his congregation; which the sermon borrower complained of to the lender
of it; and thus was answered: "I lent you, indeed, my fiddle, but not my
fiddle-stick; for you are to know, that every one cannot make music with
my words, which are fitted to my own mouth." And so, my scholar, you are
to know, that as the ill pronunciation or ill accenting of words in a
sermon spoils it, so the ill carriage of your line, or not fishing even
to a foot in a right place, makes you lose your labor; 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, you yet have not skill to know how to carry your hand and line, nor
how to guide it to a right place; 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. But take this for a rule: when you fish for a
trout with a worm, let your line have so much and not more lead than
will fit the stream in which you fish; that is to say, more in a great
troublesome stream than in a smaller that is quieter; as near as may be,
so much as will sink the bait to the bottom, and keep it still in
motion, and not more.

But now let's say grace and fall to breakfast. What say you, scholar, to
the providence of an old angler? does not this meat taste well? and was
not this place well chosen to eat it? for this sycamore-tree will shade
us from the sun's heat.

_Venator._--All excellent good, and my stomach excellent good too. And
now I remember and find that true which devout Lessius says: "That poor
men, and those that fast often, have much more pleasure in eating than
rich men and gluttons, that always feed before their stomachs are empty
of their last meal, and call for more; for by that means they rob
themselves of that pleasure that hunger brings to poor men." And I do
seriously approve of that saying of yours, "that you would rather be a
civil, well-governed, well-grounded, temperate, poor angler, than a
drunken lord." But I hope there is none such: however, I am certain of
this, that I have been at many very costly dinners that have not
afforded me half the content that this has done, for which I thank God
and you.

And now, good master, proceed to your promised direction for making and
ordering my artificial fly.

_Piscator_.--My honest scholar, I will do it; for it is a debt due unto
you by my promise....

...