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Pifc. My honeft 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 honeft, wholfome, hungry Break◄ faft,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 fee mee do, and lets try which can catch the first fish.

Viat. I thank you, Mafter, I will obferve and practice your direction

as far as I am able.

Pifc. Look you Scholer, you fee I have hold of a good fish: I now fee it is a Trout; I pray put that net

under

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; fure Master yours is a better Rod, and better Tackling.

Pifc. 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 loft.

Viat. Mafter, I can neither catch with the first nor fecond Angle; I have no fortune.

Pifc. Look

you, Scholer, I have

yet another: and now having caught

three

three brace of Trouts, I will tel you a fhort Tale as we walk towards our Breakfast. A Scholer (a Preacher Ifhould fay) 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 compofed and prechtit; and though the borrower of it preach't it word for word, as it was at firft,yet it was utterly diflik'd as it was preach'd by the second; which the Sermon Borrower complained of to the Lender of it, and was thus anfwered; Ilent you indeed my Fiddle, but not my Fiddlestick; and you are to know, that every one cannot make mufick with my words which are fitted for my own mouth. And fo 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

your Line, or not fishing even to a foot in a right place, makes you lofe your labour: and you are to know, that though you have my Fiddle, that is,my very Rod and Tacklings with which you fee I catch fish, yet you have not my Fiddle ftick, 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 obfervation,or both.

But now lets fay Grace, and fall to Breakfast; what fay you Scholer, to the providence of an old Angler? Does not this meat taste well? and was not this place well chofen to eat it? for this Sycamore tree will shade us from the Suns heat.

I

Viat. All excellent good,Master, and my ftomack excellent too; have been at many coftly Dinners that have not afforded me half this content: and now good Mater,to

your

your promised direction for making and ordering my Artificiall flye.

Pifc. My honeft Scholer, I will do it, for it is a debt due unto you, by my promife: and because you fhall not think your felf 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 fo judicially and freely in a little book of his of Angling, and efpecially 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 beft are of two pieces; the line should not exceed, efpecially for three or four links towards the hook) I fay, not ex

ceed

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