PAGE 101. 9. beard. The barb of the hook.' (Obs.) 25. stickle-bag. Corruption of 'stickle-back', so called from the sharp spines on its back. 30. bay-salt. Salt obtained in large crystals, by slow evaporation formerly from sea-water by the sun's heat; A derivation from Bayonne dates from 1633; but if salt was really imported into England from that place, it would seem more probable that bay-salt meant "salt from the Bay (of Biscay)"; cf. "Cape wines &c.' N.E.D. PAGE 102. 8. sad: i. e. dark or deep. PAGE 103. 11. the palmer-fly or worm. A name for various hairy caterpillars destructive to vegetation, originally applied to those of migratory habits, like the pilgrims, who were called palmers because they bore palm-branches or palm-leaves as a sign that they had visited Palestine. 20. Pliny holds. Nat. Hist. xi. 112. Topsell, in his History of Serpents (1608), p. 107, where he refers to this passage, gives the correct story of the caterpillar as the opinion of othersome 'but I am of opinion, that not only this, but by divers other wayes and meanes, they may proceede and increase.' It need hardly be said that the doctrine of the spontaneous generation of life is accepted nowadays by only a very few scientists. 24. coleworts. Any plants of the cabbage kind. PAGE 104. 1. Topsel. History of Serpents (1608), p. 103: Some have many feete, and some fewer, and none at all have above sixteene feete. Most of them have a bending swift pace, and like unto waves, and others againe keepe on their way very plainely, softly, by little and little, and without any great hast.' 11. a green caterpillar. 'The caterpillar of the privet hawk moth (Sphinx Ligustri), which is not, as Walton suspects, a "fly of prey or dragonfly.'-Rennie. 12. peascod. The pod of the pea. 28. breed. So fifth edition: but?' bred'. PAGE 105. 4. Aldrovandus. De Insectis (1602), Lib. ii, p. 275. Ulysses Aldrovandus (1524 ?-1607), a famous naturalist of Bologna. His Natural History, in thirteen volumes, of which only four appeared in his lifetime, is little more than an enormous compilation from previous works. Topsel. History of Serpents (1608), p. 105. 19. one of them. Walton takes this description (as indeed most of his dissertation on caterpillars) almost word for word from Topsell. 'From the description, this would seem to be the caterpillar of the Puss Moth.'-Harting. Walton refers the reader to Experiments 728 and 90 of Bacon's Natural History. Exp. 728, Touching Caterpillars,' asserts that caterpillars are bred from dew and leaves, but see note to p. 103, 1. 20. Exp. 90, "Touching Induration of Bodies,' how the body turns its food into bone, though none of its food is so hard as bone, does not seem to illustrate this paragraph. 21. punctually. a point.' To the point,' 'exactly;' Lat. punctum, 27. St. Andrew's Cross. The Apostle is said to have been crucified at Patras on a cross of this kind. 32. gives over to eat. 'Gives up eating.' PAGE 106. 2. aurelia. 'Chrysalis.' 13. Du Bartas. See note to p. 46, 1. 31. of the sixth Day of the first Week. This is the ending 18. So the cold humour. Humour = moisture: cf. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, II. i. 262, sucke up the humours of the danke morning.' Though not the offspring of cold mists, the salamander, which is nearly allied to the newt, is only found in damp places. 19. Who, in effect, like to her birth's commander, is Sylvester's translation of ‘Qui, semblable en effets à celle qui l'engendre', &c. 23. The fly Perausta. A misprint in the fifth edition for 'Pyrausta', a fabulous insect; cf. Pliny, Nat. Hist. xi. 36, where he talks of a four-legged winged creature, called pyrallis or pyrota, with the same qualities. (Gk. Tup = fire.) 26. So slow Bootes, &c. Walton's note is 'View Gerh. Herbal and Camden'. See Gerarde's Herbal (London, 1597), Bk. iii, ch. 167: 'Of the Goose tree, Barnakle tree, or the tree bearing Geese.' 'There are founde in the north parts of Scotland, and the Ilands adjacent, called Orchades, certaine trees, whereon doe growe certaine shell fishes, of a white colour tending to russet; wherein are conteined little living creatures: which shels in time of maturitie doe open, and out of them grow those little living things; which falling into water, doe become foules, whom we call Barnakles, in the North of England Brant Geese, and in Lancashire tree Geese: but the other that do fall upon the land, perish and come to nothing: thus much by the writings of others, and also from the mouths of people of those parts, which may very well accord with truth. But what our eies have seene, and hands have touched, we shall declare. There is a small Ilande in Lancashire called the Pile of Foulders, wherein are found the broken peeces of old and brused ships, some whereof have beene cast thither by shipwracke... whereon is found a certaine spume or froth, that in time breedeth unto certaine shels, in shape like those of the muskle but sharper pointed, and of a whitish colour; wherein is conteined a thing in forme like a lace of silke finely woven, as it were togither, of a whitish colour; one ende whereof is fastned unto the inside of the shell, even as the fish of Oisters and Muskles are; the other ende is made fast unto the belly of a rude masse or lumpe, which in time commeth to the shape and forme of a Bird: when it is perfectly formed the shel gapeth open ... till at length it is all come foorth . . . and falleth into the sea, where it gathereth feathers and groweth to a foule, bigger then a Mallard, and less then a Goose; having blacke legs and bill or beake, and feathers blacke and white, spotted in such maner as is our Magge-Pie; ... which the people of Lancashire call. . . a tree Goose; which place aforesaide and all those parts adjoining do so much abound therewith that one of the best is bought for three pence: for the truth heerof, if any doubt, may it please them to repaire unto me, and I shall satisfie them by the testimonie of good witnesses.' For Camden, see Britannia (Gough's edition), vol. iii, p. 423. slow Bootes. A northern constellation, the Wagoner, situated at the tail of the Great Bear: cf. Blount, Glossogr., Boötes, a slow working star in the northern pole.' PAGE 107. 11. powdered beef. Salted or pickled beef. (Obs.) PAGE 108. 16. their lecturer. One of a class of preachers in the Church of England, usually chosen by the parish and supported by voluntary contributions, whose duty consists mainly in delivering afternoon or evening "lectures". N.E.D. PAGE 109. 22. devout Lessius (1554-1623). A Flemish Jesuit whose works on various subjects were very popular. An English translation of his Hygiasticon, or, The right course of preserving Life and Health unto extream old Age, appeared at Cambridge in 1634: it demonstrates the physical, moral, and intellectual benefits of a moderate diet. 29. that saying of yours. I cannot remember to have read it in this book. Piscator contrasts the angler with other men on p. 22. PAGE 110. 11. an ingenuous brother of the angle. Whoever gave Walton these directions, had read very carefully 'A Treatyse of Fysshynge' by Dame Juliana Berners, in the Book of St. Albans printed at Westminster by Wynkyn de Worde in 1496. Both the names of the twelve flies and the directions for making them correspond almost word for word with her list. 19. in March. N.B.-Throughout this book the months are given in the old style, and so during Walton's life were ten or eleven days earlier than ours. 30. capon. A castrated cock. PAGE 111. 2. hackle. The long shining feathers on the neck of certain birds, as the domestic cock, peacock, pigeon, &c. N.E.D. 3. lapped. 'Wrapped.' 4. herl. A fibre of the shaft of a feather, especially of the peacock or ostrich, used in making artificial flies for angling. N.E.D. 8. list. Border.' (Obs.) 10. braked hemp. Hemp beaten and crushed. 12. mail. The breast-feathers. 14. the wings made contrary one against the other. Dame Juliana has 'the wynges contrary eyther ayenst other', which seems to mean on opposite sides of the body, though without this instruction one would have assumed them to be so placed. 30. Mr. Thomas Barker. Nothing is known of Barker except scanty details given in his pamphlet, The Art of Angling, 1651 (in later editions, Barker's Delight, or, the Art of Angling). He came from Bracemeol in Shropshire, and lived at Westminster. Walton makes very free use of Barker's pamphlet, both here and in other passages. PAGE 112. 10. cast. Contrive,' 'scheme.' (Obs.) 29. in your own reason. 'In your own exercise of reason.' (Obs.) PAGE 113. 6. a plover's top. His crest. 8. crewel. A thin worsted yarn. 6 PAGE 114. 23. in Lapland. They tye three knottes on a strynge hangyng at a whyp. When they lose one of these they rayse tollerable wynds. When they lose an other the wynde is more vehement; but by losing the thyrd they rayse playne tempestes as in old tyme they were accustomed to rayse thunder and lyghtnyng.' (Richard Eden, Hist. of Travayle, 1577.) From very early times the Laplanders were famous for skill in magic and divination. 29. a smoking shower. Smoking = 'Emitting smoke or steam; hence, brisk or fierce.' (Century Dict.) But Walton perhaps means a short shower which would be followed by sunshine, causing the earth to steam. PAGE 115. 4. When the wind is south, &c. This is to be found in J. S. Halliwell's Popular Rhymes, where it is said to be derived from Oxfordshire, but it is known throughout Great Britain in a variety of forms: When the wind is in the east, Then the fishes do bite the least; 9. as Solomon observes. Ecclesiastes xi. 4. 14. 'there is no good horse,' &c. Given in John Ray's Collection of Proverbs (1742) as, ' A good horse cannot be of a bad colour.' 26. May-butter. If during the month of May before you salt your butter you save a lump thereof and put it into a vessell, and so set it into the sunne the space of that moneth, you shall find it exceeding medicinable for wounds.' Eng. Housew. (1615), II. iv. 113. Walton probably means that the rain was as thick as this popular medicine. PAGE 116. 14. Mr. Barker. In his Art of Angling. See note to p. 111, 1. 30. 30. magazine-bag. Cf. Chetham's Angler's Vade-mecum (1681), 'The Angler must always have in readiness a large Magazine Bag or Budget plentifully furnished with the following materials.' The word ' magazine' was used in the same sense. PAGE 117. 13. dape or dop. See note to p. 89, 1. 29. 24. holy Mr. Herbert. See note to p. 46, 1. 3. This poem, entitled 'Vertue', is No. 61 of The Temple. There are three unimportant errors in the transcript. PAGE 118. 7. closes. The conclusions of musical phrases, themes, or movements: cadences. N.E.D. 27. a reverend and learned divine. Christopher Harvie (15951663), author of The Synagogue, a series of devotional poems appended anonymously to the 1640 edition of Herbert's Temple. Walton wrote some commendatory verses for the fourth edition of The Synagogue, and Harvie for the 1655 edition of The Compleat Angler (see above, p. 10). These verses are written at or near the time when the Liturgy was abolished by an ordinance of Parliament.'-Sir John Hawkins (1760). 6 6 PAGE 119. 32. bears the bell. Takes the first place;' according to N.E.D. the phrase arose from the bell carried by the leading cow or sheep in a herd. Pennant, in his North Wales, says a bell was the prize in races in the seventeenth century. 37. an even lay. Lay lay' = 'an even chance'. = 6 'wager', 'bet': i. e. 'an even PAGE 120. 2. to use. 'At usury': i. e. lend it at interest. 6. Virgil's Tityrus and his Meliboeus. The scene of the first eclogue of Virgil, a pastoral dialogue between two countrymen, Tityrus and Meliboeus, is patulae sub tegmine fagi, 'under cover of a broad beech-tree.' 15. Dr. Boteler. 'The person here mentioned I take to be Dr. William Butler, an eminent physician of our author's time, styled by Fuller in his Worthies (Suffolk, 67) the Aesculapius of the age: he invented a medical drink called "Dr. Butler's Ale", |