that he was seised in fee of a several fishing, and that the plaintiff with others endeavoured to row upon his water, and with the nets to catch his fish, and that for the safeguard of his fishing he took and cut the nets and oars; to which plea the plaintiff demurred; and there it was adjudged by the whole court, that he could not by such colour cut the nets and oars, and judgement was thereupon given for the plaintiff.

Doubtless our forefathers well considered, that man to man was a wolf, and therefore made good laws to keep us from devouring one another, and amongst the rest a very good statute was made in the three-andfortieth year of Queen Elizabeth, whereby it is provided, that in personal actions in the Courts at Westminster, (being not for land or battery) when it shall appear to the judges, (and be so by them signified) that the debt or damages to be recovered amount not to the sum of forty shillings or above, the said judges shall award to the plaintiff no more costs than damages, but less at their discretion.

And now, with my acknowledgement of the advantage I have had both by your friendship and your book, I wish nothing may ever be that looks like an alteration in the first, nor anything in the last, unless by reason of the useful pleasure of it, you had called it 'The Arcadia of Angling', for it deserves that title, and I would deserve the continuance of your friendship.

THE

COMPLEAT ANGLER.

Being Inftructions how to angle for a

TROUT or GRAYLING in a clear
Stream..

PART. II.

DXC

Qui mihi non credit, faciat heet ipfe periclum:
Et fuerit fcriptis aquior ille meis.

LONDON,

Printed for Richard Marriott, and Henry Brome in St. Paul's Church-vard. MDCLXXVI.

SIR,

то

My most Worthy

FATHER and FRIEND,
MR. IZAAK WALTON

The Elder.

Being you were pleased some years past, to grant me your free leave to do what I have here attempted, and observing you never retract any promise when made in favour even of your meanest friends; I accordingly expect to see these following particular Directions for the taking of a Trout, to wait upon your better and more general Rules for all sorts of Angling. And, though mine be neither so perfect, so well digested, nor indeed so handsomely couched, as they might have been, in so long a time as since your leave was granted, yet I dare affirm them to be generally true: and they had appeared too in something a neater dress, but that I was surprised with the sudden news of a sudden new edition of your Compleat Angler; so that, having but a little more than ten days' time to turn me in, and rub up my memory (for, in truth, I have not, in all this long time, though I have often thought on 't, and almost as often resolved to go presently about it), I was forced, upon the instant, to scribble what I here present you which I have also endeavoured to