Part 18

If the Suns excessive heat Makes 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 patch 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, lets 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 Lillies and Lady-smocks, and there a Girle cropping Culverkeys and Cowslips, all to make Garlands sutable 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 and Cedars 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 Basso. CANTUS. Mr. Henry Lawes.

An's life is but vain; for 'tis subject to pain, and sorrow, and short as a buble; 'tis 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 tomorrow, and Angle, and Angle again.

The ANGLERS song.

BASSUS. For two Voyces. By Mr. Henry Lawes.

An's life is but vain; for 'tis subiect to pain and sorrow, and short as a buble, 'tis 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's seven shillings to pay, lets 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 Ile 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 their wings, and as 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.