . cantus . mr. henry lawes . man's life is but vain ; for 't is subject to pain , and sorrow , and short as a buble ; 't is a hodge podge of business , and mony , and care , and care , and mony , and trouble . but we 'l take no care when the weather proves fair , nor will we vex now though it rain ; we 'l banish all sorrow , and sing till to morrow , and angle , and angle again . the anglers song . bassus . for two voyces . by mr. henry lawes . man's life is but vain ; for 't is subject to pain , and sorrow , and short as a buble ; 't is a hodge podge of business , and mony , and care , and care , and mony , and trouble . but we 'l take no care when the weather proves fair , nor will we vex now though it rain ; we 'l banish all sorrow , and sing till to morrow , and angle , and angle again . pet. i marry sir , this is musick indeed , this has cheered my heart , and made me to remember six verses in praise of musick , which i will speak to you instantly . musick , miraculous rhetorick , that speak'st sense without a tongue , excelling eloquence ; with what ease might thy errors be excus'd wert thou as truly lov'd as th'art abus'd . but though dull souls neglect , and some reprove thee , i cannot hate thee , 'cause the angels love thee . piscat . well remembred , brother peter , these verses came seasonably . come , we will all joine together , mine hoste and all , and sing my scholers ketch over again , and then each man drink the tother cup and to bed , and thank god we have a dry house over our heads . pisc. well now , good night to every body . pet. and so say i. viat . and so say i. cor. good night to you all , and i thank you . pisc. good morrow brother peter , and the like to you , honest coridon ; come , my hostis sayes there is seven shillings to pay , le ts each man drink a pot for his mornings draught , and lay downe his two shillings , that so my hostis may not have occasion to repent her self of being so diligent , and using us so kindly . pet. the motion is liked by every body ; and so hostis , here 's your mony , we anglers are all beholding to you , it wil not be long ere i le see you again . and now brother piscator , i wish you and my brother your scholer a fair day , and good fortune . come coridon , this is our way . chap. xii . viat . good master , as we go now towards london , be still so courteous as to give me more instructions , for i have several boxes in my memory in which i will keep them all very safe , there shall not one of them be lost . pisc. well scholer , that i will , and i will hide nothing from you that i can remember , and may help you forward towards a perfection in this art ; and because we have so much time , and i have said so little of roch and dace , i will give you some directions concerning some several kinds of baits with which they be usually taken ; they will bite almost at any flies , but especially at ant-flies ; concerning which , take this direction , for it is very good . take the blackish ant-fly out of the mole-hill , or ant-hil , in which place you shall find them in the months of june ; or if that be too early in the yeer , then doubtless you may find them in july , august , and most of september ; gather them alive with both their wings , and then put them into a glass , that will hold a quart or a pottle ; but first , put into the glass , a handful or more of the moist earth out of which you gather them , and as much of the roots of the grass of the said hillock ; and then put in the flies gently , that they lose not their wings , and so many as are put into the glass without bruising , will live there a month or more , and be alwaies in a readiness for you to fish with ; but if you would have them keep longer , then get any great earthen pot or barrel of three or four gallons ( which is better ) then wash your barrel with water and honey ; and having put into it a quantitie of earth and grass roots , then put in your flies and cover it , and they will live a quarter of a year ; these in any stream and clear water are a deadly bait for roch or dace , or for a chub , and your rule is to fish not less then a handful from the bottom . i shall next tell you a winter bait for a roch , a dace , or chub , and it is choicely good . about all-hollantide ( and so till frost comes ) when you see men ploughing up heath-ground , or sandy ground , or greenswards , then follow the plough , and you shall find a white worm , as big as two magots , and it hath a red head , ( you may observe in what ground most are , for there the crows will be very watchful , and follow the plough very close ) it is all soft , and full of whitish guts ; a worm that is in norfolk , and some other countries called a grub , and is bred of the spawn or eggs of a beetle , which she leaves in holes that she digs in the ground under cow or horse-dung , and there rests all winter , and in march or april comes to be first a red , and then a black beetle : gather a thousand or two of these , and put them with a peck or two of their own earth into some tub or firkin , and cover and keep them so warm , that the frost or cold air , or winds kill them not , and you may keep them all winter and kill fish with them at any time , and if you put some of them into a little earth and honey a day before you use them , you will find them an excellent baite for breame or carp . and after this manner you may also keep gentles all winter , which is a good bait then , and much the better for being lively and tuffe , or you may breed and keep gentle thus : take a piece of beasts liver and with a cross stick , hang it in some corner over a pot or barrel half full of dry clay , and as the gentles grow big , they wil fall into the barrel and scowre themselves , and be alwayes ready for use whensoever you incline to fish ; and these gentles may be thus made til after michaelmas : but if you desire to keep gentles to fish with all the yeer , then get a dead cat or a kite , and let it be fly-blowne , and when the gentles begin to be alive and to stir , then bury it and them in moist earth , but as free from frost as you can , and these you may dig up at any time when you intend to use them ; these wil last till march , and about that time turn to be flies . but if you be nice to fowl your fingers ( which good anglers seldome are ) then take this bait : get a handful of well made mault , and put it into a dish of water , and then wash and rub it betwixt your hands til you make in cleane , and as free from husks as you can ; then put that water from it , and put a smal quantitie of fresh water to it , and set it in something that is fit for that purpose , over the fire , where it is not to boil apace , but leisurely , and very softly , until it become somewhat soft , which you may try by feeling it betwixt your finger and thumb ; and when it is soft , then put your water from it , and then take a sharp knife , and turning the sprout end of the corn upward , with the point of your knife take the back part of the husk off from it , and yet leaving a kind of husk on the corn , or else it is marr'd ; and then cut off that sprouted end ( i mean a little of it ) that the vvhite may appear , and so pull off the husk on the cloven side ( as i directed you ) and then cutting off a very little of the other end , that so your hook may enter , and if your hook be small and good , you will find this to be a very choice bait either for winter or summer , you sometimes casting a little of it into the place where your flote swims . and to take the roch and dace , a good bait is the young brood of wasps or bees , baked or hardned in their husks in an oven , after the bread is taken out of it , or on a fire-shovel ; and so also is the thick blood of sheep , being halfe dryed on a trencher that you may cut it into such pieces as may best fit the size of your hook , and a little salt keeps it from growing black , and makes it not the worse but better ; this is taken to be a choice bait , if rightly ordered . there be several oiles of a strong smel that i have been told of , and to be excellent to tempt fish to bite , of which i could say much , but i remember i once carried a small bottle from sir george hastings to sir henry wotton ( they were both chimical men ) as a great present ; but upon enquiry , i found it did not answer the expectation of sir henry , which with the help of other circumstances , makes me have little belief in such things as many men talk of ; not but that i think fishes both smell and hear ( as i have exprest in my former discourse ) but there is a mysterious knack , which ( though it be much easier then the philosophers-stone , yet ) is not atainable by common capacities , or else lies locked up in the braine or brest of some chimical men , that , like the rosi-crutions , yet will not reveal it . but i stepped by chance into this discourse of oiles , and fishes smelling ; and though there might be more said , both of it , and of baits for roch and dace , and other flote fish , yet i will forbear it at this time , and tell you in the next place how you are to prepare your tackling : concerning which i will for sport sake give you an old rhime out of an old fish-book , which will be a part of what you are to provide . my rod , and my linc , my flote and my lead , my hook , & my plummet , my whetstone & knife , my basket , my baits , both living and dead , my net , and my meat , for that is the chief ; then i must have thxed & hairs great & smal , with mine angling purse , and so you have all . but you must have all these tackling , and twice so many more , with which , if you mean to be a fisher , you must store your selfe : and to that purpose i will go with you either to charles brandons ( neer to the swan in golding-lane ) ; or to mr. fletchers in the court which did once belong to dr. nowel the dean of pauls , that i told you was a good man , and a good fisher ; it is hard by the west end of saint pauls church ; they be both honest men , and will fit an angler with what tackling hee wants . viat . then , good master , let it be at charles brandons , for he is neerest to my dwelling , and i pray le ts meet there the ninth of may next about two of the clock , and i 'l want nothing that a fisher should be furnish'd with . pisc. well , and i le not fail you , god willing , at the time and place appointed . viat . i thank you , good master , and i will not fail you : and good master , tell me what baits more you remember , for it wil not now be long ere we shal be at totenham high-cross , and when we come thither , i wil make you some requital of your pains , by repeating as choice a copy of verses , as any we have heard since we met together , and that is a proud word ; for wee have heard very good ones . pisc. wel , scholer , and i shal be right glad to hear them ; and i wil tel you whatsoever comes in my mind , that i think may be worth your hearing : you may make another choice bait thus , take a hand ful or two of the best and biggest wheat you can get , boil it in a little milk like as frumitie is boiled , boil it so till it be soft , and then fry it very leisurely with honey , and a little beaten saffron dissolved in milk , and you wil find this a choice bait , and good i think for any fish , especially for roch , dace , chub or greyling ; i know not but that it may be as good for a river carp , and especially if the ground be a little baited with it . you are also to know , that there be divers kinds of cadis , or caseworms , that are to bee found in this nation in several distinct counties , & in several little brooks that relate to biggerrivers , as namely one cadis called a piper , whose husk or case is a piece of reed about an inch long or longer , and as big about as the compass of a two pence ; these worms being kept three or four days in a woollen bag with sand at the bottom of it , and the bag wet once a day , will in three or four dayes turne to be yellow ; and these be a choice bait for the chub or chavender , or-indeed for any great fish , for it is a large bait . there is also a lesser cadis-worm , called a cock-spur , being in fashion like the spur of a cock , sharp at one end , and the case or house in which this dwels is made of smal husks and gravel , and slime , most curiously made of these , even so as to be wondred at , but not made by man ( no more then the nest of a bird is : ) this is a choice bait for any flote fish , it is much less then the piper cadis , and to be so ordered ; and these may be so preserved ten , fifteen , or twentie dayes . there is also another cadis called by some a straw-worm , and by some a ruffe-coate , whose house or case is made of little pieces of bents , and rushes , and straws , and water weeds , and i know not what , which are so knit together with condens'd slime , that they stick up about her husk or case , not unlike the bristles of a hedg-hog ; these three cadis are commonly taken in the beginning of summer , and are good indeed to take any kind of fish with slote or otherwise . i might tell you of many more , which , as these doe early , so those have their time of turning to be flies later in summer ; but i might lose my selfe , and tire you by such a discourse , i shall therefore but remember you , that to know these , and their several kinds , and to what flies every particular cadis turns , and then how to use them , first as they bee cadis , and then as they be flies , is an art , and an art that every one that professes angling is not capable of . but let mee tell you , i have been much pleased to walk quietly by a brook with a little stick in my hand , with which i might easily take these , and consider the curiosity of their composure ; and if you shall ever like to do so , then note , that your stick must be cleft , or have a nick at one end of it , by which meanes you may with ease take many of them out of the water , before you have any occasion to use them . these , my honest scholer , are some observations told to you as they now come suddenly into my memory , of which you may make some use : but for the practical part , it is that that makes an angler ; it is diligence , and observation , and practice that must do it . chap. xiii . pisc. well , scholer , i have held you too long about these cadis , and my spirits are almost spent , and so i doubt is your patience ; but being we are now within sight of totenham , where i first met you , and where wee are to part , i will give you a little direction how to colour the hair of which you make your lines , for that is very needful to be known of an angler ; and also how to paint your rod , especially your top , for a right grown top is a choice commoditie , and should be preserved from the water soking into it , which makes it in wet weather to be heavy , and fish ill favouredly , and also to rot quickly . take a pint of strong ale , half a pound of soot , and a like quantity of the juice of walnut-tree leaves , and an equal quantitie of allome , put these together into a pot , or 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 lye ; it wil turn your hair to be a kind of water , or glass colour , or greenish , and the longer you let it lye , the deeper coloured it will bee ; you might be taught to make many other colours , but it is to little purpose ; for doubtlesse the water or glass coloured haire is the most choice and most useful for an angler . but if you desire to colour haire green , then doe it thus : take a quart of smal ale , halfe a pound of allome , then put these into a pan or pipkin , and your haire into it with them , then put it upon a fire and let it boile 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 handful 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 softly for half an hour , about which time the scum will turn yellow , then put into it half a pound of copporis beaten smal , and with it the hair that you intend to colour , then let the hair be boiled softly till half the liquor be wasted , & then let it cool three or four hours with your hair in it ; and you are to observe , that the morecopporis 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 mary-golds , and abate most of the copporis , or leave it out , and take a little verdigreece in stead of it . this for colouring your hair . and as for painting your rod , which must be in oyl , you must first make a size with glue and water , boiled together until the glue be dissolved , and the size of a lie colour ; then strike your size upon the wood with a bristle brush or pensil , whilst it is hot : that being quite dry , take white lead , and a little red lead , and a little cole black , so much as all together will make an ash colour , grind these all together with linseed oyle , let it be thick , and lay it thin upon the wood with a brush or pensil , this do for the ground of any colour to lie upon wood . for a green . take pink and verdigreece , and grind them together in linseed oyl , as thick 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 wel , and besure your first colour be throughly dry , before you lay on a second . well , scholer , you now see totenham , and i am weary , and therefore glad that we are so near it ; but if i were to walk many more dayes with you , i could stil be telling you more and more of the mysterious art of angling ; but i wil hope for another opportunitie , and then i wil acquaint you with many more , both necessary and true observations concerning fish and fishing : but now no more , le ts turn into yonder arbour , for it is a cleane and cool place . viat . 't is a faire motion , and i will requite a part of your courtesies with a bottle of sack , and milk , and oranges and sugar , which all put together , make a drink too good for any body , but us anglers : and so master , here is a full glass to you of that liquor , and when you have pledged me , i wil repeat the verses which i promised you , it is a copy printed amongst sir henry wottons verses , and doubtless made either by him , or by a lover of angling : come master , now drink a glass to me , and then i will pledge you , and fall to my repetition ; it is a discription of such country recreations as i have enjoyed since i had the happiness to fall into your company . quivering fears , heart tearing cares , anxious sighes , untimely tears , fly , fly to courts , fly to fond worldlings sports , where strain'd sardonick smiles are glosing stil and grief is forc'd to laugh against her will . where mirths but mummery , and sorrows only real be . fly from our country pastimes , fly , sad troops of humane misery , come serone looks , clear as the christal brooks , or the pure azur'd heaven that smiles to see the rich attendance on our poverty ; peace and a secure mind which all men seek , we only find . abused mortals did you know where joy , hearts ease , and comforts grow , you 'd scorn proud towers , and seek them in those bowers , where winds sometimes our woods perhaps may shake , but blustering care could never tempest make , no murmurs ere come nigh us , saving of fountains that glide by us . here 's no fantastick mask nor dance , but of our kids that frisk and prance ; nor wars are seen unless upon the green two harmless lambs are butting one the other , which done , both bleating , run each to his mother : and wounds are never found , save what the plough share gives the ground . here are no false extrapping baits to hasten too too hasty fates ; unless it be the fond credulitie of silly fish , which , worldling like , still look upon the bait , but never on the hook ; nor envy , ' nless among the birds , for price of their sweet song . go , let the diving negro seek for gems hid in some forlorn creek , we all pearls scorn , save what the dewy morne congeals upon each little spire of grasse , which careless shepherds beat down as they passe , and gold ne're here appears save what the yellow ceres bears . blest silent groves , oh may you be for ever mirths best nursery , may pure contents for ever pitch their tents upon these downs , these meads , these rocks , these mountains , and peace stil slumber by these purling fountains which we may every year find when we come a fishing here . pisc. trust me , scholer , i thank you heartily for these verses , they be choicely good , and doubtless made by a lover of angling : come , now drink a glass to me , and i wil requi 〈…〉 e you with a very good copy of verses ; it is a farewel to the vanities of the world , and some say written by dr. d , but let them bee writ by whom they will , he tha writ them had a brave soul , and must needs be possest with happy thoughts at the time of their composure . farwel ye guilded follies , pleasing troubles , farwel ye honour'd rags , ye glorious bubbles , fame's but a hollow eccho , gold pure clay , honour the darling but of our short day . beauty ( th' eyes idol ) but a damask'd skin , state but a golden prison , to live in and torture free-born minds ; imbroidir'd trains meerly but pageants , for proud swelling vains , and blood ally'd to greatness ; is alone inherited , not purchas'd , nor our own . fame , honor , beauty , state , trai 〈…〉 , blood & birth , are but the fading blossoms of the 〈…〉 . i would be great , but that the sun doth still , level his rayes against the rising hill : i would be high , but see the proudest oak most subject to the rending thunder-stroke ; i would be rich , but see men too unkind dig in the bowels of the richest mind ; i would be wise , but that i often see the fox suspected whilst the ass goes free ; i would be fair , but see the fair and proud like the bright sun , oft setting in a cloud ; i would be poor , but know the humble grass still trampled on by each unworthy asse : rich , hated ; wise , suspected ; scorn'd , if poor ; great , fear'd ; fair , tempted ; high , stil envi'd more i have wish'd all , but now i wish for neither , great , high , rich , wise , nor fair , poor i 'l be rather would the world now adopt me for her heir , would beauties queen entitle me the fair , fame speak me fortunes minion , could i vie angels wth india , wth a speaking eye command bare heads , bow'd knees strike justice dumb as wel as blind and lame , or give a tongue to stones , by epitaphs , be call'd great master , in the loose rhimes of every poetaster ; could i be more then any man that lives , great , fair , rich , wise in all superlatives ; yet i more freely would these gifts resign , then ever fortune would have made them mine and hold one minute of this holy leasure , beyond the riches of this empty pleasure . welcom pure thoughts , welcome ye silent groves , these guests , these courts , my soul most dearly love now the wing'd people of the skie shall sing my chereful anthems to the gladsome spring ; a pray'r book now shall be my looking glasse , in which i will adore sweet vertues face . here dwell no hateful looks , no pallace cares , no broken vows dwell here , nor pale fac'd fears , then here i 'l sit and sigh my hot loves folly , and learn t' affect an holy melancholy . and if contention be a stranger , then i 'l nere look for it , but in heaven again . viat . wel master , these be verses that be worthy to keep a room in every mans memory . i thank you for them , and i thank you for your many instructions , which i will not forget ; your company and discourse have been so pleasant , that i may truly say , i have only lived , since i enjoyed you and them , and turned angler . i am sorry to part with you here , here in this place where i first met you , but it must be so : i shall long for the ninth of may , for then we are to meet at charls brandons . this intermitted time wil seem to me ( as it does to men in sorrow ) to pass slowly , but i wil hasten it as fast as i can by my wishes , and in the mean time the blessing of saint peters master be with mine . pisc. and the like be upon my honest scholer . and upon all that hate contentions , and love quietnesse , and vertue , and angling . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a e- * called the private schoo of defence . notes for div a e- the lord mountagne in his apol. for ra. scbond . pro. . . j. da. jer. mar. chap. . . chap. . * luk. . , . * psal. . in his wonders of nature . this is confirmed by ennius and solon in his holy history . psal. . dubartas in the fifth day . mount . essayes : and others affirm this . rom. . . dubartas . day . mat. mat. . the canticles . jo. da. notes for div a e- mr. nich. seagrave . notes for div a e- view sir fra. bacon exper. see topsel of frogs . notes for div a e- in his history of serpents . view sir fra. bacon exper. & in his naturalhistory g 〈…〉 rh . herbal . cambden . notes for div a e- exper. notes for div a e- in his history of life and death . notes for div a e- in his history of life and death . * in his th book , de subtil . ex . the anglers delight containing the whole art of neat and clean angling; wherein is taught the readiest way to take all sorts of fish, from the pike to the minnow, together with their proper baits, haunts, and time of fishing for them, whether in mere, pond, or river. as also, the method of fishing in hackney river, & the names of all the best stands there; with the manner of making all sorts of good tackle fit for any water whatsoever. the like never before in print. by william gilbert, gent. gilbert, william, th cent. approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing g a estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the anglers delight containing the whole art of neat and clean angling; wherein is taught the readiest way to take all sorts of fish, from the pike to the minnow, together with their proper baits, haunts, and time of fishing for them, whether in mere, pond, or river. as also, the method of fishing in hackney river, & the names of all the best stands there; with the manner of making all sorts of good tackle fit for any water whatsoever. the like never before in print. by william gilbert, gent. gilbert, william, th cent. [ ], , [ ] p. : ill. printed [by t.m.] for w. birch at the peacock at the lower end of cheapside, london : . "the method of fishing in hackney-river" has a separate dated title page on p. [ ], with imprint: ... printed by t.m. for w. birch, ...". reproduction of the original at the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fishing -- great britain -- handbooks, manuals, etc. -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - pip willcox sampled and proofread - pip willcox text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion with allowance , october th . . roger l'estrange . the anglers delight : containing the whole art of neat and clean angling ; wherein is taught the readiest way to take all sorts of fish , from the pike to the minnow , together with their proper baits , haunts , and time of fishing for them , whether in mere , pond , or river . as also , the method of fishing in hackney river , & the names of all the best stands there ; with the manner of making all sorts of good tackle fit for any water whatsoever . the like never before in print . by william gilbert , gent. depiction of a fisherman fishing. london , printed for w. birch at the peacock at the lower end of cheapside , . to the right honourable , and worthily admired sr. richard fisher . since it is generally known , that no man lives without fault ; but that we all transgress daily , even against our soveraign good , from whom notwithstanding , we receive innumerable benefits , with large promises of forgiveness : so in this case , i have a matter of encouragement , that , although i may have offended , thus rashly appearing , to offer these following lines to your view , ( no wayes to be compared to your great , and masculine spirit ; ) yet that i should not doubt of your obliviating this my present offence ; but also obtain ( from your real generosity ) a favourable acceptation , and reception of these first-fruits of my publick endeavours : i have taken the boldness to make this dedication , hoping that my presumption ( taken as an error ) may be understood to proceed from the assurance of countenance , under so worthy a personage ; whereby it may more safely appear upon the stage of the world , encounter the greatest oppositions , and rest secure from the cruelty of envy . the great god , who hath hitherto blessed you with health and means , continue the same , and multiply it to your last period : and when you shall cease to be among the living , give you the full fruition of eternal glory ; so wisheth , sir , a real honourer of you , and all your worthy family . w. gilbert . to all the ingenious lovers & practicers of the most noble science of angling . kind reader , i know ( and you know ) that the wits of this age are ripe , accute , and various , and how to please all men , is a task too great for my vndertaking ; i have here laid open the whole art and mistery of clean , neat , and gentile angling , in a far more plain , and easie way , than ever was yet in print ; all from experience , and not borrowed from other books , and many things never before heard of , by most people : so that , if there be any thing that may yield you profit , solace of mind , recreation of spirit , or content , i have my end , and shall rejoyce , and think my time well spent ; otherwise i shall be troubled that there is nothing worthy your acceptance , and only intreat you to lay down the book again , and there is no harm done between you , and an artist's friend , w. g. the anglers delight . of the pike , and how to take him several wayes . this pike is the king and commander of all fresh-water fish ; therefore i begin with him first : and he is ravenous , that i my self , at boately , near oxford , with my trole , took a great over-grown pike , that was within an inch of a yard-long ; and when he came to be opened , he had an other large one , of above a quarter of a yard-long , in his belly : and i will , upon occasion , bring evidence , that the pike , which was taken out of the others belly , had a small bird that is used to lodge in the reeds , in the pouch of it : but no more of this . now for my promise , which was , how to catch this depiction of a pike his feeding is generally of roach , dace , gudgeons , or froggs ; but above all , he delighteth most in fair gudgeons : and where there is not store of small fish , he feeds of a weed called , pike-rell-weed . now your first way of taking a pike , that i shall teach , is , by a frixed bait , which is done ( if in a standing water ) by having a line of about twenty yards long , made fast to a stick , stuck in the ground ; and having baited your hook with a live gudgeon , roach , or dace , throw it as far as conveniently you can , or in the like-liest place you see for a pike , leaving two yards , or there-abouts , loose upon the ground by your peg , that you may see when your line is run out strait ; at which time be assured , that you have got a pike . you may make use of as many lines as you please , the more you lay out , the like-lier you are to have the more sport. but if you would take a pike in a river , or any other moving water , i will shew you the best way ever invented , which you may perceive by the figure . diagram of a method for fishing for pike take a piece of cork , about little more than a quarter of an inch thick , cut it round , as you see in the figure , and then hollow it round the sides , to lap or wind your line in , which must be about twelve yards ; tye it fast round the cork , and tye a hook to it , baited with a live bait , as you see in the figure : and when you have left so much of the line , at the end the fish hung to , as you think will reach half depth of the water you intend to fish in , catch your line in the cleft of the stick , which must be put through the cork , as you see the figure ; and this will boy up your bait , at any distance you place it . this being done , throw your cork , line , and fish , all into the middle of the water you intend to fish ; if in a river , the stream will carry it down ; in a mere or pond , the wind will give it motion : so that , if you have but two or three of these , you need not fear sport enough . now , when the pike bites , his snatching so eagerly , as they generally do , pulls your line out of the cleft in the stick , and gives him the whole length of the line , to pouch your bait with : this being done , he will run up and down a little , but will presently be tyred ; but let him go whither he will , you need not fear ; for , your boy will continually be above water . now to take him , you must have a strong piece of three twist pack-thred , of thirty yards long , with a plummet at the end , of a quarter of a pound weight ; which cast beyond the line , between your boy and the pike , and let it sink ; and it will bring you both boy and pike : so that , try all the wayes that are , you will find none so pleasant or profitable as this , to take a pike . many use to troule for a pike ; but that is so easie , that i shall not spend time in giving directions : for , it will be far easier learnt , by once going with any person that understands it , in ones day time , than is possible to be taught by a printed direction . so much for the taking of him . now for the dressing of him . all pikes , that are not half a yard long , are fitter to be fryed or boyled , than any other way ; but for a pike to exceed that length , either little or more , roast him in this manner : first , open your pike at the gills , and if need be , give a little cutt towards his belly ; out of these take his guts , but keep his liver , which you are to shred very small with tyme , sweet-marjerome , and a little winter-savory ; to these put some pickled oysters , and some anchovies , two or three of both , the last whole ( for the anchovies will melt , and the oysters should not ) ; to these add a pound of sweet-butter , which you are to mix with the herbs that are shred ; and let them all be well salted : those being mixed with a blade or two of mace , must be put into the pike's belly , and then his belly sowed up so close , that , if possible , it may keep all the butter in his belly . take not off his scales : then you are to thrust the spit through his mouth , out at the tayle : and then with five or six split stixs , or very thin lathes , with a good quantity of filliting . these lathes are to be tyed round about the pikes belly , from his head to his tayle , and the tape tyed something thick to prevent his breaking or falling from off the spit . let him be roasted very leasurely , and often basted with claret vvine , and anchovies , and butter , mixt together ; and also , with what moysture falls from him into the pan. vvhen you have roasted him sufficiently , you are to hold under him , ( when you unwind , or cutt the tape that tyes him ) such a dish as you intend to eat him out of , and let him fall into it , with the sauce which is roasted in his belly ; and by this means the pike will be kept unbroken , and compleat . then , to the sauce which was within , and also in the pan , you are to add a fit quantity of good butter , and to squeeze the juyce of three or four oranges : lastly , you may either put into the pike , with the oysters , two cloves of garlick , and take it whole out , when the pike is cutt off the spit ; or , to give the sauce a hogo , let the dish ( into which you let the pike fall ) be rubbed with it . the using , or not using of this garlick , is left to your discretion . e. h. so much of the taking of a pike , and the best way of dressing of him . i shall now come to the way of fishing for , and dressing of a trout . of the trout . the nature of his breeding , and the place of his haunts ; and how to take him either with worm , minnow , or fly. he is an excellent fish , and highly admired by all people , in all nations . he hath some-thing of the nature of venison , being so like to a buck , that he comes-in , and goes out of season , even as the stag and buck do . he may claym place of all fresh-water fish , for precedency , and daintiness of tast ; for , the most curious palats , when he hath been in season , have admired him . he is at his perfection in may , and doth decline , as before , with the buck. he spawn's generally about october , or november . his haunts are in gravelly clear rivers , in the most shady places . he delights much near wires , and fludgates , and any falls of waters . his baits are , usually , that he is caught with , a worm , or a minnow , or else with a flye , viz. either natural , or artificial flye . first of worms ; there are many , as earth-vvorms ; others that are bred of plants , as the dug'd-vvorme ; others of excrements , or in the bodies of creatures , as the maggot , or gentle , &c. but of all these , the dew , or lob-worm , and the brandling , are the best for a trout . depiction of a trout now to bait your hook neatly , that it may trole or runn upon the ground , without tangling , or catching against any sticks , gravel , or weeds , observe : if you have a big lob-worme , put your hook into it , some-what above the middle , and out again , a little below the middle ; having so done , draw your worme above the arming of your hook. but note , that at the entring of your hook , it must not be at the head-end of the worme ; because the point of your hook may come out towards the head-end : and having drawn him above the arming of your hook , then put the point of your hook again into the very head of the worme , till it come near the place where the point of the hook first came out , and then draw back that part of the worme that was above the shank , or arming of the hook , and so fish with it . but if you mean to fish with two worms , which you may do : if one be not big enough , then put the second worme , before you turn back the hook's head of the first worme . so a little trying will make you expert ; and you may fish without danger of stopping or catching upon any gravel , or the like . for the minnows . they may be had easily in march or april ; for then they appear in the river , where you may take them at your pleasure : of which , for to take a trout , the middle size are best , and must be so put upon your hook , that it must turn round , when it is drawn against the stream ; and for the nimbler turning thereof , put it upon a big sized hook , which put in , at his mouth , and out at his gill ; then your hook being drawn two or three inches beyond his gill , put it again into his mouth , and the point and beard out at his tayle ; and then tye the hook , and his tayle very neatly , with a white thred or silk , which will make it the apter to turn quick in the water : that being done , pull back that part of your line , which was slack , when you put your hook into the minnow , the second time : so that , it shall fasten the head ; and the body of the minnow shall be almost straight on your hook. then try how it will turn , by drawing it cross the water , or against the stream ; and so turn the tayle to your right or left hand , till it turns to please you ; if not , you 're not likely to catch any thing ; if you cannot get a minnow , a loach or a stickle-bag , will serve neer as well : if you can get an artificial minnow at the shops , you had best take one with you , lest you fail elsewhere . as for flyes . i think either for trout , or any other fish , that will rise at flyes , those that they rise-at most , that season when you fish for them , are the best to take them with ; and there are so many , that i cannot ( for fear of making my little piece swell beyond its price ) stand to name them . now , as to the artificial flyes , take only this rule with you ; that is , to provide all colours of silk , and feathers , and such things as are convenient for the making of them : and never go about to make one , artificially , without a natural one before you , what-ever it is you would imitate : but you had better go , or send , to the three fishes , over-against the little north-door of st. pauls , in london , where you may have them better and cheaper , than you can make them : and so much of the trout . of the barbel . his haunts , baits , and the manner of taking him . they are a fish , that love to keep one another company dearly , and flock together much : they are at worst in april , at which time they spawne ; but are not long before they come in season again . he loves ( all the summer ) the shallow , and sharp streams , and lies lurking under weeds , and feeds most on gravel , against a rising ground ; for , he roots with his nose like a hog , and nests himself in the gravel . he loves also such places as london-bridge , or any deep place , where the fierceness of the water , stirs the gravel ; where he will take hold of mosse , or weeds , that the water , though never so fierce , is not able to stir him . he is mighty curious in his baits , and if they be not sweet and clean , he will not touch them ; therefore you must have your wormes well scoured with mosse , and he will bite at a well-scoured lob-worme , as boldly , as at any bait whatsoever : but your best way will be , to bait the place where you intend to fish for them , with some lob-wormes , cutt to pieces , a night or two before you go to fish . you cannot bait too much ; nor well fish too early , or late , for him . gentiles are also a good bait for him ; but then they must not be scoured . many use cheese , which is also a good bait. he is a very fine fish , to look on ; but not so good as he seems to be . depiction of a barbel so much of the barbel . of the cheven , or chub. his haunts , baits , and manner of taking him ; as also , the best way of dressing him . the chubs or chevens , ( in hot weather ) lye playing together , under the shade of willows , or weeds ; and when the sun shines not , then generally they lye where the water runs neither fast nor slow , under a bank , where they have covert enough , or else in the deep , in the midst of rivers . they delight in grass-hoppers , snails , paste , or cheese , of which i shall give you an account , when you come to my method of hackney fish . i shall only here give you directions , how you may , the best way , dresse this chub , or cheven , viz. first , scale him , and then wash him clean , and take out his guts ; and to that end , make the hole as little , and as near to his gills as you can possibly : and especially make clean his throat from the grasse , and vveeds , that are usually in it ( for else if that be not clean , it will make him tast mighty sowr ) ; having so done , put some sweet herbs into his belly , and then tye him with two or three splinters to a spit , and roast him , basted often with vinegar ; or rather verjuce and butter , with good store of salt mixed with it ; and so much of the chub , or cheven . of the carp. his haunts , baits , and way to fish for him , and to dresse him . now if you have a mind to catch this carp , that is so cunning , and difficult to be caught ; depiction of a carp first , you must expect to have your patience sufficiently tyred , if you fish for a river-carp ; and like-wise in some ponds too : if you intend to do any good with him , you must be at him either early or late ; for , they will not bite in the middle of the day . you must ( if you fish in a pond for a carp ) first , throw in blood and grains , or the like , to bring them to the place where you would fish ; and then some of the same bait which you intend to angle with . the carp bites either at worms or paste . the blew-marsh or medow-worm , is best for him . when he is in the humour , he will some-times bite at a large gentle : and for pastes , there are more sorts , than there are sorts of fishes ; but sweet-pastes are best , that are made either with sugar or honey : which ( that you may the better beguile him , he being so cunning ) should be thrown where you intend to fish , an hour or two before you undertake your skill with your angle-rod : and your best bait is made of the flesh of a rabbet , kitling , cutt small ; and bean-flower : and if that may not be gotten , other flower ; mix them together , and put thereto either honey , or sugar ; and beat them together in a mortar , sometime working them in your hands , being very clean , and make it into a ball or two , as you think fittest for your use . diagram showing size of bait to dresse a carp. if you can take him alive , scove him , and rub him clean with vvater and salt : but scale him not then . open him , and put him , with his blood , and liver ( which you must save when you open him ) into a small pot or kettle . then take sweet-marjerome , tyme , and parsley , of each half a handful ; a sprig of rose-mary , and another of savory ; bind them in two or three small bundles , and put them to your carp , with four or five whole onions , twenty pickled oysters , and three anchovies ; then put upon the carp as much claret as will cover him ; and season your claret well with salt , cloves , and mace , and the rinds of oranges and lemmons . cover your pot , and set it on a quick fire , till it be sufficiently boyled : then take out the carp , and lay it with the broth into the dish , and pour upon it a quarter of a pound of fresh butter , melted , and beaten with half a dozen spoonfuls of broth , the yolkes of two or three eggs , and some of the herbs shred . garnish your dish with lemmons , and so serve it up . j. h. so much of the carp. of the bream , and how to take him . depiction of a bream depiction of a lead weight now , the worm being well baited , it will crawle up and down , as far as the lead will give it leave ; which much enticeth the fish to bite without suspition . your float must be ( part of it ) an inch above the water : then where you think there is fish , angle : but first note , that you must bait your ground at night , and fish about four in the morning ; and without doubt , you will not fail of sport enough . so much for bream-fishing . of the tench , and how to fish for him. depiction of a tench he delights much in any paste , wherewith tar is mixed . he will bite also at a smaller worm , with his head nipped off ; and at a cod-vvorm , put on the hook before . he onely bites in the three hottest months in the year ; for , in the other nine , he stirs not at all . vvhatsoever bait you fish for him with , be sure you dip it in tar ; and be chewing still some of the crum of a white-loafe ; and be often a casting of it into the water where you fish , round about your float ; and if they once begin to bite , you will catch them as fast as you can lay-in : and so much of the tench . of the pearch . and how to take him. depiction of a perch his baits are , a worm , a minnow , or a little frog ; of which you may find many in hay-time ; and the best worm is a brandling , which you will find in most dung-hills ; but they must be well scoured in mosse , or fennel ; or a worm that lies under a cow-turd , with a blewish-head . if you fish for him with a minnow-bait , as i directed you to bait for a trout : observe to keep your minnow , fishing for a pearch , at mid-water , by the help of a cork ; but be sure , what-ever you fish with , give a pearch time enough in biting ; for he will not leave you . and this is sufficient for mr. pearch ; for , every boy can catch him , he is so bold . of eeles , and how to take them ; their haunts , &c. and how to dresse them . an eele is caught by more baits than any other fish ; for , they are so greedy , that they will bite at powder'd-beef ; and be taken with a lob-worm , or a garden-worm ; with a minnow , or gut of a hen , chicken , or the guts of any fish : but the eele may be ( especially ) taken with a very little lamprey ; but some call it a pride : and may ( in the hot months ) be found in the river thames . now an eele never ( except it be by chance ) stirs in the day-time ; and therefore , are usually caught in the night , by laying a line , with a many hooks to it , cross a river or pond ; baited with some of the afore-said baits : but these are things so common , that it is not worth while to write of . but there is a very pretty way to take them , which is called snigling , which is thus ; observe your time ( which must be in a hot summers-day ) when the water is lowest , you may take a strong small hook , tyed to a small strong line , about a yard long : and then ( because that the eeles hide themselves under board-planks , about floud-gates , or wires , or mills , or in holes in the river-banks , ) you may put into one of these holes , or between any boards about a mill , or under any great stone , or plank , or any place where you think an eele may hide , or shelter her self ) there ( by the help of a short stick ) put-in your bait ; but leasurely , and as far as you can conveniently ; and if there be an eel there , he will certainly gorge up your bait ; and you need not doubt to have him , if you pull him not out too soon , but by degrees : and see , here he comes . depiction of an eel how to dresse this eele . first , wash him in water and salt , and then pull off his skin , below his rent , or navel , and not much farther : having done that , take out his guts as clean as you can ; but wash him not . then give him three or four scotches with a knife ; and put into his belly , & into these scotches , sweet-herbs , and anchovies , and a little grated nut meg ; and your herbs , and anchovies must also be cutt very small , and mixed with good butter and salt. having done this , then pull his skin over all but his head , which you must cutt off . by the reason you may tye the skin over the end where his head grew , it must needs keep all his moysture within his skin . then tye him to a spit , with tape or pack-thred , and roast him leasurely ; and baste him with water and salt , till his skin breaks : and then with butter , having roasted him enough , let what was put into his belly , and what he dropt , be his sawce : and so far of eeles . finis . the method of fishing in hackney-river ; with the names of all the best stands there ; and the manner of making the best tackling to fish there , or in any pond , or river , whatsoever . by william gilbert , gent. london : printed by t. m. for w. birch , at the sign of the peacock , at the lower-end of cheap-side , . the anglers delight : or , the method of fishing in hackney-river . of making the tackle . depictions of fish-hooks the bleak , or gudgeon . the roach , or dace . the roach . the pearch , or barbel . the chub. next , you must be provided with excellent strong , round , long , and white or gray stone-horse-hair ; silk to whip your hooks with , and wax to wax the silk . then must you have swans , and goose-quill-floats , of all sizes ; and for chub-lines , or barbel-lines , you may buy them cheaper of silk and hair , than you can make them : but for hair-lines , you will not meet with any to be sold , that you can do any good with , in hackney-river : therefore , being thus provided , begin to make ( first ) a line for the chub , or cheven ; putting eight hairs in the first link next your rod ; and so make it taper ( by leaving out a hair every other link ) till you have made it ; when it comes to the last , to be but four or five hairs at the bottom ; to which , tye such a hook as is before described for the chub. depiction of a fishing line with float, lead and hook now , for your roach , and dace-lines , they must be far more fine ; for , you must not ( by any means ) exceed above one hair , at , or next the hook , or two at the most ; for , if you do , where you take one fish , they that fish with a single hair , will catch half a dozen : and observe , that , be it for what fish you will , the finer you fish , the more , and larger fish you will catch . but you must never be without your landing-hook , or landing-net . depiction of a fishing line when you have two or three of a sort of these lines , and shots , and floates , links , hooks , and supplies for every thing that you can possibly use ; then go to mother gibert's , at the flower-de-luce at clapton , near hackney and whilst you are drinking of a pot ale , bid the maid make you two or three peny-worth of ground-bait , and some paste ( which they do very neatly , and well ) ; and observing of them , you will know how to make it your self for any other place : which is too tedious here to insert . then go down to cunnis-hole , or else maries-hole ; where pull out your tackle , and fish there-abouts ; first , plumming your ground exactly , that your paste may swim within half an inch of the bottom . depiction of lead plummets diagram showing size of float diagram showing size of bait now , you must observe , that your float swim just over the place , where your ground-bait lies ; and then observing ( with a diligent and quick eye ) the first motion of your float , that then you strike gently ; and , according as as you find the weight of the fish you have hold of , to play him : you need not doubt of sport enough , following but these directions . there is an excellent stand , in the second meddow , on the left-hand , beyond the ferry , under a willow-tree ; in the midst of the meddow , by the water-side . but in my former piece ( where i did speak of the chub ) , i did promise that i would give farther directions for the taking of him ; so that , now , i intend to perform it . and now , when you have filled your basket of roach , and dace ; or else the wind is so high , that you cannot well angle for them , or that you find they will not bite ; then i would have you try this way ( which i am going about to teach you ) to take a chub : and first , observe , that here are large ones in hackney ; and therefore , provide you strong silk , and hair lines , with your swan's-quill-floats , as was before directed : and walk either up or down the river , till you see a place clear from weeds , that you can swim your float half a score yards without danger of entangling : but if you knew the place before , it would be better ; for fear your coming too near the water should fright away the chubs , that may , peradventure , be there : but this must be in such a place as i told you before ( in my discourse of the chub or cheven ) ; where the chub , or cheven's haunts are . diagram showing size of pellet diagram showing line and lead how to make the ground-bait . now , by reason that some people in the country may be ignorant of the way of making this ground-bait , i thought meet to let such know , that it is made by cutting a two-penny , or three penny loafe ( according to the quantity you would make ) into slices , and lay them in soake into a platter of fair water ; which , being soaked half a quarter of an hour , powr the water from it ; and with bran , make the bread up into a stiffe paste ; and then make that paste up into two or three large balls for your use ; which you must make use of according to my former directions . but note , if you fish in a pond you need not put stones into your bait , but rather crumble it . to make paste . this is made by the cutting off , of the crust of a white-loafe , that is two or three dayes old ; and holding it in your hands , being clean washed , about two minutes in fair water till it be soaked ; then squeeze out the water : and ( with a little pains in working of it in your hands ) it will come to be a very stiffe paste , and hang mightily upon the hook without washing off . you may colour it with a little red lead , either more or less , according as you find it most agreeable to the colour of the water where you fish . there are many sorts of pastes ; but i esteem this the best for any fish , excepting a carp ; for , they love sweet pastes best , as those made of bean-flower , honey , &c. i might say more , but i think this sufficient ; only letting you know , that if you would be set-out like a fisher-man , as you ought to be : then , when-ever you go out to fish , faill not to have with you , viz. a good coat for all weathers . an apron to put your ground-bait , stones , and paste in . a basket to put your fish in . a neat - rod of about four foot long , in several pieces , one within another . two or three lines fitted up , of all sorts . spare hooks , links , floats , silk , wax , plummets , caps , floats , and a landing-nett , &c. and if you have a boy to go along with you , a good neats-tongue , and a bottle of canary should not be wanting : to the enjoyment of which i leave you. finis . the accomplish'd lady's delight in preserving, physick, beautifying, and cookery containing i. the art of preserving and candying fruits & flowers ..., ii. the physical cabinet, or, excellent receipts in physick and chirurgery : together with some rare beautifying waters, to adorn and add loveliness to the face and body : and also some new and excellent secrets and experiments in the art of angling, . the compleat cooks guide, or, directions for dressing all sorts of flesh, fowl, and fish, both in the english and french mode ... approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing w estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the accomplish'd lady's delight in preserving, physick, beautifying, and cookery containing i. the art of preserving and candying fruits & flowers ..., ii. the physical cabinet, or, excellent receipts in physick and chirurgery : together with some rare beautifying waters, to adorn and add loveliness to the face and body : and also some new and excellent secrets and experiments in the art of angling, . the compleat cooks guide, or, directions for dressing all sorts of flesh, fowl, and fish, both in the english and french mode ... woolley, hannah, fl. . [ ], , [ ] p., leaves of plates : ill. printed for b. harris, and are to be sold at his shop ..., london : . title on added engraved t.p.: the accomplisht-ladys delight. three parts have special title pages: the physical cabinet, new and excellent experiments and secrets in the art of angling, and, the compleat cook's guide, all with imprint date . attributed, not without some doubt, to mrs. hanna woolley. cf. dnb; halkett & laing ( nd ed.). dedication signed: t.p. reproduction of original in bodleian library. includes index. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately 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text creation partnership web site . eng cookery -- early works to . canning and preserving -- early works to . medicine, popular -- early works to . beauty, personal -- early works to . fishing -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - tcp staff (michigan) sampled and proofread - john latta text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the accomplisht ladys delight . in preserving , physick , beautifying and cookery . the accomplish'd lady's delight in preserving , physick , beautifying , and cookery . containing , i. the art of preserving and candying fruits & flowers , and the making of all sorts of conserves , syrups , and jellies . ii. the physical cabinet , or , excellent receipts in physick and chirurgery ; together with some rare beautifying waters , to adorn and add loveliness to the face and body : and also some new and excellent secrets and experiments in the art of angling . iii. the compleat cooks guide , or , directions for dressing all sorts of flesh , fowl , and fish , both in the english and french mode , with all sauces and sallets ; and the making pyes , pasties , tarts , and custards , with the forms and shapes of many of them . london , printed for b. harris , and are to be sold at his shop , at the stationers arms in swithins rents by the royall exchange to the ladies & gentlewomen . ladies , though there have been many books extant of this kind , yet i think something hath been deficient in them all , i have therefore adventured to make another , which i suppose comprehends all the accomplishments necessary for ladies , in things of this nature . for you have here . the art of preserving and candying all fruits and flowers , as also of making conserves , both wet and dry , and also the preparing of all sorts of syrups , iellies , and pickles . . here are some ex●ellent receipts in physick and chirurgery , for curing most diseases incident to the body . together with some rare beautifying waters , oyls , oyntments , and powders , for adornment of the face and body , and to cleanse it from all deformities that may render persons vnlovely ; there are also added some choise secrets and experiments in the art of angling ; a recreation which many ladies delight in , and is not therefore thought altogether improper in a book of this nature . lastly , you have here a guide to all manner of cookery , both in the english and french mode , with the preparing all kind of sallets and sauces proper thereunto . together with directions for making all sorts of pyes , pasties tarts , and custards , with the forms and shapes of many of them to help your practice , with bills of fare upon all occasions . so that in the whole , i hope it may deserve the title of the accomplish'd ladies delight , and may acquire acceptance at your fair hands , whereby you will very much encourage and oblige , ladies , your very humble servant , and admirer , t. p. the art of preserving , conserving , and candying , fruits and flowers , as also of making all sorts of conserves , syrups and iellies . . to make quince cakes . bake your quinces in an oven with some of their own juyce , their own coars being cut and bruised , and put to them , then weigh some of this juyce with some of the quince , being cut into small pieces , taking their weight in sugar , and with the quince some quantity of the juyce of barberies . then take the clearest syrup and let it stand on the coals two or three hours , and let them boyl a little on the fire , then candy the rest of the sugar very hard , and so put them together , stirring it while it is almost cold , and so put it into glasses . . to make conserve of barberries . when the stalks are pickt off , boyl th●m in fair water till they swell , and be very soft , then bruise them in a morter , then strain them , and boyl them again by themselves , then take for every pound of them two pound of sugar , and boyl them together but not too long , for then it will r●pe . . to make conserve of roses . take of the buds of red roses and slip away the white ends , and then slip the rest of the rose as small as you can , and beat them fine in a marble morter ; and put to every pound of roses , three pound and a half of sugar , then put it up in a gally-pot and set it in the sun for a fortnight . . to make cinnamon water . take a quart of white-wine , a quart of rose-water , a pint of muscadine● half a pound of cinamon bruised , lay the cinamon to steep in the wine twelve hours stirring them now and then afterward put them into an alerubick and still them with a gentle fire , and you may draw off from it three pints . but if you will not have it strong , instead of muscadine put in so much rose-water or white-wine . . to preserve quinces white . take to every pound of quince , a pound and a quarter of sugar , clarifie this sugar with the white of an egg , coar your quinces , but not too much , then put this sugar , and water , and quince being ra● together , and so make them boyl so fast that you can see no quince , but forget not to turn them , and take off what scum you can keep them boiling thus fast till you think they are enough . . to preserve raspices . take of the faire● and well coloured raspices , and pick off their stalks very clean , then wash them , but be sure not to bruise them ; then weigh them , and to every pound of raspices , put six ounces of hard sugar , and six ounces of sugar-candy , and clarifie it with half a pint of fair water , and four ounces of juice of raspices being clarified : boyl it to a weak syrup , and then put in your raspices stiring them up and down , and so let them boyl till they are enough , and you may keep them all the year . . to make mackroons take almonds , blanch them , and beat them in a morter , with serced sugar mingled therewith , with the white of an egg , and rose-water , then beat them altogether till they are thick as fritters , then drop it upon your wa●ers , and take it . . to preserve cherries . take some of the worst cherries and boil them in fair water , and when the liquor is well coloured strain it , then take some of the best cherries you can get , with their weight in beaten sugar , then lay one laying of sugar , and another of cherries , till all are la●d in the preserving pan ; then pour a little of the liquor of the worst cherries into it , boil your cherries till they be well coloured , then take them up , and boil the syrup till it will button on the side of the dish and when they are cold put them up in a glass covered close with paper , untill● you use them . . to make conserve of oranges and lemons , or pippins . boil any of these fruits , as you would do to make past thereof and when it is ready to fashion upon the pye plate , then put it into your gally-pots , and never dry it ; and this is all the difference betwixt conser●e and past , and this serves for all ●ar● fruits , as pippins , oranges and lemmons . . to make symbals . take fine flower dry'd , and as much sugar as flower , then take as much whites of eggs as will make it past ; put in a little rose-water , with a quantity of coriander-seed and anniseed , then mould it up in the fashion you will bake it in . . to make syrup of clove-gilli-flowers . take a pound of clove-gilli-flowers , the whites being cut off , infuse them a whole night in a quart of fair water , then with four pound of sugar dissolved in it , make it into a syrup wishout boiling . . to make syrup of violets . take of violet flowers fresh and pickt , a pound , clear water boiling one quart , shut them up close together in a new glazed pot a whole day , then press them hard out , and in two pound of the liquor , dissolve four pound and three ounces of white sugar , take away the scum , and so make it into a syrup without boiling . . to make murmelade of quinces . take a pottle of water , and four pound of sugar , and let them boyl together , and when they boyl , scum them as clean as you can , then take the whites of two or three eggs and beat them to froath , put the froath into the pan to make the scum ●●se , then scum it as clean as you can ; take off the kettle and put in the quinces , and let them boil a good while and stir them , and when they are boiled enough put them into boxes . . to make hippocras . take a gallon of white-wine , two pound of sugar ; and of cinamon , ginger , long pepper , mace n●t bruised , grains , galingal cloves not bruised , of each two penny-worth , bruise every kind of spice a little , and put them all together into an earther pot for a day , then cast them through your bags two or three times , as you see cause and so drink it . . to make almond butter . take your almonds and blaunch them , and beat them in a morter very small , and in beating put in a little water , and when they are beaten pour in water into two pots and put half into one and half into another , put sugar to them and stir them , and let them boil a good while ; then strain it through a strainer with rose-water , and so dish it up . . to preserve quinces red . pare your quinces , and coar them ; then take as much sugar as they weigh , putting to every pound of sugar one quart of water , boil your quinces therein very leasurely being close covered , turn them to keep them from spotting● and when they are so tender that you may prick a hole through them with a rush and that they are well coloured , then boil the syrup till it will button on a dish and so put your syrup and them up together . to pickle cucumbers . wash your cucumbers clean and dry them in a cloath , then take some water . vinegar , salt , fennel tops , and some dill tops , and a little mace , make it fast enough and sharp enough to the tast , then boil it a while , and then take it off , and let it stand till it is cold ; then put in the cucumbers , and lay a board on the top to keep them down , and tye them up close , and within a week they will be fit to eat . . to candy pears● plumbs and apricocks to look as clear as amber . take your apricocks or plumbs , and give every one a cut to the stone in the notch , then cast sugar on them and bake them in an oven as hot as for maunchet close stopt , bake them in an earthen platter and let them stand half an hour , then take them out of the dish , and lay them one by one upon glass plates , and so dry them ; if you can get glasses made like marmalet boxes to lay over them , they will be the sooner candyed . in this manner you may candy any other fruit . . to preserve oranges . take a pound of oranges , and a pound of sugar , pill the outward rind , and inward white skin off then take juice of oranges and put them into the juice , boil them half an hour and take them off . . to make oyl of violets . set the violets in sallad oyl , and strain them , then put in other fresh violets and let them lye twenty days , then strain them again and put in other fresh violets , and let them stand all the year . . to mak cream of quinces . take a roasted quince , pare it and cut it into thin slices to the coar , boyl it in a pint of cream with a little whole ginger , till it tast of the quinces to your liking , then put in a little sugar and strain it , and always serve it cold to the table . . to make a march-pan , steep two pound of picked almonds one day and two nights in fair water , and blaunch them out of it , then beat them well in a morter , and bedew them with rose-water , put to your almonds so many pound of sugar , and beat your sugar with your almonds ; then make very fine ●rust either of past or wafer , and sprinkle it with rose-water and sugar ; then spread the stuff on it , and bake it at a very soft fire , always bedewing it with damask-water , civet , and sugar ; and lastly with a gut of dates guilt or long comfits guilt , or with cinamon-sticks guilt , or the kernels of the pine-apple and ●o ●et it forth . . to make almond milk. boyl french barley , and as you boyl it cast away the water wherein it was boil●d , till you see the water leave to change colour ; as you put in more fresh water , then put in a bundle of straw-berry leaves : and as much cullumbine leaves , and boyl it a good while ; then put in beaten almonds and strain them , and then season it with sugar and rosemary , then strew some sugar about the dish , and send it to the table . . to preserve apricocks , or pear-plumbs when they are green . you may take any of these fruits and scald them in water and peel them , and s●rape the spungy substance of the apricocks or quinces , so boyl them very tender , taking their weight in sugar , and as much water as to cover them , and boyl them very leasurely ; then take them up and boil the syrup till it be thick , and when they are cold put them up with you● syrup into your preserving glasses . . to pickle french beans . you must take your beans and string them boyl them tender● then take them off● and let them stand till they are cold , put them into the pickle of beer vinegar , pepper and salt cloves and mace with a little ginge . ● to make an excellent jelly . take three gallons of fair water , and boil in it a knuckle of veal , and two calves feet slit in two , with all the fat clean taken from between the claws , so let them boil to a very tender jelly keeping it clean scum●d , and the edges of the pot always wiped with a clean ●●ath , that none of the scum may boil in , strain it from the meat , and let it stand all night , and the next morning take away the top and the bottom , and take to a quart of this jelly , half a pint of sherry sack , half an ounce of cinamon , and as much sugar as will season it , six whites of eggs very well beaten , mingle all these together , then boil it half an hour , and let it run through your jelly bag . . to make aqua-mirabil is . take of cloves , galanga , cubebs , mace , cardamums , nutmegs , ginger , of each one dram ; juice of celandine half a pound , spirit of wine one pint , white-wine three pints , infuse them twenty four hours , and draw off a quart with an alembick . . dr. stevens water . take of cinamon , ginger , galanga , cloves , nutmegs , grains of paradise , seeds of annis , fennel , ●arraways , of each one dram● herbs of time , mother of time , mints , sage , penny-royal pellitory of the wall , rosemary , flowers of red roses , camomile , origanum , lavender , of each one handful , infuse them twelve hours in ●welve pints of gascoign wine , then with 〈◊〉 alembick draw three pints of strong-water from it . . to make good cherry wine . take the syrup of cherries , and when it hath stood a while bottle it up , and tye down the cork , and in a short time it will be very good pleasant wine . . to make wa●ers . take a pint of flower , a little cream the yolks of two eggs , a little rose-water , with some searced cinamon and sugar work them together , and bake them upon hot irons . . to preserve grapes . stamp and strain them , let it settle a while before you wet a pound of sugar or grapes with the juice , stone the grapes , save the liquor , in the stoning take off the stalks give them a boiling , take them off , and put them up . . to pickle purslain . take the purslain and pick it into little pieces , and put it into a pot or barrel , then take a little water , vinegar and salt to your tast , it must be pretty strong of the vinegar and salt , and a little mace , and boil all these together , and pour this liquor boiling hot into the parslain , and when it is cold tye it close , but lay a little board on the top to keep it down , and within a week or two it is fit to eat . . to preserve green walnuts . boil your walnuts till the water tast bitter , then take them off , and put them in cold water , and pill off the bark , and weigh as much sugar as they weigh and a little more water then will wet the sugar , set them on the fire , and when they boil up take them off , and let them stand two days , and then boil them again once more . . to prese●ve currants . part them in the tops , and lay a lane of currants , and a lane of sugar , and so boyl them as fast as you do ras-berries , do not put them in the spoon but scum them , boil till the syrup be pretty thick ; then take them off , and let them stand till they be cold and put them into a glass . . to make goose berry cakes . pick as many goose-berries as you please and put them into an earthen pitcher and set it in a kettle of water till they be soft , and then put them into a five , and let them stand till all the juice be out , and weigh the juice , and as much sugar as syrup , first boyl the sugar to a candy , and take it off , and put in the juice and set it on again till it be hot and take it off , and set them in the press till they be dry , then they are ready . . an excellent broath . take a chicken and set it on the fire , and when it boils scum it , then put in a mace , and a very little oatmeal , and such herbs as the party requires ; and boil it well down , and bruise the chicken and put it in again and it is good broath : and to alter it you may put in six prunes , and leave out the herbs or put them in as you please , and when it is well boyled , strain it and season it . . to make angellets . take a quart of new milk , and a pint of cream and put them together in a little runnel , when it is come well take it up with a spoon , and put it into the vate softly , and let it stand two days till it be pretty stiff ; then slip it out and salt it a little at both ends , and when you think it is salt enough set it a drying , and wipe them , and within a quarter of a year they will be ready to eat . . to make ielly of harts-horn . take four ounces of the shavings of harts-horn of the inside , and two ale● quarts of water , put this in a pipkin , and boil it very gently till it come to a quart , the harts-horn must be steeped or hours first afterwards put a little into a saucer till it be cold , and if it be cold and jellieth it is boil'd enough● then being warm take it off the fire , and strain it hard through a cloath , and set it a cooling till it be hard jelly , then take two whites of eggs , and beat them very well , er with a sprigg of rosemary or birch , ( but not with a spoon ) till a water come in the bottom , then put these beaten eggs and the water thereof into a skillet and all the jelly upon it , with three spoonfuls of damask rose-water , and a quarter of a pound of sugar , and when it boils , sti● and lay it pretty well , then strain it through a cloath and let it cool , and of this take four spoonfuls in the morning fasting , and four a clock in the afternoon and this is excellent good for the weakness of the ba●k . . to preserve damsons red , or black plumbs . take their weight in sugar , and water enough to make a syrup to cover them , so boil them a little therein being close covered turning them for spotting , let them stand all night in their own syrup , then set them upon a pot of seething water , and suffer your plumbs to boyl no faster then the water under them ; and when they are both sweet and tender take them up , and boil the syrup again till it be thick , then put up your plumbs and it together in your preserving glasses . . to make rosemary water . take the rosemary and the flowers in the midst of may before sun-rise , strip the leaves and flowers from the stalks , then take or elecampana roots , and a handful or two of sage , then beat the rosemary , sage and roots together , till they be very small , then take three ounces of cloves & as much mace , and half a pound of anniseeds , and ●eat these spices every one by themselves then take the herbs and the spices , and put thereto or gallons of good white-wine , then put in all these herbs , spices and wine into an earthen pot , and put the pot into the ground about sixteen days , then take it up and distil it with a very soft fire . . to make pomatum . take fresh hogs suet clean sed from the films and washt in white-wine one pound and as much sheeps suet washt in white-wine , then take about sixteen pomwater apples cleansed and boyl d in rose-water ; add to these rose-wood , sassafras , roots of orrice florentine of each six drams , of benzoin , storax calamita half an ounce of each and so make it into an oyntment . . to maks oyl of sweet almonds . take dryed sweet almonds as many as you please , beat them very small and put them into a rough hemp●n● loath , and without fire by degrees press out the oyl . . an excellent water against fit● of the mother . take briony-roots , elder-berries ripe , and d●estat a gentle heat in a furnace and cleans'd from their stalks , of each two ounces ; leaves of mugwort , dittany , featherfew , nep , basil , penny-royal , rue , sabine , all dryed in the sun● of each half an ounce , peels of oranges the out-side dry'd an ounce and a half , myrrh , castoreum , of each three drams , saffron one dram ; powder them and steep them eight days in two quarts of the spirit of wine ; then strain through a very quick hair strainer , keep the strained liquor in a glass very well stopt . . to make syrup of wormwood . take roman wormwood , or po●tick vvormwood half a pound , of red roses two ounces , indian spike three drams ; old rich white-wine and juice of quinces of each two pints and a half , bruise them in an earthen vessel twenty four hours , then boil them till half be wasted , strain it , and put to the straining two pounds of sugar , and boil it to a syrup . . to make conserve of quinces . take three quarts of the juyce of quinces clarified , boil it until two parts be wasted then put to it two pounds of white sugar , then boil them to the thickness of honey . . to make syrup of poppies . take the heads and seeds of white poppy and black , of each fifty drams , venus hair fifteen , licorice five drams , jujubes thirty drams ; lettic● seeds forty drams , and of the seeds of mallows ; and quinces tied up in a fine rag , of each one dram and half ; boil them in eight pints of water , untill half be wasted , strain it , and to every three pound of liquor put thereto perrides , & sugar of each pound , boil them to a syrup . . to make honey of roses . take of pure white honey dispumed , fresh juice of red roses one pound , put them into a skillet , and when they begin to boil , throw into them of fresh red rose leaves picked , four pounds , and boil them untill the juice be wasted ; alway● stirring it , then strain it , and put it up in an earthen pot . . to make syrup of lemmons . take of the juice of lemmons purified by going through a woolen strainer with crushing , three quarts and an half , and of white sugar five pound ; boil them with a soft fire to a syrup . . to make spirit of wine . take of good claret , or white-wine , or sack , enough to fill the vessel , wherein you make your distillation to a third part , then put on the head furnished with the nose or pipe , and so make your distillation first in ashes , drawing about a third part from the whole ; as for example , six or eight pints out of four and twenty , then still it again in b. m. drawing another third part , which is two pints , so that the oftner you distil it , the less liquor you have b●t the more strong , some use to rectifie it seven times . . to make syrup of maiden-hair . take of the herb ●aiden-hair , fresh gathered and cut a little , five ounces , of roots of licorish scraped two ounces , steep them twenty four hours in a sufficient quantity of hot water then boil them according to art ; add four pounds of sugar to five pints of the clarified liquor , and then boil them to a syrup . . to make syrup of licorish take of the roots of licorish scraped two ounces of colts-foot four handfuls ; of maiden-hair one ounce of hysop half an ounce , infu●e them twenty four hours in a sufficient quantity of water , then boil them till one half be wasted , add to the strained liquor , a pound of the best clarified honey , and as much white sugar , boil them to a syrup . to make the kings perfume . take six spoonfuls of rose-water , and as much amber-greece as weigheth two barley-corns , and as much cive● , with as much sugar as weigheth two pence beaten in fine powder ; all these boiled together in a perfuming pan is an excellent perfume . . the queens perfume . take four spoonfuls of spike water , and four spoonfuls of damask water , thirty cloves , and eight bay leaves shred as much sugar as weigheth two pence ; all these boiled make a good perfume . . king edwards perfume to make your house smell like rosemary . take three spoonfuls of perfect rosemary , and as much sugar as half a walnut beaten in small powder ; all these boiled together in a perfuming pan upon hot embers with a few coals is a very sweet perfume . . to make conserve of rosemary . take your flowers of rosemary , which you may gather either in march or september , when you have beaten them to pap , take three times their weight in sugar , pound them all together and set them in the sun and so use them . . to make syrup of cowslips . take the distilled water of cow-slips , and put thereto your flowers of cow-slips clean pickt , and the green knobs in the bottom cut off , and boil them up into a syrup , take it in almond milk , or some other warm thing ; it is good against the palsi● and ●renzy , and to procure sleep to the si●k . . to make marmelade of lemmons and oranges . you may boil eight or nine lemmons or oranges , with four or five pippins , and draw them through a strainer ; then take the weight of the pulp all together in sugar and boil is as you do marmelade of quinces and so box it up . . to make angelica wat●r . take a handful of carduus benedictus and dry it , then take three ounces of angelica roots one dram of myrrh , half an ounce of nutmegs , cinamon and ginger four ounces of each , one dram and half of saffron ; of cardonius , cubels , galingal , and pepper , of each a quarter of an ounce ; two drams of mace , one dram of grains , of lignum aloes , spikenard , iunius odoratus ; of each a dram ; sage , borage , buglos , violets , and rosemary flowers of each half a handful , bruise them and steep them in a pottle of sack twelve hours , and distill it as the rest . . to make quiddany of cherries . when your cherries are fully ripe , and red to the stone , take them and pull out the stones , and boil your cherries till they be all broken then strain them and take the liquor strained out , and boil it over again , and put as much sugar to it as you think convenient , and when it is boil●d that you think it is thick enough put it into your boxes . . to dry cherries . take six pound of cherries and stone them● then take a pound of sugar and wet it with the juice of the cherries , and boil it a little , then put in your cherries and boil them till they are clear , let them lye in the syrup a week then drein them from the syrup , and lay them on thin boards , or sheets of glass to dry in a stove , turn them twice a day , and when they are dry , wash off the clamminess with warm water ● and dry them a little longer . . to make brown metheglin . take strong ale-wort , and put as much honey to it as will make it strong enough to bear an egg ; boil them very well together , then set it a cooling , and when it is almost cold put in some ale-yeast , then put it into a strong vessel , and when it hath done working , put a bag of spices into the vessel and some lemon peel and stop it up close , and in a few days it will be fit to drink , but the longer you keep it the better . . to candy oranges or lemons , after they are preserved . take them out of the syrup , and drain them well , then boil some sugar to a candy height , and lay your peels in the bottom of a ●ive , and pour your hot sugar over them , and then dry them in a stove or warm oven . . to preserve oranges after the portugal fashion . open your oranges at the end , and take out all the meat , then boil them in several waters , till a straw nay go through them , then take their weight ann half in fine sugar , and to every pound of sugar , a pint of water , boil it and scum it , then put in your oranges and boil them a little more , then take them up , and fill them with preserved pippins , and boil them again till you think they are enough , but if you will have them jelly , make a new syrup with the water wherein some sliced pippins have been boiled , and some sine sugar , and that will be a stiff jelly . . to make good vsquebath . take two gallons of good aquavitae four ounces of the best liquorice bruised , four ounces of anniseed brui●ed , put them into a wooden , glass , or stone vessel , and cover them close , and so let them stand a week , then draw off the cleerest and sweetest with molosso's , and keep it in another vessel , and put in some dates , and raisens stoned , keep it very close from the air. . to make italian bisket . take serced sugar ; and a little of the white of an egg , with some ambergreece and musk , beat them all to a past in an alablaster morter , and mould it in a little anniseed finely dusted , then make it up in loaves , and cut them about like maunchet , then bake them in an oven , as hot as for maunchet , and when they are risen somewhat high upon the plates take them forth and remove them not of the plates till they be cold , for they will be very apt to break . . to make french bisket . take half a peek of flower , with four eggs half a pint of ale-yeast , one ounce and half of anniseed , a litle sweet cream , and a little cold water , make all into a loaf , and fashion it something long , then cut it into thick slices like tosts , after it hath stood two days , and rub them over with powdred sugar , and lay them in a warm sun , and so dry them and sugar them as you dry them three , or four times , then put them into boxes for use . . to make sugar plate . take serced sugar , and make it up in past with gum-dragon steeped in rose-water , and when you have brought it to a perfect past , rowl it as thin as ●●e you can , and then print it in moulds of what fashion you please , and so let them dry as they ly . . to make pomander . take half an ounce of benjamin , and as much storax , and as much lapdanum , with six grains of musk , and as much civet , and two grains of amber-grease , and one dram of sweet balsom , beat all these together in a hot morter , then roul it up in beads as big , or as little as you please , and whilst they are hot make holes in them to serve for your use . . to make conserve of damsons . take ripe damsons and put them into scalding water , and half an hour after set them over the fire till they break ; then strain them through a cullender , and let them cool therein , then strain them ( through a peice of canvas ) from their stones and skins , and then set them over the fire again , then put to them a good quantity of red wine , and so boil it often stirring it till it be thick , and when it is almost boil d●enough , put in a convenient proportion of sugar , and stir it very well together , and then put it into your gally-pots . . to bake oranges . peel all the bark off , and boil them in rose-water , and sugar till they are ●●nder , then make your pye , and set them whole in it , and put in the liquor they are boil●d in into the pye , and season it with sugar , cinamon and ginger . . to preserve peaches . take a pound of your fairest and best colour'd peaches and with a wer linnen clo●t● wipe o●● the white hoar of them , th●n parboil them in half a pint of white-wine and a pint and a half of running water , and being parboil'd peel off the white skin of them and then weigh them ; take to your pound of peaches three quarters of a pound of refined sugar , and di●●olve it in a quarter of a pint of white-wine , and boyl it almost to the height of a syrup , then put in your peaches , and let them boil in the syrup a quarter of an hour or more if need require , then put them up & keep them all the year . . to preserve goose-berries . take goose-berries , or grape , or barberries , and take somewhat more then their weight in sugar beaten very fine and so lay one laying of fruits , and another of sugar , till all are laid in your preserving pan , then take six spoonfuls of fair water , and boil your fruits therein as fast as you can , until they be very clear , then take them up , and boil the syrup by it self , till it be thick , when they are cold put them into gally-pots . . to preserve pippins white . pare your pippins and cut them the cross way , and weigh them , add to a pound of sugar a pint of water ; then put the sugar to the water and let it boil a while , and then put in your pippins , and let them boil till they be clear at the core , then take them off and put them up . . to preserve grapes . it settle a while , then wet a pound of sugar or grapes with the juice , stone the grapes , save the liquor in the stoning , take off the stalks , give them a boiling , t●ke them off , and put them up . . to preserve angellica roots . wash the roots and slice them very thin , and lay them in water three or four days , change the water every day , then put the roots into a pot of water , and set them in the embers all night , in the morning put away the water , then take a pound of roots four pints of water , and two pound of sugar , let it boil and scum it clean , then put in the roots , which will be bo●l●d before the syrup then take them up and boil the syrup after , they will ask a whole days work very softly , at st. andrews time is the best time to do them in all the year . . to make syrup of quinces . take of the juice of quinces clarified three quarts , boil it over a gentle fire til● half of it be consumed , scum it and add to it three pints of red wine , with four pound of white sugar , boyl it into a syrup , and perfume it with a dram and half of c●● namon , and of cloves and ginger , of 〈…〉 two scruples . . to make walnut-water . take of green walnuts a pound and half , garden radish-ro●rs one pound , green afarabacca six ounces , radish seeds four ounces ; let all of them being bruised be steeped in three pints of white-wine-vinegar for three days , and then distil them in a leaden still till they be dry . . to make treakle water . take of the juice of green walnuts four pound , juice of rue three pound , juice of carduus , marigolds and balm , of each two pound , green peta●● is roots one pound and half , the roots of burs one pound , angelica and masterwort of each half a pound ; the leaves of scordium four handfuls , old venice treacle and mithridate of each eight ounces , canary wine six quarts , vinegar three quarts , juice of lemons one quart , digest them two days either in horse-dung or in a bath , the vessel being close shut , then distil them in sand , in the distillation you may make a theri●cal extraction . . to make syrup of cinamon , take of cinamon grosly bruised ounces ●●eep it in white-wine , and small cinamon water of each half a pound● three days in a glass by a gentle fire ; strain it , and with a po●nd and half of sugar boil it gently to a syrup . this syrup refiesheth the vital spirits and cherisheth the heart and stomach , helps digestion , and cherisheth the whole body exceedingly . . to make syrup of citron peels . take of freth yellow citron peels , five ounces , the berries of cherms , or the juice of the● brought over to us two drams , spring-water two quarts ; steep them all night , boyl them till half be consumed , take off the scum , strain it , and with two pound and half of the whitest sugar , boyl it into a syrup : let half of it be without musk , but perfume the other half with three grains of musk tyed up in a rag . . to make syrup of harts-horn . take of harts● tongue thee● handfuls , polipodium of the oak , the roots of both sorts of buglos , barks of the roots of capers and tamaris , of each two ounces , hops , dodder , maiden-hair , balm , of each two handfulls ; boil them in four quarts of spring-water till it comes to five , strain it , and with four pound of sugar , make it into syrup according to art. . an oyl perfume for gloves that shall never out . take benjamin two ounces , storax and calamint each an ounce ●ut the two first must be finely bearen by themselves ; then take a pound of sweet almonds , and mingle it with the storax and benjamin upon a marble stone , and then put it into an earthen pot with more oyl , then put in your gloves powdered , and so let it stand very close covered ; and when you will perfume a pair of gloves , take a little fair water in a spoon , and wipe your gloves very fine with ; take another spoon , and dip it in your oyl , and rub it on your gloves , and let them dry this is excellent . . an excellent water for one that is in a consumption . take three pints of milk , and one pint of red wine , twenty four yolks of new laid eggs , beat them very well together , then add so much white bread as will drink up the wine , and put to it some cow-slip flowers , and distil them : take a spoonful of this , morning and evening , in chicken , or muton broth , and in one month it will cure any consumption . . to make barley water , take a penny-worth of barley , a penny-worth of raisins of the sun , a penny-worth of anniseeds , a half penny-worth of liquorish , about two quarts of water , boil all together till half be consumed , then strain it , and when it is cold drink it , your liquorish must be sliced into small pieces . . dr. deodates drink for the scurvy . take roman wormwood , carduus benedictus , scurvy-grass , brook-lime , water-creases , water-trifoil , of each one handful , dodder , cetrach , soolopendria . burrage , buglos , sorrel , vervain , or speedwel , of each half a handful , elicampane root one ounce , raisins of the sun three ounces , slices of oranges and lemmons , of each fifteen , boil , or rather infuse these in a double glass , with so much white-wine as will make a pint and a half of the liquor when it is done . . a conserve to strengthen the back . take eringo roots , and conserve them as you do damask , white and red roses in every respect the pith being taken out ; one pound and a half of sugar is enough for every pound of roots , with three pints of water stew them closely at first as you do your roses ; if you add to them five or six grains of amber grease beaten to fine powder , it will be much more cordial . . to make excellent aqua composita for a surfeit or cold stomach . take a handful of rosemary , a root of ●nula● campane , a handful of hysop , half a handful of thyme , six handfuls of sage , as much mint and as much penny-royal , half a handful of hore-hound , two ounces of liquorish well bruised and as much anniseeds : then take two gallons of the best strong ale , and take all the herbs afore●aid , and wring them asunder , and put them into an earthen pot well covered , and let them stand a day and a night , from thence put all into a brass pot , and set it on the fire , and let it stand till it boil , then take it from the fire and set your limbeck on the pot , and stop it close with past that there come no air out of it , and still it out with a soft fire , you may add to it handful of red fennel . . to make balm water . take four gallons of strong stale ale , half a pound of liquorish , two pound of balm two ounces of figgs , half a pound of anniseeds , one ounce of nutmegs , shred the balm and figgs very small , and let them stand steeping four and twenty hours , and then put it in a still as you use aqua-vitae . . to pickle broom-buds . take as many broom-buds as you please , make linnen bags and put them in , and tye them close , then make some brine with water and salt , and boil it a little , let it be cold , then put some brine in a deep earthen pot , and put the bags in it , and lay some weight on them , let it lye there till it look black , then shift it again still as long as it looks black , boil them in a little cauldron , and put them in vinegar a week or two , and they will be fit to eat . . to make good raspberry wine . take a gallan of sack , in which let two gallons of raspberries stand steeping the space of twenty four hours , then strain them and put to the liquor three pound of raisins of the sun stoned ; let them stand together four or five days , being sometime stirred together , then pair off the clearest and put it up in bottles and set it in a cold place if it be not sweet enough you may put sugar to it . . to make excellent hippocras in an instant . take of cinamon two ounces , nutmegs , ginger , of each half an ounce , cloves two drams , bruise these small , then mix them with as much spirit of wine , as will make them into a past , let them stand close covered in a glass the space of six days in a cold place , then press out the liquor and keep it in a glass . a few drops of this liquor put into any wine giveth it a gallant relish and odour , and maketh it as good as any hippocras whatsoever in an instant . . to make artificial malmsey . take two gallons of english honey , put into it eight gallons of the best spring-water , set these in a vessel over a gentle fire , when they have boil'd gently an hour take them off , and when they be cold put them into a small barrel or runlet hanging in the vessel a bag of spices , and set it in the cellar , and in half a year you may drink thereof . . to make artificial claret-wine . take six gallons of water , two gallons of the best syder , put thereto eight pound of the best malaga raisins bruised in a morter , let them stand close covered in a warm place the space of a fortnight , every two days stirring them well together ; then press out the raisins● and put the liquor into the s●id vessel again , to which add a quart of the juice of ras-berries , and a pint of the juice of black cherries ; cover this liquor with bread spread thick with strong mustard , the mustard-seed being down●ward , and so let it work by the fire side three or four days , then turn it up and let it stand a week , and then bottle it up , and it will tast as quick as bottle beer and become a very p●easant drink , and indeed far better and wholsomer then our common claret . . to make spirit of amber-grease . take of amber-grease two drams , of musk a dram cut them small , and put them into a pint of the best spirit of wine , close up the glass hermetically , and digest them in a very gentle heat till you perceive they are dissolved , then you may use it ; two or three drops or more if you please of this spirit put into a pint of wine , gives it a rich odour , or if you put two or three drops round the brims of the glass it will do as well , half a spoonful of it taken either of it self , or mixt with some specifical liquor is a most rich cordial . . an excell●nt sweet water . take a quart of orange-flower water , as much rose water , with four ounces of musk-willow-seeds grosly bruised , of benjamin two ounces , of storax an ounce , of latdanum six drams , of lavender flowers two pugils , of sweet marjoram as much , of calanius aromaticus a dram , distil all these in a glass still in balneo , the vessel being very well closed that no vapour breath forth ; note that you may make a sweet water in an instant , by putting in a few drops of some distilled oyls together into some rose-water , and brew them well together . . dr. burges plague water . take three pints of muscadine , and boyl in it sage and rue , of each a handful till a pint be wasted , then strain it , and set it over the fire again , put thereto a dram of long pepper , ginger and nutmeg , of each half an ounce being all bruised together ; then boil them a little , and put thereto half an ounce of andramachus treacle , three drams of methridate , and a quarter of a pint of angellica water . take a spoonful or two of this morning and evening . . to dry cherries or plumbs in the sun. if it be small fruit you must dry them whole by laying them abroad in the hot sun in stone or pewter dishes , or tin pans turning them as you see cause ; but if your plumbs be large slit them in the middle and lay them abroad in the sun ; an if they be very large then give each plumb a slit on each side , and if the sun do not shine sufficiently , then dry them in an oven that is temperately warm . . to preserve pippins green . take pippins when they be small & green off the tree , and pare three or four of the worst , and cut them all to peices ; then boil them in a quart of fair water till they be pap ; then let the liquor come from them as they do from your quiddany into a bason ; then put into them one pound of sugar clarified , and put into it as many green pippins unp●rd , as that liquor will cover , and so let them boyl softly , and when you see they be boil●d as tender as a cod●ing , then take them up and peel off the outermost white skin , and then they will be green , then boil them again in the syrup till it be thick and you may keep them all the year . . to maks syrup of hysop . take of hysop one handful , of figgs , raisins , dates , of each an ounce , boil these in three pints of water to a quart , then strain and clarifie it with the whites of two eggs , and two pound of sugar , and so boil them to a syrup , and being boil●d enough keep them all the year . . to make rosa solis . take liquorish eight ounces . anniseeds and carr●way of each an ounce ; raisins ston'd and dates of each three ounces , nutmegs , ginger , mace , of each half an ounce , galingal a quarter of an ounce , cubebs one dram , figgs two ounces , sugar four ounces ; bruise these and distil them with a gallon of aqua-vitae as the rest , but when it is distilled , you must colour it with the herb rosa solis or alkanet root . . to make muscadine com●●ts . take half a pound of musk sugar beaten and searced , then take gumdragagant steeped in rose-water , and two grains of musk and so beat them in an alablaster morter till it come to perfect past , then roul it very thin , and cut it in small diamond pieces and then bake them , and so keep them all the year . . to make conserve of burrage-flowers . let your flowers be well coloured , and pick the blacks from them , then weigh them and to every ounce of flowers you must take three ounces of sugar , and beat them together in a stone morter with a wooden pestle till they be very fine ; then take them out and put the conserve into a pipki● , and ●ea● it thorow hot , put them up and keep them all the year . . to candy ginger . take very fair and large ginger and pare it , and lay it in water a day and a night ; then take double refined sugar and boil it to the height of sugar again , and when your sugar begins to be cold , take your ginger and stir it well about while your sugar is hard to the pan ; then take it out piece by peice and lay it by the fire four hours , then take a pot and warm it and put the ginger in it tye it up close and every other morning stir it about throughly , and it will be rock-candyed in a little time . . to make manus christi . take half a pound of refined sugar , and some rose-water , boil them together till it come to sugar again , then stir it about till it be somewhat cold , then take leaf gold and mingle with it , then cast it according to art into r●und gobbets , and so keep them . . to make conserve of strawberries . first boil them in water , and then cast away the water and strain them ; then boil them in white-wine , and works as in prunes ; or else strain them being ripe then boil them in white-wine and sugar till they be stiff . . to make conserve of prunes . take the best prunes put them into scalding water , let them stand a while , then boil themover the fire till they break ; then strain out the water through a cullender , and let them stand therein to cool , then strain the prunes through the cullender , taking away the stones and skins , then set the pulp over the fire again and put thereto a good quantity of red wine , and boil them to a thickness still stirring them up and down , when they are almost enough put in a sufficient quantity of sugar , stir all well together and then put it up in your gally-pots . . to make fine christal ielly . take a knuckle of veal , and four calves feet , put them on the fire with a gallon of fair water , and when the flesh is boil'd tender take it out , then let the liquor stand still till it be cold , then take away the top and the bottom of the liquor , and put the rest into a clean pipkin , and put into it one pound of refined sugar , with four or five drops of oyl of cinamon and nutmegs , and a grain of musk , and so let it boil a quarter of an hour leasurely on the fire ; then let it run through a jelly-bag into a bason , with the whites of two eggs beaten ; and when it is cold you may cut it into lumps with a spoon , and so serve three or four lumps upon a plate . . to make ielly of strawberries , mulberries , raspisberries or any other such tender fruit . take your berries and grind them in a stone morter with four ounces of sugar , and a quarter of a pint of fair water , and as much rose-water ; and boyl it in a skillet with a little ising-glass , and so let it run through a fine cloath into your boxes and you may keep it all the year . . to candy rosemary flowers . pick your flowers very clean , and put to every ounce of flowers two ounces of hard sugar , and one ounce of sugar-candy , and dissolve them in rosemary flower water , and boil them till they come to a sugar again , when your sugar is almost cold put in your rosemary flowers and stir them together till they be enough ; then take them out and put them in your boxes , and keep them in a store for use . . to candy brrrage flowers . pick the flowers clean and weigh them , and do in every respect as you did your rosemary flowers , only when they be candyed you must set them in a still , and sokeep them in a sheet of white paper , putting eve●y day a chafing-dish of coals into your still , and it will be excellently candyed in a small time . . to make bisket cakes . take a peck of flower●● four ounces of coriander-seed , one ounce of anniseed ; then take three eggs , three spoonfuls of ale-yeast , and as much warm water as will make it as thick as past for maunchet● , make it into a long roul and bake it in an oven an hour , and when it is a day old , pare it and slice it , sugar it with searced sugar and put it again into the oven , and when it is dry take it out , and new sugar it again , and so box it and keep it . . to make past royal. take a pound of refined sugar , beaten and searced , and put into a stone morter , with an ounce of gumdragagant steeped in rose-water , and if you see your past be too weak put in more sugar● if too dry more gum , with a drop or two of oyl of ci●amon , beat it into a perfect past , and then you may print it in your moulds , and when it is dry guild it and so keep them . . to make apricock cakes . procure the fairest apricocks you can get , and let them be parboil●d very tender ; take of the same quantity of sugar whereof the pulp is , and boil them together very well always keeping them stirring for fear of burning too ; when the bottom of the skillet is dry they are enough , then put them into little cards sewed round about , and dust them with fine sugar , and when they are cold stone them and turn them , and fill them up with some more of the same stuff , but let them stand three or four days before you remove them from the first place , when you find them begin to candy take out the cards and dust them with sugar . . to make conserve for tarts all the year . take damsons , or other good ripe plums , and peel off their skins , and so put them into a pot , but to pippins pared , and cut in pieces , and so bake them ; then strain them through a piece of canvas , and reason them with cinamon , sugar , ginger , and a little rose-water : boyl it upon a chafing-dish of coals , till it be as thick as a conserve ; and then put it into your gally-pots , and you may keep it good all the year . . to dry pippins . take the fairest yellow pippins , and pare them , and make a hole through every one , then par-boyl them a little in fair water , then take them up , and put them into as much clarified sugar as will cover them , and let them boyl very gently a little while , in that syrup ; then take them out , and put them into an earthen platter , then cast fine sugar upon them , and set them into the oven half an hour , then take them out , and cast some more sugar on them , ( being turned ) and do so three times , and they will be well d●yed . . to make paste of genua . take two pound of the pulp of quinces , and as much of peaches ; strain it , and dry it in a pewter platter upon a chasing-dish of coals ; then weigh it , and boyl it to the height of manus christi , and then put them together , and so fashion it upon a pye-plate , and dry it in an oven with a chafing-dish of coals till it be through dry , and then if you please you may spot them with gold. . to make leach . make your jelly for your leach with calves feet , as you do your ordinary jelly , but a little stiffer ; and when it is cold , take off the top , and the bottom , and set it over the fire with some cinamon and sugar ; then take your turnsole being well steept in sack , and crush it , and so strain it in your leach , and let it boyl to such a thickness , that when it is cold you may slice it . . to dry any kind of fruits after they are preserved . take pippins , pears , or plums after they are preserved out of the syrup , and wash them in warm water , and then strew them over with sugar finely sierced , as you do flower upon fish to fry , and set them into a broad earthen pan , and lay them one by another ; then set them into a warm stove or oven , until they be dry , and turn them every day till they are quite dry ; and if you please , you may candy them therewithal ; cast sugar upon them three or four times as you dry them . . to make quiddany of quinces . take the kernels out of seven or eight great quinces , and boyl the quinces in a quart of spring-water , till it come to a pint ; then put into it a quarter of a pint of rose-water , and one pound of fine sugar , and so let it boyl till it come to be of a deep colour , then take a drop and drop it into the bottom of a saucer , and if it stand , take it off ; then let it run through a jelly-bag into a bason , then set it over a chafing-dish of coals to keep it warm , then take a spoon and fill your boxes as full as you please ; when they be cold cover them , and if you please to print it in moulds , wetting your moulds with rose-water , and so let it run in , and when it is cold , turn it into boxes . . to make sweet cakes without either spice or sugar . take parsneps , and scrape or wash them clean , slice them thin , and dry them well , beat them to powder , mixing one third part thereof with two thirds of fine wheat-flower ; make up your paste into cakes , and you will find them very sweet and delicate . . to make wormwood-vvine . take small rochel or comahe wine , put a few drops of the extracted oyl of worm-wood therein ; brew it together out of one pot into another , and you shall have a more neat and wholsom wine for your body , than that which is sold for right wormwood-wine . . to make sweet bags to lye among linning . fill your bags only with lignum and rhodium finely beaten , and it will give an excellent scent to your linnen . . to make spirit of honey . put one part of honey to five parts of water , when the water boyleth dissolve your honey therein , scum it ; and having boyled an hour or two , put it into a wooden vessel , and when it is blood-warm set it on fire with yeast , after the usual manner of beer and ale ; turn it , and when it hath lain some time , it will yield spirit by distillation , as wine , beer , and ale will do . . to preserve artichoaks . cut off the stalks of your artichoaks within two inches of the choak , and make a strong decoction of the rest of the stalks , slicing them into thin small pieces , and let the artichoaks lye in this decoction ; and when you use them , you must put them first in warm water , and then in cold , and so take away the bitterness of them . . to make syrup for a cough of the lungs . take a pottle of fair running water in a new pipkin , and put into it half an ounce of sydrack , half an ounce of maiden-hair , and a good handful of elecampane roots sliced ; boyl all together , untill half be boyled away , even to a syrup ; then put into it the whites of eggs , and let it boyl two or three walms ; and give the patient a spoonful morning and evening . . to make banbury cakes . take four pound of currants , wash , and pick them very clean , and dry them in a cloath ; then take three eggs , and put away one yolk , and beat them , and strain them with yeast , putting thereto cloves , mace , cinamon , and nutmegs ; then take a pint of cream , and as much mornings milk , and let it warm ; then take flower , and put in good store of cold butter and sugar , then put in your eggs , yeast , and meal , and work them all together an hour or more ; then save a piece of the paste , and break the rest in pieces , and work in your currants ; then make your cake what quantity you please , and cover it very thin with the paste wherein were no currants , and so bake it according to the bigness . . to make ginger-bread . take a quart of honey , and set it on the coals and refine it , then take ginger , pepper , and licorise , of each a penny-worth , a quarter of a pound of anniseeds , and a penny-worth of saunders ; beat all these , and sierse them , and put them into the honey , add a quarter of a pint of claret wine , or old ale ; then take three penny manchets finely grated , and strew it amongst the rest , and stir it till it come to a stiff past ; make them into cakes , and dry them gently . . to make vvormwood-vvater . take two gallons of good ale , a pound of anniseeds , half a pound of licorise , and beat them very fine ; then take two good handfuls of the crops of wormwood , and put them into ale , and let them stand all night , and let them stand in a limbeck with a moderate fire . . to make paste of quinces . first boyl your quinces whole , and when they are soft , pare them , and cut the quince from the core ; then take the finest sugar you can get finely beaten or sierced , and put in a little rose-water , and boyl it together till it be stiff enough to mould , and when it is cold , roul it and print : a pound of quinces will require a pound of sugar , or thereabout . . to make thin quince cakes . take your quince when it is boyled soft , as before , and dry it upon a pewter plate with a soft heat , and stir it with a slice till it be hard , then take sierced sugar to the same weight , and strew it upon the quince as you beat it in a wooden or stone mortar , and so roul them thin , and print them . . to make fine cakes . take a pottle of fine flower , and a pound of sugar , a little meale , and good store of water to mingle the flower into a stiff plate , with a little salt , and so knead it , and roul out the cakes thin , and bake them on papers . . to make suckets . take curds , and the paring of limons , oranges , or pome-citrons , or indeed any half-ripe green fruit , and boyl them till they be tender , in sweet wort ; then take three pound of sugar , the whites of four eggs , and a gallon of water ; beat the water and eggs together , and then put in your sugar , and set it on the fire , and let it have a gentle fire , and let it boyl six or seven walms , then strain it through a cloath , and set it on again , till it fall from the spoon , and then put it into the rindes , or fruits . . to make leach lombard . take half a pound of blanched almonds , two ounces of cinamon beaten and sierced , half a pound of sugar ; beat your almonds , and strew on your cinamon and sugar , till it come to a paste , then roul it , and print it , as afore-said . . to make a rare damask water . take a quart of malmsey lees , or malmsey , one handful of marjoram , as much basil , four handfuls of lavender , one handful of bay-leaves , four handfuls of damask-rose-leaves , as many red-rose , the peels of six oranges , or else one handful of the tender leaves of walnut-trees , half an ounce of benjamin , calamus aromaticus as much , of camphire four drams , of cloves an ounce , of bildamum half an ounce ; then take a pottle of running water , and put in all these spices bruised into your water and malmsey together in a pot close stopped , with a good handful of rosemary , and let them stand for the space of six days , then distill it with a soft fire , and set it in the sun sixteen days , with four grains of musk bruised . this quantity will make three quarts of water . . to make washing balls . take storax of both kinds , benjamin , calamus aromaticus , labdanum , of each alike , and bray them to powder with cloves and orris , then beat them all with a sufficient quantity of soap , till it be stiff , then with your hand work it like paste , and make round balls thereof . . to make a musk-ball . take nutmegs , mace , cloves , saffron , and cinamon , of each the weight of two pence , and beat it to fine powder , add as much mastick , of storax the weight of six pence , of labdanum the weight of ten pence , of amber-grease the weight of six pence , and of musk sour grains ; dissolve and work all these in hard sweet soap , till it come to a stiff paste , and then make balls thereof . . to make imperial vvater . take a gallon of gascoin wine , ginger , galingal , nutmegs , grains , cloves , anniseeds , fennel-seeds , caraway-seeds , of each one dram ; then take sage , mint , red roses , tine , pellitory , rosemary , wild thyme , camomile , and lavender , of each a handful , then beat the spices small and the herbs also , and put all together into the wine , and let it stand so twelve hours , stirring it divers times , then distill it with a limbeck , and keep the first water , for it is best ; of a gallon of wine you must not take above a quart of water . this water comforteth the vital spirits , and helpeth the inward diseases that come of cold , as the palsie , and contraction of sinews ; it also killeth worms , and comforteth the stomack , it cureth the cold dropsie , helpeth the stone , and stinking breath , and maketh one seem young. . to make verjuice . gather your crabs as soon as the kernels turn black , and lay them a while in a heap to sweat , then pick them from the stalks , blacks , and rotteness , then crush and beat them all to pieces in a tub , then make a bag of course hair-cloath as big as your press , and fill it with the crusht crabs , then put it into the press and press it as long as any moisture will drop out , having a clean vessel underneath to receive the liquor ; then tun it up in sweet hogsheads , and to every hogshead put half a dozen handfuls of damask rose leaves , then bring it up , and spend it as you have occasion . . to make dry sugar leach . blanch your almonds , and beat them with a little rose water , and the white of one egg , and then beat it with a good quantity of sugar , and work it as you would work a piece of paste ; then roul it , and print it , only be sure to strew sugar in the print , for fear of cleaving to . . to make fine iumbals . beat a pound of sugar fine , then take the same quantity of fine wheat flower , and mix them together , then take two whites and one yolk of an egg , half a quarter of a pound of blanched almonds , then beat them very fine altogether , with half a pound of sweet butter , and a spoonful of rose-water , and so work it with a little cream till it come to a stiff paste , then roul them forth as you please ; you may add a few fine dryed anniseeds finely rub●d , and strewed into the paste , with coriander seeds . . to make dry vinegar . to make dry vinegar , which you may carry in your pocket , you must take the blacks of green co●● , either wheat or rye , and beat it in a mortar with the strongest vinegar you can get , till it come to paste , then roul it into little balls and dry it in the sun till it be very hard , and when you have occasion to use it , cut a little piece thereof , and dissolve it in wine , and it will make a strong vinegar . . to make excellent date leach . take dates , and take out the stones , and the white rinde , and beat them with sugar , cinamon , and ginger very finely , then work it as you would work a piece of paste , and then print them as you please . . to make white ielly of almonds . take rose-water , gum-dragant , or isinglass dissolved , and some cinamon grosly beaten , boyl them all together , then take a pound of almonds , blanch them , and beat them fine with a little fair water , dry them in a fine cloath , and put your rose-water and the rest into the almonds , boyl them together and stir them continually , then take them from the fire , and when it is boyled enough take it off . . to candy orange peels . take your orange peels after they are preserved , then take fine sugar , and rose water , and boyl it to the height of manus christi , that is , till it is sugar again , then draw through your sugar ; lay them on the bottom of a siev , and dry them in an oven after you have drawn bread , and they will be candied . . to make paste of violets . you must take violets ready pickt , and brui●e them in a marble mortar , and wring the juice from them into a porringer , and put as much hard sugar in fine powder , as the juice will cover , dry it , and then pouder it again ; then take as much gum-dragant steeped in rose water as will bring this sugar into a perfect paste , then take it up & print it with your moulds , and so dry it in your stove . . to preserve pippins red. take your best coloured pippins and pare them , then take a piercer and bore a hole through them , then make syrup for them as much as will cover them , and so let them boyl in a broad preserving pan , put to them a piece of cinamon , and let them boyl leisurely , close covered , turning them very often , or else they will spot , and one side will not be like t'other , and let them boyl till they begin to jelly , then take them up , and you may keep them all the year . . to make spirit of roses . bruise the rose in his own juice , adding thereto , being temperately warm , a convenient proportion either of yeast , or ferment ; leave them a few days to ferment , till they get a strong and heady smell , near like to vinegar ; then distill them , and draw so long as you find any scent of the rose to come , then distill again so often till you have purchased a perfect spirit of the rose . you may also ferment the juice of roses only , and after distill the same . . to make syrup of elder . take elder berries when they are red , bruise them in a stone mortar , strain the juice , and boyl it away to almost half , scum it very clean , take it off the fire whilst it is hot ; put in sugar to the thickness of a syrup , put it no more on the fire , when it is cold , put it into glasses , not filling them to the top , for it will work like beer . . to make orange-water . take two quarts of the best malaga sack , and put in as many of the peels of oranges as will go in , cut the white clean off , steep them twenty four hours , then still them in a glass still , and let the water run into the receiver upon fine sugar-candy ; you may still it in an ordinary still . . to make a caudle of great virtue . take a pint and a half of the strongest ale may be gotten , twenty jordan almonds clean wiped , but neither wash'd nor blanch'd , with two dates minced very small and stamped ; then take the pith of young beef , the length of twelve inches , lay it in water till the blood be out of it , then strip the skin off it , and stamp it with the almonds and dates , then strain them altogether into the ale , boyl it till it be a little thick , give the party in the morning fasting six spoonfuls , and as much when he goeth to bed. . an excellent surfeit vvater . take cellandine , rosemary , rue , pellitory of spain , scabious , angelica , pimpernel , wormwood , mugwort , betony , agrimony , balm , dragon and tormentile , of each half a pound , shred them somewhat small , and put them into a narrow mouthed pot , and put to them five quarts of vvhite vvine , stop it close , and let it stand three days and nights , stirring it morning and evening , then take the herbs from the wine , and distill them in an ordinary still , and when you have distill'd the herbs , distill the wine also , wherein is virtue for a weak stomack . take three or four spoonfuls at any time . . to make a syrup for one short-winded . take a good handful of hyssop , and a handful of horehound , and boyl them in a quart of spring-water to a pint , then strain it through a clean cloath , and put in sugar to make it pleasant . stir it morning and evening with a licorise-stick , and take about three spoonfuls at a time . . to make syrup of sugar candyed . take sugar candyed , and put it into a clear bladder , and tye it , but so that it may have some vent , then put it into a bason of water , so that the water come not over the top of the bladder , and cover it with a pewter dish , and let it stand all night , and in the morning take of it with a licorise-stick . . to make an excellent syrup against the scurvy . take of the juice of garden scurvy-grass , brook●ime , and water-cresses , of each six ounces , and after it hath stood till it is clear , take sixteen ounces of the clearest , and put to it four ounces of the juice of oranges and lemmons , make it a clear syrup with so much fine sugar as will serve the turn . . to make syrup of roses . vvhen your liquor is ready to boyl , put as many roses as will be well steept into it , cover it close , and when the roses are throughly white , then strain it , and set it one the fire again , and so use it thirteen times , and to every pint of your water or liquor , you must put a pound of sugar , and let it stand together steeping for the space of one night , then scum it clean , and seeth it over a quick fire a quarter of an hour , then take some whites of eggs and beat them well together , take off your pot , and put in the whites , and then set it on the fire again , and let it boyl a good space , then let it run through a jelly-bag , till it will stand still upon your nail . . to make a comfortable syrup . take a handful of agrimony , and boyl it in a pint of water till half be consumed , then take out the agrimony , and put in a good handful of currans , and boyl them till they are ready to break , then strain them , and make a syrup of them , then set it on a chafing-dish of coals , and put thereto a little white saunders , and drink it either hot or cold . . to make an almond caudle . take three pints of ale , boyl it with cloves and mace , and slice bread in it , then have ready beaten a pound of almonds blanched , and strain them out with a pint of white wine , and thicken the ale with it , sweeten it if you please , but be sure to scum the ale when it boyls . . to candy cherries . take your cherries before they be full ripe , take out the stones , put clarified sugar boyled to a height , and then pour it on them . . to make syrup of saffron . take a pint of endive water , two ounces of saffron finely beaten , and steep it therein all night , the next day boyl it , and strain out the saffron , then with sugar boyl it up to a syrup . . to make rose water . stamp the leaves , and first distill the juice being squeezed out , and after distill the leaves , and so you may dispatch more with one still , than others will do with three or four ; and this water is every way as medicinable as the other , serving very well in all decoctions , and syrups , &c. though it be not altogether so pleasing to the smell . . to make suckets of green walnuts take vvalnuts when they are no bigger than the largest hasel nut ; pare away the uppermost green , but not too deep ; then boyl them in a pottle of water , till the water be boyled away , then take so much more fresh water , and when it is boyled to the half , put thereto a quart of vinegar , and a pottle of clarified honey . . to make white leach of cream . take a pint of sweet cream , and six spoonfuls of rose-water , two grains of musk , two drops of oyl of mace , and so let it boyl with four ounces of isinglass ; then let it run through a jelly-bag , when it is cold slice it like brawn , and so serve it out . this is the best way to make leach . . to preserve pome-citrons . you must take a pound and a half of pome-citrons , and cut them in halves and quarters , take the meat out of them , and boyl them tender in fair water , then take two pound of sugar clarified , and make syrup for them , and let them boyl therein a quarter of an hour very gently ; then take them up , and let your syrup boyl till it be thick , then put in your pome-citrons , and you may keep them all the year . . to pick●e clove-gilly flowers for sallets . take the fairest clove-gilly-flowers , clip off the whites from them , put them into a wide-mouth'd glass , and strew a good deal of sugar finely beaten among them , then put as much wine vinegar to them as will throughly wet them , tye them up close , and set them in the sun , and in a little while they will be fit for use . . to make leach of almonds . take half a pound of sweet almonds , and beat them in a mortar , then strain them with a pint of sweet milk from the cow , then put to it one grain of musk , two spoonfuls of rose-water , two ounces of fine sugar , the weight of three shillings in isinglass that is very white , boyl them together , and let it all run through a strainer , then still it out , and serve it . . to candy marigolds in wedges , the spanish fashion . take of the fairest marigold flowers two ounces , and shred them small , and dry them before the fire , then take four ounces of sugar , and boyl it to a height , then pour it upon a wet pye-plate , and between hot and cold cut it into wedges , then lay them on a sheet of white paper , and put them in a stove . . to candy eringo roots . take your eringos ready to be preserved , and weigh them , and to every pound of your roots take of the purest sugar you can get two pound , and clarifie it with the whites of eggs exceeding well , that it may be as clear as crystal , for that will be best ; it being clarified , boyl it to the height of manus christi , then dip in your roots two or three at once , till all be candyed , and so put them in a stove , and so keep them all the year . . to candy elecampane roots . take of your fairest elecampane roots , and take them clean from the syrup , and wash the sugar off them , and dry them again with a linnen cloath ; then weigh them , and to every pound of roots take a pound and three quarters of sugar , clarifie it well , and boyl it to a height , and when it is boyled dip in your roots , three or four at once , and they will candy very well , and so stove them , and keep them all the year . . to make cinamon-sugar . lay pieces of sugar in close boxes among sticks of cinamon , or cloves , and in short time it will have the tast and scent of the spice . . to make a triste . take cream , and boyl it with a cut nutmeg , add limon peel a little , then take it off , cool it a little , and season it with rose-water and sugar to your tast ; let this be put in the thing you serve it in , then put it in a little rundlet to make it come , and then it is sit to eat . . to make quiddany of plums . take one quart of the liquor which you preserved your plums in , and boyl six fair pippins in it , pared , and cut into small pieces , then strain the thin from it , and put to every pint of liquor half a pound of sugar , and so boyl it till it will stand on the back of a spoon like a jelly ; then wet your moulds , and pour it thereinto , and when it is almost cold , turn it off upon a wet trencher , and so slip it into wet boxes . . to candy barberries . first preserve them , then dip them quickly into warm water , to wash off the ropy syrup , then strew them over with siersed sugar , and set them into an oven or stove three or four hours , always turning them , and casting more fine sugar upon them , and never suffer them to be cold till they be dryed , and begin to look like diamonds . . to make cream of apricots . first boyl your apricots with water and sugar , till they be somewhat tender , and afterwards boyl them in cream , then strain them , and season it with sugar . . to make quince-cream . take a roasted quince , pare it , and cut it into thin slices to the core , boyl it in a pint of cream , with a little whole ginger , till it tast of the quinces to your liking , then put in a little sugar , and strain it , and always serve it cold to the table . . to preserve barberries . take one pound of barberries pickt from the stalks , put them in a pottle-pot , and set it in a brass pot full of hot water , and when they be stewed , strain them , and put to them a pound and half of sugar , and a pint of red rose-water , and boyl them a little ; then take half a pound of the fairest clusters of barberries you can get , and dip them in the syrup while it boyleth , then take the barberries out again , and boyl the syrup while it is thick , and when it is cold , put them in the glasses with the syrup . . to make a cullice . take a cock , and dress him , and boyl him in white wine , scum it clean , and clarifie the broath ( being first strained ) then take a pint of sweet cream , and strain it , and so mix them together ; then take beaten ginger , fine sugar , and rose-water , and put them all together , and boyl it a little more . . to make a cordial strengthning broath . take a red cock , strip off the feathers from the skin , then break his bones to shivers with a rolling-pin ; ●●t it over the fire , and just cover it with water , put in some salt , and watch the scumming , and boyling of it , put in a handful of harts-horn , a quarter of a pound of blew currans , and as many raisins of the sun stoned , and as many pruans , four blades of large mace , a bottom crust of a white loaf , half an ounce of china root sliced , being steeped three hours before in warm water , boyl three or four pieces of gold , strain it , and put in a little fine sugar , and juice of orange , and so use it . . to candy grapes . after they are preserved , then dip them into warm water to cleanse them from the syrup , then strew them over with sierced sugar , and set them into an oven or stove three or four hours , always turning them , and casting more fine sugar upon them , and never suffer them to be cold till they be dry'd , and begin to sparkle . . to make sugar-cakes . take one pound of fine flower , one pound of sugar finely beaten , and mingle them well together , then take seven or eight yolks of eggs , then take two cloves , and a pretty piece of cinamon , and lay it in a spoonful of rose-water all night , and heat it almost blood-warm , temper it with the rest of the stuff ; when the paste is made , make it up as fast as you can , and bake them in a soft oven . . to take spots and stains out of cloaths . take four ounces of white hard soap , beat it in a mortar with a limon sliced , and as much roch-allom as an hasel-nut , roul it up in a ball , rub the stain therewith , and after fetch it out with warm water , if need be . . to keep chesnuts all the year . after the bread is ●rawn , disperse your nuts thinly over the bottom of the oven , and by this means , the moisture being dryed up , the nuts will last all the year ; but if you perceive them to mould , put them into the oven again . . to preserve cucumbers green. you must take two quarts of verjuice , or vinegar , and a gallon of fair water , a pint of bay-salt , and a handful of green fennel or dill , boyl it a little , and when it is cold , put it into a barrel , then put your cucumbers into that pickle , and you may keep them all the year . . to preserve white damsons green. scald white damsons in water , till they be hard , then take them off , and pick as many as you please , take as much sugar as they weigh , put two or three spoonfuls of water , then put in the damsons and the sugar , and boyl them , take them off , then let them stand a day or two , then boyl them again , take them off , and let them stand till they be cold . . to make cakes of limons . take of the finest double refined sugar , beaten very fine , and sierced through fine tiffany , and to half a porringer of sugar put two spoonfuls of water , and boyl it till it be almost sugar again , then grate of the hardest rinded limon , and stir it into your sugar , put it into your coffins , and a paper , and when they be cold , take them off . . to make artificial walnuts . take some sugar-plate , and print it in a mould made for a walnut-kernel , and then yellow it all over with a little saffron-water , with a feather ; then take cinamon sierced , and sugar a like quantity , working it to a paste with gum-dragon steeped in rose-water , and print it in a mould made like a walnut-shell , and when the kernel and shell be dry , close them together with gum-dragon . . to make black-cherry-vvine . take a gallon of the juice of black-cherries , keep it in a vessel close stopped , till it begin to work , then filter it , and an ounce of sugar being added to every pint , and a gallon of white-wine , and so keep it close stopped for use. . to make rose-vinegar . take of red-rose buds ( gathered in a dry time , the whites cut off , then dry them in the shadow three or four days ) one pound , of vinegar eight sextaries ; set them in the sun forty days , then strain out the roses , and put in fresh ; and so repeat it three or four times . . to make syrup of vinegar . take of the roots of smalledge , fennel , endive , each three ounces ; anniseeds , smalledge , fennel , of each an ounce , endive half an ounce , clear water three quarts ; boyl it gently in an earthen vessel , till half the water be consumed , then strain , and clarifie it , and with three pound of sugar , and a pint and half of white-wine-vinegar , boyl it into a syrup . this is a gallant syrup for such whose bodies are stuffed , either with phlegm , or tough humours , for it opens obstructions or stoppings , both of the stomack , liver , spleen , and reins ; it cuts and brings away tough phlegm , and choler . , to make syrup of apples . take two quarts of the juice of sweet-scented apples , the juice of bugloss , garden , and wild , of violet-leaves , and rose-water , of each a pound , boyl them together , and clarifie them , and with six pound of very fine sugar , boyl them into a syrup , according to art. . to make the capon-water against a consumption . take a capon , the guts being pull'd out , cut it in pieces , and take away the fat , boyl it in a close vessel in a sufficient quantity of spring-water : take of this broath three pints , of barrage , and violet-water a pint and a half , white-wine one pint , red-rose leaves two drams and an half , burrage-flowers , violets , and bugloss , of each one dram , pieces of bread out of the oven half a pound , cinamon bruised , half an ounce ; still it in a glass still , according to art. this is a sovereign remedy against hectick-fevers , and consumptions ; let such as are subject to those diseases , hold it as a jewel . . to make elder-vinegar . gather the flowers of elder , pick them very clean , dry them in the sun , on a gentle heat , and to every quart of vinegar take a good handful of flowers , and let it stand in the sun a fortnight , then strain the vinegar from the flowers , and put it into the barrel again , and when you draw a quart of vinegar , draw a quart of water , and put it into the barrel luke-warm . . to make china broath . take an ounce of china-root clipped thin , and steep it in three pints of water all night , on embers covered ; the next day take a cock chicken , clean pickt , and the guts taken out , put in its belly agrimony and maiden-hair , of each half a handful , raisins of the sun stoned , one good handful , and as much french barley ; boyl all these in a pipkin close covered , on a gentle fire , for six or seven hours , let it stand till it be cold , strain it , and keep it for your use : take a good draught in the morning , and at four in the after-noon . . to make paste of tender plums . put your plums into an earthen pot , and set it into a pot of boyling water , and when the plums are dissolved , then strain the thin liquor from them through a c●oath , and reserve that liquor to make quiddany , then strain the pulp through a piece of canvas , and take as much sugar as the pulp in weight , and as much water as will wet the same , and so boyl it to a candy height , then dry the pulp upon a chafing-dish of coals , then put your syrup and the pulp so hot together , and boyl it , always stirring it till it will lye upon a pye-plate , as you lay it , and that it run not abroad , and when it is somewhat dry , then use it , but put to it the pulp of apples . . to make cream of codlings . first , scald your codlings , and so peel off the skins , then scrape the pulp from the cores , and strain them with a little sugar , and rose-water , then lay your pulp of codlings in the middle of the dish , and so much raw cream round it as you please , and so serve it . . to make sugar of roses . take of red-rose-leaves , the whites being cut off , an ounce , dry them in the sun speedily , put to it a pound of white sugar , melt the sugar in rose-water , and juice of roses , of each two ounces , which being consumed by degrees , put in the rose-leaves in powder , mix them , put it upon a marble , and make it into lozenges , according to art. . to make a cream tart. cut the crust of a manchet , and grate it small , and mix it with thick cream , and some sweet butter ; then take twenty-four yolks of eggs , and strain them with a little cream , putting thereto a good quantity of sugar ; mix these very well , and set it upon a small fire , and so let it boyl till it be thick ; then make two sheets of paste as thin as you can , and raise the sides of one of them , the height of one of your fingers in breadth , and then fill it , and cover it with the other sheet , then bake it half a quarter of an hour , then put sugar on it , and so serve it . . to make artificial oranges . take alabaster moulds made in three pieces , bind two of the pieces together , and water them an hour or two , then take as much sugar as you think will fill your moulds , and so boyl it to a height ; then pour it into your moulds one by one very quick : then put on the lid of the mould , and so turn it round with your hand as quick as you can , and when it is cold , take it out of the mould , and they will be both whole , and hollow within , and so it will appear , and resemble the mould wherein it is put , whether oranges , limons , cucumbers , or the like . . to make poppy-water . take of red poppies four pound , put to them a quart of white-wine , then distill them in a common still , then let the distilled water be poured upon fresh flowers , and repeated three times , to which add two nutmegs sliced , red poppy-flowers a pugil , white sugar two ounces ; set it to the fire , to give it a pleasing sharpness , and order it according to your taste . . to make mathiolus bezoar water . take of syrup of citron-peels a quart , and as much of dr. mathiolus great antidote , with five pints of the spirit of wine , five times distill'd over ; put all these in a glass that is much too big to hold them ; stop it close , that the spirit fly not out , then shake it together , that the electuary may be well mingled with the spirit , so let it stand a moneth , shaking it together twice a week ( for the electuary will settle at the bottom ) after a moneth pour off the clear water into another glass , to be kept for your use , stopping it very close with wax and parchment , else the strength will easily fly away in vapours . . to make marmalade of red currans . take the juice of red currans , and put into a pretty quantity of white currans , clean pickt from the stalks and buttons at the other end ; let these boyl a little together , have also ready some fine sugar boyl'd to a candy height , put of this to the currans , acording to your discretion , and boyl them together , till they be enough , and bruise them with the back of your spoon , that they may be thick as marmalade , and when it is cool put it into pots : you need not stone the whole currans , unless you please . . to make a syllabub . take a pint of verjuice in a bowl , milk the cow to the verjuice ; then take off the curd , and take sweet cream , and beat them together with a little sack and sugar , put it into your syllabub-pot , strew sugar on it , and serve it . . to make pleasant mead. put a quart of honey to a gallon of water , with about ten sprigs of sweet-marjoram , and half so many tops of bays , boyl these very well together , and when it is cold , bottle it up , and in ten days it will be ready to drink . . to make steppony . take a gallon of conduit-water , a pound of blew raisins of the sun stoned , and half a pound of sugar , squeeze the juice of two limons upon the raisins and sugar , and slice the rindes upon them : boyl the water , and pour it boyling hot upon the ingredients in an earthen pot , and stir them well together , so let it stand twenty four hours ; then put it into bottles , having first let it run through a strainer , and set them in a cellar , or other cool place . . to make syder . take a peck of apples and slice them , and boyl them in a barrel of water , till the third part be wasted ; then cool your water as you do for wort , and when it is cold , you must pour the water upon three measures of grown apples . then draw sorth the water at a tap three or four times a day , for three days together . then press out the liquor , and tun it up ; when it hath done working , stop it up close . . to make cock-ale . take eight gallons of ale , then take a cock , and boyl him well , with four pound of raisins of the sun well stoned , two or three nutmegs , three or four flakes of mace , half a pound of dates ; beat these all in a mortar , and put to them two quarts of the best sack ; and when the ale hath done working , put these in , and stop it close six or seven days , and then bottle it , and a moneth after you may drink it , . to make a caraway-cake . take three pound and a half of the fineest flower , and dry it in an oven , one pound and a half of sweet butter , and mix it with the flower , till it be crumbled very small , that none of it be seen ; then take three quarters of a pint of new ale-yeast , and half a pint of sack , and half a pint of new milk , with six spoonfuls of rose-water , and four yolks , and two whites of eggs ; then let it lye before the fire half an hour , or more ; and when you go to make it up , put in three quarters of carraway-comfits , and a pound and half of biskets . put it into the oven , and let it stand an hour and an half . . to make strawberry-wine . bruise the strawberries , and put them into a linnen bag , which hath been a little used , that so the liquor may run through more easily ; then hang in the bag at the bung into the vessel . before you put in your strawberries , put in what quantity of fruit you think good , to make the wine of a high colour ; during the working , leave the bung open , and when it hath work'd enough , stop your vessel : cherry-wine is made after the same fashion , but then you must break the stones . , to make a cordial water of clove-gilly flowers . put spirit of wine , or sack upon clove-gilly-flowers , digest it two or three days ; put all in a glass-body , laying other clove-gilly-flowers at the mouth of it upon a cambrick , or boulter-cloath , ( that the spirit rising , and passing through the flowers , may ting it self of a beautiful colour ) add a head with a limbeck and receiver : then distill the spirit as strong as you like it , which sweeten with syrup of gilly-flowers , or fine sugar . to make an excellent surfeit-water . take mint and carduus four parts , angelica one part , wormwood two parts ; chop and bruise them a little , put a sufficient quantity of them into an ordinary still , and put upon them enough new milk to soak them , but not to have the milk swim much over them . distill this as you do rose-water , stirring it sometime with a stick , to keep the milk from growing to a cake . . to make mint-water . take two parts of mint , and one part of wormwood , and two parts of carduus ; put these into as much new milk as will soak them : let them infuse five or six hours , then distill as you distill rose-water , but you must often take off the head , and stir the matter well with a stick : drink of this water a wine-glass full at a time , sweetned with fine sugar to your taste . . to pickle artichoaks . take your artichoaks before they are over-grown , or too full of strings , and when they are pared round , then nothing is left but the bottom , boyl them till they be indifferent tender , but not full boyled , take them up , and let them be cold , then take good stale beer , and white wine , with a great quantity of whole pepper , so put them up into a barrel , with a small quantity of salt , keep them close , and they will not be sour , it will serve for baked meats , and boyled meats all the winter . . to make rasberry-cream . when you have boyled your cream , take two ladle-fuls of it , being almost cold , bruise the rasberries together , and season it with sugar , and rose-water , and put it into your cream , stirring it altogether , and so dish it up . . to make snow-cream . break the whites of six eggs , put thereto a little rose-water , beat them well together with a bunch of feathers , till they come perfectly to resemble snow ; then lay on the said snow in heaps upon other cream that is cold , which is made fit for the table ; you may put under your cream in the bottom of the dish , part of a penny loaf , and stick therein a branch of rosemary or bays , and fill your tree with the said snow to serve it up . . to make hydromel . take eighteen quarts of spring-water , and one quart of honey ; when the water is warm , put the honey into it , when it boyls up scum it very well , even as long as any scum will rise ; then put in one race of ginger , sliced in thin slices , four cloves , and a little sprig of green rosemary ; boyl all together an hour , then set it to cool till it be blood-warm , and then put to it a spoonful of ale-yeast , when it is work'd up , put it into a vessel of a fit size , and after two or three days bottle it up ; you may drink it in six weeks , or two moneths . . to make a whipt syllabub . take the whites of two eggs , and a pint of cream , with six spoonfuls of sack , and as much sugar as will sweeten it , then take a birchen rod and whip it , as it riseth in froth scum it , and put it into the syllabub-pot , so continue it with whipping and scumming , till your syllabub-pot be full . . to make marmalade of cherries . take four pound of the best kentish cherries before they be stoned , to one pound of pure loaf-sugar , which beat into small powder , stone the cherries , and put them into a preserving-pan over a gentle fire , that they may not boyl , but dissolve much into liquor . take away with the spoon much of the thin liquor , leaving the cherries moist enough , but not swimming , in clean liquor ; then put to them half your sugar , and boyl it up quick , and scum away the froth that riseth ; when it is well incorporated and clear , strew in a little more of the sugar , and continue so by little and little , till you have put in all your sugar , which will make the colour the fairer ; when they are boyled enough , take them off , and bruise them with the back of a spoon , and when they are cold , put them up in pots . . to make a flomery-caudle . when flomery is made , and cold , you may make a pleasant , and wholesome caudle of it , by taking some lumps and spoonfuls of it , and boyl it with ale and white-wine , then sweeten it to your taste with sugar . there will remain in the caudle some lumps of the congealed flomery , which are not ingrateful . . to preserve fruit all the year . put the fruit into a fit case of tin , and soder it together , so that no air can get in ; then lay it in the bottom of a cold well in running water . . to make a most rich cordial . take conserve of red roses , conserve of orange-flowers , of each one ounce ; confect . hyacinthi , bezoardick , theriacal powder , of each two drams , confection of alkermes one dram , of powder of gold one scruple ; mix all these well together in the form of an opiate , and if the composition be too dry , add to it some syrup of red currans , as much as is needful ; take of this composition every morning , the quantity of a nut. . to pickle red and white currans . take vinegar and white-wine , with so much sugar as will make it pretty sweet , then take your red and white currans , being not fully ripe , and give them one walm , so cover them over with the said pickle , keeping them always under liquor . . to make red currans-cream . bruise your currans with some boyled cream , then strain them through your strainer , or siev , and put the liquid substance thereof to the said cream , being almost cold , and it will be a pure red ; so serve it up . . to preserve medlars . take the weight of them in sugar , adding to every pound thereof , a pint and a half of fair water , let them be scalded therein , till their skin will come off ; then take them out of the water , and stone them at the head , then add your sugar to the water , and boyl them together , then strain it , and put your medlars therein ; let them boyl apace till it be thick ; take them from the fire , and keep them for use. . to preserve mulberries . take the like weight of sugar , as of mulberries , wet the sugar with some of the juice thereof , stir it together , put in your mulberries , and let them boyl till they are enough , then take out your mulberries , but let your syrup boyl a while after ; then take it off , and put it into your mulberries , and let them stand till they be cold , for your use. . to make white mead. take six gallons of water , and put in six quarts of honey , stirring it till the honey be throughly melted ; then set it over the fire , and when it is ready to boyl , scum it very clean ; then put in a quarter of an ounce of mace , and as much ginger , half an ounce of nutmegs , sweet marjoram , broad thyme , and sweet bryar , of all together a handful , and boyl them well therein , then set it by till it be throughly cold , and then barrel it up , and keep it till it be ripe . . to make naples-bisket . take of the same stuff the mackroons are made of , and put to it an ounce of pine-apple-seeds , in a quarter of a pound of stuff , for that is all the difference between the mackroons and the naples biskets . . to make chips of quinces . scald them very well , and then slice them into a dish , and pour a candy syrup to them scalding hot , and let them stand all night , then lay them on plates , and sierse sugar on them , and turn them every day , and scrape more sugar on them till they be dry . if you would have them look clear , heat them in syrup , but not to boyl . . to make lozenges of roses . boyl sugar to a height , till it is sugar again , then beat your roses fine , and moisten them with the juice of limons , and put them into it , let it not boyl after the roses are in , but pour it upon a pye-plate , and cut it into what form you please . . to make conserve of bugloss-flowers . pick them as you do burrage-flowers , weigh them , and to every ounce add two ounces of loaf-sugar , and one of sugar-candy ; beat them together , till they become very fine , then set it on the fire to dissolve the sugar , and when it is so done , and the conserve hot , put it into your glasses , or gally-pots , for your use all the year . . to pickle limon and orange-piel . boyl them with vinegar and sugar , and put them up into the same pickle ; you must observe to cut them into small thongs , the length of half the piel of your limon , being pared ; it 's a handsom savoury winter sallet : boyl them first in water , before you boyl them in sugar . . to make goosberry-paste . take gooseberries , and cut them one by one , and wring away the juice , till you have got enough for your turn , boyl your juice alone , to make it somewhat thicker ; then take as much fine sugar as your juice will sharpen , dry it , and then beat it again ; then take as much gum-dragon steeped in rose-water as will serve ; then beat it into a paste in a marble mortar , then take it up , & print it in your moulds , and dry it in your stove , when it is dry box it up for your use all the year . . to make suckets of lettuce-stalks . take lettuce-stalks , and peel away the out-side , then par-boyl them in fair water , and let them stand all night dry , then take half a pint of the same liquor , and a quart of rose-water , and so boyl it to a syrup , and when the syrup is almost cold put in your roots , and let them stand all night to take sugar ; then boyl your syrup again , because it will be weak , and then take out your roots . . to make musk-sugar . bruise four or five grains of musk , put it in a piece of cambrick or lawn ; lay it at the bottom of a gally-pot , and strew sugar thereon , stop your pot close , and all your sugar in a few days will both smell and taste of musk ; and when you have spent that sugar , lay more sugar thereon , which will also have the same scent . . to make prince-bisket . take one pound of very fine flower , and one pound of fine sugar , and eight eggs , and to spoonfuls of rose-water , and one ounce of carraway-seeds , and beat it all to batter one whole hour , for the more you beat it , the better your bread is ; then bake it in coffins of white plate , being basted with a little butter , before you put in your batter , and so keep it . . to candy rose-leaves . boyl sugar and rose-water a little upon a chafing-dish of coals , then put the leaves ( being throughly dryed , either by the sun , or on the fire ) into the sugar , and boyl them a little ; then strew the powder of double-refined sugar upon them , and turn them , and boyl them a little longer , taking the dish from the fire , then strew more powdered sugar on the contrary side of the flowers . . to preserve roses , or gilly-flowers whole . dip a rose that is neither in the bud , nor over-blown , in a syrup , consisting of sugar double-refined , and rose-water boyled to it 's full height , then open the leaves one by one with a fine smooth bodkin , either of bone or wood , then lay them on papers in the heat , or else dry with a gentle heat in a close room , heating the room before you set them in , or in an oven , then put them up in glasses , and keep them in dry cup-boards near the fire . . to make ielly of quinces . take of the juice of quinces clarified six quarts , boyl it half away , and add to the remainder five pints of old white-wine , consume the third part over a gentle fire , taking away the scum , as you ought ; let the rest settle , and strain it , and with three pound of sugar boyl it , according to art. . to make ielly of currans . take four pound of good sugar , and clarifie it with whites of eggs , then boyl it to a candy height , that is , till it go into flashes ; then put to it five pints , ( or as much as you please ) of the pure juice of red currans , first boyled , to clarifie it , by scumming it ; boyl them together a while , till they be scum'd well , and enough to become a jelly , then put a good handful or two of the berries of currans whole , and cleansed from the stalks and black end , and boyl them till they are enough . you need not boyl the juice before you put to the sugar , neither scum it before the sugar and it boyl together , but then scum it clean , and take care that the juice be very clear , and well strained . . to make syrup of mint . take of the juice of sweet quinces , and between sweet and sour , the juice of pomegranats , sweet , between sweet and sour , of each a pint and half ; dryed mint half a pound , red roses two ounces ; let them lye in steep one day , then boyl it half away , and with four pound of sugar boyl it into syrup , according to art. . to make honey of mulberries . take of the juice of mulberries and black-berries , before they be ripe , gathered before the sun be up , of each a pound and half , honey two pound ; boyl them to their due thickness . . to make syrup of purslain . take of the seed of purslain grosly bruised half a pound , of the juice of endive boyled and clarified two pints , sugar two pound , vinegar nine ounces ; infuse the seeds in the juice of endive twenty four hours , afterwards boyl it half away with a gentle fire , then strain it , and boyl it with the sugar to the consistence of a syrup , adding the vinegar toward the latter end of the decoction . . to make honey of raisins . take of raisins of the sun cleansed from the stones two pound , steep them in six pints of warm water , the next day boyl it half away , and press it strongly ; then put two pints of honey to the liquor that is pressed out , and boyl it to a thickness : it is good for a consumption , and to loosen the body . . to make syrup of comfrey . take of the roots and tops of comfrey , the greater and the less , of each three handfuls , red roses , betony , plantain , burnet , knot-grass , scabious , colts-foot , of each two handfuls , press the juice out of them , all being green and bruised , boyl it , scum it , and strain it , add to it it's weight of sugar , and make it into syrup , according to art. . to pickle quinces . boyl your quinces whole in water till they be soft , but not too violently , for fear of breaking them ; when they are soft take them out , and boyl some quinces pared , quartered , and cored , and the parings of the quinces with them in the same liquor , to make it strong , and when they are boyled , that the liquor is of a sufficient strength , take out the quartered quinces and parings , and put the liquor into a pot big enough to receive all the quinces , both whole and quartered , and put them into it when the liquor is through cold , and keep them for use close covered . . to make plague-water . take a pound of rue , of rosemary , sage , sorrel , celandine , mugwort , of the tops of red brambles , pimpernel , wild dragons , agrimony , balm , angelica , of each a pound ; put these compounds in a pot , fill it with white-wine above the herbs , so let it stand four days , then distill for your use in an alembeck . . to make quince-cakes white . first clarifie the sugar with the white of an egg , but put not so much water to it as you do for marmalade , before you clarifie it keep out almost a quarter of the sugar ; let your quinces be scalded , and chopt in small pieces , before you put it into the syrup , then make it boyl as fast as you can , and when you have scummed it , and think it to be half boyled , then jamire it , and let the other part of your sugar be ready candyed to a hard candy , and so put them together , letting it boyl but a very little after the candy is put to it , then put in a little musk , and so lay it out before it be cold . . to make red quince-cakes . bake them in an oven , with some of their own juice , their own cores being cut and bruised , and put to them ; then weigh some of the quince , being cut into small pieces , taking their weight in sugar , and with the quince some pretty quantity of the juice of barberries , being baked , or stewed in a pot ; when you have taken the weight in sugar , you must put the weighed quince , and above three quarters of the sugar together , and put to it some little quantity of water , as you shall see cause , but make not the syrup too thin ; and when you have put all this together , cover it , and set it to the fire , keep it covered , and scum it as much as you can , when it is half boyled , then symmer it ; let the other part of the sugar have no more water put to it , then wet the sugar well , and so let it boyl to a very hard candy , and when you think they be boyled enough , then lay them out before they be cold . . to make clear cakes of quinces . prepare your quinces and barberries , as before , and then take the clearest syrup , and let it stand on the coals two or three hours , then take the weight of it in sugar , and put near half the sugar to the juice , and so let them boyl a little on the fire , and then candy the rest of the sugar very hard , and so put them together , stirring it till it be almost cold , and so put it into glasses . . to make ielly of raspices . first strain your raspices , and to every quart of juice , add a pound and half of sugar , pick out some of the fairest , and having strewed sugar in the bottom of the skillet , lay them in one by one , then put the juice upon them with some sugar , reserving some to put in when they boyl , let them boyl apace , and add sugar continually , till they are enough . . to make all sorts of comfits , and to cover seeds , or fruits with sugar . you must provide a bason very deep , either of brass or tin , with two ears of iron to hang it with a rope over an earthen pan , with hot coals , then provide a broad pan for ashes , and put hot coals upon them , and another clean bason to melt your sugar in , or a skillet , as also a ladle of brass to run the sugar upon the seeds , together with a slice of brass , to scrape away the sugar from the bason that hangs , if there be occasion . then take some of the best and fairest sugar you can get , and beat it into powder ; cleanse your seeds well , and dry them in the hanging bason ; put a quarter of a pound of seeds , whether anniseed , or coriander-seeds , to every two pound of sugar , and that will make them big enough , but if you would have them bigger , add the more sugar , which you must melt thus ; put three pound of sugar into your bason , adding to it one pint of clean running-water , stir it well with a brazen slice , till it be well moistened ; then set it over a clear fire , and melt it well , and let it boyl mildly till it ropes from the ladle , then keep it upon hot embers , but let it not boyl , and so let it run upon the seeds from the ladle : if you would have them done quickly , let your water be boyling hot , and putting a fire under the bason , cast on your sugar boyling hot ; put but as much water to the sugar as will dissolve the same , neither boyl your sugar too long , which will make it black ; stir the seeds in the bason as fast as you can as you cast on the sugar , at the first put in but half a spoonful of the sugar , moving the bason very fast , rubbing the seeds very well with your hand , which will make them take sugar the better , and let them be very well dryed between every coat ; repeat this rubbing and drying of them between every coat , which will make them the sooner ; for this way , in every three hours hours you may make three pound of comfits . a quarter of a pound coriander-seeds , and three pound of sugar will make very large comfits ; keep your sugar always in good temper , that it run not into lumps . when your comfits are made , lay them to dry upon papers , either before the fire , or in the hot sun , or in an oven , which will make them very white . . to candy nutmegs , or ginger . take a pound of fine sugar , and six or seven spoonfuls of rose-water , gum-arabick , the weight of six pence , but let it be clear ; boyl all these together , till they rope , put it then out into an earthen dish , put to it your nutmegs or ginger , then cover it close , and lute it with clay , that no air enter in ; keep it in a warm place about twenty days , and they will candy into a hard rock-candy ; then break your pot , and take them out : in the same manner you may candy oranges and limons . . to make currans-wine . pick a pound of the best currans , and put them in a deep streight-mouth'd earthen pot , and pour upon them about three quarts of hot water , having first dissolved therein three spoonfuls of the purest and newest ale-yeast ; stop it very close , till it begins to work , then give it vent as is necessary , and keep it warm , for about three days it will work and ferment , taste it after two days to see if it be grown to your liking , then let it run through a strainer , to leave behind all the currans , and the yeast , and so bottle it up ; it will be very quick and pleasant , and is admirable good to cool the liver , and cleanse the blood ; it will be ready to drink in five or six days after it is bottled , and you may drink it safely . . to make a sweet-meat of apples . make your jelly with slices of iohn-apples , but first fill your glass with slices cut round-ways , and pour in the jelly to fill up the vacuities ; let the jelly be boyled to a good stiffness , and when it is ready to take from the fire , put in some juice of limon and orange , if you like it , but let them not boyl , but let it stand upon the fire a while upon a pretty good heat , that the juices may incorporate well ; a little amber-grease added doth very well . . to make conserve of sage . take about a pound of flowers of sage , fresh blown , and beat them in a mortar , afterward put them in a glass , and stop them close , and then set them by a warm fire , or in the sun , and be sure to 〈◊〉 them once a day at the least , and it will keep good a twelve-moneth at the least . . to make paste of cherries . boyl some fair cherries in water , till they come to a pap , and then strain them through a siev ; then boyl some good pippins unto pap also , put a quarter of a pound of the apple-pap to a pound of the pap of cherries , and mingle them together , then dry it , and so make it up into paste . . to make marmalade of oranges . after you have pared your oranges very thin , let them be boyled in three or four waters , even till they grow very tender ; then take a quarter of a hundred of good kentish pippins , divide them , and take out the cores , boyl them very well to pap , or more , but let them not lose their colour ; then pass your apples through a strainer , and put a pound of sugar to every pint of juice , then boyl it till it will candy ; then take out the pulp of the orange , and cut the peel into long slices very thin , put in your peel again , adding to it the juice of two or three limons , and boyl up to a candy . . to make paste of apricots . let your apricots be very ripe , and then pare them , then put them into a skillet , and set them over the fire without water , stir them very well with a skimmer , and let them be over the fire till they be very dry , then ●ake some sugar and boyl it into a conserve , and mix an equal quantity of each together , and so make it into paste . . to pickle artichoak-bottoms . take the best bottoms of artichoaks , and par-boyl them , and when they are cold , and well drain'd from the water , and dryed in a cloath , to take away all the moisture , then put them into pots , and pour your brine upon them , which must be as strong as you can make it , which is done by putting in so much sait to it as it will receive no more , so that the salt sinks whole to the bottom ; cover over your artichoaks with this water , and pour upon it some sweet butter melted , to the thickness of two fingers , that no air may come in ; when the butter is cold , set up your pot in some warm place , covered close from vermine . before you put the bottoms in the pot , you should pull off all the leaves and choak , as they are served at table : the best time to do this is in autumn , when your plants produce those which are young and tender , for these you should pickle , before they come to open and flower , but not before their heads are round ; when you would eat them , you must lay them in water , shifting the water several times , then boyl them once again , and so serve them . . to make marmalade of grapes . take of the fairest , and ripest blew grapes , gathered in the heat of the day , that their moisture be dryed up throughly , spread them upon a table , or hindle in some room , where the air and sun may come in , let them lye so for fifteen or sixteen days , that they may both sweat and shrink ; if it be cloudy or cold weather , you may put them into an oven , when it is only warm ; after which , press them well with your hands , cleansing them from all the seeds , and stalks , putting the husks and juice to boyl in the kettle , carefully scumming and clearing it from the seeds ; reduce this liquor also to a third part , diminishing the fire as the confection thickens , stirring often about with your spoon , to prevent it's cleaving to the vessel , and to make it boyl equally ; then strain it through a siev , or course cloath . bruising the husks with your wooden ladle to squeeze out the substance , and then serving it out in a press , then set it again on the fire , and let it boyl once more , keeping it continually stirring till you think it be sufficienty boyled , then take it off , and pour it into earthen pans , that it may not taste of the kettle , and being half cold , put it into gally-pots to keep : let your pots stand open five or six days , and then cover them with paper that the paper may lye upon the conserve , and when the paper grows mouldy put on another , till all the superfluous moisture is gone out , which will be in a little time if your confection was well boyled , but if it were not , you must boyl it again . . to pickle cornelians . gather the fairest and biggest cornelians when they first begin to grow red , and after they have lain a while , put them up into a pot or barrel , filling them up with brine , as for artichoaks , and put to them a little green fennel , and a few bay-leaves , to make them smell well , then stop them up very close , and let them stand for a moneth : if you find them too salt , make the pickle weaker before you serve them to table . . to make ielly of apples . take either pippins or iohn-apples , and cut them into quarters , either pared , or un-pared , boyl them in a good quantity of water , till it be very strong of the apples ; take out the clear liquor , and put to it a sufficient quantity of sugar to make jelly with the slices of apples ; boyl all together till the apples be enough , and the liquor like a jelly ; or else you may boyl the slices in apple-liquor without sugar , and make jelly of other liquor , and put the slices into it , when they be jelly , and it is sufficiently boyled ; put to it some juice of limon , and amber , and musk , if you will. . to make ielly of gooseberries . let your gooseberries be full ripe , then strain them through a strainer , and to every two pound of juice put three quarterns of sugar , boyl it before you mix it , and then boyl it again together ; when they are mixed try , it upon a plate , when it is enough , it riseth off . . to make bragget . put two bushels and a half of malt to one hogshead of water , the first running makes half a hogshead very good , but not very strong ; the second is very weak : boyl but half a quartern of hops , put your water to the malt the ordinary way , boyl it very well , and work it with very good beer-yeast : now , to make bragget , take the first running of this ale , but put less honey in it than you do for your ordinary mead , but twice or thrice as much spice and herbs ; then put it in a vessel , after it's working with the yeast , hang within it a bag of bruised spices , rather more than you boyled it with , and let it hang in the barrel all the while you draw it . . to make italian marmalade . take fifteen pound of quinces , three pound of sugar , and two pound of water , and boyl them all together ; when it is well boyled strain it by little and little through a cloath , as much as you can , then take the juice and put to it four pound of sugar , and then boyl it ; try it on a plate , to know when it is enough , and if it come off , take it presently off the fire , and put it in boxes for your use. finis . the physical cabinet : containing excellent receits in physick and chirurgery , for curing most diseases incident to the body . together with some rare beautifying waters , oyls , oyntments , and powders , to adorn and add loveliness to the face and body . as also some new and excellent secrets and experiments in the art of angling . london , printed in the year . physick and chirurgery . . an approved remedy for the stone and gravel . take the hard roe of a red herring , and dry it upon a tile in an oven , then beat it to powder , and take as much as will lye upon a six-pence every morning fasting , in a glass of rhenish-wine . . an excellent drink for the scurvey . take a pound of garden-seurvy● grass , six handfuls of wormwood and elder-tops , one ounce of carraway-seeds , and one ounce of nutmegs ; put them all together into six gallons of new ale , and let them work together , and after a convenient time of working , drink of it every morning fasting . . a receipt for the cout , known to be very helpful . take five or six black snails , and cut off their heads , then put to them one penny-worth of saffron , and beat them together , and spread it on the woolly side of a piece of sheeps leather , and apply it to the soles of the feet , anointing the sore place with the marrow of a stone-horse . . for griping of the guts . take anniseeds , fennel , bay-berries , juniper-berries , tormentil , bistort , balaustius , pomegranate-pills , each one ounce , rose-leaves a handful , boyl them in milk , strain it , and add the yolk of an egg , six grains of laudanum dissolved in the spirit of mint ; prepare it for a glyster , and give it warm . . a sovereign medicine for any ach or pain . take barrows-grease , a lap full of arch-angel-leaves , flowers , stalks and all , and put it into an earthen pot , and stop it close , and paste it ; then put in an horse dung-hill nine days in the latter end of may , and nine days in the beginning of iune ; then take it forth , and strain it , and so use it . . for the sciatica , and pains in the ioynts . take balm and cinquefoil , but most of all betony , nep , and featherfew , stamp them , and drink the juice with ale o● wine . probatum . . for an ague . take the root of a blew lilly , scrape it clean , and stice it , and lay it in soak all night in ale , and in the morning stamp it , and strain it , and give it the patient luke-warm to drink an hour before the fit cometh . . for all fevers and agues in sucking children . take powder of crystal , and steep it in wine , and give it the nurse to drink , also take the root of devils-bit , with the herb , and hang it about the childs neck . . a good medicine to strengthen the back . take comsrey , knot-grass , and the flowers of arch-angel ; boyl them in a little milk , and drink it off every morning . . for the head-ach . take rose-cakes , and stamp them very small in a mortar with a little ale , and let them be dryed by the fire on a tile-sheard , and lay it to the nape of the neck , to bed-ward . proved . . for the yellow iaundise . take a great white onion , and make a hole where the blade goeth out , to the bigness of a chesnut , then fill the hole with treacle , being beaten with half an ounce of english honey , and a little saffron , and set the onion against the fire , and roast it well that it do not burn , and when it is roasted , strain it through a cloath , and give the juice thereof to the sick three days together , and it shall help them . . for the black iaundise . take fennel , sage , parsley , gromwell , of each alike much , and make pottage thereof with a piece of good pork , and eat no other meat that day . . for infection of the plague . take a spoonful of running-water , a spoonful of vinegar , a good quantity of treacle , to the bigness of a hasel nut ; temper all these together , and heat it luke-warm , and drink it every four and twenty hours . . for the cramp . take oyl of camomile , and fenugreek , and anoint the place where the cramp is , and it helpeth . . for the ach of the ioynts . take marshmallows and sweet milk , linseeds , powder of cummin , the whites of eggs , saffron , and white grease , and fry all these together , and lay it to the aking joynt . . for an ague . take a pottle of thin ale , and put thereto a handful of parsley , as much red fennel , as much centory , as much pimpernel ; and let the ale be half consumed away , and then take , and drink thereof . . to make the countess of kents powder . take of the magistery of pearls , of crabs-eyes prepared , of white amber prepared , harts-horn , magistery of white coral , of lapis contra yarvam , of each a like quantity ; to these powders infused , put of the black tops of the great claws of crabs , the full weight of the rest : beat these all into a fine powder , and sierse them through a fine lawn sierce : to every ounce of this powder add a dram of oriental bezoar , make all these up into a lump , or mass with jelly of harts-horn , and colour it with saffron , putting thereto a scruple of amber-grease , and a little musk also finely powdered , and dry it in the air , after they are made up into small quantities , you may give to a man twenty grains , and to a child twelve grains . it is excellent against all malignant , and pestilent diseases , french pox , small-pox , measles , plague , pestilence , malignant or scarlet fevers , and melancholy ; twenty or thirty grains thereof being exhibited ( in a little warm sack , or harts-horn-jelly ) to a man , and half as much , or twelve grains to a child . . for the falling sickness , or convulsions . take the dung of a peacock , make it into powder , and give so much of it to the patient as will lye upon a shilling , in a little succory-water , fasting . . for the pleurisie . take three round balls of horse-dung , and boyl them in a pint of white-wine till half be consumed , then strain it out , and sweeten it with a little sugar ; let the patient drink of this , and then lye warm . . to prevent miscarrying . take venice-turpentine , spread it on black brown paper , the breadth and length of a hand , and lay it to the small of her back , then let her drink a caudle made of muskadine , putting into it the husks of about twenty sweet almonds , dryed , and finely powdered . . for the worms in children . take worm-seed boyled in beer and ale , and sweetned with clarified honey , and then let them drink it . . for the whites . take white washed turpentine , and make up in balls like pills , then take cinamon , and ginger , and roul the balls in it , and take them as you would do pills , morning and evening . proved . . for a dry cough . take anniseeds , ash-seeds , and violets , and beat them to powder , and stamp them , of each a like quantity , then boyl them together in fair water , till it grows thick , then put it up , and let the patient take of it morning and evening . . to make unguentum album . take a pint of oyl-olive , and half a pound of diaculum , anniseeds a pretty quantity , and put them together , and put thereto a pound of ceruse small grounded , boyl them together a little , and stir them alway till it be cold , and it is done . . to destroy the piles . take oyl of roses , frankincense , and honey , and make an oyntment of them , and put it into the fundament , and put myrrh unto the same , and use often to annoint the fundament therewith , and let the fume thereof go into the fundament . . for the canker . take a handful of unset leeks , with the roots , and a small quantity of yarrow , and boyl them in white-wine , till they be all very soft , then strain and clarifie them , and let the patient drink thereof morning and evening blood-warm . . for the itch. take the juice of pennyroyal , the juice of savin , the juice of scabious , the juice of sage , the juice of pellitory , with some barrows grease and black soap ; temper all these together , and make a salve for the itch. . for the kings evil. take two ounces of the water of broom-flowers distilled , and give it in the morning to the patient fasting , and it will purge the evil humour downward , and wasteth , and healeth the kernels without breaking them outwardly . . to break an imposthume . take a lilly-root and an onion , and boyl them in water till they be soft , then stamp them , and fry them with swines grease , and lay it to the imposthume as hot as the patient may suffer it . . for biting of a mad dog. stamp large plantain , and lay it to the grieved place , and it will cure the sore . . for the green-sickness . take the keys of an ashen-tree , dryed and beaten to powder ; and take of red fennel , red sage , marjoram , and betony , and seeth them in running-water , from a pottle to a quart , then strain them , and drink thereof a good draught with sugar , morning and evening luke-warm . . for deafness . take of wild mint , mortifie it , and squeeze it in the hand till it rendreth juice , then take it with it's juice , and put it into the ear , change it often ; this will help the deafness , if the person hath heard before . . for the dropsie . take a gallon of white-wine , and put into it a handful of roman wormwood , and a good piece of horse-radish , and a good quantity of broom-ashes tyed in a cloath ; then take a good bunch of dwarf-elder , beat it in a mortar , and strain out the juice , and put it into the wine when you will drink it ; but if the dwarf-elder be dry , you must steep a good quantity in the wine . take of this half a pint morning and evening . . for a sprain in the back , or any other weakness . take a quarter of a pint of good muskadine , a spoonful of madder , incorporate them well together , then give it the patlent to drink for three mornings together , and if need requireth , you may use it often in a day . this will strengthen the back exceedingly . . an excellent water for sore eyes . take a gallon of pure running-water , and eight drams of white coperas , and as much of fine white salt , mix them together , and let it simper half an hour over a slow fire , and then strain it for use. catholicon . . a most excellent cordial . take half a peck of ripe elder-berries , pick them clean , and let them stand two or three days in an earthen pan , till they begin to hoar or mould , then bruise and strain them , and boyl the liquor ti●● half be consumed , then putting a pound of sugar to every pint of liquor ; boyl them to syrup . . a medicine for an ague . take a quart of the best ale , and boyl it to a pint , and let the party drink it as hot as he is able , and then let the patientlye down upon a bed , and be covered warm when the first fit grudges , and let a bason be ready to vomit in . . another for an ague . take a large nutmeg , and slice it , and so much roch-allom beaten to powder , and put them both into one pint of the best white-wine , and incorporate them , well together , and let the patient take one half thereof about half an hour before the the fit , and then walk apace , or use some other laborious exercise , and when the fit begins to come , take the other half , and continue exercise . both these i have known to cure , to admiration . . for a great lax , or looseness . take one quart of new milk , and have ready one half pint of distilled plantain-water , and set your milk over the fire , and when your milk by boyling rises up , take two or three spoonfuls , as occasion shall be , to allay the rising , and and when it rises again , do the like ; and so in like manner till the plantain-water be all in , and then boyling up as before , let the patient drink thereof warmed hot , or how else he likes it ; i never yet have sound it fail of curing . . for curing of deafness . take herb-of-grace , and pound it , then strain it , and take two spoonfuls of the juice , & put thereto one spoonful of brandy-wine , and when it is well evaporated , dip therein a little black wool , or fine lint , being first bound with a silk thread , and put it into your ear. . for the scurvey . take half a peck of sea-seurvey-grass , and as much water-cresses , of dwarf-elder , roman wormwood , red sage , fumitory , harts-horn , and liverwort , of each one handful ; wash the water-cresses , and dry them well ; the other herbs must be rubb'd clean , and not washed , then add one ounce of horse-raddish , and a good handful of madder-roots ; beat these with the herbs , and strain the juice well out , for the last is best , then set it on a quick fire , and scum it clean , then let it stand till it be settled , and when it is quite cold bottle it up , and keep it in a cold place : you must take four or five spoonfuls with one , spoonful of syrup of limons put into it , each morning fasting , and fast one hour after it . . an excellent remedy to procure conception . take of syrup of mother-wort , syrup of mugwort half an ounce , of spirit of clary two drams , of the root of english snake-weed in fine powder one dram , purslain-seed , nettle-seed , rochet-seed , all in subtle powder , of each two drams : candied nutmegs , eringo-roots , satyrion-roots preserved , dates , pistachoes , conserve of suceory , of each three drams ; cinamon , saffron in fine powder , of each a seruple , conserve of vervain , pine-apple-kernels picked and pilled , of each two drams ; stamp and work all these ingredients in a mortar to an electuary , then put it up into gally-pots , and keep it for use. take of this electuary the quantity of a good nutmeg , in a little glass full of white-wine , in the morning fasting , and at four a clock after-noon , and as much at night going to bed , but be sure do no violent exercise . . for a sore breast not broken. take oyl of roses , bean-flower , the yolk of an egg , a little vinegar ; temper all these together , then set it before the fire , that it may be a little warm , then with a feather strike it upon the breast morning and evening , or any time of the day she finds it pricking . . to heal a sore breast , when broken . boyl lillies in new milk , and lay it on to break it ; and when it is broken tent it with a mallow-stalk , & lay on it a plaister of mallows boyled in sheeps tallow ; these are to be used if you cannot keep it from breaking . . for a consumption . take a pound and half of pork , fat and lean , and boyl it in water , and put in some oat-meal , and boyl it till the heart of the meat be out , then put to it two quarts of milk , and boyl it a quarter of an hour , and give the patient a draught in the morning , after-noon , and evening , and now and then some barley-water . . for the falling sickness . take powder of harts-horn , and drink it with wine , and it helpeth the falling-evil . . for the tooth-ach . take feathersew , and stamp it , and strain it , and drop a drop or two into the contrary ear to the pain , and lye still half an hour after . . for a wen. take black soap , and mix it with unslaked lime , made into powder , and lay it upon the wen , or kernel . . for the wind. take the juice of red fennel , and make a posset of ale therewith , and drink thereof . . an excellent medicine for the dropsie . take two gallons of new ale , then take setwel , calamus aromaticus , and galingale , of each two penny-worth , of spikenard four penny-worth ; stamp all together , and put them into a bag , and hang it in the vessel , and when it is four days old drink it morning and evening . . for a scald head. wash thy head with vinegar and camomil stampt and mingled together ; there is no better help for the scald : or grind white hellebore with swines grease , and apply it to the head. . to make the plague-water . take a handful of sage , and a handful of rue , and boyl them in three pints of malmsey , or muskadine , till one pint be wasted , then take it off the fire , and strain the wine from the herbs , then put into the wine two penny-worth of long-pepper , half an ounce of ginger , and a quarter of an ounce of nutmegs , all grosly bruised , and let it boyl a little again . then take it off the fire , and dissolve in it half an ounce of good venice-treacle , and a quarter of an ounce of mithridate , and put to it a quarter of a pint of strong angelica-water , so keep it in a glass close stopped , for your use. this water cureth small-pox , measles , surfeits , and pestilential fevers . . a precious eye-water for any diseases of the eye , often proved . take of the best white-wine half a pint , of white rose-water as much , of the water of celendine , fennel , eyebright , and rue , of each two ounces , of prepared tutia six ounces , of cloves as much , sugar rosate a dram , of camphire and aloes , each half a dram ; wash the eyes therewith . . a cordial iulep . take waters of endive , purslain , and roses , of each two ounces , sorrel-water half a pint , juice of pomegranats , and for lack thereof , vinegar , four ounces , camphire three drams , sugar one pound . boyl all these together in the form of a julep , and give three or four ounces thereof at a time . . to make the green ointment . take a pound of swines grease , one ounce of verdigrease , half a scruple of sal gemm●e , this oyntment may be kept forty years ; it is good against cancers , and running sores , it fretteth away dead flesh , and bringeth new , and healeth old wounds , put it within the wound , that it fester not . . for fits of the mother . take a brown toast of soure bread of the neither crust , and wash it with vinegar , and put thereto black soap , like as you would butter a toast , and lay it under the navil . . for the rickets in children . take of fennel-seeds , and dill-seeds , but most of the last ; ●boyl them in beer , and strain it , and sweeten it with sugar , and let the child drink often . probatum . . for the shingles . take the green leaves of colts-foot stamped , and mingled with honey , and apply it , and it will help . . to heal a fistula , or ulcer . take figgs , and stamp them with shoomakers-wax , and spread it upon leather , and lay it on the sore , and it will heal . . for a woman in travel . take seven or eight leaves of betony , a pretty quantity of germander , a branch or two of penny-royal , three marygolds , a branch or two of hyssop , boyl them all in a pint of white-wine , or ale , then put into it sugar and saffron , and boyl it a quarter of an hour more , and give it to drink warm . . to make a vvoman be soon delivered , the child being dead or alive . take a good quantity of the best amber , and beat it exceeding small to powder , then sierse it through a fine piece of lawn , and so drink it in some broath or caudle , and it will will by god's help cause the patient to be presently delivered . . for infants troubled with wind and phlegm . give them a little pure sugar-candy finely bruised , in saxsifrage-water , or scabious-water in a spoon well mingled together . . a most excellent medicine to cause children to breed their teeth easily . take of pure capons grease , very well clarified , the quantity of a nutmeg , and twice as much of pure honey , mingle and incorporate them well together , and annoint the childs gums therewith three or four times a day , when it is teething , and they will easily break the flesh , and prevent torments and agues , and other griefs , which usually accompany their coming forth . . for agues in children . take a spoonful of good oyl of populeon , and put thereto two spoonfuls of good oyl of roses , mingle them well together , and then warm it before the fire , annoint the childs joynts and back , also his fore-head and temples twice a day , chasing the oyntment well in . . to cause a young child to go to stool . chafe the childs navil with may butter before the fire , then take some black wool , and dip it in the butter , and lay it to the navil , and it will procure a stool : this is also good for one in years , that can take no other medicine . . for vvorms in children . take of myrrh and aloes , very finely powdered , of each a penny-worth , and put thereto a few drops of chymical oyl of wormwood , or savine , and a little turpentine ; make these up into a plaister , and lay it to the childs navil . . to help one that is blasted . take the white of an egg , and beat it in a mortar , put to it a quarter of an ounce of coperas , and grind them well together , till it come to an oyntment , and therewith annoint the sore face , and it will ease the pain , and take away the swelling ; and when it is well nigh whole annoint the place with a little p●puleon , and that will make the skin fair and well again . . an excellent salve . take half a pound of bees-wax , a pint of sallet-oyl , three ounces of red lead , boyl all together in a new earthen pipkin , keeping it stirring all the while till it grows of a darkish colour ; then keep it for use , or make sear-cloaths of it while it is hot . it is most approved against any pain , sore , scald , cut , burn ; to strengthen the back , or remove any old ach whatsoever . . a iu'ep of dr. trench , for the fits of the mother . in the time of the year distill black-cherry-water , piony flower-water , cowslip-water , rue , or herb-grace-water ; then take of the waters of cowslip , black-cherries , piony , rue , of each an ounce , and add to them water of castor half an ounce , cinamon-water one dram , syrup of clove-gilly-flowers three drams ; mix all these together , and take two spoonfuls at a time of it , as often as you please . . for a tympany . take a handful of the blossoms of marigolds , stamp them , and strain them , and give the juice thereof to the patient in a draught of ale fasting . . to provoke terms , a good medicine take wormwood and rue , of each one handful , with five or six pepper-corns , boyl them all together in a quart of white-wine or malmsey , strain it , and drink thereof . . for the bloody-flux , or scouring . take a great apple , and cut out the core , and put therein pure virgins-wax , then wet a paper and lap it therein , then rake it up in the embers , and let it roast till it be soft , then eat of it as your stomack will give leave . . for a rheumatick cough , or cold. take a pint of hyssop-water , syrup of gilly-flowers , syrup of vinegar , syrup of maiden-hair , syrup of colts-foot , of each one ounce ; mingle them all together , and drink of it when you please . . to kill a fellon . take an egg , and roast it hard , and take out the yolk thereof , then roast an onion sost , and beat the yolk and the onion together , and lay it to the sore , and it will kill the fellon . . for the white flux . take the powder of the flowers of pomegranats , and drink it in red wine . . for the red flux . take sperma caeti , and drink it , and tru●s up your self with a piece of black● cotton . . for the cancer in a vvomans breast . take the dung of a goose , and the juice of celandine , and bray them well in a mortar together , and lay it to the sore , and this will stay the cancer , and heal it . . for an ague in the breast . take grounsel , daisie-leaves and roots , and course w● eat sisted ; make a poultess thereof with the parties own water , and lay it warm to the breast . . for bleeding at the nose . take betony , and stamp it with as much salt as you can hold betwixt your two fingers , and put it into your nose . . for spitting of blood. take smalledge , rue , mints , and betony , and boyl them well in good milk , and drink it warm . . to stanch the bleeding of a wound , or at the nose . there is not a better thing than the powder of bole armoniack , to stanch the bleeding of a wound , the powder being laid upon it ; or for the nose , to be blown in with a quill . or take the sha●ings of parchment , and lay it to the wound , and it stancheth and healeth . . to make the g●scoign powder . take of pearls , white amber , harts-horn , eyes of crabs , and white coral , of each half an ounce , of black thighs of crabs calcined , two ounces ; to every ounce of this powder put in a dram of oriental bezoar , reduce them all into a very fine powder , and sierse them ; then with harts-horn-jelly and a little saffron put therein , make it up into paste , and make therewith lozenges , or trochices for your use. get your crabs for this powder about may , or in september before they be boyled ; dry your lozenges in the air , not by fire , nor sun. . for the megrim , or imposthume in the head. take four penny-weight of the root of pellitory of spain , a farthing weight of spikenard , and boyl them in good vinegar , and when it is cold , put thereto a spoonful of honey , and a saucer full of mustard , and mingle them well together , and hold thereof in your mouth a spoonful at once , and use this eight or nine times , spitting it out continually . . for pain in the ears . take the juice of wild cucumbers , and put it into the ears , and it asswageth the pain . also put the wood of green ash in the fire , and save the liquor that cometh out at the end , and put it into the ears , it causeth the pain to cease , and amendeth the hearing : also beat the juice of wormwood , and drop it into the ears . . a precious water for the eye-sight , made by k. edward the sixth . take smalledge , red fennel , rue , vervain , betony , agrimony , pimpernel , eufrane , sage , celandine , of each a like quantity ; first wash them clean , then stamp them , and put them in a fair brazen pan , with the powder of fourteen or fifteen pepper-corns , fair ●iersed into a pint of good white-wine ; put them into the herbs , with three spoonfuls of honey , and five spoonfuls of the water of a man-child , that is sound ; mingle all together , and boyl them over the fire , and when it is boyled , strain it through a fine linnen cloath , and put it into a glass , and stop it well and close , till you use it ; and when you need , put a little thereof into the sore eyes with a feather , but if it be dry , temper it with white-wine , and it profiteth much all manner of sore eyes : this water was used by k. edward the sixth . . my lord dennies medicine for the gout . take burdock-leaves and stalks , cut them small , and stamp them very small , then strain them , and cleanse them , and when you have so done , put them into glasses , and put pure oyl of olives on the top of them , and stop it close from the air , and when you would use it for the gout , pour it into a porringer , and warm it , and wet linnen cloaths in it , and apply it warm to the grieved place , warming your cloaths one after another , as they grow cold that are on . . dr. stephen's sovereign water . take a g●llon of good gascoign wine , then take ginger , galingale , cancel , nutmeg , grains , cloves , anniseeds , carraway-seeds , of each a dram ; then take sage , mints , red roses , thyme , pellitory , rosemary , wild thyme , c●momile , lavender , of each a handful ; then bray both spices and herbs , and put them all into the wine , and let them stand for twelve hours , divers times stirring them ; then distill in an alembeck , but keep that which you distill first by it self , for that is the best , but the other is good also , but not so good as the first . this water comforteth the vital spirits , and helpeth inward diseases which come from cold ; it helpeth conception in women that are barren , and killeth worms in the body ; it cureth the cold cough , and helpeth the tooth-ach , it comforteth the stomack , and cureth stinking breath ; it preserveth the body in good liking , and makes them look young. . the vvater called aqua mirabilis & pretiosa , made by dr. willoughby . take of galingale , cloves , mace , cucubes , ginger , cardamum , nutmegs , mellilot , saffron four ounces , and beat all these into powder , agrimony-water the quantity of a dram , and somewhat more ; then take of the juice of selandine half a pint , and mingle all these together , with a pint of good aqua-vitae , and three pints of good white-wine ; put all these together in a still of glass , and let it stand so all night , and on the morrow distill it with an easie fire as may be : this water dissoveth the swelling of the lungs without any grievance , and helpeth , and comforteth them being wounded , and suffereth not the blood to putrifie ; he shall never need be let blood , that useth this water , it suffers not the heart to burn , nor melancholy , nor rheum to have dominion above nature ; it also expelleth rheum , and purifieth the stomach . . to make allom-water . take a pound of allom , and beat it to powder , then take a gallon of clean water , and set it on the fire , letting it boyl till all the allom be melted , then take it off the fire , and when it is cold put it into a glass , and keep it for your use. . to make an excellent electuary , called the electuary of life . take scorlegio , morre , gentiana , grandoret , and ialaom , of each a like quantity ; stamp them , and strain them , and mingle them with honey , that hath been well boyled on the fire , and scummed clean : this is excellent for sickness in the stomach , or pain in the belly , heart , or head ; or for those that are bitten with any venemous beast , or poysoned ; it must be taken in water , three or four spoonfuls at a time , in the morning fasting ; if the disease be of any long time standing , he must drink it fifte●n days together , and he will be whole . probatum . . against heat of the liver . take fennel , endive , succory , plantain , of each alike ; distill them with red wine and milk , and use it every morning , nine spoonfuls at a time , with a draught of wine and sugar , or else five spoonfuls thereof alone . . for swooning fits. for swooning , and weakness of the heart in fever and sicknesses , or if it come of other cause , stamp mints with vinegar , and a little wine , if the patient have no fever , then toast a bit of bread , till it be almost burnt , and put it therein till it be well soaked , then put it in the nose of the patient , and rub his lips , tongue , gums , teeth , and temples ; and let him chew and such the moistness thereof , and swallow it . . a water for the eyes , to make a man see in forty days , who hath been blind seven years before , if he be under fifty years of age. take smalledge , fennel , rue , betony , vervain , agrimony , cinquef oil , pimpernel , eye-bright , celandine , sage , of each a quartern ; wash them clean , and stamp them , do them in a fair mashing-pan , put thereto a quart of good white-wine , and the powder of thirty pepper-corns , six spoonfuls of live honey , and ten spoonfuls of the urine of a man-child that is wholsom ; mingle them well together , and boyl them till half be wasted , then take it down , and strain it , and afterwards clarifie it , and put it into a glass vessel well stopt , and put thereof with a feather into the eyes of the blind ; and let the patient use this medicine at night when he goeth to b●d , and within forty days he shall see : it is good for all manner of sore eyes . wild tansie-water is good for the eye-sight , and eating of fennel-seed is good for the same . . for a web in the eye . the leaves of white honey-suckles , and ground-ivy , of each a like quantity ground together , and put every day into the eye , cureth the web. or else salt burnt in a flaxen cloath , and tempered with honey , and with a feather annointed on the eye-lids , killeth worms that annoynt the eye-lids . . for moist scabs after the small-pox . take lapis calaminaris , letharge of gold and silver , of each two drams , brimstone and ceruse two ounces ; bring all these into a fine powder , and then beat them in a mortar with so much barrows-grease as is sufficient to make it up in an oyntment , and annoint the places therewith evening and morning . . to bring down the flowers . take of alligant , muskadine , or claret a pint , burn it , and sweeten it well with sugar , put thereto two spoonfuls of sallet-oyl ; then take a good bead of amber in powder in a spoon , with some of the vvine after it : take this evening and morning . . to stay the flowers . take amber , coral , pearl , jeat , of each alike ; grind them to a fine powder , and sierse them , take thereof as much as will lye upon a six-pence with conserve of quinces , and drink a draught of new milk after it : use this every morning . . to cure corns . take beans , and chew them in your mouth , and tye fast to your corn , and it will help : do this at night . . to make oyl of roses . take red rose-leaves a good quantity , and stamp in a mortar , and put thereto oyl-olive , and let it stand in the sun twelve days , and then put it in a glass ; and bind the glass fast about with ropes of hay , and set it in a pan full of water , and let it boyl softly two hours , and then ●et it cool , then put it in small glasses , and put thereto the leaves of red roses , all whole , and stop it fast , and set it in the sun for sixteen days , and so use it at your need . . for any itch , or breaking out . take frankincense , and beat it small in a mortar , and mingle it with oyl of bays , and therewith annoint all over , and it will destroy the itch. . for the piles after child-birth . make a bath of vvormwood , southern-wood , cinamon-rinde , and the bark of cassia fistula boyled well in vvine ; when the vvoman delivered goeth forth of the bath , put bombace , or cotton with powder of alloes , mixed with oyl of penny-royal , unto her lower parts . . for a stich in the side . take three handfuls of mallows , boyl them in a little raw milk , and put thereto a handful of vvheat-bran , and let the● boyl together , and then wring out the milk , and lay it hot to the stitch , apply it often . or take a few leaves of rue and yarrow , stamp them together , and wring out the juice , and drink it with a little ale. . for a tertian , or double-tertian ague . take a good quantity of celandine , a spoonful of salt , and the bigness of an egg in leven , and as much alligant and spanish soap ; stamp them well in a mortar , and make a plaister of them , and apply them to the patients feet one hour before the coming of the fit ; add thereto four or five yolk of eggs. or take of anniseed-water , the best you can get , half a pound of oyl of vitriol , shake them well together , and drink one or two spoonfuls thereof , an hour before the fit comes . . for the spleen . boyl the rindes and keys of an ash-tree very tender in white-wine , and drink a good draught thereof for six or seven mornings together , and it will much ease the patient ; when you drink this annoint the spleen with unguentum dialthea every morning and evening , applying also a plaister of melilot to the place . . an excellent powder for the green-sickness . take four scruples of gentian made into fine powder , of raspt ivory , and harts-horn , of each two scruples ; make these into fine powder , and give a spoonful thereof with white-wine , or the like at once . . a drink that healeth all wounds without any plaister , or oyntment , or without any taint , most perfectly . take sanicle , milfoil , and bugle , of each a like quantity , stamp them in a mortar , and temper them with wine , and give the sick that is wounded to drink twice or thrice a day till he be whole : bugle holdeth open the wound , milfoil cleanseth the wound , sanicle healeth it ; but sanicle may not be given to him that is hurt in the head , or in the brain-pan , for it is dangerous . this is a good and tryed medicine . . for pricking of a thorn. take of violet-leaves one handful , stamp them together , and take a quantity of boars-grease , ond of wheat-bran one handful , set it on the fire in clean water , and make a plaister thereof , and lay it to the grief . . to make oyl of st. johns wort , good for any ach , or pain . take a quart of sallet-oyl , and put thereto a quart of flowers of st. iohns wort well picked , let them lye therein all the summer , till the seeds of that herb be ripe , the glass must be kept warm , either in the sun , or in the water all the summer , till the seeds be ripe , then put in a quart of st. iohns wort-seeds whole , and so let it stand twelve hours , the glass being kept open , then you must boyl the oyl eight hours , the water in the pot full as high as the oyl in the glass ; when it is cold , strain it , that the seed remain not in it , and so keep it for your use. . for the tissick . take two ounces of licorise , scraped and bruised , of figgs three ounces , of agrimony , horehound , enula campana , of each a handful , boyl them all together in a gallon of water , till the half be wasted , then strain the herbs from the juice , and use it early and late . also for the dry tissick , stamp fennel-roots , and drink the juice thereof with white-wine . . to make oyl of fennel . put a quantity of fennel between two tile-stones , or plates of iron , make them very hot , and press out the liquor ; and this oyl will keep a great while , for it is good for the tissick , dry scab , burning and scalding . iii. to make the black plaister for all manner of griefs . take a quantity of oyl-olive , a quantity of red lead , boyl these together , and stirr them with a slice of wood continually , till it be black , and some what thick ; then take it off the fire , and put in it a penny-worth of red wax , and a pound of rosin , and set it to the fire again , but do not blaze it , and stir it , then take it off , and let it stand till it be cold , and make it in a lump : it is good for a new wound , ●or to stanch blood , pour a little of it in a dish , and if it stick fast to the dishes side , then it is enough ; keep it for your use as need requireth . finis . beautifying waters , oyls , ointments , and powders , to adorn , and add loveliness to the face and body . . to make the hair very fair. wash your hair very clean , and then take some allom-water , warm , and with a sponge moisten your hair therewith , and it will make it fair . or you may make a decoction of turmerick , rubarb , or the bark of the barberry-tree , and so it will receive a most fair and beautiful colour . . another . take the last water that is drawn from honey , and wash your head therewith , and it will make the hair of an excellent fair colour ; but because it is of a strong smell , you must perfume it with some sweet spirit . . to make the hair grow thick . make a strong lye , then take a good quantity of hyssop-roots , and burn them to ashes , and mingle the ashes and the lye together , and therewith wash your head , and it will make the hair grow ; also the ashes of froggs burnt doth increase hair , as also the ashes of goats-dung mingled with oyl . . to make the hair grow . take marsh-mallows , and boyl them , roots and all , and wash the head therewith , and it will grow in a short time : also take a good quantity of bees , and dry them in a siev by the fire , and make powder of them , and temper it witth oyl-olive , and anoint the place where the hair should grow : also take the oyl of tartar , and warm it , and annoint any bald head therewith , and it will restore the hair again in a short time . . to make the hair fair. take the ashes of a vine burnt , of the knots of barley straw , and licorise , and sow-bread , and distill them together in fair water , and wash the head with it ; also sprinkle the hair while it is combing , with the powder of cloves , roses , nutmegs , cardamum , and galingale , with rose-water ; also the head being often washed with the decoction of beech-nut-trees , the hair will become fair . . to make the hair grow . taste hasle-nuts with husks and all , and burn them to powder , then take beech-mast , and the leaves of enula campana , and stamp the herb and the mast together , then seeth them together with honey , and annoint the place therewith , and strew the powder thereon , and this will make the hair grow . . to take away hair. take the juice of fumitory , mix it with gum-arabick , then lay it on the place , the hairs first plucked out by the roots , and it will never permit any more hair to grow on the place : also annoint your head with the juice of a glo-worm stamped , and it hath the same virtue . . for the falling of hair. take the ashes of pigeons-dung in lye , and wash the head therewith ; also walnut-leaves beaten with bears-suet , restoreth the hair that is plucked away . also the leaves and middle rinde of an oak , sodden in water , and the head washed therewith , is very good for this purpose . . to make the face fair. take the flower of beans , and distill them , and wash the face with the water ; some say , that the urine of the party is very good to wash the face withal , to make it fair. . for cleansing the face and skin . if the face be washed with the water that rice is sodden in , it cleanseth the face , and taketh away pimples . . a vvater to adorn the face . take eggs cut in pieces , orange-peels , the roots of melons , each as much as is sufficient , in a large vessel with a long neck , distill by an alembeck , with a strong and careful fire . . to beautifie the face . take of cuckow-pintle a pretty quantity , bruise the thick parts with rose-water , dry them by the sun three or four days , then pouring more rose-water on it , use it . . to make the face look youthful . take two ounces of aqua-vitae , bean-flower-water , and rose-water , each four ounces , water of water-lillies six ounces , mix them all , and add to them one dram of the whitest tragacinth , set it in the sun six days , then strain it through a fine linnen cloath ; wash your face with it in the morning , and do not wipe it off . . a vvater to take away wrinkles in the face . take of the decoction of briony and figgs , each alike quantities , and wash the face with it . . an excellent water , called lac virginis , or virgins milk , to make the face , neck , or any part of the body fair and white . take of alumen plumost half an ounce , of camphire one ounce , of roch-allom one ounce and a dram , sal gemmi half an ounce , of white frankincense two ounces , oyl of tartar one ounce and half ; make all these into most fine powder , and mix it with one quart of rose-water , then set it in the sun , and let it stand nine days , often stirring it ; then take littarge of silver half a pound , beat it fine , and sierce it , then boyl it with one pint of white-wine-vinegar , till one third part be consumed , ever stirring it with a stick while it boyleth , then distill it by a philter , or let it run through a jelly-bag , then keep it in a glass vial , and when you will use those waters , take a drop of the one , and a drop of the other in your hand , and it will be like milk , which is called lac virginis ; wash your face , or any part of your body therewith , it is mo●● precious for the same . . to take away sun-burn . take the juice of a limon , and a little bay-salt , and wash your face or hands with it , and let them dry of themselves , and wash them again , and you shall find all the sun-burn gone . . to make the face very fair. boyl the flowers of rosemary in white-wine , with the which wash your face ; also if you drink thereof , it will make you have a sweet breath . also to make the face white , make powder of the root of serpentine , and of powder of sepia , and mingle them with rose-water , and let it dry , and then let it be put to the same water again , and dry again , do this four or five times , and then use to annoint the face therewith . . to clear the skin , and make it white . take fresh boars grease , and the white of an egg , and stamp them together with a little powder of bays , and therewith annoint the skin , and it will clear the visage , and make it white . . to take away freckles in the face . annoint your face with oyl of almonds , and drink plantain-water , or annoint your visage well and often with hares blood . . to smooth the skin . mix capons-grease with a quantity of sugar , and let it stand for a few days close covered , and it will turn to a clear oyl , with which annoynt your face . . to blanch the face . take the pulp of limons , and take out the kernels , and put to them a quantity of fine sugar ; distill these , and keep the water to wash your face every night . . for morphew , or scurf of face or skin . take of brimstone beaten into powder two ounces , mix it with as much black soap that stinketh , and tye the same in a linnen cloath , and let it hang in a pint of strong wine-vinegar , or red-rose-vinegar , for the space of eight or nine days ; and therewith wash any kind of scurf , or morphew , either in face or body , dipping a cloath in the vinegar , and rubbing it therewith , and let it dry of it self . also drink the water of strawberries . distilled , or tincture of strawberries , it certainly killeth morphew or scurf . . for taking away spots in the face , after the small-pox . mix the juice of limons with a little bay-salt , and touch the spots therewith often●times in a day , for it is excellent good . . a good oyntment for the same . take oyl of sweet almonds , oyl of white lillies , of either one ounce ; capons-grease , goats-tallow , of each four drams , litharge of gold one dram and half ; roots of briony , and of ireos , of either one scruple , sugar-candy white one dram ; make powder of all those that may be brought into powder , and sierce them , then put them all in a mortar together , beat them together , and in the working put thereto rose , bean-flower , and white lilly-water , of each a good spoonful , put in by little and little , and so work them together till they become an oyntment ; annoint your face and hands with it every evening , and in the morning wash it away in water boyled with barley , wheaten-bran , and the seed of mallows . . to take away the holes or pits in the face , by reason of the small pox. for helping of this accident , i have tryed many things , and the best means i have found , is to wash the face one day with the distilled water of strong vinegar , and the next day with the water wherein bran and mallows have been boyled ; and continue this twenty days , or a moneth together . . for redness of the hands or face after the small-pox . take barley , beans , lupines , of each one handful ; bruise them all in a mortar grosly , and boyl them in three pints of water , till it grow thick like a jelly , then strain it , and annoint the face and hands therewith three or four times a day , for three or four days together , and then wet the face and hands as often with this water following . . another . take vine-leaves two handfuls , bean-flower , dragon , wild tansie , of either one handful , camphire three drams , two calves feet , the pulp of three limons , a pint of raw cream ; shred the herbs small , as also the limons , and break , and cut the calves feet small , then mix them together , and distill it in a glass still , and use it . also the water of may-dew is excellent good for any high colour , or redness of the face . . for pimples in the face . wash your face with warm water when you go to bed , and let it dry in ; then take the white of an egg , and put it into a saucer , and set it upon a chafing-dish of coals , and put into it a piece of allom ; beat it together with a spoon , till it become thick , then make a round ball , and therewith annoint the face where the pimples are . . for heat and swelling in the face . boyl the leaves of the blossoms of rosemary , either in white-wine or fair water , and use to wash thy hands and face therewith , and it will preserve thee from all such inconveniencies , and also make both thy face and hands very smooth . . for a red face . take brimstone that is whole , and cinamon , of either of them an even proportion by weight , beat them into small powder , and sierse it through a fine cloath upon a sheet of white paper to the quantity of an ounce , or more ; and so by even proportions in weight mingle them together in clean clarified capons●grease , and temper them well together till they be well mollified , then put to it a little camphire , to the quantity of a bean , and so put the whole confection in a glass , and use it . . to take away pimples . take wheat-flower mingled with honey and vinegar , and lay it upon them . . an excellent oyntment for an inflamed face . take an ounce of the oyl of bays , and an ounce of quick-silver , and put them in a bladder together , with a spoonful of fasting-spittle , and then rub them well together , that nothing of the quick-silver be seen ; take of this oyntment , when it it made , and annoint the face therewith , and it will heal it well and fair ; proved true . . for a rich face . take three yolks of eggs raw , as much in quantity of fresh butter , or capons-grease without salt , camphire two penny-worth , red-rose-water half a pint , two grains of sivet , and boyl all these together in a dish , then strain them through a clean cloath , and set it to cool , and take the uppermost , and use it . . to make the skin white and clear . boyl two ounces of french barley in three pints of conduit-water , change the water , and put in the barley again ; do this till your barley do not dis-colour the water , then boyl the last three pints to a quart , then mix half a pint of white-wine therein , and when it is cold , wring the juice of two or three good limons therein , and use it for the morthew , heat of the face , and to clear the skin . . an excellent pomatum , to clear the skin . wash barrows-grease , or lard often-times in may-dew that hath been clarified in the sun , till it be exceeding white ; then take marsh-mallow-roots , scraping off the out-sides , make thin slices of them , and mix them , set them to macerate in a balneo , and scum it● well till it be clarified , and will come to rope ; then strain it , and put now and then a spoonful of may-dew therein , beating it till it be through cold in often change of may-dew ; then throw away that dew , and put it in a glass , covering it with may-dew , and so keep it for your use. . to take away spots and freckles from the face and hands . the sap that issueth out of a birch-tree in great abundance , being opened in march or april , and a glass receiver set under it to receive it : this cleanseth the skin excellently , and maketh it very clear , being washed therewith . this sap will dissolve pearl , a secret not known to many . . to take away freckles and morphew . wash your face in the wane of the moon with a sponge , morning and evening with the distilled water of elder-leaves , letting it dry into the skin ; you must distill your water in may : this i had from a traveller , who hath cured himself thereby . . to make the teeth white and sound . take a quart of honey , and as much vinegar , and half so much white-wine , boyl them together , and wash your teeth therewith now and then . . a dentrifice to whiten the teeth . take of harts-horn and horses teeth , of each two ounces , sea-shells , common salt , cypress-nuts , each one ounce ; burn them together in an oven , and make a powder , and work it up with the mucilage of gum tragacinth , and rub the teeth therewith . . to make the teeth white as ivory . take rosemary , sage , and a little allom and honey , and boyl them together in fair running-water , and when it is well boyled , strain out the fair water , and keep it in a glass , and use it sometime to wash your mouth and teeth therewith , and it will make them clean : also wash your teeth with the decoction of lady thistle-root , and it will cleanse and fasten the teeth , and the sore gums made whole● also the root of hore-hound drunk , or chewed fasting , doth quickly heal the gums , and maketh the teeth clean : strawberry-leaves also cleanseth the teeth and gums , a sure and tryed experiment . . to make the teeth white . take one drop of the oyl of vitriol , and wet the teeth with it , and rub them afterwards with a course cloath ; although this medicine be strong , fear it not . . for a stinking breath . take two handfuls of cummin , and stamp it to powder , and boyl it in wine , and drink the syrup thereof morning and evening for fifteen days , and it will help . proved . . to make the breath sweet . vvash you mouth with the water that the shells of citrons have been boyled in , and you will have a sweet breath . . to sweeten the breath . take butter and the juice of feather-few , and temper them with honey , and take every day a spoonful . also these things sweeten the breath , the electuary of aromaticks , and the peels of citrons . . to cleanse the mouth . it is good to cleanse the mouth every morning by rubbing the teeth with a sage-leaf , citron-peels , or with powder made with cloves and nutmegs ; forbear all meats of ill digestion , and raw fruits . . for running in the ears . take the juice of elder , and drop i● into the ear of the party grieved , and it cleanseth the matter and the filth thereof● also the juice of violets used , is very good for the running of the ears . . for eyes that are blood-shot . take the roots of red fennel , stamp them , and wring out the juice , then temper it with clarified honey , and make an oyntment thereof , and annoint the eyes therewith , and it will take away th● redness . . to make the hands white . take the flower of beans , of lupines of starch-corn , rice , orice , of each six ounces ; mix them , and make a powder , with which wash your hands it water . . a delicate washing ball. take three ounces of orace , half an ounce of cypress , two ounces of calamus aromaticus , one ounce of rose-leaves , two ounces of lavender-flowers ; beat all these together in a mortar , siersing them through a fine sierce , then scrape some castile-soap , and dissolve it in rose-water , mix your powders therewith , and beat them in a mortar , then make them up in balls . . for the lips chopt . rub them with the sweat behind your ears , and this will make them smooth , and well coloured . . to prevent marks of the small-pox . boyl cream to an oyl , and with that annoint the wheals with a feather as soon as they begin to dry , and keep the scabs always moist therewith ; let your face be annointed almost every half hour . . to take away child-blains in the hands or feet . boyl half a peck of oats in a quart of water till it grow dry ; then annoint your hands with pomatum , and after they are well chased , hold them within the oats as hot as you can endure them , covering the bowl wherein you do your hands with a double cloath to keep in the steam of the oats ; do this three or four times , and it will do : you may boyl the same oats with fresh water three or four times . . to take away pock-holes , or any spot in the face . wet a cloath in white-rose-water , and set it all night to freeze in the winter , and then lay it upon your face till it be dry ; also take two or three poppies , the reddest you can get , and quarter them , taking out the kernels , then distill them in a quart of red cows-milk , and with the water thereof wash your face . . an excellent beauty-water , used by the d. of c. take of white tartar two drams , camphire one dram , coperas half a dram , the whites of three or four eggs , juice of a couple of limons , oyl of tartar four ounces , and as much plantain-water , white mercury a penny-worth , two ounces of bitter almonds ; beat all these to powder , and mix them with the oyl , and some water , and then boyl it upon a gentle fire , strain it , and so keep it ; when you use it , you must first rub your face with a scarlet cloath , and at night wash your face with it , and in the morning wash it off with bran and white-wine . . against a stinking breath . take a handful of wood-bine , and as much plantain , bruise them very well , then take a pint of eye-selt , and as much water , with a little honey and allom ; keep all these waters together in a glass , and wash your mouth well therewith , and hold it in your mouth , and it will destroy all cankers , and cure a stinking breath , and preserve the teeth from rottenness . . to procure an excellent colour and complexion in the face , used by the c. of s. take the juice of hyssop , and drink it in a morning fasting , half a dozen spoonfuls in ale , warm ; it will procure an excellent colour , is good for the eye-sight , destroyeth worms , and is good for the stomack , liver , and lungs . . to keep the teeth white , and kill worms . take a little salt in a morning fasting , and hold it under your tongue till it be melted , and then rub your teeth with it . . to procure beauty , an excellent wash . take four ounces of sublimate , and one ounce of crude mercury , and beat them together exceeding well in a wooden mortar , and wooden pestle ; you must do it at least six , or eight hours , then with often change of cold water , take away the salts from the sublimate , change your water twice every day at least , and in seven or eight days it will be dulcified , and then it is prepared ; lay it on with oyl of white poppy . . a beauty-water for the face , by madam g. take lye that is not too strong , and put two peels of oranges , and as much c●tron-peel , blossoms of c●momile , bay-leaves , and maiden-hair , of each a handful , of agrimony two or three ounces , of barley-straw chopt in pieces , a handful , as much fenugreek , a pint of vine-leaves , two or three handfuls of broom-blossoms ; put all these into the lye , and mingle them together , and so wash the head therewith , put to it a little cinamon and myrrh , let it stand , and wash your face therewith every evening : it is good to wash the head , and to comfort the brain and memory . . against stink of the nostrils . take cloves , ginger , and calamint , of each a like quantity , boyl them in white-wine , and therewith wash the nose within ; then put in the powder of piritrum to provoke one to sneeze : if there be phlegm in the head , you must first purge the head with pills of colchie , or of hieva picra : or if the stink of the nose come from the stomack , purge first . . to make the hands white . to make the hands white and soft , take daffodil in clean water till it grow thick , and put thereto powder of cantarium , and stir them together ; then put thereto raw eggs , and stir them well together , and with this oyntment annoint your hands , and within three or four days using thereof they will be white and clear . . a sweet water for the hands . take of the oyl of cloves , mace , or nutmegs , three or four drops only , and mingle it with a pint of fair water , stirring them a pretty while together in a glass , having a narrow mouth , till they are well mingled together , and wash your hands therewith , and it will be a very sweet water , and will cleanse and whiten the hands very much . . for heat and worms in the hands . bruise a little chick-weed , and boyl it in running-water , till the half be wasted away , and wash your hands in it as hot as you can suffer it , for the space of six days , and it will drive away the heat , or worms in the hands . . to make the nails grow . take wheat-flower , and mingle it with honey , and lay it to the nails , and it will help them . . for nails that fall off . take powder of agrimony , and lay it on the place where the nail was , and it will take away the aking , and make the● nails to grow . . for cloven nails . mingle turpentine and wax together , and lay it on the nail , and as it groweth cut it away , and it will heal . . for nails that are rent from the flesh . take some violets , and stamp them , and fry them with virgins-wax , and frankincense , and make a plaister , and lay it to the nail , and it will be whole . . another . annoint your fingers with the powder of brimstone , arsenick , and vinegar , and in short time you shall find great ease . . for stench under the arm-holes . first pluck away the hairs of the arm-holes , and wash them with white-wine and rose-water , wherein you have first boyled cassia lignum , and use it three or four times . . for the yellow iaundies . take the juice of wormwood and sorrel , or else make them in syrup , and use to drink it in the morning . . to take away vvarts from the face or hands . take purslain , and rub it on the warts , and it maketh them fall away : also the juice of the roots of rushes applyed , healeth them . . to smooth the skin , and take away morphew and freckles . annoint the face with the blood of a hare , or bull , and this will take away morphew and freckles , and smooth the skin . finis . new and excellent experiments and secrets in the art of angling . being directions for the whole art . london , printed in the year . new and excellent experiments and secrets in the art of angling . to make the lines . take care that your hair be round , and free from galls , scabs , or frets , for a well chosen , even , clear , round hair , of a kind of a glass-colour , will prove as strong as three un-even scabby hairs , that are ill chose . let your hair be clean washed before you go about to twist it , and then not only chuse the clearest hair , but hairs that are all of an equal bigness , for such do usually stretch altogether , and not break singly one by one , but altogether . when you have twisted your links , lay them in water for a quarter of an hour at the least , and then twist them over again before you tye them into a line , for those that do not so shall usually find their links to have a hair or two shrunk , and be shorter than all the rest , at the first fishing with it , which is so much of the strength of the line lost , for want of wetting it at first , and then re-twisting it ; and this is most visible in a seven hair line , which hath always a black hair in the middle , called by anglers , the herring-bone : those hairs that are taken from an iron-gray , or a sorrel stone-horse , and the middle of the tayl , are best . a cement for floats to fish withal . take black rozin beaten , chalk scraped , bees-wax bruised , of each a like quantity ; melt all these over a gentle small-coal fire in an earthen vessel well leaded , and so warming the two quills , fix them with a little of it ; it cools immediately , and being cold , is so hard , strong , and tite , that you can hardly pull the two quills asunder with both your hands , without breaking them in pieces . to sight your caps for the float aright . let the uppermost be at the distance from the top of the quill , and the lower cap near to the end of the quill , as in the description of it . to dye bone or quills red for ever . take some urine , and put into it as much powder of brazile as will make it very red , which you shall know by dropping some with a feather upon a piece of white paper , and put therein bone or quills , being first well scraped , and laid a while in a water made of argol , and let them lye in it ten or twelve days , then take them out , and hang them up till they are dry , and rub them with a dry linnen cloath , and they will be of a transparent colour . observations . a pike is called , the first year a shotterel . the second , a pickerel . the third year , a pike . the fourth year , a luce. fish are fattest about august . all fish are in season a moneth or six weeks after they have spawn'd . to cleanse worms . take a piece of a hop-sack ( because that is not so close struck in the weaving as other cloath is ) and wash it clean , and let it dry , then take some of the liquor wherein a piece of fresh beef hath been boyled , but be sure you take not the liquor of salt beef , for that will kill all the worms ; dip the piece of hop-sack in the liquor , and wring it out , but not hard , so that some of the liquor abide in the cloath ; put the worms into this cloath , and lay them in an earthen pot , the worms will run in and out through the cloath , and scour themselves ; let them stand from morning to night , then take out the worms from the cloath , and wash the cloath as before , but not dry it , and wet it again in some of the liquor ; thus do once a day , and thus you will not only preserve your worms alive for three weeks , or a moneth , but also make them red and tough . probatum . the secrets of . j. d. would'st thou catch fish ? then here 's thy wish : take this receipt t● annoint thy bait. thou that desirest to fish with line and hook , be it in pool , in river , or in brook ; to bliss thy bait , and make the fish to bite , loe here 's a means , if thou ca●st hit it right . take gum of life fine beat , and laid to soak in oyl , well drawn from that * which kills the oak . fish where thou wilt , thou shalt have sport thy fill ; when twenty fail , thou shalt be sure to kill . probatum . it 's perfect and good , if well understood ; else not to be told , for silver nor gold. to unloose the line in the water . of these there are several sorts , according to several mens fancies ; that which i approve of , as being the surest , is a forked stick , about two yards long , if it be not long enough to reach the bottom , you may lash it to any other stick . these fish rise best at a flye . salmon . trout . vinber . groyling . bleak . cherin , or chub. roch. dace . ad capiendum pisces . recipe musilago vel scholaris fortes ( anglicè white mullen ) collectae circa medium maii , quando luna , sit plena , distemperata cum nigro sale & serva in olla terrea , & quando vis occupare ungue manus & lava eas in loco ubi sunt pisces . a good bait for fish all seasons of the year . take wheat-flower , and tallow of a new slain sheep , and the white of an egg , beat them all together , and make a paste therewith , and bait with it . roch and dace . from the tenth of march to the tenth of may is the spawning time for roch and dace . a paste for roch , dace , chub. fine manchet , old fat cheese of the strongest , rusty bacon ; beat these in a mortar , and moisten it with a little brandy , and colour it with turmerick or cambogia , or red vermilion . baits . . take the flesh of a rabbit , or a cat cut small , and bean-flower , and for want of that , other flower ; mix these together , and put to them either sugar or honey ( but i judge honey the best ) beat these together in a mortar , or sometimes work them in your hands ( being very clean ) then make it into a ball , but you must beat it so long , till it be so tuff , that it will hang upon the hook , yet not too hard neither , that you may the better dough-knead with your paste a little white , or yellow wool ; if you would have this paste keep all the year , then mix with it virgins-wax and clarified honey , and work it together with your hands before the fire , then make it into balls , and it will keep all the year . . another . take a handful or two of the best and biggest wheat you can get , boyl it in a little milk ( as furmity is boyled till it be soft ) and then fry it very leisurely , with honey and a little beaten saffron dissolved in milk ; you will find it a choyce bait , and good i think for any fish , especially for roch , dace , chub , and cheven . . another . the tenderest part of the leg of a young rabbit , whelp , or catlin , as much virgins-wax , and sheeps suet ; beat them in a mortar , till they are well incorporated , then with a little clarified honey , temper them before the fire into a paste . . another . sheeps-kidney-suet , as much old strong cheese , fine flower , or manchet ; beat it into a paste , and soften it with clarified honey . . another . sheeps-blood , old cheese , fine manchet , clarified honey ; make all into a paste , as before . . another . cherries , sheeps-blood , saffron , fine manchet ; make all into a paste , as before : you may add to any of these , or other pastes , cocalus indi●e , assa faetida , oyl of polypody of the oak , the gum of ivy dissolved ; i judge there is virtue in these oyls , but especially in the gum. . another . pull off the scale from a boyled prawn , or shrimp , bait the hook with it , and it is an excellent bait for roch , dace , bleak . . another . bean-flower , honey , and the white of a egg made up into a paste , is an excellent , an d long experienced bait for small fish , which if they once taste of , they will never for sake till death . . another . gentles , of which kind the best are those that are bred upon a cat , because they are the quickest , and liveliest . if you put some gentles into a box , where vermilion hath been , they will live in it two or three days , and will become of a very transparent colour , and keep so in the water when you fish with them . when you fish in a quick stream , a long quill or float is best . but in an eddy , or still , stream , the shorter the quill or float is , the better . when you fish at the well-boats , or at the bank-side , be there at half ebbing water , and fish upon those well-boats that lye nearest to the shoar , till the water falls away from them , then go to the outermost boats. some of the well-boats do sheer to and again from the place where your ground-bait lyeth , to prevent which , and that you may always fish in that place where you have cast your ground-bait , you must have a buoy to lye out , and then you are sure to fi●h right . . another bait. dry sheeps-blood in the air upon a dry board , till it become a pretty hard dry lump , then cut it into small pieces for your use. . another . you shall find in the moneths of iune , iuly , and august , great quantities of ant-flyes , go to the ant-hills , and take a great handful of earth , with as much of the roots of the grass as you can ; put all into a large glass bottle , then gather a pottle of the blackest ant-flyes , but take heed you bruise them not ; roch and dace will bite at these flyes under water , near the ground . directions how to make your paste . first , wash your hands very clean , then get some of the finest manchet , of two or three days old , and cut away all the crust , then lay it in water , or milk , which is better ; let it lye no longer than till it is soaked just through , then squeeze out all the water very well , then knead it in your hands very well , with a little bit of sweet butter , to make it stiff , colour it with vermilion ; if you make it over-night , keep it in a wet linnen rag , all the water being wrung out of it ; in the kneading scrape a little old cheese among it . how to bait with gentles . put your hook through the middle-part of the gentle , and no more , then he will live longest ; i mean through the skin and no more : but if you could get some oyl of ivy , that is rightly taken from the tree in the moneth of may , and cast but two drops of it among the gentles before you use them , you would have sport beyond expectation . when to drag upon the ground , and when not . when you fish in a quick stream drag a quills length , or more . also when the water is not clear , but of a white or clay colour , and if you put a little piece of scarlet a little above the hook , the fish will see the bait the better . sometimes when you are at the sport the wind ariseth , and makes your float dance upon the waves , then always observe , and watch well the motion of your float under water , and not the top of your float . i saw an angler whipping for bleaks and dace with a may-flye , but he put on a gentle upon the hook besides , and he had excellent sport . carp and tench . baits . . a carp will take a red worm dipt in tarr , at the bottom . . malt-flower , old cheshire cheese , english honey , eggs ; temper these together with a little water ( but i should think milk is far better ) colour it with saffron , and put as much upon the hook , as the bigness of a large hasle-nut . bait the place where you intend to fish , very well over night , with grains and blood ; the next morning very early fish for him , with a well scoured lob-worm , or the past above-mentioned . you may dip your worm in tarr , and try what that will do . a carp choseth the deepest , and stillest places in ponds and rivers , and so doth the tench , and also green weeds , which he loves exceedingly . late in the evening the ale , grains , and blood , well mixed together , is bait very good for carp , tench , roch , and dace to prepare , if early in the morn at the river you are . strong tackle for carp , for roch and d●ce fine , will help thee with fish sufficient to dine . for the carp , let thy bait the knotted worm be , the rest love the cadis , the paste or the flye . chub , pike , and bream . the pike chuses sandy , or clay ground , in still pools full of fry ; the bream loves a gentle stream , and the broadest part of the river ; the chub loves the same ground , and spawns in may. one , who was the best trouler of pikes in england . used always to troul with a hazle-rod twelve foot long , with a ring of wyre in the top of his rod for his line to run through , within two foot of the rod there was a hole to put in a winder , to turn with a barril , to gather up his line , and loose it at his pleasure ; this was his manner of trouling with a small fish. there are several other ways to take pikes ; there is a way to take a pike , which is called the snap , for with angling you must have a pretty strong rod , for you must angle with a line no longer than your rod , which must be very strong , that you may hold the fish to it ; your hook must be a double hook , made of a large wyre , and armed with wyre one or two links long ; you must bait the fish with the head upwards , and the point must come forth of his side , a little above his vent . in all your baitings for a pike , you must enter the needle where the point cometh forth , so draw your arming through , until the hook lyeth as you think fit , then make it fast with a thread to the wyre , but first tye the thread about the wyre , otherwise the fish will skip up and down , so fall to work : the bait must be a gudgeon , a small trout , roch , or dace . now , i will pawn my credit , that i will shew a way , either in ware , pond , or river , that shall take more pikes , than any trouler shall do by trouling ; and it is this . first , take a forked stick , a line of twelve yards long wound upon it , at the lower end leave a yard to tye ; either a bunch of flaggs , or a bladder , to buoy up the fish , to carry the bait from the ground , that the fish may swim clear ; the bait must be alive , either a small trout , gudgeon , roch , or dace ; the forked stick must have a slit on the one side of the fork to put the line in , that the live fish may swim at the gauge you set the fish to swim at , that when the pike takes the bait , the pike may have the full liberty of the line for his feed ; you may turn as ●ou please of these loose in the pond or river all day long , the more the better , and do it in a pond-wind ; the hooks must be double hooks . to bait the hook. take one of the baits alive , and with your needle enter the fish within a straws breadth of the gill , so put the needle in betwixt the skin and the fish , then draw the needle out at the hindermost fin , drawing the arming through the fish , untill the hook come to lye close to the body ; but i hold it better , if it be armed with wyre , to take off the hook , and put the needle in at the hindermost fin , and so come forth at the gill , then put on the hook , and it will hurt the live fish the less , so knit the arming with the live fish to the line . but i judge the baiting with a live fish is done far better , as it is done , baiting with a minew , to fish for a trout . a rod twelve foot long , and a ring of wyre , a winder and barril will help thy desire , in killing a pike ; but the forked stick , with a slit and a bladder , and the other fine trick , which our artists call snap , with a goose or a duck , will kill two for one , if thou have any luck . chub takes a black snail about august ; and for a bait , take the fourth receipt prescribed for roch and dace , but colour it with saffron , or gambogia . the pike in the moneth of march , before which time it is good fishing for him , but after march it is not good till the middle of may : a smelt is a rare bait , a pole for trouling should be eleven foot long , for the snap twelve foot. when you troul , the head of the fish must be downward at the bent of the hook ; but when you snap , the head must be upward at the shank of the hook . if you fish at snap for a pike , give him leave to run a little before you strike , and then strike the contrary way he runs . if you fish with a dead bait for him , take this as a most excellent one . take a minew , or yellow frogg , a dace , or a roch , and having dissolved some gum of ivy in oyl of spike , annoint your bait therewith , and cast it where the pikes frequent , and when it hath lain a little while at the bottom , draw it up to the top , and so up the stream , and if pikes are in the place where you fish , you will quickly perceive them to follow it with much eagerness . perch . the perch loveth a gentle stream , of a reasonable depth , seldom shallow . baits . . his bait is most commonly a red knotted worm , or a minew . . another . make a bait with the liver of a goat , and bait your hook therewith . . another . take yellow butter-flyes and cheese made of goats-milk , of each half an o●nce , of opoponax the weight of two french crowns , of hoggs-blood half an o●nce , galbanum as much ; pound them all well , and mix them together , pouring upon them red wine , and make thereof little balls , such as you use to make perfumes into , and dry them in the shade . . another . to bait your hook with a live minew , when you fish for a trout , or perch , with a running line . first put your hook in at his mouth , and out at his gill , then having drawn your hook two or three inches beyond , or through his gill , put it again into his mouth , and the point and beard out at his tayl , and then tye the hook and his tayl with a white thread , which will make it apter to turn quick in the water ; then pull back that part of your line which was slack , when you put your hook into the mouth the second time ; i say , pull that part of it back , so that it shall fasten the head , that so the body of the minew shall be almost● streight on the hook ; then try how it will turn by drawing it cross the water , or against the stream , and if it do not turn nimbly , then turn the tayl a little to the right or left hand , and try again till it turn quick , for if not , you are in danger to catch nothing ; for know , that 't is impossible it should turn too quick : but if you want a minew , then a small roch , or stickle-back , or any other small fish will serve as well ; if you salt your minews , you may keep them three or four days fit for use , or longer ; bay-salt is best . . another . to bait with a lob-worm , to fish for a trout or perch with a running line , with a swivel . suppose it be a big lob-worm , put your hook into him above the middle , then draw your worm above the arming of your hook , enter your worm at the tayl-end of the worm , the point may come out toward the head , and having drawn him above the arming of your hook , put the point of your hook again into the very head of the worm , till it come to the place where the point of the hook first came out , and then draw back that part of the worm that was above the shanker arming of the hook. and so fish with it , you cannot lose above two or three worms before you attain to what i direct you , and having attained it , you will find it very useful , for you will run upon the ground without tangling , but you must have a swivel . trout . the trout loves small purling brooks , or rivers that are very swift , and run upon stones , or gravel ; he feeds while he is in strength in the swi●test streams , behind a stone , log , or some small bank that shooteth into the river , and there lyes watching for what comes down the stream . he spawns about october . baits . . you shall find in the root of a great dock , a white worm with a red head , with this worm fish for a trout at the bottom , he lyes in the deep , but feeds in the stream . . another . he also takes very freely a worm , called a brandling , of which sort the best are sound at the bear-garden , amongst the bears dung. an universal bait to take all manner of fish , but especially trouts , which hath been experienced by an ancient angler , and made by a chy●ist , in . take of the juice of ca●●omile two spoonfuls , oyl of spike four drams , spirit of vitriol one ounce , oyl of comfrey by infusion , six drams , goose-grease one ounce ; dissolve these over the fire , being well melted , let it stand till it is cold , then put it into a strong glass , and let it stand three or four days before you stop it up , with a good cover made of parchment and leather , and it will keep good for seven years . gudgeons . a gudgeon spawns in may , and sometimes in april . bait. a gudgeon takes nothing but a red knotted worm , in a horse dung-hill . barbel . the barbel ( as gesner saith ) is one of those leather-mouth'd fishes , having his teeth in his throat . there are divers ways of fishing for him , as with a casting-line of small whip-cord , a plummet , and a pair of small drablers of hair. others fish for him with a standing-line , either of silk , or small brass wyre well nealed , with a plummet of one , two , three , or four ounces , according to the swiftness of the stream , and a pair of drabbers , as before . some fish for barbel with casting-lines , as at london-bridge , a plummet of one pound and half , and a pair of drabbers . baits . his baits are green gentles , strong cheese , sometimes a lob-worm , and sometimes a piece of pickled herring . eels . to reckon up the several ways of taking eels , were almost , if not altogether , impossible ; and therefore i shall only tell you how the anglers here in london take them . take a shooting-line , of , , , , or hooks , as many , and as few as you please ; and this cannot but be an excellent way , either in pond , ●river , or moat . the manner of making it is very well known to all those that sell hooks and fishing-tackle in crooked-lane , where you may buy them ready made . baits . his bait is green gentles , strong cheese , lob-worms , pickled-herring , powdered beef , or periwinkles . your plummet must be three pound , or three pound and an half of lead . bream . the bream loveth a red worm , taken at the root of a great dock , it lyeth wrapt up in a knot , or round clue . he chuseth the same waters as the pike . salmon . the salmon 〈◊〉 ●arge swist rivers , where it ebbs and flowes ; he spawns at the latter end of the year . to fish for salmon . the first thing you must gain , must be a rod of some ten foot in the stock , that will carry a top of six foot ; stiff and strong ; the reason is , because there must be a wyre ring at the upper end of the top , for the line to run through , that you may take up , and loose the line at your pleasure , you must have the winder within two foot of the bottom of your rod , made in the manner exprest , with a spring , that you may put it on as low as you please . the salmon swimmeth most commonly in the midst of the river , in all his travels he desires to see the uppermost part of the river , travelling on his journey in the heat of ●he day , he must take a b●sh , if the fisher-man espye him , he goeth at him with his spear , and so shortneth his journey . the angler that goeth to fish for him with a hook and line , must angle for him as nigh the middle of the water as he can with one of these baits . take two lob-worms , and put the hook so near through the middle of them , that the four ends may hang of an equal length , and so angle as near the bottom as you can , feeling your plummet run on the ground , some twelve inches from the hook . if you angle for him with a flve ( which he will rise at like a trout ) the flye must be made of a large hook , which hook must carry six wings , or sour at the least ; there is judgment in making these flyes . the salmon will come at a gudgeon in the manner of a trouling line , and cometh at it bravely , which is fine angling for him ; you must be sure your line be of twenty six , or thirty yards long , that you may have your convenient time to turn him , or else you are in danger to lose him , but if you turn him , you are likely to have him , all the danger is in the running out , both of salmon and trout . you must fore-cast to turn the fish as you do a wild horse , either upon the right or left hand , and wind up your line as you find occasion in the guiding the fish to the shoar , having a large landing-hook to take him up , close to the bottom , in the midst of the water , i fish●d for a salmon , and there i caught her . my plummet twelve inches from the large hook , two lob-worms hung equal , which she ne●r ●orsook : nor yet the great hook , with the six winged flye , and she makes at a gudgeon most furiously . my strong line was just twenty six yards long : i gave him a turn , though i found him strong . i wound up my line , to guide him from shoar ; the landing-hook helpt much , but the cookery more . the names of the flyes that are used in angling , with the times when they are in season , and what the bodies and wings are made of . . astone fly , which is in season in april , the body of it is made with black-wool , made yellow under the wings , and under the tayl ; the wings are made of a mallards feather . . a ruddy fly , is in season in the beginning of may ; the body is made of red wooll wrapt about with blue silk , the wings are made of the wing of a drake , and a red hackle . . the yellow , or greenish fly , in season in may , made of yellow wool , his wings made of red hackles , and the wing of a drake . . the dun fly is sometimes of dunwool , and sometimes black , in season in march ; his wings made of partridge . feathers , black drakes feathers , and the feathers under his tayl. . the black fly , in season in may , made of black-wool , and wrapt about with peacocks tayl , the feathers of the wings of a brown capon , with the blue feathers in his head . . the sad yellow fly , in season in iune , made of black-wool , with a yellow list on either side ; the wings of a buzzard , bound with black braked hemp . . the moorish fly , in season in iune , made of duskish wool , the wings the black male of a drake . . the tawny flye , good till the middle of iune , made of bears-wool , the wings made contrary one against the other , of the whitish male of a wild drake . . the wasp-fly , in season in iuly , made of black-wool , wrapt about with yellow silk ; the wings of a drakes feathers , or buzzards . . the shell-fly , good in the middle of iune , made of greenish wool , lapt about with pearl of a peacocks tayl ; the wings of a buzzards feathers . . the dark drake-fly , made of black-wool wrapt about with black silk ; in season in august , the wings , the male of the black drake with a black head. . the may-fly , made of greenish coloured cruel , or willow colour , and darken it in most places with waxed silk , or ribb'd with a black hair , or some of them ribb'd with silver thread , and such wings for the colour , as you see the fly to have at that season . . the oak-fly , the body made of orange-tawny , and black cruel ; the wings the brown of a mallards feather . the best way of dressing these , and all other sorts of fish , you may find in the next part following . finis . the compleat cook 's guide . or , directions for the dressing of all sorts of flesh , fowl , and fish , both in the english and french mode ; with the preparing of all manner of sawces and sallets proper thereunto . together with the making of all sorts of pyes , pasties , tarts , and custards ; with the forms and shapes of many of them . with bills of fare , both for ordinary , and extraordinary . london , printed in the year . the compleat cook 's guide . . to make a lamb pye. first , cut your lamb into pieces , and then season it with nutmegs , cloves , and mace , and some salt with currans , raisins of the sun , and sweet butter ; and if you will eat it hot , when it is baked put in some yolks of eggs , with wine-vinegar and sugar beaten together ; but if you will eat it cold , put in no eggs , but only vinegar and sugar . . to make a rice-pudding . take thin cream , or good milk , of what quantity you please , boyl it with a little cinamon in it , and when it hath boyled a while , take out the cinamon , and put in rose-water , and sugar enough to make it sweet and good ; then having your rice ready beaten , as fine as flower , and siersed as some do it , strew it in , till it be of the thickness of a hasty-pudding , then pour it into a dish , and serve it . . to make cheese-cakes , the best way . take two gallons of new milk , put into them two spoonfuls and a half of runnet , heat the milk little less than blood-warm , cover it close with a cloath , till you see the cheese be gathered , then with a scumming-dish gently take out the whey , when you have dreyn'd the curd as clean as you can , put it into a siev , and let it drain very well there ; then to two quarts of curds , take a quart of thick cream , a pound of sweet butter , twelve eggs , a pound and half of currans , a penny . worth of cloves , nutmeg and mace beaten , half a pound of good sugar , a quarter of a pint of rose-water ; mingle it well together , and put it into puff-paste . . to make an egg-pye , or mince-pye of eggs. take the yolks of two dozen of eggs hard boyled , shred them , take the same quantity of beef-suet , half a pound of pippins , a pound of currans well washt , and dry'd , half a pound of sugar , a penny-worth of beaten spice , a few carraway-seeds , a little candyed orange-peel shred , a little verjuice and rose-water ; fill the coffin , and bake it with gentle heat . . to carbonado mutton . broyl a shoulder , or breast of mutton , then scotch them with your knife , and strew on minc'd thyme and salt , and a little mutmeg ; when they are broyled , dish them up : the sauce is claret-wine boyled up with two onions , a little camphire and capers , with a little gravy , garnish'd with limons . . to stew a pheasant , french fashion . roast your pheasant , till he be half roasted , then boyl it in mutton-broath , and put into the broath whole pepper , whole mace , and sliced onions , and vinegar , and make it sharp , and put in pr●ans and currans , and colour your broath with bruised pruans . . to make bisket-bread . take half a peek of flower fine , two ounces of anniseeds , two ounces of coriander-seed , the whites of six eggs , a pint of ale-yeast , with as much warm-water , as will make it up into a paste , so bake it in a long roul ; when it is two days old , pare it , and slice it , then sugar it , and dry it in an oven , and so keep it all the year , . to make a dish of marrow . take a piece of fine paste , and roul it very thin ; then take the marrow all as whole out of the bones as you can , and cleave it into four quarters ; then take it and season it with a little pepper , salt , sugar , and dates small minced , then lay one piece in your paste , and make it up like a pescod ; so make half a dozen of them , and fry them in clarified butter , scrape sugar on , and serve them . . to make a herring-pye . put great store of sliced onions , with currans and raisins of the sun , both above and under the herrings , and store of butter ; put them into your pye , and bake them . . to make black-puddings . take a quart of sheeps-blood , and a quart of cream , ten eggs , the yolks and the whites beaten together ; stir all this liquor very well , then thicken it with grated bread , and oat-meal finely beaten , of each a like quantity , beef-suet finely shred , and marrow in little lumps , ●●●son it with a little nutmeg , cloves , and mace mingled with salt , a little sweet marjoram , thyme , and penny-royal shred very well together , and mingle them with the other things , some put in a few currans : then fill them in cleansed guts , and boyl them very carefully . . to make a good spanish olio . take a rump of beef , or some of a brisket or buttock , cut it to pieces ; a loyn of mutton with the fat taken off , and a fleshy piece of a leg of veal , or a knuckle , a piece of inter-laided bacon , three or four onions , or some garlick , and if you will , a capon or two , or else three great tame-pigeons . first , put into the water the beef and bacon , after a while the mutton , veal , and onions , but not the capon or pigeons , only so long till they are boyled enough ; if you have garavanza's , put them in at the first , after they have been soaked with ashes all night in heat , wash them well in warm water ; or if you have cabbage , roots , leeks , or whole onions , put them in time enough to be sufficiently boyled . you may at first put in some crusts of bread , or venison pye-crust ; it must boyl in all five or six hours gently , like stewing ; after it is well boyled , a quarter , or half an hour before you intend to take it , take out a porringer full of broath , and put to it some pepper , and five or six cloves , and a nutmeg , and some saffron , and mingle them well in it , then put that into the pot , and let it boyl , or stew with the rest a while , put in a bundle of sweet herbs , salt must be put in when it is scumm'd . . to stew venison . if you have much venison , and do make many cold baked meats , you may stew a dish in hast thus : when it is sliced out of your pye , pot , or pasty , put it in your stewing-dish , and set it on a heap of coals , with a little claret wine , a sprigg or two of rosemary , half a dozen cloves , a little grated bread , sugar , and vinegar , so let it stew together a while , then grate on nutmeg , and dish it up . . to boyl a leg of veal and bacon . lard your leg of veal with bacon all over , with a little limon-peel amongst it , then boyl it with a piece of middle-bacon ; when your bacon is boyled , cut it in slices , season it with pepper and dryed sage mixt together ; dish up your veal with the bacon round about it , send up with it saucers of green sauce ; strew over it parsley and barberries . . to make furmety . take french-barley , and pick it , and wash it , lay it in steep one night , then boyl it in two or three several waters , and so cover it as as you would do wheat to make it swell ; then take a quart of good cream , and boyl it with a race of ginger cut in two pieces , one blade of mace , and half a nutmeg all in one piece ; then put thereto so much of the barley as will thicken it , and when it is almost boyled , stir in two or three yolks of eggs well beaten , and fo strained with a few beaten almonds and flower , or five spoonfuls of rose-water ; then take out the whole spices , and season your furmety with salt , and sweeten it with sugar , and serve it . . to make a pig-pye . flea your pigg , and cut it into pieces , and season it with pepper , salt , nutmeg , and large mace , lay into your coffin good store of raisins of the sun , and currans , and fill it up with sweet butter , so close it , and serve it hot . . to make a neats-foot-pye . first boyl your neats-foot , and take out the bones , then put in as much beef-suet as in quantity thereto , and so mince them , then season it with cloves , mace , nutmeg , sugar , and salt , and put it into your coffin with some barberries , currans , and raisins of the sun , then bake it , and always serve it hot . . to make an orang ado-pye . make a handsom thin coffin , with hot butter'd paste , slice your orangado , and put over the bottom of it ; then take some pippins , and cut every one into eight parts , and lay them in also upon the orangado , then pour some syrup of orangado , and sugar on the top , and so make it up , and bake it , and serve it up with sugar scraped on it . . to make a pork-pye . boyl your leg of pork , season it with nutmeg , pepper , and salt ; and bake it five hours in a round pye. . to make a fricasie of veal . cut your veal in thin slices , beat it well with a rowling-pin ; season it with nutmegs , limon , and thyme , fry it slightly in the pan , then beat two eggs , and one spoonful of verjuice ; put it into the pan , stir it together , fry it , and dish it . . to make a quince-pye . take a gallon of flower , a pound and half of butter , six eggs , thirty quinces , three pound of sugar , half an ounce of cinamon , half an ounce of ginger , half an ounce of cloves , and rose-water ; make them into a tart , and being baked , strew on double-refined sugar . . to make a gooseberry-fool . pick your gooseberries , and put them into clean water , and boyl them till they be all as thick that you cannot discern what it is ; to the quantity of a quart , take six yolks of eggs well beaten with rose-water , before you put in your eggs , season it well with sugar , then strain your eggs , and let them boyl a while ; put it in a broad dish , and let it stand till it is cold , and serve it , . to make a tart of green-pease . boyl your pease tender : and pour them out into a cullender , season them with saffron , salt , sweet butter , and sugar ; then close it , and let it bake almost an hour , then draw it forth and ice it , put in a little verjuice , and shake it well , then scrape on sugar , and serve it . . to souce an eel . souce an eel with a handful of salt , split it down the back , take out the chine-bone , season the eel with nutmeg , pepper , salt , and sweet herbs minc'd ; then lay a pack thread at each end , and the middle roul up like a collar of brawn , then boyl it in water , salt , and vinegar , a blade or two of mace , and half a slice of limon , boyl it half an hour , keep it in the same liquor two or three days , then cut it out in round pieces , and lay six or seven in a dish with parsley and barberries ; and serve it with vinegar in saucers . . to make a bacon-tart . take a quarter of a pound of the best jordan-almonds , and put them in a little warm water to blanch them , then beat them together in a mortar with three or four spoonfuls of rose-water , then sweeten them with fine sugar ; then take bacon that is clear and white , and hold it upon the point of a knife against the fire , till it hath dropt a sufficient quantity , then stir it well together , and put it into the paste , and bake it . . to make an umble-pye . lay beef-suet minc'd in the bottom of the pye , or slices of inter-larded bacon , and cut the umbles as big as small dice , cut your bacon in the same form , and season it with nutmeg , pepper , and salt , fill your pyes with it , with slices of bacon and butter , close it up , and bake it ; liquor it with claret , butter , and stripped thyme , and so serve it . . to keep asparagus all the year . par-boyl your asparagus very little , and put them into clarified butter , cover them with it , and when the butter is cold , cover them with leather , and about a moneth after refresh the butter , melt it , and put it on them again ; then set them under ground , being covered with leather . . to roast a hanch of venison . if your venison be seasoned , your must water it , and stick it with short sprigs of rosemary : let your sauce be claret-wine , a handful of grated bread , cinamon , ginger , sugar , a little vinegar ; boyl these up so thick , as it may only run like batter ; it ought to be sharp and sweet : dish up your meat on your sauce . . to carbonado hens . let your sauce be a little white-wine and gravy , half a dozen of the yolks of hard eggs minced , boyled up with an onion , add to it a grated nutmeg ; thicken it up with the yolk of an egg or two , with a ladle-full of drawn butter ; dish up your hens , and pour over your sauce , strew on yolks of eggs minced , and garnish it with limon . . to fry artichoaks . when they are boyled , and sliced fitting for that purpose , you must have your yolks of eggs beaten with a grated nutmeg or two ; when your pan is hot , you must dip them into the yolks of eggs , and charge your pan ; when they are fryed on both sides , pour on drawn butter : and if you will fry spanish potato's , then the sauce is , butter , vinegar , sugar , and rose-water ; these for a need may serve for second-course dishes . . to make a hedge-hog-pudding . put some raisins of the sun into a deep wooden dish , and then take some grated bread , and one pint of sweet cream , three yolks of eggs , with two of the whites , and some beef-suet , grated nutmeg , and salt ; then sweeten it with sugar , and temper all well together , and so lay it into the dish upon the raisins , then tye a cloath about the dish , and boyl it in beef-broath , and when you take it up lay it in a pewter dish , with the raisins uppermost , and then stick blanched almonds very thick into the pudding , then melt some butter , and pour it upon the pudding , then strew some sugar about the dish , and serve it . . to stew a leg of lamb. cut it into pieces , and put it into your stewing-pan , being first seasoned with salt and nutmeg , and as much butter as will stew it , with raisins of the sun , currans , and gooseberries ; when it is stewed , make a caudle with the yolks of two or three eggs , and some wine-vinegar and sugar beaten together , and put it into your meat , and stew all a little longer together ; then dish it , strew sugar on the brims , and serve it hot . . to bake a pickerel . boyl your pickerel , and pull out the ribs and bones , then put it into your paste , and season it with pepper and salt , and put in some butter , and raisins of the sun , and so bake it . . to make a haggess-pudding . take a fat haggess , par-boyl it well , take out the kernels , shred it small , and temper it with a handful or two of grated manchet ; then take three or four eggs well beaten , rose-water , sugar , cloves , nutmeg , cinamon , and mace finely beaten , currans and marrow good store ; temper them all together with a quantity of cream , being first moderately seasoned with salt . . to make a dish of meat with herbs . take sives , parsley , thyme , marjoram , & roast three or four eggs hard , and a quantity of mutton-suet , beef , or lamb , chop them fine all together , and season it with cloves , mace , ginger , sugar , and cinamon , and a little salt ; then fry them with a little sweet butter . . to make cream of eggs. take one quart of cream , and boyl it , then beat four whites of eggs very well with two spoonfuls of rose-water ; when the cream is boyled enough , take it off the fire , and when it is cool , stir in the eggs with a little salt ; then garnish your dish with fine sugar scraped thereon , and serve it always cold , for a closing dish . . to make a fine pudding in a dish . take a penny white loaf , and pare off all the crust , and slice ir thin into a dish , with a quart of cream , and let it boyl over a chasing-dish of coals , till the bread be ●lmost dry ; then put in a piece of sweet butter , and take it off , and let it stand in the dish till it be cold , then take the yolks of three eggs , and the quantity of one with some rose-water , and sugar , and stirring them all together , put it into another dish well butter'd , and bake it . . to broyl scollops . first boyl the scollops , then take them out of the shells , and wash them , then slice them , and season them with nutmeg , ginger , and cinamon , and put them into the bottom of your shells again with a litle butter , white-wine , vinegar , and grated bread , let them be broyled on both sides ; if they are sharp , they must have sugar added to them , for the fish is luscious , and sweet naturally ; therefore you may broyl them with oyster-liquor and gravy , with dissolved anchovies , minced onions , and thyme , with the juice of limon in it . . to boyl wild-ducks . first , half roast them , then take them off , and put them in a shallow broad pan that will contain them , with a pint of claret-wine , and a pint of strong broath , a dozen of onions cut in halves , a faggot or two of sweet herbs , with a little whole pepper , and some slices of bacon ; cover your pan , and let them stove up , add gravy to part of the liquor at least so much as will serve to dish them : garnish them with bacon and onions if you please . . to make a venison-pasty . when you have powdered your haunch of venison , or the sides of it , by taking away all the bones and sinews , and the skin , or fat , season it with pepper and salt only , beat it with your rolling-pin , and proportion it for the pasty , by taking away from one part , and adding to another , your paste being made with a peck of fine flower , and about three pound of butter , and twelve eggs ; work it up with cold water into as stiff a paste as you can , drive it forth for your pasty , let it be as thick as a mans thumb , roul it up upon a rolling-pin , and put under it a couple of sheets of cap-paper well flowered , then your white being already minced and beaten with water ; proportion it upon the pa●ty to the breadth and length of the venison ; then lay your venison in the said white , wash it round with your feather , and put on a border , season your venison on the top , and turn over your other leaf of paste , so close up your pasty ; then drive out another border for garnishing the sides up to the top of the pasty , so close it together by the rolling-pin , by rolling it up and down by the sides and ends ; and when you have flourish'd your garnishing , and edg'd your pasty , vent it at the top , set it in the oven , and let it have four or five hours baking at the least , and then draw it . . to make a damson-tart . take damsons , and seeth them in wine , and strain them with a little cream , then boyl your stuff over the fire , till it be thick , and put thereto sugar , cinamon , and ginger , but set it not in the oven after , but let your paste be baked before . . to roast a rabbet with oysters . wash your rabbet , and dry it well , then take half a pint of oysters , wash them , and wipe them clean one by one , and put them into the rabbets belly , a couple of onions shred , whole pepper , large mace , two or three sprigs of thyme , sew up the belly ; and for the sauce , as usual ; the liver and parsley , and a hard egg , shred them together , and beat some butter thick , put into the dish , and serve it . . to stew collops of beef . take of the buttock of beef thin slices , cross the grain of the meat ; then hack them , and fry them in sweet butter ; and being fryed fine and brown , put them in a pipkin with some strong broath , a little claret-wine , and some nutmeg ; stew it very tender , and half an hour before you dish it , put to it some good gravy , elder-vinegar , and a clove or two ; when you serve it , put some juice of orange , and three or four slices on it , stew down the gravy somewhat thick , and put unto it when you dish it , some beaten butter . . to make a beef-pasty like red-deer . take fresh beef of the finest , without sinews or suet , and mince it as small as you can , and season it with salt and pepper , and put in two spoonfuls of malmsey ; then take lard , and cut it into small pieces . and lay a layer of lard , and a layer of beef , and lay a shin of beef upon it like venison , and so close it up . . to bake a hare . take the best of the hare , minced and seasoned with pepper , salt , and mace ; then make a proportion of the head , or shoulders , as you make for an hare-pafty , and lay in a layer of flesh , and a layer of lard , and butter aloft , and beneath , and make a gallentine for it in a saucer . . to boyl a salmon . take as much water as will cover it , then take rosemary , thyme , and winter-savoury , and salt ; boyl all these very well , and then put in some wine-vinegar , and when your salmon is boyled , let him remain in the same water always , untill you have occasion to eat of it . . to make an oyster-pye . first , dry your oysters , and then put them into your coffin with some butter , and whole large mace , and so bake it ; then take off the lid , and fill it up with more butter , putting some of the liquor of the oysters also thereunto ; then season it well with sugar , and serve it hot to the table at the first course . . to butter eggs upon toasts . take twenty eggs , beat them in a dish with some salt , and put butter to them , then have two large rolls , or fine manchets , cut them in toasts , and toast them against the fire , with a pound of fine sweet butter , being finely butter'd in a fair clean dish ; put the eggs on the toasts , and garnish your dish with pepper and salt , otherwise half-boyl them in the shells , then butter them , and serve them on toasts , or toasts about them . . to make a fricacie of chickens . scald three or four chickens , and flea off the skin and feathers together , put them in a little water ; take half a pint of white-wine , and two or three whole onions , some large mace and nutmeg tyed up in a cloath , a bundle of sweet-herbs , and a little salt ; and put them all in a pipkin close covered ; let them simper a quarter of an hour , then take six yolks of eggs , half a pound of sweet butter , four anchovies dissolved in a little broath ; shred your boyled spice small , take a quarter of a pound of capers , and shred them very small , put the anchovies dissolved into the eggs and butter , and capers , and so stir it all together over a chafing-dish of coals , till it begin to thicken , then take the chicken out of the broath , and put lear upon them ; serve them with sippets , and limon sliced . . to make an eel-pye , with oysters . wash your eels , and gut them , and dry them well in a cloath ; to four good eels allow a pint of oysters well washed , season them with pepper , salt , and nutmeg , and large mace ; put half a pound of butter into the pye , and half a limon sliced , so bake it ; when it is drawn , take the yolks of two eggs , a couple of anchovies dissolved in a little white-wine , with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter , melt it , and mix all together , and make a lear of it , and put into the pye. . to make puff-paste . break two eggs in three pints of flower , make it with cold water , then roul it out pretty thick , and square ; then take so much butter as paste , and divide your butter in five pieces , that you may lay it on at five several times ; roul your paste very broad , and break one part of the same butter in little pieces all over your paste , then throw a handful of flower slightly on , then fold up your paste , and beat it with a rolling-pin , so roul it out again ; thus do several times , and then make it up . . to make barley-broath . put your barley into fair water , give it three qualms over the fire , separate the waters , and put it into a cullender , boyl it in a ●ourth water with a b●ade of mace , and a clove ; and when it is boyled away , put in some raisins and currans , and when the fruit is boyled enough , take it off , and season it with white-wine , rose-water , butter , and sugar , and a couple of yolks of eggs beaten with it . . to bake a pig. take a good quantity of clay , and having moulded it , stick your pig , and blood him well , and when he is warm , put him in your prepared coffin of clay , thick every where , with his hair , skin and all ( his entrails drawn , and belly sewed up again ) then throw him into the oven , or below the stock-hole under the furnace , and there let him soak , turn him now and then when the clay is hardened , for twelve hours , and he is then sufficiently baked ; then take him , and break off the clay , which easily parts , and he will have a fine crispy coat , and all the juice of the pigg in your dish ; remember but to put a few leaves of sage , and a little salt in his belly , and you need no other sauce . . a grand sallet . take a quarter of a pound of raisins of the sun , as many blanched almonds , as many capers , as many olives , as much samphire , as many pickled cucumbers , a limon shred , some pickled frenchbeans , a wax tree set in the middle of the dish , pasted to the dish ; lay all their quarters round the dish , ( you may also mince the flesh of a roasted hen , with sturgeon , and shrimps ) and garnish the dish with cut beans , and turneps , in several figures . . to make a sallet of a cold hen , or pullet . take a hen , and roast it , let it be cold , carve up the leggs , take the flesh and mince it small , shred a limon , a little parsley and onions , an apple , a little pepper and salt , with oyl and vinegar ; garnish the dish with the bones and limon-peel , and so serve it . . to boyl a capon , pullet , or chicken . boyl them in good mutton-broath , with mace , a faggot of sweet herbs , sage , spinage , marygold-leaves and flowers , white or green endive , burrage , bugloss , parsley , and sorrel ; and serve it on sippets . . to stew ducks , the french fashion . take the duck , and half-roast it , put half a score onions in the belly whole , some whole pepper , a bundle of thyme , and a little salt ; when it is half-roasted , take it up , and slash it into pieces , put it between two dishes , and pierce the gravy , mix some claret-wine with that gravy , and a little sliced nutmeg , a couple of anchovies , wash them , and slit them , slice the onions in the ducks belly , cover the dishes close , so let them stew while enough ; take some butter , beat it thick , and shred a limon in it , and serve it : garnish your dish with the limon-peel , and your onions . . to make a florentine . take the kidney of a loyn of veal , or the wing of a capon , or the legg of a rabbit ; mince any of these small with the kidney of a loyn of mutton , if it be not fat enough ; then season it with cloves , mace , nutmegs , and sugar , cream , currans , eggs , and rose-water : mingle these four together , and put them into a dish between two sheets of paste , then close it , and cut the paste round by the brim of the dish ; then cut it round about like virginal-keys , turn up one , and let the other lye ; prick it , bake it , scrape on sugar , and serve it . . to make curd-cakes . take a pint of curd , four eggs , take out two of the whites , put in some sugar , 〈◊〉 nutmeg , and a little flower ; stir 〈◊〉 together , and drop them in , 〈◊〉 fry them with a little butter . . to roast a leg of mutton , the french way . take half a pound of mutton , and a quarter of a pound of suet , season it with sweet herbs , and a little nutmeg , and two or three shallots ; slice these very small , and stuff the mutton round ; then take some of the best hackney turneps , and boyl them in beef-broath very tender , then squeeze the water from them a little , set them in a dish under the leg of mutton , when it is half roasted , and so let the gravy drop into them ; and when the meat is roasted , serve them in the dish with it , with a little fresh butter and vinegar : garnish your dish with sliced onions and parsley , and some of the turneps slic'd . . to stew a carp. take a living carp , and knock him on the head , open him in the belly , take heed you break not the gall , pour in a little vinegar , and wash out all the blood , stir it about with your hand , and keep the blood safe ; then put as much white-wine into a pan or skillet , as will almost cover , and set it on the fire ; put to it an onion cut in the middle , a clove , or less of garlick , a race of ginger shred , a nutmeg quartered , a faggot , or bundle of sweet herbs , and three or four anchovies ; your carp being cut out , and rubbed all over with salt , when the wine ( into which you may put in a little water ) doth boyl , put the carp in , and cover him close , and let him stew up about a quarter of an hour , then put in the blood and vinegar , with a little butter ; so dish up the carp , and let the spawn , milt , and revet be laid upon it ; the liquor that boyled him , with the butter is the best sauce , and is to be eaten as broath : garnish the dish with limons and grated bread . . to make marrow-puddings . take a pound of the best jordan-almonds , blanch them , beat them fine in a stone , or wooden mortar ( not in brass ) with a little rose-water , take a pound of fine powder-sugar , a penny-loaf grated , nutmeg grated , a pint of cream , the marrow of two marrow-bones , two grains of amber-griece ; mingle them all together with a little salt , fill the skins , and boyl them gently , as before . . to make a sack-posset . set a gallon of milk on the fire , with whole cinamon and large mace ; when it boyls , stir in a half , or whole pound of naples-bisket grated very small , keeping it stirring till it boyls ; then beat eight eggs together , casting of the whites away ; beat them well with a ladle-full of milk , then take the milk off the fire , and stir in the eggs ; then put it on again , but keep it stirring , for fear of curdling ; then make ready a pint of sack , warming it upon the coals , with a little rose-water : season your milk with sugar , and pour it into the sack in a large bason , and stir it apace ; then throw on a good deal of beaten cinamon , and so serve it up . . to hash a rabbit . when your rabbit is wash'd , you must take the flesh from the bones , and mince it small ; then put to it a little strong broath and vinegar , an onion or two , with a grated nutmeg , and let it stew up together ; then mince a handful of boyled parsley green , with a limon cut like dice , and a few barberries ; put it into the hash , and toast it all together ; and when it is enough , put a ladle● ful of sweet butter to it , and dish it upon the chines , and garnish it with limons . . to make a fresh cheese . take some new milk. or cream , and a race of cinamon , scald it ; then take it off the fire , sweeten it with fine sugar , then take a spoonful of runnet to two quarts of milk , set it by , and keep it close covered , and so let it stand ; when the cheese comes , strew a little fine sugar and grated nutmeg , and serve it in with sippets , sops in sack , or muskadine . . to make an artichoak-pye . take the bottoms of six artichoaks , boyled very tender , put them in a dish , and some vinegar over them , season them with ginger and sugar , a little mace whole , and put them in a coffin of paste ; when you lay them in , lay some marrow and dates sliced , and a few raisins of the sun in the bottom , with good store of butter ; when it is half baked , take a gill of sack , being boyled first with sugar , and a peel of orange : put it into the pye , and set it in the oven again , till you use it . . to make marrow-pasties . shred the marrow and apples together , and put a little sugar to them ; put them into puff-paste , and fry them in a pan with fresh butter , and serve them up to the table , with a little white sugar strewed on it . . to make green sauce . take a good handful of sorrel , beat it in a mortar with pippins pared , and quartered , with a little vinegar and sugar ; put it into saucers . or take sorrel , beat it , and stamp it well in a mortar , squeeze out the juice of it , and put thereto a little vinegar , sugar , and two hard eggs minced small , a little nutmeg grated , and butter ; set this upon the coals , till it is hot , and pour it into the dish on the sippets : this is sauce for hen , and veal , and bacon . . to pickle oysters . take a quart of the largest great oysters with the liquor , wash them clean , and wipe them , add to them a pint of fair water , with half a pint of white-wine-vinegar , half an ounce of whole pepper , an handful of salt , a quarter of an ounce of large mace , with the liquor of the oysters strained ; put all together in a pipkin over a soft fire , let them simper together a quarter of an hour ; when the oysters are enough , take them up , and put them into a little fair water and vinegar , till they be cold , the pickle boyling a quarter of an hour after the oysters are taken up ; both being cold , put them up together : when you use them , garnish the dish with barberries , and limons , and a little mace and pepper , and pour in some of the pickle . . to make s●●●●● cellops , of ve●● cut out your fillet 〈◊〉 very broad slices , fat and lean , not to thick : take eight eggs , beat them very well with a little salt , grate a whole nutmeg , take a handful of thyme , and strip it ; then take a pound of sausages , half a pint of stewing oysters of the largest , wash and cleanse them from the gravel , then half-fry your veal with sweet butter , then put in your sausages and oysters ; then take a quarter of a pound of capers , shred them very small , with three anchovies dissolved in white-wine and fair water , so put in your eggs , shred capers and anchovies , butter and spice , and mingle them , and strew them in the pan upon the veal and oysters , serve it with sippets , with a little fresh butter and vinegar , with limons sliced , and barberries , with a little salt. you must have a care to keep the meat stirring , lest the eggs curdle with the heat of the fire . . to make a rare white-pot . take three pints of cream , whole cinamon , a little sliced nutmeg ; set on the cream and spice , and scald it , take a penny-loaf , and slice it very thin , take a couple of marrow-bones , lay the marrow sliced on the bottom of the dish , upon the marrow lay the bread , then lay raisins of the sun over the bread , and lay marrow again , as before : to the three pints of scalded cream add nine yolks of eggs well beaten with rose-water ; sweeten the cream with white sugar , and take out the whole cinamon , and beat the cream and eggs well , fill up a broad shallow bason , and bake it , when it is enough , scrape fine sugar on it , and stick it with red and white muscadoes , and so serve it . . to make a very fine custard . take a quart of cream , and boyl it with whole spice ; then beat the yolks of ten eggs , and five whites , mingle them with a little cream , and when your cream is almost cold , put your eggs into it , and stir them very well , then sweeten it , and put out your custard into a deep dish , and bake it ; then serve it in with french comfits strewed on it . . to make minc'd pyes of an eel . take a fresh eel , flea it , and cut off the fish from the bones , mince it small ; then pare two or three wardens , or pears , mince of them as much as of the eel , temper them together , and season them with ginger , pepper , cloves , mace , salt , a little sanders , some c●rrans , raisins , pruans , dates , verjuice , butter , and rose-water . . to bake rabbits , to be eaten cold . when your rabbits are par-boyled , take out all the bones you can well take out , and lard them , then season them with pepper , salt , cloves , mace , and nutmegs , with a good quantity of savoury , and forc'd meat ; then put them into your prepared coffin , put in butter , and close your pye , bake it , and when it is cold , fill it with clarified butter . . to bake a ioll of ling in a pye. let your ling be almost boyled , and then season it with pepper only , ( the skin being first taken off , strew the bottom of your prepared coffin with an onion or two minced small ; close your pye , and bake it ; then take the yolks and whites of about a dozen eggs , not boyled altogether hard ; mince them small with your knife , and put them into drawn butter , toss them together ; then draw your pye , and pour in this lear of eggs all over , and shake it together , so put on your lid , and dish your pye. . to bake a turkey . boyl and lard your turkey , when it is par-boyled , season it with pepper , salt , and a little cloves and mace ; then put him into your prepared coffin , lay on butter , and close it ; put the head on the top with your garnish , then bake it , and fill it with clarified butter when it is cold . . to roast calves-feet . first , boyl them tender , and blanch them , and being cold , lard them thick with small lard , then spit them on a small spit , and roast them ; serve them with sauce made of vinegar , cinamon , sugar , and butter . . to bake a goose. break the bones of your goose , and par-boyl him , then season him with pepper and salt , and a little cloves and mace ; if pou please , you may bake a rabbit or two with it , because your stubble-geese are very fat , and your rabbits dry , you need not lard either ; bake it in good hot butter-paste . . to make apple-pyes , to fry. take about twelve pippins , pare them , cut them , and almost cover them with water , and almost a pound of sugar , let them boyl on a gentle fire close covered , with a stick of cinamon , minced orange-peel , a little dill seed beaten , and rose-water , when this is cold and stiff , make them into little pasties , with rich paste , and so fry them . . to make a rare dutch pudding . take a pound and a half of fresh beef , all lean , with a pound and a quarter of beef-suet , both sliced very small ; then take a stale half-penny loaf , and grate it , a handful of sage , a little winter-savoury , and a little thyme ; shred these very small , take four eggs , half a pint of cream , a few cloves , nutmegs , mace , and pepper finely beaten ; mingle them all together very well with a little salt , roul it all up together in a green colwort-leaf , and then tye it up hard in a linnen cloath : garnish your dish with grated bread , and serve it up with mustard in saucers . . to make sausages . take pork , more lean than fat , mince it exceeding small together ; then take part of the fleak of pork , which is the suet , in pieces , about the bigness of the top of your finger , season each apart , with sage minced , good store of pepper and salt , with some cloves and mace mixt in the seasoning each of them ; then take small sheeps-guts , and cleanse them , ( some use capons-guts ) and fill them with your funnel ; always putting some of the fleak between the minced ; if you have it ready , you may sprinkle a little sack on the top of the sausage-meat , and it will make it fill the better . . to stew beef in gobbets , the french fashion . take a flank of beef , or any part but the leg , cut it into slices , or gobbets as big as pullets-eggs , with some gobbets of fat , and boyl it in a pot or pipkin with some fair spring-water , scum it clean , and after it hath boyled an hour , put to it carrots , parsnips , turnips , great onions , some salt , cloves , mace , and whole pepper ; cover it close , and stew it , till be very tender ; and half an hour before its ready put into it some pick'd thyme , parsley , winter-savoury , sweet marjoram , sorrel , and spinage ( being a little bruised with the back of a ladle ) with some claret-wine : then dish it on fine sippets , and serve it to the table hot ; garnish it with grapes , barberries , or gooseberries : or else use spices , the bottoms of boyled artichoaks put into beaten butter , and grated nutmeg , garnished with barberries . . to boyl a capon , or chicken with sugar-pease . when the cods be but young , string them , and pick off the husks ; then take two or three handfuls , and put them into a pipkin , with half a pound of sweet butter , a quarter of a pint of fair water , gross pepper , salt , mace , and some sallet-oyl ; stew them till they be very tender , and strain to them three or four yolks of eggs , with six spoonfuls of sack. . to boyl perches . let your liquor boyl , and your pan be seasoned with a little white-wine , a couple of onions cut in halves , a bunch of sweet herbs , and a little white pepper ; boyl them up very quick , and flea them on both sides , and dish them upon sippets : then take a little white-wine , gravy , and vinegar , with a grated nutmeg , and almost boyl it over a chafing-dish , then pour sweet butter over it ; garnish it with barberries , and sliced limons . . to boyl eels . cut the eels , and stew them ; when they are half done , beat a little ale with vinegar , and put into the liquor , with some parsley and sweet herbs ; dish them , and serve them up in their broath with a little salt . . a turkish dish of meat . take an inter-larded piece of beef , cut into thin slices , and put it into a pot with a close cover , or stewing-pan ; then put into it a good quantity of clean pick'd rice , skin it very well , and put into it a quantity of whole pepper , two or three whole onions , and let it boyl very well , and take out the onions , and dish it on sippets ; the thicker it is , the better . . to boyl a chine of beef powdered . take either a chine , rump , surloin , brisket , rib , flank , buttock , or fillet of beef , and give them in summer , a weeks powdering , in winter a fortnight , you may stuff them , or let them be plain ; if you stuff them , do it with all manner of sweet herbs , with fat beef minced , and some nutmeg ; serve them on brewis , with roots , or cabbage boyled in milk , with beaten butter . . to make a hash of a capon or pullet . take a capon , or partridge , or hen , and roast them , and being cold , mince the brains and wings very fine , and tear the legs and rumps whole , to be carbonado●d ; then put some strong mutton-broath , or good gravy , grated nutmeg , a great onion and salt ; then stew them in a large earthen pipkin , or sauce-pan , stew the rumps and legs in the same strong broath in another pipkin ; then take some light french bread chipt , and cover the bottom of the dish , steep the bread in the same broath , or good mutton gravy , then pour the hash on the steeped bread , lay the legs , and the rump on the hash with some fryed oysters , sliced limon , and limon-peel , the juice of an orange , and yolks of eggs strained , and beaten butter ; garnish the dish with carved oranges , limons , &c. thus you may hash any kind of fowl. . to dress a cods-head . cut off the cods-head beyond the gills , that you may have part of the body with it , boyl it in water and salt , to which you may add half a pint of vinegar , the head must be little more than covered : before you put it into the cauldron , take a quart of the biggest , cleanest oysters , and a bunch of sweet herbs and onions , and put them into the mouth of the head , and with a pack-thread bind the jaws fast , you must be sure to pick it , and wash it very clean : when it is boyled enough , take it up , and set it a drying over a chafing-dish of coals ; then take the oyster-liquor , four anchovies , and a sliced onion ; put to them a quarter of a pint of white-wine , and sweet butter , and melt them together , and pour it on the cods-head ; stick all , or most of the oysters upon the head , or where they will enter , and garnish it over with them ; grate on a little nutmeg , and send it smoaking up ; garnish the brims of the dish with limon , and sliced bay-leaves . . to boyl widgeons , or teal . par-boyl your widgeons , or teal , and then stick whole cloves in their breasts , put into their bellies a little winter-savory , or parsley ; boyl them in a pipkin by themselves , thicken it with toasts , season it with verjuice , sugar , and a little pepper ; garnish your dish with barberries , and pruans , and so serve them . . to make a veal-pye . when your paste is raised , then cut your leg of veal into pieces , and season it with pepper , nutmeg , and salt , with some whole large mace , and so lay it into your prepared coffin , with good store of raisins of the sun , and currans , and fill it up with sweet butter ; then close it , and set it in the oven , and when bak'd , serve it hot . . to make fry'd puddings . take grated bread , currans , cloves , and mace , with beef-suet , and sugar , and one yolk of an egg beaten ; mix all well together , and make them into flat bowls , then fry them in beef-suet , and garnish your dish with sugar ; serve them always at the first course . . to bake a breast of veal . first , par-boyl it , and take out the long bones , and so lay it in a dish in vinegar two or three hours ; then take it out , and season it with pepper and salt , and so lay it into a thin fine paste , with good store of fine sweet herbs , finely chopt , and good store of butter , or marrow ; then bake it , then put in some juice of oranges , and sugar , and serve it hot . . to make a paste for all manner of tarts . take very sweet butter , and put into fair water , and make it boyl on the fire ; then take the finest flower you can get , and mix them well together , till it come to a paste , and so raise it ; but if you doubt that it will not be stiff enough , then you may mix some yolks of eggs with it , as you temper all your stuff together . . to make a baked pudding . grate a penny-loaf , and put thereto more suet than bread minc'd small , with some nutmeg and sugar , and two yolks of eggs , tempering it only with rose-water : then butter a little pewter dish in the bottom , and put your stuff after it is well tempered , thereinto , then bake it ; when 't is bak'd , stir it up from the bottom of the dish , and so turn the under-side uppermost , then strew some sugar upon it , and upon the brims of the dish , and serve it first to the table . . to boyl sparrows , larks , or other small birds . take a ladle-ful of strong mutton-broath , a little whole mace , and a handful of parsley ; put in a little winter-savoury , season it with verjuice , sugar , and a little pepper ; thicken it with a spoonful of cream , and the yolk of an egg. . to boyl a capon with asparagus . boyl your capon , or chicken in fair water , and some salt , then put in their bellies a little mace , chopped parsley , and sweet butter ; being boyled , serve them on sippets , and put a little of the broath on them : then have a bundle or two of asparagus boyled , put in beaten butter , and serve it on your capon , or chicken . . to boyl a chicken , or capon in white broath . first , boyl the capon in water and salt , then three pints of strong broath , and a quart of white-wine , and stew it in a pipkin with a quarter of a pound of dates , half a pound of fine sugar , four or five blades of large mace , the marrow of three marrow-bones , a handful of white endive ; stew these in a pipkin very leisurely , that it may but only simper , then being finely stewed , and the broath well tasted , strain the yolks of ten eggs with some of the broath , before you dish up the capons , or chickens , put the eggs into the broath , and keep it stirring , that it may not curdle , give it a walm , and set it from the fire ; the fowls being dish'd up , put on the broath , and garnish the meat with dates , marrow , large mace , endive , preserved barberries , oranges , boyled skirrets , pomgranats , and kernels . make a lear of almond-paste , and grape-verjuice . . to boyl a capon with sage and parsley . first , boyl it in water and salt , then boyl some parsley , sage , two or three eggs hard , and chop them ; then have a few thin slices of fine manchet , and stew all together , but break not the slices of bread ; stew them with some of the broath wherein the capon boyls , some large mace , butter , a little white-wine , or vinegar , with a few barberries , or grapes ; dish up the chickens on the sauce , and run them over with sweet butter and limon cut like dice , the peel being cut like small lard , and boyl a little peel with the chickens . . to fry rabbets with sweet sauce . cut your rabbet in pieces , wash it , and dry it well in a cloath , take some fresh butter , and fry the rabbet in it ; when your rabbet is little more than half fryed , take some slices shred very small , a quarter of a pint of cream , the yolks of a couple of eggs , some grated nutmeg and salt ; when the rabbet is enough , put them into the pan , and stir them all together ; take a little vinegar , fresh butter , and sugar , melt it together , and so serve it with sippets , the dish garnished with flowers , &c. . to make a french pottage , called skink . take a leg of beef , and chop it into three pieces , then boyl it in a pot with three pottles of spring-water , a few cloves , mace , and whole pepper ; after the pot is scumm'd put in a bundle of sweet marjoram , rosemary , thyme , winter-savoury , sage , and parsley , bound up hard , some salt , and two or three great onions whole , then about an hour before dinner put in three marrow-bones , and thicken it with some strained oatmeal , or manchet sliced and steeped with some gravy , strong broath , or some of the ●●tage , then a little before you dish up the ●●●nk , put into it a little fine powder of saffron , and give it a walm or two ; dish it on large slices of french bread , and dish the marrow-bones on them in a fine clean large dish ; then have two or three manchets cut into toasts , and being finely toasted ; lay on the knuckle of beef in the middle of the dish , the marrow-bones round about it , and the toasts round about the dish brim : serve it hot . . to make gooseberry-cream . first boyl , or you may preserve your gooseberries ; then having a clear cream boyled up , and seasoned with old cinamon , nutmeg , mace , sugar , rose-water , and eggs ; dish it up , and when it is cold , take up the gooseberries with a pin , and stick them on in rounds as thick as they can lye upon the said cream , garnishing your dish with them , and strew them over with the finest sugar , and serve them up . . to make a quaking-pudding . take a quart of sweet cream , and near half a pound of almonds blanched , and finely beaten ; then strain them ; and boyl it with large mace , and season it with rose-water and sugar ; then take ten eggs , and five of their whites well beaten with small cinamon , and two or three spoonfuls of flower ; mix all well together , and make it of the thickness of batter , then wet a cloath , and rub it with flower , tying your pudding round therein , and boyl it in beef-broath two hours ; take it up , and put a little white-wine , sugar , and sliced nutmeg into a pewter dish , and put your pudding into it ; then scrape some sugar on the brims , and serve it . . to make clouted cream . take new milk , and set it on the fire from morning till evening , but let it not boyl : and this is called , my lady youngs clouted cream . . to souce a young pig . scald a young pig , boyl it in fair water , and white-wine , put thereto some bay-leaves , whole ginger , and nutmegs quartered , and a few whole cloves , boyl it throughly , and let it lye in the same broath in an earthen pot . . to make polonian sausages . take the fillets of a hog , chop them very small with a handful of red sage , season it hot with ginger and pepper ; then put it into a great sheeps-gut , let it lye three nights in brine , then boyl it , and hang it up in a chimney where fire is usually kept : these sausages will keep a whole year , and are good for sallets , or to garnish boyled meats , or to relish a glass of wine . . to keep salmon fresh a whole moneth . first , boyl your salmon as usually , then put it into an earthen pot , and cover it in good white vinegar , putting thereto a branch of rosemary , and keep it very close covered ; and so you may keep it , that it will retain its perfect taste and delicacy for a moneth , or more . . to make tender and delicate brawn . put a collar of brawn in a kettle of water , and set it into an oven , as for houshold-bread , cover it close , and let it stand as long as you would do bread , and it will be very excellent brawn . . to keep powdered beef , after it is boyled , sweet five or six weeks . when your beef hath been powdered about a fortnight , then boyl it well , and dry it with a cloath , and wrap it in dry cloaths , and put it into some pot or vessel , and keep it close from the air , and it will keep sound two or three moneths . . to dress neats-tongues and vdders . when they are boyled enough in beef-broath , and scumm'd , you must have your turneps ready boyled , cut in pieces , and soak'd in butter , or else colliflowers and carrots , or all of them ; then put the turneps all over the bottom of a large dish , then slice out the tongues , and lay the sides one against another , slice the udders , and lay them between , opposite to one another ; garnish the colliflowers all over them , and the carrots up and down between the colliflowers , with barberries and parsley on the brim of the dish . . to make pannado . take a quart of running-water , and put it on the fire in a skillet , then cut a light roul of bread in slices , about the bigness of a groat , and as thin as wafers , lay it on a dish on a few coals , then put it into the water , with two handful of currans pick'd , and wash'd , a little large mace , when it is enough , season it with sugar and rose-water . . to make liver-puddings . take the guts of a young hog , wash them very clean , and lay them two or three days in water , take the liver of the same hog , and boyl it , till it will grate , then grate it very small and fine , take to the weight of the liver almost the weight of beef-suet , season it with salt , cloves , mace , and nutmeg finely beaten , a penny-loaf grated , a pound of the best white sugar , two pound of good currans , a pint of good cream , a quarter of a pint of rose-water , three eggs ; mix all together to such a thickness , that you may fill the guts , then prick them , and put them into boyling water , and keep an even fire for half a quarter of an hour ; then take them up , and lay them upon straw ; you must have a care not to tye them too hard , nor too slack , lest they break in boyling . . to make a rare citron-pudding . take a penny-loaf , and grate it , a pint and half of cream , half a dozen of eggs , one nutmeg sliced , a little salt , an ounce of candyed citron sliced small , a little candyed orange-peel sliced , three ounces of sugar ; put these into a wooden dish well flowred , and covered with a cloath , and when the water boyleth put it in , boyl it well , and serve it up with rose-water and sugar , and stick it with wafers , or blanched almonds . . to bake a gammon of bacon . water it fresh enough , and seeth it as tender as you may to handle it , then pull off the skin , and stuff it with parsley , penny-royal , thyme , marjoram , marigolds , camomile , and sage , chop them small , and season them with salt and pepper , cloves , small ra●sins , yolks of eggs hard roasted ; then stuff your bacon , and cut off the lean of the bacon , and mince it small , and take a handful of your stuffing , and mingle it with three or four yolks of raw eggs , and then put it upon the gammon , then close on the skin again , and close it in paste . . to boyl woodcocks , or snites . boyl them either in strong broath , or in water and salt , and being boyled , take out the guts , and chop them small with the liver , put to it some crumbs of grated white-bread , a little cock-broath , and some large mace ; stew them together with some gravy , then dissolve the yolks of two eggs in some wine-vinegar , and a little grated nutmeg ; and when you are ready to dish it , put in the eggs , and stir it among the sauce with a little butter ; dish them on sippets , and run the sauce over them with some beaten butter and capers , a limon minced small , barberries , or whole pickled grapes . . to make a made dish of apples . put on your skillet of water with some currans a boyling , then pare about a dozen of pippins , and cut them from the core into the said water ; when they are boyled tender pour them into a cullender , when the water is drained from them , put them into a dish , and season them , ( but stay till they are cold , lest it melt your sugar ) with sugar , rose-water , cinamon , and carraway-seeds , then roul out two sheets of paste , put one into the dish bottom , and all over the brims , then lay the apples in the bottom round and high , wet it round , and cover it with the other sheet , close it , and carve it about the brims of the dish as you please , prick it , and bake it , scrape sugar upon it , and serve it up . . to make a fool. set two quarts of cream over the fire , let it boyl , then take the yolks of twelve eggs , and beat them very well , with three or four spoonfuls of cold cream , and then strain the eggs in the skillet of hot cream , stirring it all the time to keep it from burning , then set it on the fire , and let it boyl a little while , but keep it still stirring , for fear of burning , then take it off , and let it stand and cool , then take two or three spoonfuls of sack , and put it in the dish , with four or five sippets , set the dish and sippets a drying , and when they be dry that they hang to the dish , sweeten the cream , and pour it into the dish softly , because the sippets shall not rise up ; this will make three dishes : when it is cold it is fit to be eaten . . to boyl flounders , or iacks , the best way . take a pint of white-wine , the tops of young thyme and rosemary , a little whole mace , a little whole pepper , seasoned with verjuice , salt , and a piece of sweet butter , and so serve it ; you may do fish in the same liquor three or four times . . to boyl a haunch of venison . first , stuff your venison with a handful of sweet herbs , and parsley minced , with a little beef-suet , and yolks of eggs boyled hard ; season your stuffing with pepper , nutmeg , ginger , and salt ; put your haunch of venison a boyling , being powdered before ; then boyl up three or four colliflowers in strong broath , and a little milk : when they are boyled , put them forth into a pipkin , add to them drawn butter , and keep them warm by the fire ; then boyl up two or three handfuls of spinage in the same liquor , when it is boyled up , pour out part of the broath , and put in a little vinegar , and a ladleful of sweet butter , and a grated nutmeg ; your dish being ready with sippets in the bottom , put on the spinage round toward your dish side ; then take up the venison , being boyled , and put it into the middle of your dish , and put in your colliflowers all over it , pour on your sweet butter over your colliflowers , and garnish it with barberries , and the brims of the dish with green parsley minced ; cabbage is as good , done in the same manner as colliflowers . . to make an eel-pye . wash , flea , and cut your eeels in pieces , put to them a handful of sweet herbs , parsley minced with an onion , season them with pepper , salt , cloves , mace , and nutmeg , and having your coffin made of good paste , put them in , and strew over them two handfuls of currans , and a limon cut in slices , then put on butter and close the pye ; when it is baked , put in at the funnel a little sweet butter , white-wine , and vinegar , beaten up with a couple of yolks of eggs. . to bake steaks , the french way . season the steaks with pepper , nutmeg , and salt lightly , and set them by ; then take a piece of the leanest of the leg of mutton , and mince it small with some beef-suet , and a few sweet herbs , as tops of thyme , and penny-royal , grated bread , yolks of eggs , sweet cream , raisins of the sun , &c. work all these together , and work it into little balls , or puddings , put them into a deep round pye on the steaks ; then put to them some butter , and sprinkle it with verjuice , close it up , and bake it , when it is enough cut it up , and liquor it with a juice of two or three oranges or limons . . to make a warden , or pear-pye . bake your wardens , or pears in an oven , with a little water , and good quantity of sugar , let your pot be covered with a piece of dough ; let them not be fully baked by a quarter of an hour ; when they are cold , make a high coffin , and put them in whole , adding to them some cloves , whole cinamon , sugar , with some of the liquor in the pot , so bake it . . to stew a trout . take a large trout fair trim'd , and wash it , put it into a deep pewter dish ; then take half a pint of sweet wine , with a lump of butter ; and a little whole mace , parsley , savoury , and thyme ; mince them all small , and put them into the belly of the trout , and so let it stew a quarter of an hour ; then mince the yolk of an hard egg , and strew it on the trout , lay the herbs about it , scrape on sugar , and serve it up . . to make sauce for pigeons . melt some vinegar and butter together , and roast some parsley in the belly of the fowl ; or else vine-leaves , and mix it well together , and pour it on . . a general sauce for wild-fowl . the most general sauce for wild fowl roasted ; as ducks , mallard , widgeon , teal , snipe , shel-drake , plovers , puets , and the like , is only mustard and vinegar , or mustard and verjuice mixed together ; or else an onion , water , and pepper . . to roast a cows vdder . boyl your udder very well , then stick it thick all over with cloves , and when it is cold spit it , and lay it on the fire , and baste it very well with sweet butter , and when it is sufficiently roasted and brown , draw it from the fire , and put some vinegar and butter on a chafing-dish of coals , and crumb in some white-bread , and boyl it till it be thick , then put to it good store of sugar and cinamon , and putting it into a clean dish , lay the cows udder therein , and trim the sides of the dish with sugar , and so serve it . . to make a spinage-tart . take of good spinage , and boyl it in white-wine , till it be very soft as pap ; then take it , and strain it well into a pewter dish , not leaving any unstrain'd : put to it rose-water , good store of sugar , cinamon , & rose-water , and boyl it till it be as thick as marmalade , then let it cool , and afterward fill your coffin , and adorn it , and serve it ; it will be of a green colour . . to make a tart of rice . pick your rice very clean , and boyl it in sweet cream till it be very soft , then let it stand and cool ; put to it good store of cinamon and sugar , and the yolks of a couple of eggs , and some currans ; stir and beat all well together : then having made a coffin as for other tarts , put your rice therein , and spread it all over the coffin , and break many small bits of sweet butter upon it all over , and scrape some sugar over it , then cover the tart and bake it , and serve it as other tarts . . to make a codling-tart . take green apples from the tree , and coddle them in scalding-water without breaking , then peel the thin skin from them , and so divide them into halves , and cut out the cores , and so lay them into the coffin , and do as in a pippin-tart , and before you cover it when the sugar is cast in , sprinkle good store of rose-water on it , then close it , and do as in the pippin-tart . . to make a pippin-tart . take of the fairest pippins , and pare them , and then divide them just in halves , and take out the cores clean ; then roul the coffin flat , and raise off a small verge , of an inch or more high ; lay the pippins with the hollow side down-ward , close one to another , then put in a few cloves , a stick of cinamon broken , and a little piece of butter ; cover all clean over with sugar , and so cover the coffin , and bake it as other tarts ; when it is bak'd boyl some butter and rose-water together , and annoint the lid all over with it , then scrape , or strew on it good store of sugar , and so set it in the oven again , and then serve it up . . to make a cherry-tart . take the fairest cherries you can get , and pick them clean from leaves and stalks , then spread out your coffin , as for your pippin-tart , and cover the bottom with sugar , then cover the sugar all over with cherries , then cover these cherries with sugar , some sticks of cinamon , and a few cloves ; then lay in more cherries , sugar , cinamon , and cloves , till the coffin be filled up , then cover it , and bake it in all points as the codling , and pippin tarts , and so serve it . in the same manner you may make tarts of gooseberries , strawberries , rasberries , bilberries , or any other berry whatsoever . . to make a minc'd-pye . take a leg of mutton , or a neats-tongue , and par-boyl it well , the mutton being cut from the bone , then put to it three pound of the best mutton-suet shred very small ; then spread it abroad , and season it with salt , cloves , and mace ; then put in good store of currans , great raisins , and pruans , clean washed , and pick'd , a few dates sliced , and some orange-peels sliced ; then being all well mixt together , put it into a coffin , or many coffins , and so bake them , and when they are served up open the lids , and strew store of sugar on the top of the meat , and upon the lid. . to make a calves-foot-pye . boyl your calves-feet very well , and then pick all the meat from the bones , when it is cold , shred it as small as you can , and season it with cloves and mace , and put in good store of currans , raisins , and pruans ; then put it into the coffin with good store of sweet butter , then break in whole sticks of cinamon , and a nutmeg sliced , and season it with salt then close up the coffin , and only leave a vent-hole , put in some liquor made of verjuice , sugar , cinamon , and butter boyled together , and so serve it . . to make a tansey . take a certain number of eggs , according to the bigness of your frying-pan , and break them into a dish , taking away the white of every third egg , then with a spoon take away the little white chicken-knots , that stick upon the yolks , then with a little cream beat them very well together ; then take of green wheat-blades , violet-leaves , strawberry-leaves , spinage , and succory , of each a like quantity , and a few walnut-tree-buds ; chop and beat all these very well , and then strain out the juice ; mix it then with a little more cream , put to it the eggs , and stir all well together ; then put in a few crumbs of fine grated bread , cinamon , nutmeg , and salt ; then put some sweet butter into a frying-pan , and as soon as it is melted , put in the tansey , and fry it brown without burning , and with a dish turn it in the pan as occasion shall serve , strew good store of sugar on it , and serve it up . . to stew a pike . after your pike is drest and opened in the back , and laid flat , as if it were to fry , then lay it in a large dish , put to it white-wine to cover it ; set it on the coals , and let it boyl gently , if scum arise , take it off , then put to it currans , sugar , cinamon , barberries , as many pruans as will garnish the dish , then cover it close with another dish , and let it stew till the fruit be soft , and the pike enough , then put to it a good piece of sweet butter ; with your scummer take up the fish , and lay it in a dish with sippets ; then take a couple of yolks only , of eggs , and beat them together well with a spoonful of cream , and as soon as the pike is taken out , put it into the broath , and stir it exceedingly to keep it from curdling , then pour the broath upon the pike , and trim the sides of the dish with sugar , pruans , and barberries , with slices of oranges and limons , and so serve it up . . to roast venison . if you will roast any venison , after you have wash'd it , and cleansed all the blood from it , you must stick it with cloves all over on the out-side , and if it be lean , lard it either with mutton , or pork-lard , but mutton is best ; then spit it , and roast it by a soaking fire , then take vinegar , crumbs of bread , and some of the gravy that comes from the venison , and boyl them well in a dish , then season it with sugar , cinamon , ginger , and salt , and serve the venison upon the sauce when it is roasted enough . . to roast a piece of fresh sturgeon . stop your sturgeon with cloves , then spit it , and let it roast very leisurely , basting it continually , which will take away the hardness ; when it is enough , serve it upon venison-sauce , with salt only thrown upon it . . to boyl a gurnet , or roch. first , draw your fish , and then either split it , or joynt it open in the back , and truss it round ; then wash it clean , and boyl it in water and salt , with a bunch of sweet herbs ; then take it up into a large dish , and pour into it verjuice , nutmeg , butter , and pepper ; after it hath stewed a little , thicken it with the yolks of eggs ; then remove it hot into another dish , and garnish it with slices of oranges and limons , barberries , pruans , and sugar , and so serve it up , . to make a carp-pye . after you have drawn , wash'd and scalded a fair large carp , season it with pepper , salt , and nutmeg , and then put it into a coffin , with good store of sweet butter , and then cast on raisins of the sun , the juice of limons , and some slices of orange-peels , and then sprinkling on a little vinegar , close it up , and bake it . . to make a chicken-pye . after you have trust your chickens , then break their legs and breast-bones , and raise your crust of the best paste , lay them in a coffin close together , with their bodies full of butter , then lay upon them , and underneath them , currans , great reasons , pruans , cinamon , sugar , whole mace and sugar , whole mace and salt ; then cover all with good store of butter , and so bake it ; then pour into it white-wine , rose-water , sugar , cinamon , and vinegar mixt together , with the yolks of two or three eggs beaten amongst it , and so serve it . . to make almond-cream . take blanched almonds beaten in a mortar very small , putting in now and then one spoonful of cream to keep them from oyling ; then boyl as much cream as you please with your beaten almonds , together with a blade of mace , and season it with sugar ; then strain it , and stir it , till it be almost cold , and then let it stand till you serve it , and then garnish your dish with fine sugar scraped thereon . . to make an almond-pudding . take two pound of blanched almonds , and beat them small , put thereto some rose-water and amber-greece often thereinto as you beat them ; then season them with nutmeg and sugar , and mix them with grated bread , beef-suet , and two eggs , and so put it into a dish , tying a cloath round about , and so boyl it . . to make water-gruel . take a pottle of water , a handful of great oatmeal , pickt and beat in a mortar , put it in boyling ; when it is half enough , put to it two handfuls of currans washed , a faggot or two of sweet herbs , four or five blades of large mace , and a little sliced nutmeg , let a grain of musk be infused a while in it ; when it is enough , season it with sugar and rose-water , and put to it a little drawn butter . . to stew sausages . boyl them a little in fair water and salt , and for sa●c● , boyl some currans alone ; when they be almost tender , pour out the water from them , and put to them a little white-wine , butter , and sugar , and so serve it . . to make a rare fricacie . take young rabbits , young chickens , or a rack of lamb , being cut one rib from another , and par-boyl either of these well in a frying-pan with a little water and salt , then pour the water and salt from it , and fry it with sweet butter , and make sauce with three yolks of eggs beaten well , with six spoonfuls of verjuice , and a little shred parsley , with some sliced nutmeg , and scalded gooseberries ; when it is fryed , pour in the sauce all over the meat , and so let it thicken a little in the pan ; then lay it in a dish with the sauce , and serve it . . to make an oatmeal-pudding . take a pint of milk , and put to it a pint of large , or midling oatmeal , let it stand on the fire till it be scalding hot , then let it stand by , and soak about half an hour , then pick a few sweet herbs , and shred them , and put in half a pound of currans , and half a pound of suet , and about two spoonfuls of sugar , and three or four eggs ; these put into a bag , and boyled , do make a very good pudding . . to make an almond-tart . raise an excellent good paste with six corners , an inch deep ; then take some blanched almonds very finely beaten with rose-water , take a pound of sugar to a pound of almonds , some grated nutmeg , a little cream , with strain'd spinage , as much as will colour the almonds green , so bake it with a gentle heat in an oven , not shutting the door ; draw it , and stick it with candyed orange , citron , and put in red and white muskadine . . to boyl pigeons with rice . boyl your pigeons in mutton-broath , putting sweet-herbs in their bellies ; then take a little rice , and boyl it in cream with a little whole mace , season it with sugar , lay it thick on their breasts , wringing also the juice of a limon upon them , and so serve them . . to barrel up oysters . open your oysters , take the liquor from them , and mix it with a reasonable quantity of the best white-wine-vinegar , with a little salt and pepper ; then put the oysters into a small barrel , and fill them up with this pickle , and this will keep them six moneths sweet and good , and with their natural taste . . to make a cowslip-tart . take the blossoms of a gallon of cowslips , mince them exceeding small , and beat them in a mortar , put to them a handful or two of grated naple-bisket , and about a pint and a half of cream ; boyl them a little on the fire , then take them off , and beat in eight eggs with a little cream ; if it do not thicken , put it on the fire till it doth , gently , but take heed it curdles not ; season it with sugar , rose-water , and a little salt : bake it in a dish , or little open tarts ; it is best to let your cream be cold before you stir in the eggs. . to bake a calves-head , to be eaten cold . you must half-boyl a fair calves-head , then take out all the bones on both sides , and season it with the afore-said seasoning , and lard it with bacon , and a little limon-peel ; then having a coffin large enough , not very high , nor very thick , but make it four-square , lay on some sheets of lard on the top , and butter ; when it is bak'd , and cold , fill it with clarified butter . . to make pear-puddings . take a cold capon , or half roasted , which is much better ; then take suet shred very small , the meat and suet together , with half as much grated bread , two spoonfuls of flower , nutmegs , cloves , and mace ; sugar as much as you please , half a pound of currans , the yolks of two eggs , and the white of one , and as much cream as will make it up into a stiff paste : then make it up in fashion of a pear , a stick of cinamon for the stalk , and the head of a clove . . to make a hotch-pot . take a piece of brisket beef , a piece of mutton , a knuck●e of veal , a good cullender of pot-herbs , half minced carrots , onions , and cabbage a little broken ; boyl all these together untill they be very thick . . to make a tart of medlars . take medlars that are rotten , then scrape them , and set them upon a chafing-dish of coals , season them with the yolks of eggs , sugar , cinamon , and ginger ; let it boyl well , and lay it on paste , scrape on sugar , and serve it . . to make a limon●caudle . take a pint of white-wine , and a pint of water , and let it boyl , put to it half a manchet , cut as thin and small as you can , put it in with some large mace ; then beat the yolks of two eggs to thicken it , then squeeze in the juice of half a dozen limons , and season it with sugar and rose-water . . to make an italian pudding . take a fine manchet , and cut it in small pieces like dice , then put to it half a pound of beef-suet minced small , raisins of the sun , cloves , mace , dates minced , sugar , marrow , rose-water , eggs , and cream ; mingle all these together , put them in a butter'd dish ; in less than an hour it will be well baked , when it s enough , scrape on sugar , and serve it up . . to make a rare pudding , to be bak'd or boyled . beat a pound of almonds as small as possible , put to them some rose-water and cream as oft as you beat them ; then take one pound of beef-suet finely minced , with five yolks of eggs , and but two of their whites ; make it as thin as b●tter for fritters , mixing it with sweet thick cream , seasoning it with beaten mace , sugar , and salt ; then set it into the oven in a pewter dish , and when you draw it forth , strew some sugar on the top of your pudding , and garnish your dish with sugar , and serve it always first to the table . . to make a gooseberry-custard . when you have cut off the sticks and eyes of your gooseberries , and wash'd them , then boyl them in water till they will break in a spoon , then strain them , and beat half a dozen eggs , and stir them together upon a chafing-dish of coals with some rose water , then sweeten it very well with sugar , and always serve it cold . . to make a fricacie of rabbits . cut your rabbits in small pieces , and mince a handful of thyme and parsley together , and season your rabbits with a nutmeg , pepper , and salt ; then take two eggs and verjuice beaten together , then throw it in the pan , stick it , and dish it up in sippets . . to make cracknels . take five or six pints of the finest wheat-flower you can get , to which put in a spoonful , and not more , of good yeast ; then mingle it well with butter , cream , and rose-water , and sugar finely beaten , and working it well into paste , make it into what form you please , and bake it . . to make pancakes . put eight eggs to two quarts of flower , casting by four whites , season it with cinamon , nutmeg , ginger , cloves , mace , and salt ; then make it up into a strong b●tter with milk , beat it well together , and put in half a pint of sack , make it so th●n , that it may run in your pan how you please , put your pan on the fire with a little butter , or suet , when it is very hot , take a cloath and wipe it out , so make your pan very clean , then put in your batter , and run it very thin , supply it with little bits of butter , so toss it often , and bake it crisp and brown . . to make a iunket . take ewes , or goats-milk , or for want of these , cows-milk , and put it over the fire to warm , then put in a little runnet , then pour it out into a dish , and let it cool , then strew on some cinamon and sugar , and take some of your cream and lay on it , scrape on sugar , and serve it . . to make excellent marrow-spinage-pasties . take spinage , and chop it a little , then boyl it till it be tender ; then make the best rich light crust you can , and roul it out , and put a little of your spinage into it , and currans , and sugar , and store of lump of marrow ; clap the paste over this to make little pasties deep within , and fry them with clarified butter . . to make a pine-apple-tart . beat two handfuls of pine-apples with a prick'd quince , and the pulp of two or three pippins ; when they are well beaten , put to them half a pint of cream , a little rose-water , the yolks of six eggs , with a handful of sugar , if it be thick , add a litte more cream to it , so having your thin low coffins for it dryed , fill them up , and bake them ; you may garnish them with orangado , or lozenges of sugar-plate , or what else you please . . to dry neats-tongues . take bay-salt beaten very fine , and salt-petre , of each alike , and rub over your tongues very well with that , and cover all over with it , and as it wastes put on more , and when they are very hard and stiff they are enough ; then roul them in bran , and dry them before a soft fire , and before you boyl them , let them lye one night in pump-water , and boyl them in the same water . . to stew birds , the lady butlers way . take small birds , pick them , and cut off their legs , fry them in sweet butter , lay them in a cloath to dry up the butter ; then take oysters , and mince them , and put them in a dish , put to them white-wine and cinamon , put in the birds wi●h cloves , mace , and pepper ; let all these stew together covered till they be enough , then put into it some sugar , and some toasted manchet , and put it in the dish , and so serve it up to the table . . to make a sweet-pye , with lamb-stones , and sweetbreads , and sugar . slit the lamb-stones in the middle , and skin them , wash the sweetbreads , both of veal and lamb , and wipe them very dry ; take the lambs liver , and shred it very small , take the udder of a leg of veal , and slice it ; season all with a little salt , nutmeg , mace , and cloves beaten , and some whole pepper ; then shred two or three pippins and candyed limon and orange-peel , half a dozen dates sliced , with currans , white sugar , a few carraway-seeds , a quarter of a pint of verjuice , and as much rose-water , a couple of eggs ; roul up all these together in little puddings , or balls made green with the juice of spinage , and lay a pudding , then a sweetbread , then a lamb-stone , till you have filled up the pye , and cover them with dates , and sliced citron , and limon . when it is drawn , take two or three yolks of eggs , beat them , and put to them a little fresh butter , white-wine and sugar , and pour it into the tunnel , scrape some loaf-sugar upon the lid , and so serve it . . to roast eels . when they are flea'd , cut them to pieces , about three or four inches long , dry them , and put them into a dish , mince a little thyme , two onions , a piece of limon-peel , a little pepper beaten small , nutmeg , mace , and salt ; when it is cut exceeding small , strew it on the eels , with the yolks of two or three eggs ; then having a small spit ( or else a couple of square sticks made for that purpose ) spit through the eels cross-ways , and put a bay-leaf between every piece of eel , and tying the sticks on a spit , let them roast ; you need not turn them constantly , but let them stand till they hiss , or are brown , and so do them on the other side , and put the dish ( in which the eel was with the seasoning ) underneath , to save the gravy ; baste it over with sweet butter . the sauce must be a little claret-wine , some minced oysters , with their liquor , a grated nutmeg , and an onion , with sweet butter , and so serve it . . to boyl cocks , or larks . boyl them with the guts in them in strong broath , or fair water , and three or four whole onions , large mace , and salt ; the cocks being boyled , make sauce with some thin slices of manchet , or grated bread in another pipkin , and some of the broath where the fowl , or the co●ks boyl ; then put to it some butter , and the guts and liver minced ; then take some yolks of eggs dissolved with vinegar , and some grated nutmeg ; put it to the other ingredients , stir them together , and dish the fowl in fine sippets , pour on the sauce with some sliced limon , grapes , or barberries , and run it over with beaten butter . . to broyl oysters . lake the biggest oysters you can get , then take a little minced thyme , grated nutmeg , grated bread , and a little salt , put this to the oysters ; then get some of the largest bottom-shells , and place them on the grid-iron , and put two or three oysters in each shell , then put some butter to them , and let them simper on the fire till the liquor bubbles low , supplying it still with butter ; when they are crisp , feed them with white-wine and a little of their own liquor , with a little grated bread , nutmeg , and minced thyme , but as much only as to relish it , so let it boyl up again ; then add some drawn butter to thicken them , and dish them . . to pickle oysters . take a quart of the largest great oysters with the liquor , wash them clean , and wipe them , add to them a pint of fair water , and half a pint of white-wine-vinegar , half an ounce of whole pepper , an handful of salt , a quarter of an ounce of large mace , with the liquor of the oysters strained ; put all together in a pipkin over a soft fire , let them simper together a quarter of an hour ; when the oysters are enough , take them up , and put them into a little fair water and vinegar till they be cold ; let the pickle boyl a quarter of an hour after the oysters are taken up ; both being cold , put them up together : when you use them , garnish the dish with barberries and limon , and a little of the mace and pepper , and pour in some of the pickle . . to make english pottage . make it with beef , mutton , and veal , putting in some oatmeal , and good pot-herbs , as parsley , sorrel , violet-leaves , and a very little thyme , and sweet marjoram , scarce to be tasted , and some marigold-leaves at last ; you may begin to boyl it over-night , and let it stand warm all night , and make an end of boyling it next morning ; it is good to put into the pot at first twenty or thirty corns of whole pepper . . to stew beef . take very good beef , and slice it very thin , and beat it with the back of a knife , put to it the gravy of some meat , and some wine , and strong broath , sweet herbs a quantity ; let it stew till be very tender , season it to your liking ; and varnish your dish with marygold-flowers , or barberries . . to make excellent minced-pyes . par-boyl neats-to●gues , then peel and hash them with as much as they weigh of beef-suet and stoned raisins , and pickt currans ; chop all exceeding small , that it be like pap ; employ therein at least an hour more than ordinarily is used , then mingle a very little sugar with them , and a little wine , and thrust in up and down some thin slices of green candyed citron-peel ; and put this into coffins of fine , light , well reared crust ; half an hours baking will be enough : if you strew a few carraway comfits on the top , it will not be amiss . . to pickle roast-beef , chine , or surloin . stuff any of the afore-said beef with penny-royal , or other sweet herbs , or parsley minced small , and some salt ; prick in here and there a few whole cloves , and roast it ; then take claret-wine , wine-vinegar , whole pepper , rosemary , bays , and thyme bound up close in a bundle , and boyled in some claret-wine , and wine-vinegar ; make the pickle , and put some salt to it , and pack it up in a barrel that will but just hold it , put the pickle to it , close it on the head , and keep it for your use. . to make a double-tart . peel codlings tenderly boyled , cut them in halves , and fill your tart ; put into it a quarter of a hundred of codlings , a pound and half of sugar , a few cloves , and a little cinamon ; close up the coffin and bake it . when it comes out , cut off the lid , and having a lid cut in flowers ready , lay it on , and garnish it with preserves of damsons , rasberries , apricots , and cherries , and place a preserved quince in the middle , and strew it with sugar-biskets . . to make a warden , or pear-pye . bake your wardens , or pears in an oven , with a little water , and good quantity of sugar ; let your pot be covered with a piece of dough , let them not be fully baked by a quarter of an hour ; when they are cold , make a high coffin , and put them in whole , adding to them some cloves , whole cinamon , sugar , with some of the liquor they were baked in , so bake it . . to bake a pig , court-fashion . flea a small young pig , cut it in quarters , or in smaller pieces , season it with pepper , ginger , and salt , lay it into a fit coffin , strip , and mince small a handful of parsley , six springs of winter-savoury , strew it on the meat in the pye , and strew upon that the yolks of three or four hard eggs minced , and lay upon them five or six blades of mace , a handful of clusters of barberries , a handful of currans well washt and pickt , a little sugar , half a pound of sweet butter , or more ; close your pye , and set it in an oven as hot as for manchet , and in three hours it will be well baked ; draw it forth , and put in half a pound of sugar , being warmed upon the fire , pour it all over the meat , and put on the pye-lid again , scrape on sugar , and serve it hot to the table . . to make a pudding of hogs-liver . boyl your liver , and grate it , put to it more grated bread than liver , with as much fine flower , as of either , put twelve eggs , to the value of a gallon of this mixture , with about two pound of beef-suet minced small , and a pound and half of currans , half a quarter of a pint of rose-water , a good quantity of cloves and mace , nutmeg , cinamon , and ginger , all minced very small ; mix all these with sweet milk and cream , and let it be no thicker than fritter-batter ; to fill your hogs-guts , you make it with the maw , fit to be eaten hot at table ; in your knitting , or tying the guts , you must remember to give them three or four inches scope : in your putting them into boyling-water , you must handle them round , to bring the meat equal to all parts of the gut ; they will ask about half an hours boyling , the boyling must be sober , if the wind ri●e in them , you must be ready to prick them , or else they will flye , and burst in pieces . . olives of beef stewed and roasted . take a buttock of beef , and cut some of it into thin slices as broad as your hand , then hack them with the back of a knife , lard them with small lard , and season them with pepper , salt , and nutmeg ; then make a farsing with some sweet herbs , thyme , onions , the yolks of hard eggs , beef-suet , or lard , all minced , some salt , barberries , grapes , or gooseberries ; season it with the former spices lightly , and work it up together ; then lay it on the slices , and roul them up round with some caul of veal , beef , or mutton , bake them in a dish in the oven , or roast them ; then put them in a pipkin with some butter and saffron , or none ; blow off the fat from the gravy , and put it to them , with some artichoaks , potato , or skir●ets blanched , being first boyled , a little claret-wine , and serve them on sippets , with some slic'd orange , limon , barberries , grapes , or gooseberries . . to make a french-barley-posset . put two quarts of milk to half a pound of french-barley , boyl it small till it is enough ; when the milk is almost boyled away , put to it three pints of good cream , let it boyl together a quarter of an hour ; then sweeten it , and put in mace and cinamon in the beginning when you first put in your cream ; when you have done so , take white-wine a pint , or sack and white-wine together , of each half a pint , sweeten it as you love it , with sugar , pour in all the cream , but leave your barley behind in the skillet ; this will make an excellent posset , nothing else but a tender curd to the bottom ; let it stand on the coals half a quarter of an hour . . to bake chucks of veal . par-boyl two pound of the lean flesh of a leg of veal , mince it as small as grated bread , with four pound of beef-suet ; then season it with biskay , dates , and carraways , and some rose-water , sugar , raisins of the sun , and currans , cloves , mace , nutmegs , and cinamon , mingle them altogether , fill your pyes , and bake them . . how to stew a mallard . roast your mallard half enough , then take it up , and cut it in little pieces ; then put it into a dish with the gravy , and a piece of fresh butter , and a handful of parsley chopt small , with two or three onions , and a cabbage-lettuce ; let them stew one hour , then season it with pepper and salt , and a little verjuice , and so serve it . . to stew a rabbit . half-roast it , then take it off the spit , and cut it into little pieces , and put it into a dish with the gravy , and as much liquor as will cover it ; then put in a piece of fresh butter , and some powder and ginger , pepper and salt , two or three pippins minced small ; let these stew an hour , and dish them upon sippets , and serve it . . to make a pigeon-pye . truss your pigeons to bake , and set them , and lard the one half of them with bacon , mince a few sweet herbs and parsley with a little beef-suet , the yolks of hard eggs , and an onion or two , season it with salt , beaten pepper , cloves , mace , and nutmeg ; work it up with a piece of butter , and stuff the bellies of the pigeons , season them with salt and pepper , as before : take also as many lamb-stones seasoned as before , with six collops of bacon , the salt drawn out ; then make a round coffin and put in your pigeons , and if you will , put in lamb-stones and sweetbreads , and some artichoak-bottoms , or other dry meat to soak up the juice , because the pye will be very sweet , and full of it ; then put a little white-wine beaten up with the yolk of an egg , when it comes out of the oven , and so serve it . . to stew a fillet of beef , the italian fashion . take a young tender fillet of beef , and take away all the skins and sinews clean from it , put to it some good white-wine in a boul , wash it , and crush it well in the wine ; then strew upon it a little pepper , and as much salt as will season it ; mingle them very well , and put to it as much wine as will cover it , lay a trencher upon it to keep it down in a close pan , with a weight on it , and let it steep two nights and a day ; then take it out , and put it into a pipkin with some good beef-broath , but none of the pickle to it , but only beef-broath , and that sweet , and not salt ; cover it close , and set it on the embers , then put to it a few whole cloves and mace , and let it stew till it be enough ; it will be very tender , and of an excellent taste : serve it with the same broath as much as will cover it . . to boyl a capon , or chicken with several compositions . you must take off the skin whole , but leave on the legs , wings , and head ; mince the body with some beef-suet , or lard , put to it some sweet herbs minced , and season it with cloves , mace , pepper , salt , two or three eggs , grapes , gooseberries or barberries , bits of potato or mushromes ; in the winter , with sugar , currans , and pruans : fill the skin , prick it up , and stew it between two dishes , with large mace , and strong broath , pieces of artichoaks , cardones , or asparagus and marrow ; being finely stewed , serve it on carved sippets , and run it over with beaten butter , limon sliced , and scrape on sugar . . to broyl a leg of pork . cut your pork into slices very thin , having first taken off the skinny part of the fillet , then hack it with the back of your knife , then mince some thyme and sage exceeding small , and mingle it with pepper and salt , and therewith season your collops , and then lay them on the grid-iron ; when they are enough , make sauce for them with butter , vinegar , mustard , and sugar , and so serve them . . to make a fricacie of patridges . after you have trussed your patridges , roast them till they are almost enough , and then cut them to pieces ; then having chopped an onion very small , fry them therewith ; then put to them half a pint of gravy , two or three anchovies , a little bread grated , some drawn butter , and the yolks of two or three eggs beaten up with a little white-wine ; let them boyl till they come to be pretty thick , and so dish them up . . to bake calves-feet . you must season them with pepper , salt , and currans , and then bake them in a pye ; when they are baked ; take the yolks of three or four eggs , and beat them with verjuice , or vinegar , sugar , and grated nutmeg ; put it into your pye , then scrape on sugar , and so serve it . . to fry neats-tongues . first , boyl them , and after blanch them , and then cut them into thin slices ; season them with nutmeg , sugar , cinamon , put to them the yolks of raw eggs , and a limon cut into little square pieces , then fry them in spoonfuls with sweet butter ; make your sauce with white-wine , sugar , and butter , heat it hot , and pour it on your tongues , scrape sugar on it , and serve it . . to roast a hare . when you case your hare , do not cut off his hinder legs , or ears , but hack one leg through another , and so also cut a hole through one ear , and put it through the other , and so roast him ; make your sauce with the liver of the hare boyled , and minced small with a little marjoram , thyme , and winter-savoury , and the yolks of thre or four hard eggs , with a little bacon and beef-suet ; boyl this all up with water and vinegar , and then grate a little nutmeg , and put to it some sweet butter , and a little sugar ; dish your hare , and serve it . this may also serve for rabbits . . to roast a shoulder of mutton with oysters . par-boyl your oysters , then mince winter-savoury , thyme , parsley , and the yolks of five or six hard eggs , hard boyled ; add to these a half-penny loaf of grated bread , and three or four yolks of eggs ; mingle all these together with your hands , when you have spitted your mutton , make holes in it as big as you think convenient ; put in your oysters , with the other ingredients , about twenty five , or thirty oysters will be enough , let it roast indifferent long , then take the remainder of a quart of oysters , for you must have so many in all , and put them into a deep dish with claret-wine , two or three onions cut in halves , and two or three anchovies ; put all this in the dripping-pan under your mutton , and save your gravy , and when the meat is enough , put your sauce upon the coals , and put to it the yolk of an egg beaten , grated nutmeg , and sweet butter ; dish your mutton , and pour in your oysters , sauce and all upon it , garnishing your dish with limons and barberries . . a rare broath . take a couple of cocks , and cut off their wings and legs , and wash them clean , and par-boyl them very well , till there rise no scum , then wash them again in fair water ; then put them in a pitcher with a pint of rhenish wine , and some strong broath , as much as will cover them , together with a little china-root , an ounce or two of harts-horn , with a few cloves , nutmeg , large mace , ginger shred , and whole pepper , and a little salt ; stop up your pitcher close , that no steam may come out ; boyl the pitcher in a great pot of water about six hours , then pour out the broath , and strain it into a bason , and squeeze into it the juice of two or three limons , and so eat it . . to bake sweetbreads . boyl your sweetbreads , and put to them the yolks of two eggs , new laid , grated bread , with some par-boyled currans , and three or four dates minced ; and when you have seasoned it lightly with pepper , sugar , nutmeg , and salt , put to it the juice of a limon ; put up all these together into puff-paste , and so bake it . . to make pottage of french-barley . pick your barley very clean from dirt , and dust , then boyl some milk , and put it in while it boyls ; when it is well boyled , put in a little salt , sugar , large mace , and a little cream ; and when you have boyl'd it pretty thick , dish it , and serve it up with sugar scraped thereon . . to boyl a hanch of venison . first , stuff your venison with a handful of sweet herbs and parsley minced with a little beef-suet , and some yolks of eggs boyled hard ; season your stuffing with nutmeg , salt , and ginger ; having powdered your hanch , boyl it , afterwards boyl up two or three colliflowers in strong broath , adding to it a little milk ; when they are boyled , put them into a pipkin , and put to them drawn butter , keeping them warm ; then boyl up two or three handfuls of spinage in the same liquor ; when it is boyled up , pour out part of your broath , and put to it a little vinegar , a ladle-ful of sweet butter , and a grated nutmeg ; your dish being ready with sippets on the bottom , put the spinage round the sides of your dish ; when the venison is boyled , take it up , and put it in the middle of the dish , lay your colliflowers over it , pour on sweet butter over that , garnish it with barberries , and some parsley minced round the brims of the dish . . to make a florentine of sweet-breads , or kidneys . take three or four kidneys , or sweet-breads , and when they are par-boyled , mince them small ; season it with a little cinamon and nutmeg , sweeten it with sugar and a little grated bread , with the marrow of two or three marrow-bones in good big pieces , add to these about a quarter of a pound of almond-paste , and about half a pint of malaga sack , two spoonfuls of rose-water , and musk and amber-greece , of each a grain , with a quarter of a pint of cream , and three or four eggs ; mix all together , and make it up in puss-paste , then bake it ; in three quarters of an hour it will be enough . . to stew a rump of beef . season your beef with some nutmeg grated , together with some salt and pepper , season it on the bony side , and lay it in the pipkin with the fat side downward ; then take two or three great onions , and a bunch of rosemary tyed up together with three pints of elder-vinegar , and three pints of water ; stew all these three or four hours together in a pipkin , close covered over a soft fire ; dish it upon sippets , blowing off the fat from the gravy , put some of the gravy to the beef , and serve it up . . to make pottage of a capon . take beef and mutton , and cut it into pieces ; then boyl a large earthen pot ot water , take out half the water , put in your meat , and skim it , and when it boyls season it with pepper and salt ; when it hath boyled about two hours , add four or five cloves , half an hour before you think it is enough , put in your herbs , sorrel , purslain , burrage , lettuce , and bugloss , or green pease ; and in the winter , parsley-roots , and white endive ; pour the broath upon light bread toasted , and stew it a while in the dish covered . if your water consume in boyling , fill it up with water boyling hot . the less there is of the broath , the better it is , though it be but a porringer-full , for then it would be as stiff as jelly when it is cold . . to make a pye with pippins . pare your pippins , and cut out the cores ; then make your coffin of crust , take a good handful of quinces sliced , and lay at the bottom , then lay your pippins a top , and fill the holes where the core was taken out with syrup of quinces , and put into every pippin a piece of orangado , then pour on the top syrup of quinces , then put in sugar , and so close it up ; let it be very well baked , for it will ask much soaking● especially the quinces . . to boyl pigeons , the dutch way . lard , and set your pigeons , put them into a pipkin , with some strong broath made of knuckles of veal , mutton , and beef , let them be close covered , and when they are scumm'd , put in a faggot of sweet herbs , a handful of capers , and a little large mace , with a few raisins of the sun minced very small , about six dates quartered , a piece of butter , with two or three yolks of hard eggs minced , with a handful of grapes , or barberries ; then beat two yolks of eggs with verjuice and some white-bread , a ladle-full of sweet butter , and a grated nutmeg ; serve it upon sippets . . to make excellent black-puddings . beat half a score eggs , the yolks and whites together very well ; then take about a quart of sheeps-blood , and as much cream ; when you have stirred all this well together , thicken it with grated bread , oatmeal finely beaten , of each a like quantity ; add to these some marrow in little lumps , and a little beef-suet shred small , season it with nutmeg , cloves , mace mingled with salt , a little sweet marjoram , thyme , and penny-royal shred very well together ; mingle all together , put to them a few currans , cleanse your guts very well , fill them , and boyl them carefully . . to make a pye of neats-tongues . par-boyl a couple of neats-tongues , then cut out the meat at the root-end as far as you can , not breaking it out at the sides ; take the meat you cut out , and mingle it with a little suet , a little parsley , and a few sweet herbs , cut all very small , and mingled together ; season all this with ginger , cloves , mace , pepper , salt , and a little grated bread , and as much sugar , together with the yolks of three or four eggs ; make this up together , and season your tongues , in-side , and out-side , with your seasoning afore-said , and wash them within with the yolk of an egg , and force them where you cut forth the meat , and what remains make into a sorc'd ; then make your paste into the fashion of a neats-tongue , and lay them in with puddings , and little balls , then put to them limon and dates shred , and butter on the top , and close it ; when it is baked , put in a lear of the venison-sauce , which is claret-wine , vinegar , grated bread , cinamon , ginger , sugar , boyl it up thick , that it may run like butter , and let it be sharp and sweet , and so serve it . , to stew a breast , or loyn of mutton . joynt either your loyn or breast of mutton well , draw it , and stuff it with sweet herbs , and parsley minced ; then put it in a deep stewing-dish with the right side downward , put to it so much white-wine and strong broath as will stew it , set it on the coals , put to it two or three onions , a bundle of sweet herbs , and a little large mace ; when it is almost stewed , take a handful of spinage , parsley , and endive , and put into it , or else some gooseberries and grapes ; in the winter time , samphire and capers ; add these at any time : dish up your mutton , and put by the liquor you do not use , and thicken the other with yolks of eggs and sweet butter , put on the sauce and the herbs over the meat ; garnish your dish with limon and barberries . . to make a sallet of green pease . cut up as many green pease as you think will make a sallet , when they are newly come up about half a foot high ; then set your liquor over the fire , and let it boyl , and then put them in ; when they are boyled tender put them out , and drain them very well ; then mince them , and put in some good sweet butter , salt it , and stir it well together , and so serve it . . to make a sallet of fennel . cut your fennel while it is young , and about four fingers high , tye it up in bunches like asparagus ; gather enough for your sallet , and put it in when your water is boyling hot , boyl it soft , drain it , dish it up with butter , as the green pease . . to make a tansie of spinage . take a quart of cream , and about twenty eggs , without the whites , add to it sugar and grated nutmeg , and colour it green with the juice of spinage ; then put it in your dish , and squeeze a limon or two on it ; garnish it with slices of orange , then strew on sugar , and so serve it . . to make a hash of a duck. when your ducks are roasted , take all the flesh from the bones , and hash it very thin ; then put it into your stewing-pan with a little gravy , strong broath , and claret-wine , put to it an onion or two minced very small , and a little small pepper ; let all this boyl together with a little salt , then put to them about a pound of sausages , when you think they are ready , stir them with a little butter drawn : garnish it with limon , and serve it . . to make french puffs with green herbs . take a quantity of endive , parsley , and spinage , and a little winter-savoury , and when you have minc'd them exceeding small , season them with sugar , ginger , and nutmeg ; beat as many eggs as you think will wet your herbs , and so make it up ; then pare a limon and cut it in thin slices , and to every slice of limon put a slice of your prepared stuff , then fry it in sweet butter , and serve them in sippets , after you have put to them either a glass of canary , or white-wine . . to make excellent stewed broath . take a leg of beef , boyl it well , and scum it clean , then take your bread and slice it , and lay it to soak in your broath , then run it through a strainer , and put as much into your broath as will thicken it ; when it hath boyled a pretty while , put in your pruans , raisins , and currans , with cinamon , cloves , and mace beaten ; when your pruans are boyled , take them up , and run them also through a strainer , as you did the bread , then put in half a pint of claret , then let it boyl very well , and when it is ready , put to it rose-water and sugar , and so serve it . . to stew a dish of breams . take your breams , and dress them , and dry them well , and salt them ; then make a charcoal fire , and lay them on the grid-iron over the fire being very hot ; let them be indifferent brown on both sides , then put a glass of claret into a pewter dish , and set it over the fire to boyl , put into it two or three anchovies , as many onions , and about half a pint of gravy , a pint of oysters , with a little thyme minced small ; when it hath boyled a while , put to it a little melted butter and a nutmeg . then dish your bream , and pour all this upon it , and then set it again on the fire , putting some yolks of eggs over it . . to boyl a mullet . having scalled your mullet , you must save their livers and roes , then put them in water boyling hot , put to them a glass of claret , a bundle of sweet herbs , with a little salt and vinegar , two or three whole onions , and a limon sliced ; then take some whole nutmegs and quarter them , and some large mace , and some butter drawn with claret , wherein dissolve two or three anchovies ; dish up your fish , and pour on your sauce , being first seasoned with salt : garnish your dishes with fryed oysters and bay-leaves ; and thus you may season your liquor for boyling most other fish. . to farce , or stuff a fillet of veal . take a large leg of veal , and cut off a couple of fillets from it , then mince a handful of sweet herbs , and parsley , and the yolks of two or three hard eggs ; let all these be minced very small , then season it with a couple of grated nutmegs , and a little salt , and so farce , or stuff your veal with it , then lard it with bacon and thyme very well , then let it be roasted , and when it is almost enough , take some of your stuffing , about a handful , and as many currans , and put these to a little strong broath , a glass of claret , and a little vinegar , a little sugar , and some mace ; when your meat is almost ready , take it up , and put it into this , and let it stew , putting to it a little butter melted , put your meat in your dish , and pour your sauce upon it , and serve it . . to make a pudding of oatmeal . take a quart of milk , and boyl it in a skillet , put to it a good handful of oatmeal beat very small , with a stick or two of cinamon , and mace ; put in this oatmeal as much as will thicken it , before the milk be hot , then keep it stirring , and let it boyl for about half an hour , putting into it a handful of beef-suet minced very small , then take it off , and pour it into a dish , and let it stand to cool , if it be too thick , put to more milk , then put in a nutmeg grated , a handful of sugar , with three or four eggs beaten , and some rose-water , then rub the dish within with butter , and pour out your pudding into it ; let it be as thin as batter , let it bake half an hour , scrape sugar on it , serve it up . . to make a pudding of rice . take a good handful of rice beaten small , and put it into about three pints of milk , adding a little mace and cinamon , then boyl it , keeping it always stirring , till it grow thick , then put a piece of butter into it , and let it boyl a quarter of an hour , then pour it out to cool , then put to it half a dozen dates minced , a little sugar , a little beaten cinamon , and a couple of handfuls of currans , then beat about half a score eggs , throwing away two or three of the whites , put in some salt , butter the bottom of your dish , pour in your pudding , bake it as before , put on a little rose-water and sugar , and serve it . . to make a florentine of spinage . take a good quantity of spinage , to the quantity of two gallons , set your water over the fire , and when it boyls very high , put in your spinage , and let it remain in a little while , then put it out into a strainer , and let it drain very well , and squeeze out all the water , then take it and mince it small with a candyed orange-peel or two , add to it about three quarters of currans boyled also , season it with salt , ginger beaten , cinamon , and nutmeg ; then lay your paste thin in a dish , and put it in , adding butter and sugar , close it up , prick it with holes , and bake it ; when it is nigh baked , put into it a glass of sack , and a little melted butter and vinegar , stir it together with your knife , scrape sugar upon it , and serve it . . to make a tansey of cowslips . take your cowslips or violets , and pound them in a wooden or marble mortar , put to them about twelve eggs , with three or four of the whites taken out , about a pint of cream , a quartern of white sugar , cinamon beaten small , nutmeg , and about a handful of grated bread , with a little rose-water ; then take all these together , and put them in a skillet with a little butter , and set them over the fire , stirring it till it grow thick ; then put your frying-pan on the fire , and when it is hot , put some butter into it , and then put in your tansey ; when you think it enough of one side , butter a pewter plate , and turn it therewith ; when it is fryed , squeeze on a limon , scrape on sugar , garnish it with oranges quartered , and serve it . . to make excellent white puddings . take the humbles of a hog , and boyl them very tender , then take the heart , the lights , and all the flesh about them , picking them clean from all the sinewy skins , and then chop the meat as small as you can , then take the liver , and boyl it hard , and grate a little of it and mingle therewith , and also a little grated nutmeg , cinamon , cloves , mace , sugar , and a few carraway-seeds , with the yolks of four or five eggs , and about a pint of the best cream , a glass of canary , and a little rose-water , with a good quantity of hogs-suet , and salt ; make all into rouls , and let it lye about an hour and half before you put it in the guts , laying the guts asteep in rose-water before , boyl them , and have a care of breaking them . . to stew flounders . draw your flounders , and wash them , and scorch them on the white side , being put in a dish , put to them a little white-wine , a few minced oysters , some whole pepper , and sliced ginger , a few sweet herbs , two or three onions quartered , and salt ; put all these into your stewing-pan , covered close , and let them stew as soon as you can , then dish them on sippets ; then take some of the liquor they were stewed in , put some butter to it , and the yolk of an egg beaten , and pour it on the flounders ; garnish it with limon , and ginger beaten on the brims of the dish . . to draw butter for sauce . cut your butter into thin slices , put it into your dish , let it melt leisurely upon the coals , being often stirred ; and after it is melted , put to it a little vinegar , or fair water , which you will , bea● it up till it be thick , if it keep its colour white , it is good ; but if yellow and turn'd , it is not to be used . . to roast a salmon whole . draw your salmon at the gills , and after it is scaled , washt , and dry'd , lard it with pickled herring , or a fat eel salted ; then take about a pint of oysters parboyled , put to these a few sweet herbs , some grated bread , about half a dozen hard eggs , with a couple of onions ; shred all these very small , and put to it ginger , nutmeg , salt , pepper , cloves , and mace ; mix these together , and put them all within the salmon at the gills : put them into the oven in an earthen pan , born up with pieces of wood , in the bottom of the dish , put claret-wine , and baste your salmon very well over with butter before you put it in the oven ; when it is drawn , make your sauce of the liquor that is in the pan , and some of the spawn of the salmon boyled with some melted butter on the top ; stick him about with toasts and bay-leaves fryed , take ●ut the oysters from within , and garnish the dish therewith . . to make excellent sauce for mutton , either chines , legs , or necks . take half a dozen onions shred very small , a little strong broath , and a glass of white-wine ; boyl all these well together : then take half a pint of oysters , and mince them , with a little parsley , and two or three small bunches of grapes , if in season , with a nutmeg sliced , and the yolks of two or three eggs ; put in all these together with the former , and boyl it , and pour it all over your meat , and then pour some melted butter on the top , and strew on the yolks of two or three hard eggs minced small . . another good sauce for mutton . take a handful of pickled cucumbers , as many capers , and as much samphire ; put them into a little verjuice , white-wine , and a little strong broath , and a limon cut in small pieces , and a little nutmeg grated ; let them boyl together , and then beat them up thick , with a ladleful of butter melted , and a couple of yolks of eggs , and a little sugar ; dish your meat upon sippets , pour on your sauce , and garnish it with samphire , capers , and barberries . . to make sauce for turkies , or capons . take a two-penny white loaf , and lay it a soaking in strong broath , with onions sliced therein ; then boyl it in gravy , together with a limon cut in small pieces , a little nutmeg sliced , and some melted , put this under your turky , or capon , and so serve it ; you will find it excellent sauce . because many books of this nature have the terms of carving added to them , as being necessary for the more proper nominating of things ; i have thought good also to add them : as also some bills of fare , both upon ordinary , and extraordinary occasions . terms of carving , both fish , fowl , and flesh. allay a pheasant . barb a lobster . border a pasty . break a deer , or egript . break a sarcel , or teal . chine a salmon . culpon a trout . cut up a turky , or bustard . dis-member that heron. display that crane . dis-figure that peacock . fin that chevin . leach that brawn . lift that swan . mince that plover . rear that goose. sauce a capon , or tench . sauce a plaice , or flounder . side that haddock . splay that bream . splat that pike . spoil that hen. string that lamprey . tame a crab. thigh a pigeon , and woodcock , and all manner of small birds . timber the fire . tire an egg. tranch that sturgeon . transon that eel . trush that chicken . tusk a barbel . unbrace a mallard . under-tench a porpuss . unjoynt a bittern . unlace a coney . untach that curlew untach that brew . particular directions how to carve , according to the former terms of carving . unlace that coney . lay your coney on the back , and cut away the vents , then raise the wings , and the sides , and lay the carkass and sides together ; then put to your sauce , with a little beaten ginger and vinegar . thigh a woodcock . raise the legs and wings of the woodcock , as you would do of a hen , then take out the brains , and no other sauce but salt . allay a pheasant . raise the leggs and wings of the pheasant , as of a woodcock , as also of a snite and a plover , and only salt . display a crane . unfold the legs of the crane , and cut off his wings by the joynts ; then take up his wings and legs , and make sauce of mustard , salt , vinegar , and a little beaten ginger . to cut up a turkey . raise up the leg very fair , and open the joynt with the point of your knife , but cut it not off ; then lace down the breast with the point of your knife , and open the breast pinion , but take it not off , then raise up the merry-thought betwixt the breast-bone and the top , then lace down the flesh on both sides the breast-bone , and raise up the flesh , called the brawn , and turn it outward upon both sides , but break it not , nor cut it off , then cut off the wing-pinions at the joynt next the body , and stick in each side the pinion in the place you turned out the brawn , but cut off the sharp end of the pinion , and take the middle piece , and that will fit just in the place ; you may cut up a capon , or pheasant the same way . break a sarcel , or teal , or egript . raise the legs and wings of the teal , and no sauce but salt . wing a partridge , or quail . raise his legs and wings , as of a hen , and if you mince him , make sauce with a little white-wine , and a little beaten ginger , keeping him warm upon a chafing-dish of coals , till you serve him . to untach a curlew , or brew . take either of them , and raise their legs , as before , and no sauce but salt . to unbrace a mallard . raise up the pinion and legs , but take them not off , and raise the merry-thought from the breast , and lace down each side with your knife , waving it two and fro . to sauce a capon . lift up the right leg of the capon , and also the right wing , and so lay it in the dish in the posture of flying , and so serve them ; but remember , that capons and chickens be only one sauce , and chickens must have green sauce , or verjuice . bills of fare for all times of the tear ; and also for extraordinary occasions . a bill of fare for the spring season . . a collar of brawn and mustard . . a neats-tongue and udder . . boyled chickens . . green geese . . a lumbard-pye . . a dish of young rabbits . second course . . a haunch of venison . . veal roasted . . a dish of soles , or smelts . . a dish of asparagus . . tansie . . tarts and custards . a bill of fare for midsomer . . a neats-tongue and colliflowers . . a fore-quarter of lamb. . a chicken-pye . . boyled pigeons . . a couple of stewed rabbits . . a breast of veal roasted . second course . . a artichoak-pye . . a venison-pasty . . lobsters and salmon . . a dish of pease . . a gooseberry-tart . . a dish of strawberries . a bill of fare for autumn , or harvest . . a capon and white broath . . a westphalia ham , with pigeons . . a grand sallet . . a neats-tongue and udder roasted . . a powdered goose. . a turkey roasted . second course . . a potato , or chicken pye. . roasted patridges . . larks and chickens . . a made dish . . a warden pye , or tart. . custards . a bill of fare for winter season . . a collar of brawn . . a lambs head and white broath . . a neats-tongue and udder roasted . . a dish of minc'd pyes . . a venison , or lamb-pye . . a dish of chickens . second course . . a side of lamb. . a dish of wild-ducks . . a quince-tart . . a couple of capons roasted . . a turkey roasted . . a dish of custards . a bill of fare upon an extraordinary occasion . . a collar of brawn . . a couple of pullets boyled . . a bisk of fish. . a dish of c●rps . . a grand boyled meat . . a grand sallet . . a venison pasty . . a roasted turkey . . a fat pig. . a powdered goose. . a haunch of venison roasted . . a neats-tongue and udder roasted . . a westphalia ham boyled . . a joll of salmon . . minced pyes . . a sur-loyn of roast beef . . cold baked meats . . a dish of custards . second course . . jellies of all sorts . . a dish of pheasants . . a pike boyled . . an oyster-pye . . a dish of plovers . . a dish of larks . . a joll of sturgeon . . a couple of lobsters . . a lumber-pye . . a couple of capons . . a dish of patridges . . a fricacie of fowls . . a dish of wild-ducks . . a dish of cram'd chickens . . a dish of stewed oysters . . a marchpane . . a dish of fruits . . a dish of tarts . a bill of fare for fish-days . . a dish of butter and eggs. . a barrel of oysters . . a pike boyled . . a stewed carp. . an eel-pye . . a pole of ling. . a dish of green fish buttered with eggs. . a dish of stewed oysters . . a spinage sallet boyled . . a dish of soles . . a joll of fresh salmon . . a dish of smelts fry'd . second course . . a couple of lobsters . . a roasted spitcheock . . a dish of anchovies . . fresh cod. . a bream roasted . . a dish of trouts . . a dish of plaice boyled . . a dish of perches . . a carp farced . . a potato-pye . . a dish of prawns buttered . . tenches with short broth. . a dish of turbut . . a dish of eel-pouts . . a sturgeon with short broth . . a dish of tarts and custards . a bill of fare for a gentlemans house about candlemas . . a pottage with a hen. . a chatham - pudding . . a fricacie of chickens . . leg of mutton with a sallet . garnish your dishes with barberries . second course . . a chine of mutton . . a chine of veal . . a lark-pye . . a couple of pullets , one larded . garnished with orange-slices . third course . . a dish of woodcocks . . a couple of rabbits . . a dish of asparagus . . a westphalia gammon . last course . . two orange-tarts , one with herbs . . a bacon-tart . . an apple-tart . . a dish of bon-chriteen-pears . . a dish of pippins . . a dish of pear-mains . a banquet for the same season . . a dish of apricots . . a dish of marmalade of pippins . . a dish of preserved cherries . . a whole red quince . . a dish of dryed sweet-meats . finis . a table to the art of preserving , conserving , and candying . a. almond-butter . pag. almond-candle . . almond-milk . . angellets to make . angelica-roots preserved . angelica water . apricot-cakes . apricots preserved . aqua composita . aqua mirabilis . artichoak-bottoms pickled . artichoaks to pickle . artificial claret-wine . artificial malmsey . artificial oranges . artificial walnuts . b. banbury-cakes . barberries candyed . barberries preserved . barley-water . baum-water . bisket-cakes to make . black-cherry-wine . bragget to make . broom-buds to pickle . burrage-flowers to candy dr. burges plague-water . c. cakes of limon . capon-water . carraway cake . candying pears , plums , and apricots . caudle of great virtue . cherries to candy . cherries dryed in the sun. cherries preserved . cherry-wine . cherries to dry . chesiuts kept all the year . china-broath . chips of quinces . ● crystal jelly to make . cinamon s●gar . cinamon-water . clove-gilly flowers to pickle . comfortable syrup . comfits of all sorts to make . conserve of barberries . conserve of burrage-flowers . conserve of bugloss flowers . conserve of damsons . conserve of oranges . conserve of prua s. conserve of qunces . conserve of roses . conserve of rosemary . conserve of sage . conserve to strengthen the back . conserve of strawberries . conserves for tarts all the year . cock-ale to make . cordial strengthning broath . cream of apricots . cream of codlings . cream of quinces . cream-tarts . cornelians to pickle . cordial water of clove gilly flowers . cucumbers to pickle . cucumbers preserved green . cullice to make . currans preserved . currans-wine . d. damask-water . damsons preserved . dr. deodates drink for the scurvy . date-leach . dry vinegar to make . e. elder-vinegar . elecampane-roots candyed . eringo roots candyed . excellent broth. excellent hippocras presently . excellent jelly . excellent sur●eit-water . excellent sweet water . f fine cakes . flomery-caudle . french beans to pickle . french bisket to make . fruits dryed . ● fruits preserved all the year . g. ginger to candy . ginger-bread to make . gooseberry-cakes . gooseberry paste . gooseberries preserved . grapes to candy . grapes preserved . h. hartichoaks preserved . hippocras to make . honey of mulberries . honey of raisins . honey of roses . hydromel to make . i jelly of almonds white . jelly of apples . jelly of currans . jelly of harts-horn . jelly of quinces . jelly of strawberries and mulberries . jelly of gooseberries . jelly of raspices . imperial water . italian bisket . italian marmalade . jumbals to make . k. kings persume . k. edwards persume . l. leach of almonds . leach lumbard . leach to make . limon and orange-peel pickled . lozenges of roses . m. manus christi . marmalade of cherries . marmalade of currans . marmalade of grapes . marmalade of oranges . ● marmalade of oranges and limons . marmalade of quinces . mackroons to make . marchpane to make . marygolds candyed in wedges . mathiolus bezoar water . mead , or metheglin to make mead pleasant to make . medlars preserved . mint-water . muscadine comfits . musk-balls to make . musk-sugar . mulberries preserved . n. naples-bisket to make . nutmegs to candy . o. oranges and limons candyed . oranges to bake . orange-peels candyed . oranges preserved . ● oranges preserved portugal fashion . orange-water . oyl of sweet almonds . ● oyl of violets . p. paste of apricots . paste of cherries . paste of genua . paste of quinces . paste royal. paste of tender plums . paste of violets . peaches preserved . pears or plums to candy . perfume for gloves . pippins dryed . pippins preserved green . pippins preserved red . pippins preserved white . plague-water . pome citrons preserved . pomander to make . pomatum to make . poppy-water . prince-bisket . purslain to pickle . q. quiddany of cherries . quiddany of quinces . quiddany of plums . queens perfume . quince-cakes to make . quince-cakes clear . quince-cakes red . quince-cakes white . quince-cakes thin . quince-cream . quinces preserved red . quinces preserved white . quinces to pickle . r. rasberry-cream . rasberry-wine . raspices preserved . red currans-cream . red and white currans pickled . rich cordial . rose-leaves candyed . rosemary-water . rosemary-flowers candyed . roses preserved whole . rose-vinegar . rose-water . rosa solis to make . s. snow-cream . spirit of amber greece spirit of honey . spirit of roses . spirit of wine . dr. stephens water . steppony to make . strawberry wi●e . spots out of cloaths . suckets to make . suckets of green walnuts . suckets of lettuce stalks . sugar-cakes to make sugar-leach . sugar of roses . sugar-plate to make . surfeit-water . sweet cakes without sugar . sweet meat of apples . sweet bags for linnen . syllabub to make . symbals to make . syrup of apples . syrup of citron-peels . syrup of cinamon . syrup of comfrey . syrup of cowslips . syrup of elder . syrup of clove gilly flowers . syrup of harts-horn . syrup of hyssop . syrup of licorise . ● syrup of limons . syrup for the lungs . syrup of maiden-hair . syrup of mints . syrup of poppies . syrup of purslain . syrup of quinces . syrup of roses . syrup of saffron . syrup for short-wind . syrup of sugar-candy . syrup against scurvy . syrup of violets . syrup of wormwood . syrup of vinegar . syder to make . t. trifle to make . treacle-water to make . v. verjuice to make . ●s●●ebah to make . w. walnuts preserved . walnut-water . washing-balls to make . wasers to make . waters against consumptions . water against fits of mother . wormwood-wine . wormwood water . white damsons preserved green . white leach of cream . white mead. whipt syllabub . the table to physick , beautifying waters , and secrets in angling . a. ach of the joynts . ach or pain . ad capiendum pisces . ague in the breast . agues in children . ague to cure. another . another . another . allom-water to make . b. back to strengthen . baits for barbels . baits for bream . baits for carp or tench . baits for chub and pike . baits for eels . bait for fish all the year . baits for gudgeons . bait with gentles . ● baits for perch . baits for roch and dace . baits for salmon . baits for trout . beauty to procure . beauty water for the fa●e . beauty-water , called , lac virginis . biting of a mad-dog . blasting to cure. bleeding at the nose . ● bleeding of a wound . bloody-flux , or scowring . black plaister for all griefs . bone or quills dyed red for fishing . breath to make sweet . breath to sweeten , another . c. cancer to cure . cancer in a womans breast to cure . caps to sight for fishing . cement for floats to fish. childblains in hands or feet to cure . conception to procute . consumption to cure . cough dry to cure . cordial julip . corns to cure . cramp to cure . d. deafness to cure . deafness , another . delicate washing-ball . ● dentrifice to whiten the teeth drink to heal wounds . dropsie to cure . dropsie , another . e. ears running to help . ears pained to cure . electuary of life . excellent beauty-water . excellent complexion to procure . excellent cordial . excellent salve . excellent wash for beauty eyes blood-shot . eye-water . f. face and skin to cleanse . face to adorn. face to beautifie . face to look youthful . face to make fair . face to make very fair . face pitted by the small-pox . face to whiten . falling off of hair to prevent falling-sickness , or convulsions . falling-sickness , another . fevers or agues in children . fellon to kill . fishing-lines to make . fishing●lines to unloose in water . fits of the mother . fistula , or ulcer . fits of the mother , a julip . flowers to bring down . flowers to stay . flyes used in angling , to make . flux red to cure . flux white to cure . freckles in the face . freckles and morphew . g. gascoign powder to make . gout to cure . gout , lord dennies medicine . green-sickness to cure . green-sickness , a powder . griping of the guts to cure . h. hands to make white . hands to whiten . hands , a sweet water . hair to make grow . hair to grow thick . hair to make fair . hair to take away . head-ach to cure . heat of the liver . heat and swelling in the face . heat or worms in the hands . i. jaundies black to cure. jaundies yellow to cure. imposthume to break . inflamed face to cure. itch , or breaking out to cure . itch , another . k. c. k●nts powder to make kings-evil to cure . l. lax , or looseness . lips chopt to cure . m. marks of small pox to prevent . megrim , or imposthume in the head. ● mis-carrying to prevent . moist seabs after small-pox . morphew or scurff of pace or skin . mouth to cleanse . n. nails cloven to cure . nails that fall off . nails to make grow . nails rent from the flesh. nostrils stinking to cure . o. oyl of fennel . oyl of st. iohns wort . oyl of roses . oyntment green to make . oyntment for pimples in the face p. paste for fishing . ● piles to destroy . piles after child-birth . pimples in the face to cure pimples in the face , another plague to cure . plague-water . pleurisie to cure . ● pock holes in the face . pomatum to clear the skin . powder for green-sickness . r. red face to cure . redness , hands and face by small pox . redness to take away , another , rich face-to help . rheumatick cough or cold. rickets in children . s. scald head. sciatica , or pains in the joynts scurvy to cure . scurvy , another . secrets in angling , by j. d. shingles to cure . skin to clear . skin to smooth , and take away freckles . skin to make white and clear . skin to make smooth . sore breast to cure . spitting of blood. spleen to cure . sprain in the back . dr. stephens water . stinking breath to cure . stitch in the side . stench under the arm● holes stone and gravel . sun-burn to take away swooning-fits t. termes to provoke teeth to make white and sound teeth to keep white and kill worms teeth white as jvory teeth in children to breed easily toothach to cure tertian or double tertian ague thorn to draw out timpany to cure tissick to cure u. unguentum album to make w. warts in the face or hands washing b●ll to make water for eyesight by king edward the . water for the eyes excellent water for sore eyes web in the eye wen to cure dr. willoughbyes water wind to help wind & flegun in children ● woman in travel woman soon delivered worms in children worms in children another worms to clease for fishing wrinckles in the face whites to cure y. yellow jaundies young children to go to stool the table to the compleat cooks guid. a. almond cream almond pudding almond tart apple pyes to fry artichoakes fryed a●ichoake pye b. bacon tart ● b●rley broth ● beef pasty like red deer beef to keep sweet beef to stew beef to stew french fash●●n black puddings birds to stew l. butlers way bisket bread brawn tender & delicate b. breams stewed breast or loyn mutton stewed ● breast of veal baked butter to draw for sauce c. calves foot pye calves feet baked calves feet roasted calves head baked capon or pullet boyld capon boyld with sage and pa●fly capon boyld with asparagus capon boyld with sugar pease capon boyld with white-broth capon or chicken several compositions carp pye carp to stew cheescakes to make cheese fresh to make chine of beef poudered cherry tart chicken pye chucks of veal to bake citron pudding clowted cream cods head to dress codling tart cocks or barks to boyl collops of beef stewed cows udder roasted cows●ip tart cream of eggs cracknels to make custards to make d. damson tart dish of marrow dish of meat with herbs dutch pudding e. eels to boyl eel pye eel pye with oysters eels to roast eels to soufe egg pye excellent mincet pyes f. feasant stewed french fashion fillet beef stewed ital. fashion fine pudding in a dish flounders or jacks to boyl flounders stewed french barley posset french pottage called skink fricasy of chickens fricasy of rabbits fricasy of veal ● furmity to make g. goose to bake goosberry cream grand sallet green sauce h. haggis pudding haunch ofvenison boyled haunch of venison rosted hare to roast hash of a capon or pullet ● hen carbonadoed herring pye hotchpot to make i. italian pudding iunket to make l. lamb pye leg of pork broild limon caudle m. made dish of apples mallard to stew marrow pasties marrow puddings medler tart n. neats f●ot pye neats tongues to dry neats tongues fryed neats tongue-pye neats tongue & udder o. oatmeal pudding oysters to pickle p. pannado to make past for all tarts pear or warden pye pe●ch●● to boyl pig to bake court fashion pig to souse pidgeon pye to make pickarel to bake pippin pye polonian sausages pottage of a capon pudding to bake ● pudding of rice pudding of hogs liver puff-past to make q quaking pudding quince pye r. rabbits to bake rabbits to hash rabbits to stew rare broth rare pudding rice pudding rice tart rost beef pickled s. sallet of a cold hen sallet of green pease salmon to boyl salmon to keep fresh sauce for mutton sack posset to make sauce for pidgeons sauce for turkys & capons sauce for wildfowl sansages to make scotch collops of veal scollops to b●oil shoulder of mutton and oysters spanish oleo sparrows and larks to boyl stewed broth to make sweet breads baked t. tansey to make tansey of cowslips tart of spinage trout to stew v. veal pye to make venison pasty venison to stew umble pye w. watergruel to make widgeons or teal to boyl finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e * that which kills the oak , i conjecture to be ivy.