_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 lets 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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