,,maxims ,,and ,,hints ,,on ,,angling1 ,,chess1 ,,shooting1 ,,and ,,other ,,matters2 ,,also1 ,,miseries ,,of ,,fishing4 ,with ,wood-,cuts4 ,,by ,,richard ,,penn1 ,esq41 ,f4,r4,s4 ,a ,,new ,,edition1 ,,enlarged4 ,,london3 ,,john ,,murray1 ,,albemarle ,,street4 ,,mdcccxlii4 ,,london3 ,printed by ,,william ,,clowes and ,,sons1 ,stamford ,street4 ,,contents ,maxims and ,hints for an ,angler #a ,miseries of ,fishing #be ,maxims and ,hints for a ,chess ,player #ee ,maxims and ,hints on ,shooting and ,other ,matters #ha ,,the ,,following ,,extracts ,,from ,,the ,common-,place-,book ,,of ,,the ,,houghton ,,fishing ,,club ,,are ,,respectfully ,,dedicated ,,to ,,his ,,brother ,,anglers ,,by ,a ,,member ,,of ,,the ,,club4 ,,london1 ,march1 #ahcc4 ,,maxims ,,and ,,hints ,,for ,,an ,,angler4 ,you see the ways the fisherman doth take ,to catch the fish2 what engines doth he make8 ,behold6 how he engageth all his wits1 ,also his snares1 lines1 angles1 hooks1 and nets3 ,yet fish there be1 that neither hook nor line1 ,nor snare1 nor net1 nor engine can make thine2 ,they must be groped for1 and be tickled too1 ,or they will not be catch'd1 whate'er you do4 ,,john ,,bunyan ,,maxims ,,and ,,hints ,,for ,,an ,,angler3 ,,by ,a ,,bungler4 ,loosely thrown out1 in order to provoke contradiction1 and elicit truth from the expert4 ,i4 ,,are there any fish in the river to which you are going8 ,,ii4 ,having settled the above question in the affirmative1 get some person who knows the water to show you whereabout the fish usually lie2 and when he shows them to you1 do not show yourself to them4 ,,iii4 ,comparatively coarse fishing will succeed better when you are not seen by the fish1 than the finest when they see you4 ,,iv4 ,do not imagine that1 because a fish does not instantly dart off on first seeing you1 he is the less aware of your presence2 he almost always on such occasions ceases to feed1 and pays you the compliment of devoting his whole attention to you1 whilst he is preparing for a start whenever the apprehended danger becomes sufficiently imminent4 ,v4 ,by wading when the sun does not shine1 you may walk in the river within eighteen or twenty yards below a fish1 which would be immediately driven away by your walking on the bank on either side1 though at a greater distance from him4 ,,vi4 ,when you are fishing with the natural ,may-fly1 it is as well to wait for a passing cloud1 as to drive away the fish by putting your fly to him in the glare of the sunshine1 when he will not take it4 ,,vii4 ,if you pass your fly neatly and well three times over a trout1 and he refuses it1 do not wait any longer for him3 you may be sure that he has seen the line of invitation which you have sent over the water to him1 and does not intend to come4 ,,viii4 ,if your line be nearly taut1 as it ought to be1 with little or no gut in the water1 a good fish will always hook himself1 on your gently raising the top of the rod when he has taken the fly4 ,illustration3 ,whence he is to be instantly whipt out by an expert assistant1 furnished1 c4 ,to face page #f4 ,,ix4 ,if you are above a fish in the stream when you hook him1 get below him as soon as you can2 and remember that if you pull him1 but for an instant1 against the stream1 he will1 if a heavy fish1 break his hold2 or if he should be firmly hooked1 you will probably find that the united strength of the stream and fish is too much for your skill and tackle4 ,x4 ,i do not think that a fish has much power of stopping himself if1 immediately on being hooked1 he is moved slowly with the current1 under the attractive influence of your rod and line4 ,he will soon find that a forced march of this sort is very fatiguing1 and he may then be brought1 by a well-regulated exercise of gentle violence1 to the bank1 from whence he is to be instantly whipt out by an expert assistant1 furnished with a landing-net1 the ring of which ought not to be of a less diameter than eighteen inches1 the handle of it being seven feet long4 ,,xi4 ,if1 after hooking a trout1 you allow him to remain stationary but for a moment1 he will have time to put his helm hard a-port or a-starboard1 and to offer some resistance4 ,strong tackle now becomes useful4 ,,xii4 ,bear always in mind that no tackle is strong enough1 unless well handled4 ,a good fisherman will easily kill a trout of three pounds with a rod and a line which are not strong enough to lift a dead weight of one pound from the floor1 and place it on the table4 ,,xiii4 ,remember that1 in whipping with the artificial fly1 it must have time1 when you have drawn it out of the water1 to make the whole circuit1 and to be at one time straight behind you1 before it can be driven out straight before you4 ,if you give it the forward impulse too soon1 you will hear a crack4 ,take this as a hint that your fly is gone to grass4 ,,xiv4 ,never throw with a long line when a short one will answer your purpose4 ,the most difficult fish to hook is one which is rising at three-fourths of the utmost distance to which you can throw4 ,even when you are at the extent of your distance1 you have a better chance2 because in this case1 when you do reach him1 your line will be straight1 and1 when you do not1 the intermediate failures will not alarm him4 ,,xv4 ,it appears to me that1 in whipping with an artificial fly1 there are only two cases in which a fish taking the fly will infallibly hook himself without your assistance1 viz4 #a4 ,when your fly first touches the water at the end of a straight line4 #b4 ,when you are drawing out your fly for a new throw4 ,in all other cases it is necessary that1 in order to hook him when he has taken the fly1 you should do something with your wrist which it is not easy to describe4 ,,xvi4 ,if your line should fall loose and wavy into the water1 it will either frighten away the fish1 or he will take the fly into his mouth without fastening himself2 and when he finds that it does not answer his purpose1 he will spit it out again1 before it has answered yours4 ,,xvii4 ,although the question of fishing up or down the stream is usually settled by the direction of the wind1 you may sometimes have the option2 and it is1 therefore1 as well to say a word or two on both sides4 #a4 ,if1 when you are fishing down-stream1 you take a step or two with each successive throw1 your fly is always travelling over new water1 which cannot have been disturbed by the passing of your line4 #b4 ,when you are fishing up-stream1 you may lose the advantage of raising so many fish2 but1 on the other hand1 you will have a better chance of hooking those which rise at your fly1 because the darting forward of a fish seizing it has a tendency to tighten your line1 and produce the desired effect4 #c4 ,if you are in the habit of sometimes catching a fish1 there is another great advantage in fishing up-stream1 viz4 whilst you are playing and leading 7necessarily down-stream7 the fish which you have hooked1 you do not alarm the others which are above you1 waiting till their turn comes4 ,,xviii4 ,the learned are much divided in opinion as to the propriety of whipping with two flies or with one4 ,i am humbly of opinion that your chance of hooking fish is much increased by your using two flies2 but ,i think that1 by using only one1 you increase your chance of landing the fish4 ,,xix4 ,when you are using two flies1 you can easily find the bob-fly on the top of the water1 and thus be sure that the end-fly is not far off4 ,when you are using only one fly1 you cannot so easily see where the fly is2 but ,i think that you can make a better guess as to where the fish is likely to be after you have hooked him4 ,,xx4 ,also1 when you are using two flies1 you may sometimes catch a fish with one of them1 and a weed growing in the river with the other4 ,when such a liaison is once formed1 you will find it difficult1 with all your attractions1 to overcome the strong attachment of the fish to your worthless rival the weed4 ,,xxi4 ,if the weed will not give way in the awkward juncture above alluded to1 you must proceed to extremities4 ,then comes the tug of war2 and your line is quite as likely to break between you and the fish1 as between the fish and the weed4 ,,xxii4 ,when1 during the season of the ,may-fly1 your friends1 the gentlemen from ,london1 say that they have scarcely seen a fish rise all day1 do not too hastily conclude that the fish have not been feeding on the fly4 ,illustration3 ,you will find it difficult1 with all your attractions1 to overcome the strong attachment1 c4 ,to face page #ab4 ,,xxiii4 ,the only rising which is seen by the unlearned is the splash which is made by a fish when he darts from a considerable depth in the water to catch an occasional fly on the surface4 ,there is1 however1 another sort of rising1 which is better worth the skilful angler's attention1 viz4 ,,xxiv4 ,when a fish is seriously feeding on the fly1 he stations himself at no greater depth than his own length1 and1 making his tail the hinge of his motions1 he gently raises his mouth to the top of the water1 and quietly sucks in the fly attempting to pass over him4 ,a rising of this sort is not easily seen1 but it is worth looking for2 because1 although a fish feeding in this manner will rarely go many inches on either side for a fly1 he will as rarely refuse to take one which comes 7without any gut in the water7 directly to him4 ,,xxv4 ,if your fly 7gut unfortunately included7 should swim over a fish without his taking it1 look out well for a darting line of undulation1 which betokens his immediate departure2 and remember1 that it is of no use to continue fishing for him after he is gone4 ,,xxvi4 ,the stations chosen by fish for feeding are those which are likely to afford them good sport in catching flies1 viz4 #a4 ,the mouths of ditches running into the river4 #b4 ,the confluence of two branches of a stream1 which has been divided by a patch of weeds4 #c4 ,that part of a stream which has been narrowed by two such patches4 #d4 ,fish are also to be found under the bank opposite to the wind1 where they are waiting for the flies which are blown against that bank1 and fall into the river4 ,,xxvii4 ,if1 during your walks by the river-side1 you have marked any good fish1 it is fair to presume that other persons have marked them also4 ,suppose the case of two well-known fish1 one of them 7which ,i will call ,a47 lying above a certain bridge1 the other 7which ,i will call ,b47 lying below the bridge4 ,suppose further that you have just caught ,b41 and that some curious and cunning friend should say to you in a careless way1 ,where did you take that fine fish8 a finished fisherman would advise you to tell your inquiring friend that you had taken your fish just above the bridge1 describing1 as the scene of action1 the spot which1 in truth1 you know to be still occupied by the other fish1 ,a4 ,your friend would then fish no more for ,a41 supposing that to be the fish which you have caught2 and whilst he innocently resumes his operations below the bridge1 where he falsely imagines ,b4 still to be1 ,a4 is left quietly for you1 if you can catch him4 ,,xxviii4 ,when you see a large fish rising so greedily in the middle of a sharp stream1 that you feel almost sure of his instantly taking your ,may-fly1 ,i would advise you to make an accurate survey of all obstructions in the immediate neighbourhood of your feet--of any ditch which may be close behind you--or of any narrow plank1 amidst high rushes1 which you may shortly have to walk over in a hurry4 ,if you should hook the fish1 a knowledge of these interesting localities will be very useful to you4 ,,xxix4 ,when your water-proof boots are wet through1 make a hole or two near the bottom of them1 in order that the water1 which runs in whilst you are walking in the river1 may run freely out again whilst you are walking on the bank4 ,you will thus avoid an accompaniment of pumping-music1 which is not agreeable4 ,,xxx4 ,never mind what they of the old school say about playing him till he is tired4 ,much valuable time and many a good fish may be lost by this antiquated proceeding4 ,put him into your basket as soon as you can4 ,everything depends on the manner in which you commence your acquaintance with him4 ,if you can at first prevail upon him to go a little way down the stream with you1 you will have no difficulty afterwards in persuading him to let you have the pleasure of seeing him at dinner4 ,,xxxi4 ,do not be afraid of filling your pockets too full when you go out2 you are more likely to leave something behind you than to take too much4 ,a man who seldom catches a fish at any other time1 usually gets hold of one 7and loses him of course7 whilst his attendant is gone back for something which had been forgotten4 ,,xxxii4 ,if your attendant is a handy fellow at landing a fish1 let him do it in his own way3 if he is not1 try to find a better man1 or go home4 ,although so much depends upon his skill1 you will rarely derive much comfort from asking him for his opinion4 ,if you have had bad sport1 and say to him1 ,which way shall we go now8 he will most probably say1 ,where you please1 sir4 ,if you ask him what he thinks of the weather1 he is very likely to say that last week 7when you were in ,london7 it was famous weather for fishing2 or he will perhaps say1 that he expects that next week 7when you are to be at home again7 it will be very good4 ,i never knew one of these men who was satisfied with the present hour4 ,,xxxiii4 ,do not leave off fishing early in the evening because your friends are tired4 ,after a bright day1 the largest fish are to be caught by whipping between sunset and dark4 ,even1 however1 in these precious moments1 you will not have good sport if you continue throwing after you have whipped your fly off4 ,pay attention to this2 and if you have any doubt after dusk1 you may easily ascertain the point1 by drawing the end of the line quickly through your hand1--particularly if you do not wear gloves4 ,,xxxiv4 ,no attempt is here made to give directions as to the best seasons for cutting the woods which are fittest for the making of rods1 or as to the mode of preparing them2 because the worst rod which is kept for sale at the present day is probably as good as the best of the first few dozen which any amateur is likely to make for himself4 ,,xxxv4 ,lastly--,when you have got hold of a good fish1 which is not very tractable1 if you are married1 gentle reader1 think of your wife1 who1 like the fish1 is united to you by very tender ties1 which can only end with her death1 or her going into weeds4 ,if you are single1 the loss of the fish1 when you thought the prize your own1 may remind you of some more serious disappointment4 ,r4 ,p4 ,rod ,cottage1 ,river ,side1 #cast ,may1 #ahbi4 ,illustration ,,postscript4 ,i ,,forgot to say1 that1 if a friend should invite you to his house1 saying that he will give you an excellent day's fishing1 you ought not to doubt his kind intention1 but you certainly ought not to feel very sure that you will have good sport4 ,provide yourself for such a visit with everything which you may want1 as if you were going into an uninhabited country4 ,above all things1 take a landing-net with you4 ,your friend's 7if he has one7 is probably torn and without a handle1 being a sort of reticulated shovel for taking fish out of the well of a punt4 ,take warning from the following story3-- ,mr4 ,jackson and ,mr4 ,thompson went last week to the house of ,mr4 ,jenkins1 for a few days' fishing4 ,they were received with the utmost kindness and hospitality by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,jenkins1 and on the following morning after breakfast1 the gardener 7who was on that day called the fisherman7 was desired to attend them to the river4 ,thompson1 who had a landing-net of his own1 begged to have a boy to carry it4 ,jack was immediately sent for1 and he appeared in top boots1 with a livery hat and waistcoat4 ,arrived at the water-side1 ,thompson gave his gnat-basket to the boy1 and told him to go on the other side of the river1 and look on the grass for a few ,may-flies4 ,jack said that he did not exactly know what ,may-flies were1 and that the river could not be crossed without going over a bridge a mile off4 ,thompson is a patient man1 so he began to fish with his landing-net for a few ,may-flies1 and after he had necessarily frightened away many fish1 he succeeded in catching six or seven ,may-flies4 ,illustration3 ,the boy exclaiming1 ,damn 'un1 ,i miss'd 'un1 instantly threw a second brick-bat4 ,to face page #bc4 ,working one of them with the blowing-line much to his own satisfaction1 and thinking to extract a compliment from his attendant1 he said1 ,they do not often fish here in this way--do they8 ,no1 said the boy1 they drags wi' a net2 they did zo the day afore yesterday4 ,our angler1 after much patient fishing1 hooked a fine trout2 and having brought him carefully to the bank1 he said1 ,now1 my lad1 don't be in a hurry1 but get him out as soon as you can4 ,jack ran to the water's edge1 threw down the net1 and seizing the line with both hands1 of course broke it immediately4 ,nothing daunted1 ,thompson now mended his tackle and went on fishing2 and when he thought1 good easy man1 that the very moment for hooking another trout was arrived1 there was a great splash just above his fly2--and the boy exclaiming1 ,damn un1 ,i miss'd un1 instantly threw a second brick-bat at a rat which was crossing the river4 ,mine host1 in order to accommodate his friends1 dined early2 and when they went after dinner to enjoy the evening fishing1 they found that the miller had turned off the water1 and that the river was nearly dry1--so they went back to tea4 ,r4 ,p4 ,illustration3 ,f4 ,r4 ,lee1 ,esq41 ,r4,a4 ,,miseries ,,of ,,fishing4 ,quaeque ipse miserrima vidi4 ,,miseries ,,of ,,fishing4 ,i4 ,,making a great improvement in a receipt which a friend had given you for staining gut--and finding that you have produced exactly the colour which you wanted1 but that the dye has made all your bottoms quite rotten4 ,,ii4 ,suddenly putting up your hand to save your hat in a high wind1 and grasping a number of artificial flies1 which you had pinned round it1 without any intention of taking hold of more than one at a time4 ,,iii4 ,leading a large fish down-stream and arriving at a ditch1 the width of which is evident1 although the depth of it may be a matter of some doubt4 ,having thus to decide very quickly whether you will lose the fish and half your tackle1 or run the risk of going up to your neck in mud4 ,perhaps both4 ,,iv4 ,feeling rather unsteady whilst you are walking on a windy day over an old foot-bridge1 and having occasion to regret the decayed state of the hand-rail1 which once protected the passing fisherman4 ,v4 ,fishing for the first time with flies of your own making--and finding that they are quite as good as any which you can buy1 except that the hooks are not so firmly tied to the gut4 ,,vi4 ,taking out with you as your aide-de-camp an unsophisticated lad from the neighbouring village1 who laughs at you when you miss hooking a fish rising at a fly1 and says with a grin4 ,you can't vasten 'em as my vather does4 ,illustration3 ,and having occasion to regret the decayed state of the hand-rail1 c4 ,to face page #bh4 ,,vii4 ,making the very throw which you feel sure will at last enable you to reach a fish that is rising at some distance--and seeing the upper half of your rod go into the middle of the river4 ,when you have towed it ashore1 finding that it has broken off close to the ferule1 which is immoveably fixed in the lower half of your rod4 ,,viii4 ,feeling the first cold drop giving notice to your great toe that in less than two minutes your boot will be full of water4 ,,ix4 ,going out on a morning so fine that no man would think of taking his water-proof cloak with him--and then1 before catching any fish1 being thoroughly wet through by an unexpected shower4 ,x4 ,when you cannot catch any fish--being told by your attendant of the excellent sport which your predecessor had on the same spot1 only a few days before4 ,,xi4 ,having brought with you from town a large assortment of expensive artificial flies--and being told on showing them to an experienced native1 that ,they are certainly very beautiful1 but that none of them are of any use here4 ,,xii4 ,after trying in vain to reach a trout which is rising on the opposite side of the river--at last walking on2 and before you have gone #ajj yards1 looking back1 and seeing a more skilful friend catch him at the first throw4--,weight #c lbs4 #b oz4 ,illustration3 ,looking back1 and seeing a more skilful friend catch him at the first throw4 ,to face page #cj4 ,,xiii4 ,having stupidly trodden on the top of your rod--and then finding that the spare top1 which you have brought out with you in the butt1 belongs to the rod which you have left at home1 and will not fit that which you are using4 ,,xiv4 ,having steered safely through some very dangerous weeds a fish which you consider to weigh at least #c lbs41 and having brought him safely to the very edge of the bank1--then seeing him1 when he is all but in the landing-net1 make a plunge1 which in a moment renders all your previous skill of no avail1 and puts it out of your power to verify the accuracy of your calculations as to his weight4 ,,xv4 ,fishing with the blowing-line when the wind is so light that your fly is seldom more than two yards from you1 or when the wind is so strong that it always carries your fly up into the air1 before it comes to the spot which you wish it to swim over4 ,,xvi4 ,wishing to show off before a young friend whom you have been learnedly instructing in the mysteries of the art1 and finding that you cannot catch any fish yourself1 whilst he 7an inexperienced hand7 hooks and lands 7by mere accident of course7 a very large one4 ,,xvii4 ,attempting to walk across the river in a new place without knowing exactly whereabouts certain holes1 which you have heard of1 are4 ,probing the bottom in front of you with the handle of your landing-net1--and finding it very soft4 ,illustration3 ,probing the bottom in front of you with the handle of your landing-net4 ,to face page #cb4 ,,xviii4 ,going some distance for three days' fishing1 on the two first of which there is bright sunshine and no wind1 and then finding that the third1 which opens with a southerly wind and a cloudy sky1 is the day which a neighbouring farmer has fixed upon for washing two hundred sheep on the shallow where you expected to have the best sport4 ,,xix4 ,being allowed to have one day's fishing in a stream1 the windings of which are so many1 that it would require half a dozen different winds to enable you to fish the greater part of it1 from the only side to which your leave extends4 ,,xx4 ,finding1 on taking your book out of your pocket1 that the fly at the end of your line is not the only one by many dozen which you have had in the water1 whilst you have been wading rather too deep4 ,,xxi4 ,wading half an inch deeper than the tops of your boots1 and finding afterwards that you must carry about with you four or five quarts in each1 or must sit down on the wet grass whilst your attendant pulls them off1 in order that you may empty them1 and try to pull them on again4 ,,xxii4 ,jumping out of bed very early every morning1 during the season of the ,may-fly1 to look at a weathercock opposite to your window1 and always finding the wind either in the north or east4 ,illustration3 ,you must sit down on the wet grass whilst your attendant pulls them off1 in order1 c4 ,to face page #cd4 ,,xxiii4 ,having just hooked a heavy fish1 when you are using the blowing-line1 and seeing the silk break about two feet above your hand2 then watching the broken end as it travels quickly through each successive ring1 till it finally leaves the top of your rod1 and follows the fish to the bottom of the river4 ,,xxiv4 ,receiving a very elegant new rod from ,london1 and being told by one of the most skilful of your brother anglers1 that it is so stiff1--and by another1 that it is so pliant1 that it is not possible for any man to throw a fly properly with it4 ,,xxv4 ,being obliged to listen to a long story about the difficulties which one of your friends had to encounter in landing a very fine trout which has just been placed on the table for dinner1 when you have no story of the same sort to tell in return4 ,,xxvi4 ,hooking a large trout1 and then turning the handle of your reel the wrong way2 thus producing an effect diametrically opposite to that of shortening your line1 and making the fish more unmanageable than before4 ,,xxvii4 ,arriving just before sunset at a shallow1 where the fish are rising beautifully1 and finding that they are all about to be immediately driven away by five-and-twenty cows1 which are preparing to walk very leisurely across the river in open files4 ,,xxviii4 ,coming to an ugly ditch in your way across a water-meadow late in the day1 when you are too tired to jump1 and being obliged to walk half a mile in search of a place where you think you can step over it4 ,illustration3 ,finding that they are all about to be immediately driven away by five-and-twenty cows4 ,to face page #cf4 ,,xxix4 ,flattering yourself that you had brought home the largest fish of the day1 and then finding that two of your party have each of them caught a trout more than half a pound heavier than yours4 ,,xxx4 ,finding yourself reduced to the necessity of talking about the beautiful form and colour of some trout1 which you have caught1 being well aware that in the important particular of weight1 they are much inferior to several of those taken on the same day by one of your companions4 ,,xxxi4 ,telling a long story after dinner1 tending to show 7with full particulars of time and place7 how that1 under very difficult circumstances1 and notwithstanding very great skill on your part1 your tackle had been that morning broken and carried away by a very large fish2 and then having the identical fly1 lost by you on that occasion1 returned to you by one of your party1 who found it in the mouth of a trout1 caught by him1 about an hour after your disaster1 on the very spot so accurately described by you--the said very large fish being1 after all1 a very small one4 ,,xxxii4 ,arriving at a friend's house in the country1 one very cold evening in ,march1 and being told by his keeper that there are a great many large pike in the water1 and that you are sure of having good sport on the following day2 and then looking out of your bed-room window the next morning1 and seeing two unhappy swans dancing an awkward sort of minuet on the ice1 the surface of the lake having been completely frozen during the night4 ,r4 ,p4 ,,london1 ,march1 #ahcc4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,f4 ,r4 ,lee1 ,esq41 ,r4,a4 ,,more ,,miseries4 7,continuation of ,story from page #bd47 ,,on a subsequent occasion our honest anglers repeated their visit to ,mr4 ,jenkins1 who1 with the view of making himself more agreeable to his guests1 had1 in the meantime1 agreed to pay an annual rent to the miller1 for the exclusive right of fishing in some water belonging to the mill1 which was said to contain the largest fish in the river4 ,now1 this miller had a son1 who1 whilst he followed his father's daily occupation of preparing matter for the loaves1 sometimes thought of the fishes too2 and he was better known in the neighbourhood for his great skill in fishing1 than for any unusual acquaintance with the mysteries of grinding4 ,he had frequently used much argument and entreaty to dissuade his father from letting the fishery2 but the prudent old miller thought that ,l#ae per annum1 to be paid by ,mr4 ,jenkins1 would be more profitable to him1 than any pleasure which his son might derive from catching many fine brace of trout during the season4 ,illustration3 ,he now sallied forth1 not 'equal to both1' but 'armed for either field4' ,to face page #dc4 ,such was the state of affairs in this part of the world1 when ,mr4 ,jackson and ,mr4 ,thompson arrived early one morning1 by special invitation1 to make a first trial of their skill in the new water4 ,the usual conversation about the state of the weather was quickly despatched at breakfast4 ,the wind was1 for once1 pronounced to be in the right quarter4 ,it was unanimously agreed that there could not well be a more favourable day for fishing1 and that1 therefore1 the gentlemen ought to lose no time in going down to the river4 ,our old friend1 ,thompson1 who1 as we have already seen1 was not always very successful with a fly1 had lately1 in order that he might have two strings to his bow,a1 been learning another branch of the gentle art1 called ,spinning a minnow2 and he now sallied forth1 not equal to both1 but armed for either field1 and walked with a confident step to a celebrated spot below the mill4 ,this new acquirement had been kept a profound secret from ,jackson1 who went out1 as usual1 fly-fishing1 and proceeded to a part of the stream above the mill4 ,it was not to be expected that the young miller would work cheerfully at the mill that morning4 ,he felt that1 although he had been cruelly deprived of the fishery by his father1 he surely had a right to look at the gentlemen if he pleased2 he therefore put on his dusty hat and walked1 in a surly mood1 to the river side1--taking with him1 as the companion of his sorrows1 a ragged little boy1 who had often witnessed his exploits with envy and admiration1 and occasionally imitated his great example in a very humble manner by fishing for gudgeons in the canal4 ,the youth and the boy found ,thompson so busily engaged in arranging his new spinning-tackle1 that he did not perceive that they had established themselves within a few yards of him4 ,there he stood upon the bank1 deeply impressed with the value of some excellent instructions which he had lately received for his guidance1 and fully sensible of the vast superiority over ,jackson which he now possessed4 ,having at last settled every preliminary to his entire satisfaction1 he was just about to cast in his minnow for the first time1 when the miller attracted ,thompson's notice by that peculiar sort of short cough which is a relief to suppressed insolence1 and acts as a safety-valve to prevent explosion4 ,poor ,thompson6 ,he did not feel quite qualified for a performance of the kind before a critic so well able to judge1 and so little disposed to admire2 but he considered that it would be infra dig4 to appear disconcerted by the young miller's presence1--so he assumed a look of defiance1 and manfully commenced operations4 ,after one or two bad throws1 and sundry awkward attempts at improvement1 a fine trout 7mirabile dictu67 darted from under the bank and seized his minnow4 ,who cares for the miller now8 thought ,thompson2 but1 alas6 the happy thought passed through his mind-- ,too like the lightning1 which doth cease to be ,ere one can say--,it lightens4 ,he unfortunately 7vide ,maxim ,,ix47 held the fish a little too hard against the stream1 and pulled him so very triumphantly1 that the thrilling sensation of tugging pressure on the rod suddenly ceased1 and the hookless end of the broken line flew into the air66 ,at this awful crisis the young miller's cough became very troublesome1 and the boy coolly called out to him-- ,i say1 ,jack6--,i'll lay a penny that wouldn't ha' happened if you had had hold on 'im666 99 99 99 99 99 ,long before ,thompson had recovered from the effects of this sad disaster1 ,jenkins came up to him to announce that luncheon was ready4 ,overwhelming our poor sufferer with a torrent of well-meant condolence1 he said-- ,well1 ,thompson6 ,what6 no sport8 ,that is unlucky6 ,i am very anxious that you should catch a good fish4 ,jackson has just caught a brace of very fine ones6 ,this is exactly the spot where ,i expected that you would have the best sport6 ,illustration3 ,i'll lay a penny that wouldn't ha' happened if you had hold on 'im66 ,to face page #df4 ,the miller tells me that the largest fish lie there,b1 near that broken post under the opposite bank4 ,pray cast your minnow close to that1 and you will be sure to run a fish almost immediately4 ,jenkins little knew what he was asking4 ,the aforesaid post was at a formidable distance1--it could only be reached by a most skilful hand4 ,thompson felt by no means disposed to attempt it1 because1 although ,jenkins appeared to think that it would be an easy task for so finished an angler as ,thompson1 he himself had no doubt that the odious miller1 who was still looking on1 was of a very different opinion4 ,he therefore thought that it would be wise to leave the question undetermined1 and not to give a casting vote on the occasion4 ,and now ,thompson1 turning his back on the river1 walked home arm-in-arm with his friend ,mr4 ,jenkins1 grieving much about the fish which he had lost1 and perhaps a little about those which ,jackson had caught4 ,the brace of very fine trout1 said to have been caught by ,mr4 ,jackson1 were exhibited by him in due form to ,mr4 ,thompson and the ladies1 just before luncheon4 ,whilst he was pointing out the beautiful condition of the fish1 without at all underrating their weight1 ,miss ,smith1 who was staying on a visit with her sister1 ,mrs4 ,jenkins1 pleasantly remarked that ,mr4 ,jackson was very lucky to have caught two such fine fish whilst ,mr4 ,thompson had not caught any4 ,this led to an interesting conversation about the caprice of the fickle goddess1 so often alluded to in the lamentations of an unsuccessful angler4 ,thompson took no part in the discussion1 and he did not refer them to the miller or the little boy for any other explanation,c of the cause of his failure2 but he begged that they would allow him to eat his luncheon1 without waiting for the rest of the party1 as he was anxious to return as soon as possible to the river1 where he expected to have great sport in the evening4 ,illustration3 ,geo4 ,jones1 ,esq4 ,r4,a4 ,he begged that they would allow him to eat his luncheon without waiting for the rest of the party4 ,to face page #di4 ,after luncheon1 our unfortunate hero did not catch any fish1 and he found that he could not throw his minnow within several yards of the far-famed post1 even when he was not annoyed by spectators4 ,he contrived1 however1 to get fast hold of another1 at a much less distance from him2 in consequence of which1 he was obliged to abandon a second set of his best minnow tackle 7price #bs4 #f;d47 to its fate in the middle of the river4 ,illustration3 ,his ears were assailed by a loud repetition of the cruel cough4 ,to face page #ea4 ,at the end of his day's sport1 ,thompson omitted to use the wise precaution of taking his rod to pieces,d1 before leaving the river side4 ,on his way homewards1 in the evening1 he met the little boy1 who slily asked him if he had had good sport since4 ,this brought to his recollection the fact of his having to pass through the mill1 in order to cross the river2 and the prospect of his being asked a similar question by the miller was not agreeable4 ,when he arrived at the mill1 all was quiet2 and he1 therefore1 flattered himself that the miller was comfortably enjoying his pipe at the ale-house4--,thompson was now so elated at the idea of passing through unobserved1 that he quite forgot the exalted state of his rod1 until he was reminded of it by a sudden jerk which broke off the top1 leaving his third and last set of tackle1 with a brilliant artificial minnow1 sticking fast in a projecting rafter,e above his reach4 ,hastily shoving the broken joint 7,thompson never swears7 into the butt of his rod1 he hoped that he should be able to conceal all knowledge of this last misfortune4 ,he1 however1 felt very unwilling that the shining little minnow should remain in its present position1 as a glaring proof of his awkwardness2 and it immediately occurred to him1 that a small ladder1 which was close at hand1 was a thing exactly suited to the occasion2 but at the very moment when he became convinced1 by actual experiment1 that it was too short for his purpose1 his ears were assailed by a loud repetition of the cruel cough1 and his eyes were met by a killing glance from those of the miller's son4 ,on the following day1 ,thompson returned1 much out of spirits1 to ,london4 ,on that day1 too1 the young miller resumed his duties at the mill1 less out of humour than before4 ,very shortly after this the old miller died1 and the son then took the fishery into his own hands2 and1 however closely he may now resemble his late grandfather 7who formerly lived on the ,river ,dee71 in caring for nobody1 he never1 whilst ,thompson lives1 will be able to say ,nobody cares for me4 99 99 99 99 99 ,so ends my ,tale3 for ,i fear that the reader must think that1 like ,thompson1 he has now had quite enough of ,,the ,,miseries ,,of ,,fishing4 ,i feel1 however1 assured that he will forgive me for relating this story1 because1 although his attention may be fatigued by the perusal of it1 his eye will be gratified by the beauty of several new illustrations1 which ,i owe to the kindness of my friends1 the distinguished artists1 whose names are printed under their welcome contributions to my little book4 ,r4 ,p4 ,whitehall1 ,march1 #ahci4 ,illustration3 ,sir ,francis ,chantrey1 ,r4,a4 ,,footnotes3 ,a ,it was a long one1 when he talked about fishing4 ,b ,there the fish did not lie1 but the miller did4 ,he well knew that1 since the letting of the fishery1 his son had taken good care that the best of them should be gradually removed to ,billingsgate by a more summary process than that of rod and line4 ,c ,neither did ,mr4 ,jackson think it necessary to explain to the ladies1 or even to his friend ,thompson1 that the very fine fish1 about which he had received so many compliments1 had been taken by fixing his landing-net at the mouth of one of the narrow water-courses1 up which they had worked their way in search of minnows2--a secret method of ensuring good sport1 well known to some few very cunning anglers1 whose motto is ,unde habeas quaerit ,nemo1 sed oportet habere4--,,juv4 ,d ,i understand that ,thompson has written a long letter1 complaining of my not having given any maxim or hint on this important point4 ,i beg leave here to apologise for the omission2 and ,i have no hesitation in advising him1 if he should ever put his rod together again1 not to omit taking it to pieces as soon as he has done fishing4 ,e ,piscium et summa genus haesit ulmo4--,,hor4 ,,maxims ,,and ,,hints ,,for ,a ,,chess ,,player4 ,lorsque je veux1 sans y faire semblant1 me livrer aux meditations d'une douce philosophie1 je vais a la peche4 ,ma longue experience me tient en garde contre les inconveniens d'une mauvaise pratique2 et je jouis de mon succes1 qu'aucun jaloux ne vient troubler4 ,ma peche finie1 eh bien6 je rentre dans le mouvement de la vie1 je fais ma partie d'echecs2 je triomphe1 mon sang circule2 je suis battu1 mais je me releve4--,,tactique ,,des ,,recreations4 ,,maxims ,,and ,,hints ,,for ,a ,,chess ,,player4 ,illustration ,i4 ,,win as often as you can1 but never make any display of insulting joy on the occasion4 ,when you cannot win--lose 7though you may not like it7 with good temper4 ,,ii4 ,if your adversary1 after you have won a game1 wishes to prove that you have done so in consequence of some fault of his rather than by your own good play1 you need not enter into much argument on the subject1 whilst he is explaining to the by-standers the mode by which he might have won the game1 but did not4 ,,iii4 ,nor need you make yourself uneasy if your adversary should console himself by pointing out a mode by which you might have won the game in a shorter and more masterly manner4 ,listen patiently to his explanation--it cannot prove that your way was not good enough4 ,tous les chemins sont bons qui menent a la victoire4 ,,iv4 ,when you are playing with an opponent whom you feel sure that you can master1 do not insult him by saying that you consider him a stronger player than yourself1--but that perhaps particular circumstances may prevent him from playing with his usual force to-day1 c4 c4 ,men usually play as well as they can3 they are glad when they win1 and sorry when they lose4 ,v4 ,sometimes--when1 alas6 you have lost the game--an unmerciful conqueror will insist on murdering ,pizarro all over again1 and glories in explaining how that your game was irretrievable after you had given a certain injudicious check with the queen1,f 7the consequence of which he says that he immediately foresaw17 and that then1 by a succession of very good moves on his part1 he won easily4 ,you must bear all this as well as you can1 although it is certainly not fair to preach'ee and flog'ee too4 ,,vi4 ,a good player seldom complains that another is slow4 ,he is glad to have the opportunity thus afforded to him of attentively considering the state of the game4 ,do not1 therefore1 be impatient when it is your adversary's turn to move4 ,take as much time as you require 7and no more7 when it is your own turn4 ,,vii4 ,if1 whilst you are playing1 your adversary will talk about the state of the game1 it is very provoking1 but you cannot help it1 and the pieces will give you ample revenge1 if you can avail yourself of their power4 ,,viii4 ,if the by-standers talk1 it is still more annoying3 they always claim the merit of having foreseen every good move which is made1 and they sometimes express great surprise at your not making a particular move2 which1 if you had made it1 would probably have led to your speedily losing the game--before which time they would have walked away to another table4 ,,ix4 ,almost every moderate player thinks himself fully qualified to criticise the move by which a game has been lost4--,although1 if he had himself been in the loser's place1 he would1 very probably1 have been check-mated twenty moves sooner than the opportunity occurred for committing the particular mistake1 which he thinks he should have avoided4 ,x4 ,amongst good players1 it is considered to be as much an indispensable condition of the game1 that a piece once touched must be moved1 as that the queen is not allowed to have the knight's1 or a rook the bishop's move4 ,,xi4 ,some persons1 when they are playing with a stranger who entreats to be allowed to take back a move1 let him do so the first time3 then1 almost immediately afterwards1 they put their own queen en prise2 and when the mistake is politely pointed out to them1 they say that they never take back a move1 but that they are ready to begin another game4 ,,xii4 ,do not be alarmed about the state of your adversary's health1 when1 after losing two or three games1 he complains of having a bad head-ache1 or of feeling very unwell4 ,if he should win the next game1 you will probably hear no more of this4 ,,xiii4 ,never 7if you can avoid it7 lose a game to a person who rarely wins when he plays with you4 ,if you do so1 you may afterwards find that this one game has been talked of to all his friends1 although he may have forgotten to mention ninety-nine others which had a different result4 ,chess players have a very retentive memory with regard to the games which they win4 ,,xiv4 ,if1 therefore1 any one should tell you that on a certain day last week he won a game from one of your friends1 it may be as well to ask how many other games were played on the same day4 ,,xv4 ,there is no better way of deciding on the comparative skill of two players than by the result of a number of games4 ,be satisfied with that result1 and do not attempt to reason upon it4 ,,xvi4 ,remember the ,italian proverb1 ,never make a good move without first looking out for a better4 ,even if your adversary should leave his queen en prise1 do not snap hastily at it4 ,the queen is a good thing to win1 but the game is a better4 ,,xvii4 ,between even1 and tolerably good1 players a mere trifle frequently decides the event of a game2 but when you have gained a small advantage1 you must be satisfied with it for the time4 ,do not1 by attempting too much1 lose that which you have gained4 ,your object should be to win the game1 and the dullest way of winning is better for you than the most brilliant of losing4 ,,xviii4 ,if your knowledge of the books enables you to see that a person1 with whom you are playing for the first time1 opens his game badly1 do not suppose1 as a matter of course1 that you are going to check-mate him in ten or twelve moves4 ,many moves called very bad are only such if well opposed2 and you can derive but little advantage from them unless you are well acquainted with the system of crowding your adversary1--one of the most difficult parts of the game4 ,,xix4 ,some players have by study acquired mechanically the art of opening their game in a style much above their real force2 but when they have exhausted their store of book-knowledge1 they soon fall all to pieces1 and become an easy prey to those who have genuine talent for the game4 ,others do not know how to open their game on scientific principles1 and yet1 if they can stagger through the beginning without decided loss1 fight most nobly when there are but few pieces and pawns left on the board4 ,all these varieties of play must be carefully studied by those who wish to win4 ,it is only talent for the game1 combined with much study and great practice1 which can make a truly good player4 ,,xx4 ,although no degree of instruction derived from books will make a good player1 without much practice with all sorts of opponents1 yet1 on the other hand1 when you hear a person1 who has had great practice1 boast of never having looked into a chess-book1 you may be sure either that he is a bad player1 or that he is not nearly so good a player as he might become by attentively studying the laborious works which have been published on almost every conceivable opening1 by such players as ,ercole del ,rio1 ,ponziani1 ,philidor1 ,sarratt1 and ,lewis4 ,,xxi4 ,between fine players1 small odds 7viz4 pawn1 with one1 or with two moves7 are of great consequence4 ,between inferior players they are of none4 ,the value of these odds consists chiefly in position2 and in every long game between weak players1 such an advantage is gained and lost several times1 without either party being aware of it4 ,,xxii4 ,almost all good players 7and some others7 have a much higher opinion of their own strength than it really deserves4 ,one person feels sure that he is a better player than some particular opponent1 although he cannot but confess that1 for some unaccountable reason1 or other1 he does not always win a majority of games from him4 ,another attributes his failure solely to want of attention to details which he considers hardly to involve any real genius for the game2 and he is obliged to content himself with boasting of having certainly1 at one time1 had much the best of a game1 which he afterwards lost1 only by a mistake4 ,a third thinks that he must be a good player1 because he has discovered almost all the many difficult check-mates which have been published as problems4 ,he may be able to do this1 and yet be unable to play a whole game well1 it being much more easy to find out1 at your leisure1 the way to do that which you are told beforehand is practicable1 than to decide1 in actual play1 whether1 or not1 it is prudent to make the attempt4 ,,xxiii4 ,a theoretical amateur1 with much real genius for the game1 is often beaten by a fourth-rate player at a chess club1 who has become from constant practice thoroughly acquainted with all the technicalities of it1 and quietly builds up a wall for the other to run his head against4 ,the loser in this case may perhaps eventually become the better player of the two2 but he is not so at present4 ,,xxiv4 ,a person sometimes tells you that he played the other day1 for the first time1 with ,mr4 ,such-a-one1 7a very celebrated player17 who won the game1 with great difficulty1 after a very hard fight4 ,your friend probably deceives himself greatly in supposing this to be the case4 ,a player who has a reputation to lose1 always plays very cautiously against a person whose strength he does not yet know3 he runs no risks1 and does not attempt to do more than win the game1 which is all that he undertook to do4 ,,xxv4 ,when you receive the odds of a piece from a better player than yourself1 remember he sees everything which you see1 and probably much more4 ,be very careful how you attack him4 ,you must act in the early part of the game entirely on the defensive1 or probably you will not live long enough to enjoy the advantage which has been given you4 ,even though you may still have the advantage of a piece more1 when the game is far advanced1 you must not feel too sure of victory4 ,take all his pawns quietly1 if you can1 and see your way clearly before you attempt to check-mate him4 ,you will thus perhaps be longer about it1 but winning is very agreeable work4 ,,xxvi4 ,many persons advise you1 when you receive the odds of a rook1 always to make exchanges as often as you can1 in order to maintain the numerical superiority with which you began4 ,this is very cunning2 but you will probably find that ,master is ,yorkshire too1 and that he will not allow you to make exchanges early in the game1 except under circumstances which lead you into a ruinous inferiority of position4 ,,xxvii4 ,you will never improve by playing only with players of your own strength4 ,in order to play well1 you must toil through the humiliating task of being frequently beaten by those who can give you odds4 ,these odds1 when you have fairly mastered them1 may be gradually diminished as your strength increases4 ,do not1 however1 deceive yourself by imagining1 that if you cannot win from one of the great players when he gives you the odds of a rook1 you would stand a better chance with the odds of a knight4 ,this is a very common error4 ,it is true that1 when a knight is given1 the attack made upon you is not so sudden and so violent1 as it usually is when you receive a rook--but your ultimate defeat is much more certain4 ,if1 in the one case1 you are quickly killed1 in the other you will die in lingering torments4 ,,xxviii4 ,when you hear of a man from the country1 who has beaten every body whom he has ever played with1 do not suppose1 as a matter of course1 that he is a truly good player4 ,he may be only a ,triton of the ,minnows4 ,all his fame depends upon the skill of the parties with whom he has hitherto contended2 and provincial ,philidors seldom prove to be very good players1 when their strength is fairly measured at the ,london ,chess ,club1 particularly such of them as come there with the reputation of having never been beaten4 ,,xxix4 ,an elderly gentleman1 lately returned from ,india1 is apt to suppose that his skill has been much impaired by the change of climate1 or some other cause1 when he finds1 to his great surprise1 that his style of play does not produce such an alarming effect in the ,chess ,clubs of ,london or ,paris1 as it used to do at ,rumbarabad4 ,,xxx4 ,when you can decidedly win1 at the odds of a rook given by a first-rate player1 you will rank among the chosen few4 ,it would be very difficult to name twenty-five persons in ,london to whom ,mr4 ,lewis could not fairly give these odds1 although there are many hundreds who would be much offended at its being supposed to be possible that any one could give them a knight4 ,,xxxi4 ,a first-rate player1 who is to give large odds to a stranger1 derives great advantage from seeing him first play a game1 or two1 with other persons4 ,his style of play is thus shown1 and the class of risks which may be ventured on is nicely calculated4 ,that which1 before1 might have been difficult1 thus becomes comparatively easy4 ,,xxxii4 ,there is as much difference between playing a game well1 by correspondence1 and playing one well over the board1 as there is between writing a good essay1 and making a good speech4 ,,xxxiii4 ,no advantages of person and voice will enable a man to become a good orator if he does not understand the grammatical construction of the language in which he speaks3 nor will the highest degree of ingenuity make any man a good chess player1 unless his preparations for the exercise of that ingenuity are made upon the soundest principles of the game4 ,,xxxiv4 ,every game perfectly played throughout on both sides would be by its nature drawn4 ,since1 then1 in matches between the most celebrated players and clubs of the day some of the games have been won and lost1 it seems to follow that there might be better players than have been hitherto known to exist4 ,,xxxv4 ,most of the persons who occasionally play at ,chess know little more than the moves and a few of the general rules of the game4 ,of those who have had more practice1 some have acquired a partial insight into the endless variety of the combinations which may be formed1 and their beautiful intricacy3--a few play moderately well2 but1 however small the number of good players may be1 it would be difficult to find any one who1 after having played a few hundred games1 would not think it an imputation on his good sense to be considered a very bad player2--and this is the universal feeling1 although it is well known that men of the highest attainments have studied ,chess without great success2 and that the most celebrated players have not always been men of distinguished talents4 ,,xxxvi4 ,he who after much practice with fine players remains for a long time without taking his station amongst them1 will find at last that there is a point which he cannot pass4 ,he is obliged to confess his incurable inferiority to players of the higher order1 and he must be content with easy victories over a large majority of those whom he meets with in society4 ,illustration ,,conclusion4 ,chess holds forth to the philosopher relaxation from his severer studies1--to the disappointed man1 relief from unavailing regret1--and to the rich and idle1 an inexhaustible source of amusement and occupation4 ,it has1 however1 been frequently urged as an objection to the study of the game1 that no man can pursue it1 with a fair prospect of becoming a good player1 without devoting to it much time and attention which might be more beneficially employed4 ,although it may perhaps be true in the abstract1 that even a high degree of skill is not per se worth the time and trouble which it must have cost1 it should be remembered that on this mimic stage of life much besides chess may be seen and studied with advantage4 ,the real character of a man's mind may1 almost always1 be known by his behaviour under the varying circumstances of this most interesting game4 ,the triumph of the winner1 and the vexation of the loser1 are often coarsely displayed amongst inferior players2 and1 although good players very rarely give way to this degrading weakness1 still1 the good breeding of some of them1 towards the end of a difficult match1 is not always quite perfect4 ,the temper of the student cannot fail to derive very material benefit from the severe discipline to which it will be subjected4 ,when he begins to play well he will find that he has learnt to submit patiently to contradiction2 and that he has become convinced of the necessity of abandoning his most favourite schemes1 whenever he sees that from a change of circumstances they can be no longer pursued with safety4--,he will have felt the full value of using caution and circumspection1 when called upon to exercise his judgment in cases of complicated difficulty1 and he will have acquired the faculty of fixing his undivided attention on the business in which he is engaged4 ,if such qualities of the mind are called forth and strengthened in the pursuit of a harmless and delightful recreation1 the time cannot have been wholly wasted1 although the professed object of study may have been only the art of giving ,,check-,,mate4 ,r4 ,p4 ,whitehall1 ,march1 #ahci4 ,illustration ,,footnote3 ,f ,infandum ,regina jubes renovare dolorem4 ,,maxims ,,and ,,hints ,,on ,,shooting ,,and ,,other ,,matters4 ,illustration3 ,drawn by the late ,sir ,,francis ,,chantrey1 ,r4,a4 ,,maxims ,,and ,,hints ,,on ,,shooting1 c4 c4 ,i4 ,,let the person to whose care a young dog is intrusted for education be furnished with an instrument like a short trumpet1 which produces a few harsh and discordant notes2 and whenever it may be necessary to correct the dog1 in order to enforce obedience1 let such correction be accompanied by the noise of this instrument rather than by the thundering voice and threatening mien usually employed on such occasions4 ,when the dog's education has been properly completed under this system1 although you may be comparatively a stranger to him on first taking him into the field1 you will find that by carrying with you a duplicate of the unmusical instrument you will have his master's voice in your pocket1 and you will be able at once to make a very commanding impression upon him1 by sounding a few of the harsh and discordant tones which he has been taught to fear and obey4 ,,ii4 ,you must not insist upon its being admitted without dispute1 that the man who made your gun is the best maker in ,london4 ,this town is a very large place1 and it contains a great many gunmakers4 ,you must also remember that it stands within the prospect of belief that there may be other persons who think themselves as competent to select a good gun1 and to shoot well with it afterwards as you are4 ,,iii4 ,in like manner1 although you may prefer using one kind of wadding to another1 or may perhaps like to wear shoes and gaiters rather than trousers and laced boots1 you must not suppose that every man who takes the liberty of forming a different opinion from yours on these subjects is a mere bungler4 ,,iv4 ,however steady your pointer may be1 remember that he is but a dog4 ,if you encourage him to run after one hare because it has been wounded by yourself1 you must not be angry with him for chasing another which may be shot at by your friend4 ,canine flesh and blood cannot bear this4 ,v4 ,although you may be a very agreeable gentleman1 generally speaking1 you will choose an unlucky moment for making yourself particularly so1 if you should on some fine morning after breakfast volunteer to accompany two of your friends who are preparing to leave the house for a day's partridge-shooting without any expectation of being joined by a third person4 ,,vi4 ,when you are obliged to walk on the left-hand side of a man who carries the muzzle of his gun too low1 do not be so very polite as to take no notice of this dangerous habit4 ,he will1 perhaps1 appear quite offended when you venture to question your perfect safety4 ,but be that as it may1 your position was so awfully unpleasant whilst you were constantly stared at by the eyes of a double-barrelled gun that your friend's looking rather cross at you is a matter of much less consequence4 ,,vii4 ,when a long search amongst high turnips has been made1 at your particular request1 for a bird which you erroneously suppose that you have brought down1 and which 7naturally enough under such circumstances7 cannot be found1 you must not say that your friend's retriever has a very bad nose1 or fancy that poor old ,trigger1 if he had been still alive1 could have easily found the bird4 ,,viii4 ,should a farmer's boy come running to you with a partridge which he has lately picked up after seeing it fall in the next field1 your companion in arms will perhaps assure you that this bird can be no other than that which he shot at1 as you may remember1 immediately after you had both of you passed through the last hedge1 and which he afterwards saw flying very low1 and very badly wounded1 exactly in the direction which the boy has come from4 ,an enfant trouve like this seldom waits long for a father to adopt it4 ,,ix4 ,sometimes towards the end of a fatiguing day1 when you feel like an overloaded gun-brig1 labouring against a heavy sea of turnips1 you may perchance espy a large covey of partridges in the act of settling near a hedge a long way before you4 ,supposing in such case that your brother sportsman should be a much younger man than yourself1 and yet should not have also seen these birds1 it is not always quite prudent that you should announce the fact to him immediately4 ,if you wish to have a shot at them1 you would1 perhaps1 do well to say nothing about them till your weary limbs have borne you unhurried a little nearer to the hedge in question4 ,the good old rule of seniores priores is sometimes reversed in a large turnip-field4 ,x4 ,in the case of a double shot a gamekeeper never hesitates an instant in deciding whether the bird was killed by his master's gun or by another person's1 fired at the same moment4 ,,xi4 ,when you are making your way through a thick wood with too large a party1 it is better that you should be scolded by some of your friends because you trouble them with very frequent notice of your individual locality1 than that you should be shot by any of them because you do not4 ,,xii4 ,on the day of a great battue1 if one of the party 7not you7 should shoot much better than the others1 and if this should by chance be talked of after dinner 7as such matters sometimes are71 do not say much about the very large number of hares and pheasants killed by you--on some other occasion4 ,,xiii4 ,when you are shooting in a wood1 if some hungry fox1 in pursuit of his prey1 should chance to cross your path1 it depends entirely upon the custom of the country whether you ought to kill him or not4 ,bob ,short says1 in his ,rules for ,whist1 ,when in doubt1 win the trick4 ,,xiv4 ,never ask beforehand whether or not you are to shoot hares in the cover into which you are going1 but never shoot one after you have been told not to do so4 ,,xv4 ,a singular species of optical delusion often takes place in the case of a man shooting at a woodcock in a thick cover4 ,according to the impression said to be made upon the shooter's eye1 the bird appears to fall dead more frequently than he can afterwards be found--so that the truth of this appearance must never be relied on when the evidence of the bird himself cannot be brought forward to support it4 ,,xvi4 ,on a grand occasion you need not always trouble yourself to keep an account of the number of head killed by you1 particularly if you do not dine with the party on that day2 because1 in your absence1 the total number brought home may perhaps be accounted for after dinner1 without any reference being made to the amount of your,g performances4 ,,xvii4 ,when you sit down 7horresco referens7 in a dentist's chair1,h in order to have your teeth cleaned1 and point out to him1 with fear and trembling1 one of them which you think must be drawn2--if he should tell you that the tooth can be easily stopped1 and may still be of much service to you1 do not immediately thereupon feel quite bold and very comfortable4 ,after a moment's further inspection he may1 perhaps1 add very quietly1 in a kind of whispering soliloquy1 ,here are two others which must be removed4 ,,xviii4 ,if you should stop1 with a tired horse1 at the door of the ,king's ,head anywhere1 and should say to the bowing landlord thereof1 that1 unless you can find some other means of pursuing your journey1 you shall be obliged to have a chaise immediately1 you must not expect to be told by him that a very good coach1 which is going your way1 will change horses at the ,red ,lion1 nearly opposite1 in less than ten minutes4 ,should this be the real state of the case1 he will feel that he has no time to lose2 and therefore1 instantly seizing the handle of the hostler's bell1 and ringing a louder peal than usual1 he will at once show you into a back parlour1 for fear that you should see the coach before a chaise can be got ready for you4 ,,xix4 ,should it have been your fate to travel often1 more majorum1 on the box of a stage-coach1 more than one coachman has probably told you a story1 two miles long1 about some mare so vicious and unmanageable that she had been rejected by every other coachman on the road1 and that nobody but himself had ever been able to drive her1 saying at the same time1 ,she is now1 as you see1 ,sir1 as quiet as a lamb4 ,you must not believe all this1 although it may perhaps be very true that the mare kicks sometimes1 and that the man is not a bad coachman4 ,,xx4 ,although our friend the coachman is supposed to have been so very communicative to you on the last occasion1 he may not perhaps be equally so on all others3 for instance1 if1 when the roads are very bad1 and the coach is heavily laden1 he should1 near the end of a difficult stage1 pull up at some turnpike1 and enter into a long talk apparently about a bad shilling or a lost parcel1 he is very likely not to explain to you and the other passengers that his real reason for thus stopping is because his horses are so much distressed that they would otherwise be scarcely able to reach the end of their ground4 ,the conference at the gate is held in order to facilitate the ratification of the treaty for fresh horses to be exchanged in the next town4 ,,xxi4 ,on arriving at the place where the coach dines1 walk to the nearest baker's shop1 and there satisfy your hunger in a wholesome manner4 ,at the dinner which is prepared for the passengers it frequently happens that if there should have been any cock-fighting in the town lately1,i the winner and the loser of the last battle appear at the top of the table as a couple of boiled fowls2 and whenever there is a roast goose at the bottom1 it is probably some old gander1 who1 after having lived for many years in the parish1 is at last become so poor that he is obliged to be taken into the house4 ,,xxii4 ,if you have children1 who are clever1 do not question them too closely in company4 ,supposing1 for example1 that at the close of a social meal in the country1 you should be sitting at table with your guests1 on the eve of their departure from your hospitable roof3 if1 under these circumstances1 some nice little fellow1 who has lately rushed into the room1 and is now busily employed with a bunch of grapes1 should be called upon by you to join in the general expression of regret that your friends are to leave you to-morrow1 he may perhaps say1 ,yes1 papa1 we shall have no grapes after dinner to-morrow4 ,,xxiii4 ,if you are thought to excel in any particular game or sport1 do not too often lead to it as a subject of conversation3 your superiority1 if real1 will be duly felt by all your acquaintance1 and acknowledged by some of them2 and you may be sure that a word in your favour from another person will add more to your reputation than a whole history from yourself4 ,,xxiv4 ,on seeing a new invention for the first time1 do not instantly suggest a material alteration of it1 as if you felt quite sure that this sudden thought of yours must be a very clever one4 ,it may be reasonably supposed that the inventor did not hastily build up his work in its present form2 and it would1 therefore1 be very unkind that you should bring the whole broadside of your intellectual guns to bear upon it in a moment4 ,besides1 after all1 it is just possible that the thing may be better as it is--without your improvement4 ,,xxv4 ,the great merit of an important discovery frequently consists in the first application of some well-known principle of action to a class of objects to which it had not before been applied4 ,when such discovery has been brought before the public in one instance1 the application of the same principle to other nearly similar objects requires a much lower degree of inventive talent4 ,a sub-inventor of this sort often views the result of his labour with all the pride of a mother1 when he is only entitled to the praise due to an accoucheur4 ,,xxvi4 ,when your friends congratulate you on your recovery from the effects of a serious accident1 it is very proper that you should thank them sincerely for their kindness in so doing3 but it is by no means necessary that you should give a very detailed description of all your sufferings1 and of every symptom attending the gradual progress of your recovery2 nor need you explain exactly what was at first said by ,mr4 ,drugger1 the apothecary1 and what was afterwards the opinion of ,sir ,astley ,cooper4 ,you had better not do this2 although some persons think that what the nurse occasionally said ought not1 in a case like theirs1 to be omitted4 ,,xxvii4 ,on the same principle1 if you should have lately been robbed1 and should feel disposed to communicate the particulars of this sad affair1 you really must not begin your account of it by telling us every thing which you were dreaming about just before you first heard the noise of thieves in your house on the eventful night of the robbery1 adding always in conclusion1 by way of appendix to your copious narrative1 a correct list of the articles stolen4 ,if you do this too often1 you must not be surprised if some of your hearers should at last be almost tempted to regret that when you were robbed you were not murdered also4 ,,xxviii4 ,if it should be mentioned in conversation that a celebrated mare1 belonging to ,mr4 ,swindle1 of ,newmarket1 has lately trotted sixteen miles within the hour1 in harness1 do not think it necessary to recount the wonderful performances of a famous gig-horse which you once had4 ,,xxix4 ,after having lost several games at billiards1 when you are playing at a gentleman's house1 it is not polite that you should attribute your failure to the inaccuracies of the table4 ,these sundry defects of level are less likely to be complained of by the winner than by you2 and he1 therefore1 stands less in need of this caution than you do4 ,,xxx4 ,when the lord of the manor is showing the beauties of his house and grounds to you1 and points out a very fine row of trees for your particular admiration1 make no allusion to the magnificence of the avenue at ,wimpole2 and if he should afterwards show to you one of his pictures1 which he values highly as the work of some celebrated master1 remember that1 although you may have been told privately1 by a good authority1 that the picture is not really what your friend supposes it to be1 you are not called upon to display your borrowed knowledge as your own1 and to make yourself odious by endeavouring to convince him that he has been deceived in the purchase4 ,,xxxi4 ,do not bestow extravagant praise upon every article lately bought by you1 as if you considered that it had acquired increased value from having fallen into the hands of so distinguished a purchaser4 ,other persons will estimate the worth of it rather by its own merits than by yours4 ,,xxxii4 ,it is quite unnecessary that you should always1 in order to show the extent of your reading1 claim a previous acquaintance with every expression which may be referred to in conversation as having been used by some celebrated author in one of his works4 ,it is much easier for another person to quote lines which never were written than it would be for you to find them4,j ,,xxxiii4 ,do not consider it to be at all times your bounden duty to correct every mistake which may be made in your presence as to a name or an unimportant date4 ,some persons are so extremely sensitive on these points that they never allow the offender to escape a summary conviction4 ,however interesting the conversation may be1 they always feel justified in interrupting it if they can show that the anecdote which they have cut short related to the late ,general ,a41 and not to his brother the admiral4 ,,xxxiv4 ,if one of your party should be prevailed upon to sing a comic song for the amusement of the company1 he will of course do it as well as he can1 and it would not be flattering to him that you should immediately afterwards talk about the great pleasure which you formerly derived from hearing the same song sung by ,mathews1 or ,bannister4 ,,xxxv4 ,beware of the amiable weakness of repeatedly telling long stories about your late father or uncle4 ,they may have been excellent persons1 and their memory may be deservedly respected by you2 but it does not therefore necessarily follow that a full account of everything which was said or done by either of these worthy men on some trivial occasion should be very interesting to other people1 not even to such of your friends as may be lucky enough not to have heard it before4 ,,xxxvi4 ,if you should have lately suffered any great reduction of income from causes over which you had no control1 it is better that you should bear your misfortunes quietly than that you should be very extensively communicative to your acquaintance on the subject of your grievances4 ,if1 for instance1 you tell them in confidence that you now have only #fjjl4 a-year to live upon1 such of them as have but #ejjl4 will perhaps think that you still have at least #ajjl4 more than you ought to have4 ,,xxxvii4 ,do not think yourself an accomplished traveller merely because you have visited places where you might have acquired much information4 ,many a man has passed some time in a foreign town without learning more about the beauties of its cathedral or the manners and customs of its inhabitants than was previously known to others through the instructive medium of a book and pair of spectacles at home2 and therefore although you may have really been at ,rome1 and may have actually seen with your own eyes both the ,apollo ,belvidere and ,raphael's ,transfiguration1 you must not1 on that account only1 consider yourself qualified to take a leading part in every conversation on subjects connected with the fine arts4 ,,xxxviii4 ,many persons who are possessed of much information have a tedious and unconnected way of imparting it4 ,such men are like dictionaries1 very instructive if opened in the right place1 but rather fatiguing to read throughout4 ,,xxxix4 ,the foundation of good breeding is the absence of selfishness4 ,by acting always on this principle--by showing forbearance and moderation in argument when you feel sure that you are right1 and a becoming diffidence when you are in doubt1 you will avoid many of the errors which other men are apt to fall into4 ,,xl4 ,artists1 medical men1 and engineers are much to be feared by those persons who are apt to talk a little sometimes on matters which they do not very well understand4 ,if1 reader1 you are1 like me1 subject to this infirmity1 mind what you are about when any professional men are present4 ,r4 ,p4 ,whitehall1 ,february1 #ahdb4 ,london3 ,printed by ,,william ,,clowes and ,,sons1 ,stamford ,street ,,footnotes3 ,g ,acting on this principle1 ,i was once supposed to have killed a brace less than nothing1 viz41 ,i went out partridge shooting with two other persons4 ,at the end of the day one of these said that he had killed twelve brace1 and the other claimed eleven brace4 ,when the birds were afterwards counted1 the number of them was forty-four4 ,i therefore conclude that the brace which was wanting must have been considered as my share of the day's sport4 ,h ,whose iron scourge and torturing hour ,the bad extract1 and clean the best4 ,i ,thus fell two heroes1 one the pride of ,thrace1 ,and one the leader of the ,epeian race2 ,death's sable shade at once o'ercast their eyes3 ,in dish1 the vanquish'd and the victor lies4 ,pope says1 ,in dust4 ,j e4 g4 ,vide quotation1 p4 #ef4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,the original text does not have a table of contents4 ,one was created for this version4 ,obvious punctuation errors repaired4 ,page #f1 illustration caption1 asssitant changed to assistant 7an expert assistant7 ,page #cg1 your's changed to yours 7heavier than yours7