taken with the angle, I may safely say, some thousands of trout in my life, my top never snapt (though my line still continued fast to the remaining part of my rod by some lengths of my line curled round about my top, and there fastened, with waxed silk, against such an accident), nor my hand never slacked, or slipped by any other chance, but I almost always infallibly lost my fish, whether great or little, though my hook came home again. And I have often wondered how a trout should so suddenly disengage himself from so great a hook, as that we bait with a minnow, and so deep bearded as those hooks commonly are, when I have seen by the forenamed accidents, or the slipping of a knot in the upper part of the line, by sudden and hard striking, that though the line has immediately been recovered, almost before it could be all drawn into the water, the fish cleared and gone in a moment. And yet, to justify what he says, I have sometimes known a trout, having carried away a whole line, found dead three or four days after with the hook fast sticking in him; but then it is to be supposed he had gorged it, which a trout will do, if you be not too quick with him when he comes at a minnow, as sure and much sooner than a pike: and I myself have also, once or twice in my life, taken the same fish, with my own fly sticking in his chaps, that he had taken from me the day before, by the slipping of a hook in the arming: but I am very confident a trout will not be troubled two hours with any hook that has so much as one handful of line left behind with it, or that is not struck through a bone, if it be in any part of his mouth only; nay, I do certainly know that a trout, so soon as ever he feels himself pricked, if he carries away the hook, goes immediately to the bottom, and will there root, like a hog upon the gravel, till he either rub out or break the hook in the middle. And so much for this sort of angling in the middle for a trout.

The second way of angling in the middle is with a worm, grub, cadis, or any other ground-bait for a grayling; and that is with a cork, and a foot from the bottom, a grayling

taking it much better there, than at the bottom, as has been said before; and this always in a clear water, and with the finest tackle.

To which we may also, and with very good reason, add the third way of angling by hand with a ground-bait, as a third way of fishing in the middle, which is common to both trout and grayling, and (as I said before) the best way of angling with a worm, of all other I ever tried whatever.

And now, sir, I have said all I can at present think of concerning angling for a trout and grayling, and I doubt not have tired you sufficiently; but I will give you no more trouble of this kind, whilst you stay, which I hope will be a good while longer.

VIAT. That will not be above a day longer; but if I live till May come twelvemonth, you are sure of me again, either with my master Walton, or without him; and in the meantime shall acquaint him how much you have made of me for his sake, and I hope he loves me well enough to thank you for it.

Pisc. I shall be glad, sir, of your good company at the time you speak of, and shall be loath to part with you now; but when you tell me you must go, I will then wait upon you more miles on your way than I have tempted you out of it, and heartily wish you a good journey.

APPENDIX

CONTENTS

I. Poems, Prefaces and Letters by Izaak Walton. (1) An Elegie upon Dr. Donne.

(2) Lines on a Portrait of Donne.

(3) Commendatory Verses prefixed to the Merchant's
Mappe of Commerce.

(4) Preface to Quarles' "Shepherds Oracles."
(5) Couplet on Dr. Richard Sibbes.

(6) On the Death of William Cartwright.

(7) Preface to Sir John Skeffington's "Heroe of Lorenzo." (8) Commendatory Verses to the Author of Scintillula Altaris.

(9) Damar and Dorus: An humble Eglog.

(10) To my Reverend Friend the Author of the "Synagogue.” (11) Letter to Colonel Venables.

(12) Letter to Edward Ward.

(13) Letter to Marriott.

(14) Preface to "Thealma and Clearchus."

II. Cotton's Verses to Walton on his "Life of Donne."

III. Bibliography of "The Compleat Angler."

IV. Books referred to in "The Compleat Angler."

V. Walton's Books in the Cathedral Library, Salisbury.
VI. Walton on His Own Times.