ore, as I find five sorts (the flat, the round, the long,
the legged, and shelled), so the flat are divided into the smooth, sealed,
and tailed. Of the first are the plaice, the but, the turbot, birt, fluke
or sea flounder, doree, dab, etc. Of the second the soles and thornback,
whereof the greater be for the most part either dried and carried into
other countries, or sodden, soused, and eaten here at home, whilst the
lesser be fried or buttered soon after they be taken, as provision not to
be kept long for fear of putrefaction. Under the round kinds are commonly
comprehended lumps (an ugly fish to sight, and yet very delicate in eating
if it be kindly dressed), the whiting (an old waiter or servitor in the
court), the rochet, sea bream, pirle, hake, sea trout, gurnard, haddock,
cod, herring, pilchard, sprat, and such like. And these are they whereof I
have best knowledge, and are commonly to be had in their times upon our
coasts. Under this kind also are all the great fish contained, as the
seal, the dolphin, the porpoise, the thirlepole, whale, and whatsoever is
round of body, be it never so great and huge. Of the long sort are
congers, eels, garefish, and such other of that form. Finally, of the
legged kind we have not many, neither have I seen any more of this sort
than the polypus, called in English the lobster, crayfish (or _crevis_),
and the crab. As for the little crayfishes, they are not taken in the sea,
but plentifully in our fresh rivers in banks, and under stones, where they
keep themselves in most secret manner, and oft, by likeness of colour with
the stones among which they lie, deceive even the skilful takers of them
except they use great diligence. Carolus Stephanus, in his _Maison
Rustique_, doubted whether these lobsters be fish or not; and in the end
concludeth them to grow of the purgation of the water, as doth the frog,
and these also not to be eaten, for that they be strong and very hard of
digestion. But hereof let other determine further.

I might here speak of sundry other fishes now and then taken also upon our
coasts; but, sith my mind is only to touch either on all such as are
usually gotten, or so many of them only as I can well rehearse upon
certain knowledge, I think it good at this time to forbear the further
intreaty of them. As touching the shelly sort, we have plenty of oysters;
whose value in old time for their sweetness was not unknown in Rome
(although Mutianus, as Pliny noteth, lib.