R. H.

“ Observe to Angle with the Artificial Fly in Rivers disturbed somewhat by Rain, or in a Cloudy day, the 102 Wind blowing gently: If the Wind be not so high, but you may well guide your Tackle, in plain Deeps is to be found the best Fish, and best Sport: If small Wind breeze, in swift streams is best Angling: Be sure to keep your Fly in perpetual slow motion; and observe that the Weather suit the Colour of your Fly, as the light Colour’d in a Clear day, the Darkish in a dark, &c. As likewise according to the Waters Complexions, have your Fly suitable. ”

“ Thus I have given you a brief Character of the Inventors of this Recreation we are coming to treat of, and hence we may presume, how fit such a People as this is, to give Birth to such a Recreation, so Gentile, so Cleanly, and so Ingenious, that as their Persons and Manners are emulously esteemed, so are their Pastimes ambitiously pursued, by most Nations in Europe ”

“ For I must tell you, in this Game, is required much Cunning, and subtle Contrivance, as in any Recreation whatever, and therefore when you are to Play with an Expert Player, you must muster up all the forces of your Ingenuity and Wit, for the vanquishing of your Opponent. ”

“ For the Choice of Hounds we are to rely much on their Colours, and accordingly make our Election. The Best and most Beautiful of all for a general Kennel, is, The White Hound, with black Ears, and a black spot at the setting on of the Tail, and is ever found to be both of good Scent, and good Condition, and will Hunt any Chace, but especially the Hare, Stag, Buck, Roe, or Otter, not sticking at Woods or Waters. ”

“ First, Let not only the Musick and Delight the Bells give thee, invite thee to come to the Temple, to be partaker of that Pleasure they may afford thy Body, but let their Musick invite thee to come thither when they call thee, to exercise thy Soul in Devotion ”

“ Take some large well scowred Lobs, and with a Needle, run some strong twisted Silk through them, from end to end, so many as are enough to wrap about a Board near a dozen times; tye them fast with the two ends of the Silk to hang in so many Hanks; then fasten all to a strong Cord, and a handfull above the Worms fasten a Plumb of three quarters of a pound, and your Cord to a strong Pole, and in muddy Waters, you may Fish, and find the Eels tug lustily, and when you think they have swallowed them, draw up your Line, and a-shore with them. ”

“ In fine, The Gentry are very Rich, live of all Men the most careless and contented Lives, keeping the Poor as Drudges and Slaves for them; and as it is said of the Tyrant Polycrates, Have nothing to trouble them, but that they are troubled with nothing. ”

“ I. To know the Haunts and Resorts of Fish, in which they are to be usually found, is the most Material thing the Angler ought to be instructed in, lest he vainly prepare how to take them, and preposterously seek where to find that he prepared for. To prevent which you are first to understand, That as the Season of the Year is, so Fish change their places: In Summer, some keep near the Top, others the bottom of the Waters. In Winter, all Fish in general resort to deep Waters. ”

“ The Cross-Bow (as I said in the Introduction to this Treatise) is of equal Benefit and Pleasure with the Long-Bow, when through an imbecillity in the Arm or Back, that will not be a suitable Recreation: This Bow must be made of the same Wood with the other, for Gafel carried upon a string, and the other end being placed in a Rest, furnish your self with strong and heavy Arrows, suitable to your Bows strength, and all the foregoing Marks, may afford you an equal Delight with the Former ”

“ Hereby intimating, That tho man is now Born to Trouble, Labour and Cares, as the Sparks fly upward; yet God has not deprived him of any Comfort or Felicity, which the Earth or Creatures of it can afford; but has invested him with a superior Authority and Dominion over the Beast of the Feild, the Fowl of the Air, and the Fish of the Sea. Thus it comes to pass, that every Creature payes a Duty and a Subjection, (as it were) to man, as to their Master; and notwithstanding the Ferocity and Salvageness of their Natures, become tame and submissive to the Empire of Man. ”

“ Kinging of him is, when his Ball lyes in so advantageous a manner, as that if you strike his Ball, he must inevitably strike down the King, then you win, and prevent the Loss of that End: But with this Caution however, That you be careful how you strike, for if you do king him, and your Ball happens to fly over the Table, or into a Hazard, you shall lose One notwithstanding you have King’d him ”

“ For in these Cross-Peals we must observe the prime Movement, which sets the whole Frame a going, and that is called the Hunt, which hath One constant Uniform Motion throughout the Peal, and different from that of the other Notes; and indeed by this the whole Course of the Peal is Steered. This keeps a continual motion through the other Notes, i. e. From Leading, to strike behind, and from thence again to Lead; which is called one compleat Course.
Some Peals upon five Bells consist of single Courses, wherein are ten Changes, and twelve Courses make the Peal. ”

“ Take a strong Line and Hook, baited with a Lob, or Garden-Worm, and observing where Eels lurk in the day time, with a stick forked at the Top, gently put your Bait into the Hole, and if there be any Eels there, you will not fail of a Bite, of as large Eels as can be had, but pull not too hard lest you spoyl all. ”

“ The Chub, called by some a Cheven, by others a Villain, is a Fish of no rare Meat; however, is good for a young Angler, and is thus to be taken: Bait your hook with a Grass-hopper, find the Hole where he lies, accompanied in a hot day, with twenty or more, floating almost on the very superficies of the Water; choose which you think best, and fairest, and drop your Hook some two foot before him, and he will bite at it greedily, and cannot break hold with his Leather Mouth; let him play and tire, lest you break your Line. If you cannot get a Grass-hopper, then any Worm, or Fly you will. ”

“ In Winter, about Houses, Hovells, Barns, Stacks, &c. A Bird-Call is here also necessary, or your own industrious skill in the Notes of several Birds. Lime-twigs are likewise used, stuck on Hemp-cocks, which take vast Numbers of Lennets, and Green-Birds, that love that Diet. An Owle placed near your Lime-twigs, is likewise an Excellent Stale, for being persecuted by all other Birds, they flock about him, and dye with Hatred; I mean, being taken by you, in their eager, and malicious Persecution of poor Tom. Some have Natural, others Artificial Owles, and with either fear not Success. ”

“ Put your Carp, Breame and Tench by themselves: Pike, Pearch, Eel and Tench (the Fishes Physician) by themselves; & for Food of the greater Fishes, as well as Meat for your greater Dishes, put good store of Roach, Dace, Loach and Menow; and Lastly to every one Melter put three Spawners, and in three Years the Increase will be great; and in five Years with difficulty destroyed.
At the end of three Years Sue your Pond; which you must ever continue so to do, for that the Roach, &c. will increase in such abundance, that eating up the sweetest food, will make your other Fish, as Carps, &c. ”

“ That whensoever the first Change of any Peal happens to be single, it must be made at the back-stroke, to prevent cutting Compass; and the like when a double Change happens first in a Peal of Triples and doubles: But when it happens, that the first Change is made at the Back-stroke, then Consequently the Bells at the end of the Peal will come round at a Fore-stroke Change. ”

“ The Red-Worm, must be kept in a bag of Red Cloth, with a handful of chopt Fennel, mixt with half so much fresh, black and fertile Mould, will scoure and preserve them: All other Worms, with the Leaves of Trees they are bred on, renewing them often in a day. ”

“ That he have the Finest Cleanest Shape possible, and above all, Nimble, Quick, and Fiery, apt to Fly with the least Motion; nor is a long Bodied contemptible, it assuring Speed, tho it signifies Weakness too. ”

“ The Chub too chooses the same Ground, large Rivers and Streams, and is rarely destitute of some Tree to cover and shade him.
Carp, Tench and Eel, frequent foul muddy still Waters. The greatest Eels lurk under Stones, or Roots; the smallest ones are found in all sorts of Rivers or Soyls: The Carp is for the deepest stillest part of Pond or River, and so is the Tench, and both delight in green Weeds.
Pearch delighteth in gentle Streams of a reasonable Depth, not too shallow; close by a Hollow Bank is their common Sanctuary. ”

“ Lime-Twigs, is another Expedient for taking of Great Fowle, being Rods that are long, small, straight, and pliable, the upper part (apt to play to and fro) being besmeared with Bird-lime warm. Thus to be used, Observe the Haunts of the Fowle, have a Stale, (a living Fowle of the same kind you would take) and cross pricking your Rods, one into, 75 E2 and another against the Wind sloping, a foot distant one from the other, pin down your Stale, some distance from them, tying some small string to him, to pull and make him flutter to allure the Fowle down. ”

“ In any Cross-Peal the Whole Hunt may move either up or down at the beginning; and the Motion of the Whole Hunt, in the first Course of each of the following Peals, will direct the first Motion of any Cross-hunt, and by Consequence of making the first Changes in that Peal. ”

“ Or for the Exercise of his Body only?
If for Cunning Hunting; breed your Dogs from the slowest and largest of the forementioned Northern Hounds, and the swiftest and slenderest of the West Country, of both Kinds, approved to be not given to lie off, or look for Advantages, but staunch, fair, even-running, and of perfect fine Scent. These will make a Horse gallop fast, and not run; being middle-siz’d; not too swift as to out-run, or too slow as to lose the Scent; are the best for the true Art and Use of Hunting. ”

“ The best time for Angling for this Fish is at the latter end of May, June, July, and beginning of August, in his Haunts aforementioned; and the best Bait (omiting others) is the well-scoured Lob-Worm (being of a curious cleanly Palate as well as shape) or Cheese steept an hour or two in clarified Honey. He is a subtile Fish, extraordinary strong, and dogged to be dealt with, and therefore be sure to have your Rod and Line strong and 108 long, or you may endanger to break it. ”

“ Surround your Covy, prepare your Nets, and pricking a stick fast in the ground, tye the one end to it, and let your Nets fall as you walk briskly round without stopping, and cover the Partridge; then rush in upon them to frighten them, and as they rise they are taken. ”

“ And indeed without a Table be exactly true, a good Gamester can never shew the Excellency of his 188 Skill and Art, but a very Bungler sometimes, by being well acquainted with the Turnings and Windings of a false Table, may beat a good Gamester with great vexation and shame, who otherwise would have given him any odds whatsoever. ”

“ There are two wayes of Ringing Changes, viz. By Walking them, as the Artists stile it; or by Whole-pulls, or Half-pulls: Walking is, when in one Change the Bells go round, Four, Six, or Eight times; which is a most incomparable way to improve a young Practitioner, by giving him time to consider, which two Bells do make the next succeeding Change, and in making it, what Bell each is to follow; so that by this means (by his industry) he may be capable of Ringing at Whole-Pulls; Which is, when the Bells go round in a Change at fore and back-stroke ”

“ A People that are obedient to their Superiors, Courteous to their Inferiors, full of all Civility to their Equals, Affable to Strangers, and most desirous by all fair and friendly Offices to win their Love. ”

“ Whatsoever Bells you follow when you Hunt up, the same Bells in the same order you must follow in Hunting 152 down; as in the Changes here prickt, where the Treble hunting up First follow Second, then Fourth, and then Sixth; when it comes behind, First follows Second, in hunting down Fourth; and when hunted up follows Sixth in the same Order: The like may be observed in Ringing any other Bell, with this Difference betwixt the Whole-hunt and the rest, viz. Every time the Whole-hunt leaves the Treble’s place, and hunts up, it followeth different Bells from what it did at its first hunting up. ”

“ The Dun-Fly, Red-Fly, May-Fly, Tawny-Fly, Moor-Fly, Shell-Fly, Flag-Fly, Vine-Fly, 101 F3 Cloudy or Blackish-Fly, Canker-Flies, Bear-Flies, Caterpillars, and thousands more, differing according to the Soiles, Rivers or Plants.
Artificial Flies, are made by the ingenious Angler, according to Art, in shape, colour and proportion like the Natural Fly, of Fur, Wool, Silk, Feathers, &c. To delineate which I must confess my self not so accurate and skilful a Painter, nor can any Pen-drawing illustrate their Various Colours so, as to direct their Artificial Counterfeit ”

“ From hence Changes are made, which is only a Changing place of one Note with another, so variously, as Musick may be heard a thousand wayes of Harmony; which being so obvious to common Observation, I shall not go about to demonstrate; for that if two may be varied two wayes, surely by the Rule of Multiplication, a Man may easily learn how many times 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 12 Bells Notes may be varied, which will run almost ad infinitum.
3. For the better observing the Ringing of Changes or Rounds, these three things are to be noted.
1. The Raising true in Peal.
2. Ringing at a low Compass ”

“ For Ceasing a Peal of Bells; Let them fall gradually from a set Peal, checking them only at Sally, till the low Compass renders it useless; and when so low, that for want of Compass, they can scarce strike at Back-stroak; then let the Treble-Ringer stamp, as a Signal, to notify, that the next time they come to strike at the Fore-stroke, to check them down, to hinder their striking the Back-stroke; yet Fore-stroke continued, till brought to a neat and gracefull Chime, which may be the Finis to that Peal. ”

“ On his Dayes of Labour, Two Hours after he is throughly Cold, outwardly and inwardly, as before.
As for the Proportion of Meat, I shall not confine your Love to a Quantity, only give him a little at once, as long as his Appetite is Good: When he begins to fumble and play with his Meat, hold your Hand, shut up your Sack.
As for his Exercise it ought to be Thrice a Week, as his bodily Condition requires; if he be foul, moderate Exercise will break his Grease; if clean, then as you judge best, taking heed of breaking his Mettle, or discouraging him, or laming his Limbs. ”

“ When occasion requires, dissolve a Ball of it in a Pail of Water, and after Exercise give it him to drink in the Dark, that he may not see the Colour, and refuse it: If he does refuse, let Fasting force him to be of another mind.
To conclude, those Instructions, which are enumerated by Mr. Markham, I will give you in short before you run, and then away as fast as you can.
Course not your Horse hard four or five dayes before your Match, lest you make his Limbs sore, and abate his Speed. ”

“ Doubles and Singles.
The Whole-Hunt is the Treble, who lyeth four times before, and as many behind, and twice in every other place: The two hind bells continue dodging, when the Treble moves down out of the 159 Fifth place, till he comes there again, the bell in the Fourth place lying still all the while: When the two hind bells aforesaid leave dodging, then the two First bells take their dodging places, till dispossessed again, by the return of the said Hind bells to their dodging; and then they Cease. ”

“ If it be plain and smooth within, and the Pad before it flat and worn, and the Prickles so new and perceptible, that the Earth seems black, and fresh broken, then assure your self the Forme is new, and from thence you may Hunt and recover the Hare; if the contrary (which narrowly observe) it is Old, and if your Hounds call upon it, rate them off; the Scent is Old. When the Hare is started and on Foot, step in where you saw her pass, and hollow in your Hounds till they have undertaken it, then go on with full Cry. ”

“ And indeed you ought never to be without some live Bird or Fowle in your Bag, as Pigeon, Duck, Mallard, &c. If she be Froward and Coy; when she Kills, reward her not as usually, but slide some other meat under her, and let her take her pleasure on it; giving her some Feathers to make her scoure and cast. If she be Wild, look not inward, but mind Check, (i. e. other Game, as Crows, &c. that fly cross her) then lure her back, and stooping to it, reward her presently. ”