Oh, how happy's here our leisure!
Oh, how innocent our pleasure !
Oh, ye valleys; oh, ye mountains;
Oh, ye groves and crystal fountains ;
How I love at liberty

By turns to come and visit ye!

Let us not forget that this art of "Angling" was discoursed of in one of the earliest books that were printed in this country, by Wynkyn de Wode; and what is not less remarkable is, that the work was written by a lady,-one whofe learning and accomplishments have been praised by Leland, Bale, and others. She was the same who wrote on Hawking; and fhe published the several treatises in one volume for the reasons thus given :

"And for by cause that this present treatyse sholde not come to the hondys of eche ydle perfone whyche wolde defire it, yf it were emprynted allone by itself, and put in a lytyll plaunflet; therfore I have compyled it in a greter volume of dyverse bokys, concernynge to gentyll and noble men, to the entent that the forfayde ydle perfones whyche fholde haue but lytyll mesure in the fayd dysporte of fyffhynge fholde not by this meane utterely dystroye it."

Dame Juliana Berners, Priorefs of the Nunnery of Sopewell, fays in praise of her favourite fport, greatly preferable, in her opinion, to hawking, or hunting, or fowling, because if his sport

fail him

"The angler atte the leeft hathe hys holfom walke and mery at his ease, a fwete ayre, of the fwete fauoure of the meede flouers

that makyth him hungry; he hereth the melodyous armony of fowles; he feeth the yonge fwannes, heerons, duckes, cotes, and many other fowles, with theyr brodes; whyche me semyth better than alle the noyfe of houndys, the blastes of hornys, and the fcrye of foulis that hunter fawkeners and fowlers can make. And if the Angler take fyffhe, furely, thenne, is there noe man merier than he is in his spyryte."

Among the many directions which the good prioress gave to her readers in the fifteenth century, we extract only the following rules for taking pike, which show how practical was her knowledge, and how genuine her love of the sport :

"Take a froshe (frog) and put it on your hoke at the necke betweene the skynne and the body, on the backe halfe, and put on a flote a yarde therefro', and caste it where the pike haunteth, and you shall haue hym. Another manere ;-Take the fame bayte and put it in as a fetida, and caste it in the water wyth a corde and a corke, and ye shall not fayl of hym. And yf ye lyft to have a gode sporte thenne, tye the corde to a gofe fote (goofe's foot), and ye fhall fe gode haulynge whether the gofe or the pike shall haue the better."

The lady entertained the opinion that Walton, many years after, adopted in his work, that angling "was the contemplative man's recreation," for fhe counfels :

"Alfo ye fhall not use this forfayde crafty dyfporte for no couetyseness, to the encreafynge and sparynge of your money only; but pryncypally for your folace, and to cause the helthe of your

body, and fpecyally of your foule; for whenne ye purpoos to goo on your dysportes in fyffhynge, ye woll not defyre gretly manie perfones wyth you whyche myghte lette you of your game. And thenne you may ferue Godde deuowtly in fayenge affectuously youre cuftomable prayer, and thus doynge ye fhalle efchew and voyde many vices."

In later times we find that the gentler sex were invited to share in the pleasures of angling, and Bellman thus fummons his Amaryllis to the sport :

Waken, thou fair one! up, Amaryllis !
Morning so still is;

Cool is the gale:

The rainbow of heaven,
With its hues seven,
Brightness hath given

To wood and dale.

Sweet Amaryllis, let me convey thee;

In Neptune's arms nought shall affray thee;
Sleep's god no longer power has to stay thee,
Over thy eyes and speech to prevail.

Come out a-fishing; nets forth are carrying;
Come without tarrying,

Hasten with me.

Jerkin and vail in

Come for the sailing,

For trout and grayling:

Baits will lay we.

Awake, Amaryllis! dearest, awaken;

Let me not go forth by thee forsaken;

Our course among dolphins and sirens taken,

Onward shall paddle our boat to the sea.