Piscator
It is agreed by most men, that the Eel is a most dainty fish: the Romans
have esteemed her the Helena of their feasts; and some the queen of
palate-pleasure. But most men differ about their breeding: some say they
breed by generation, as other fish do; and others, that they breed, as
some worms do, of mud; as rats and mice, and many other living
creatures, are bred in Egypt, by the sun's heat when it shines upon the
overflowing of the river Nilus; or out of the putrefaction of the earth,
and divers other ways. Those that deny them to breed by generation, as
other fish do, ask, If any man ever saw an Eel to have a spawn or melt?
And they are answered, That they may be as certain of their breeding as
if they had seen spawn; for they say, that they are certain that Eels
have all parts fit for generation, like other fish, but so small as not
to be easily discerned, by reason of their fatness; but that discerned
they may be; and that the He and the She Eel may be distinguished by
their fins. And Rondeletius says, he has seen Eels cling together like
dew-worms.
And others say, that Eels, growing old, breed other Eels out of the
corruption of their own age; which, Sir Francis Bacon says, exceeds not
ten years. And others say, that as pearls are made of glutinous
dewdrops, which are condensed by the sun's heat in those countries, so
Eels are bred of a particular dew, falling in the months of May or June
on the banks of some particular ponds or rivers, apted by nature for
that end; which in a few days are, by the sun's heat, turned into Eels:
and some of the Ancients have called the Eels that are thus bred, the
offspring of Jove. I have seen, in the beginning of July, in a river not
far from Canterbury, some parts of it covered over with young Eels,
about the thickness of a straw; and these Eels did lie on the top of
that water, as thick as motes are said to be in the sun: and I have
heard the like of other rivers, as namely, in Severn, where they are
called Yelvers; and in a pond, or mere near unto Staffordshire, where,
about a set time in summer, such small Eels abound so much, that many of
the poorer sort of people that inhabit near to it, take such Eels out of
this mere with sieves or sheets; and make a kind of Eel-cake of them,
and eat it like as bread. And Gesner quotes Venerable Bede, to say, that
in England there is an island called Ely, by reason of the innumerable
number of Eels that breed in it. But that Eels may be bred as some
worms, and some kind of bees and wasps are, either of dew, or out of the
corruption of the earth, seems to be made probable by the barnacles and
young goslings bred by the sun's heat and the rotten planks of an old
ship, and hatched of trees; both which are related for truths by Du
Bartas and Lobel, and also by our learned Camden, and laborious Gerhard
in his Herbal.
It is said by Rondeletius, that those Eels that are bred in rivers that
relate to or be nearer to the sea, never return to the fresh waters, as
the Salmon does always desire to do, when they have once tasted the salt
water; and I do the more easily believe this, because I am certain that
powdered beef is a most excellent bait to catch an Eel. And though Sir
Francis Bacon will allow the Eel's life to be but ten years, yet he, in
his History of Life and Death, mentions a Lamprey, belonging to the
Roman emperor, to be made tame, and so kept for almost threescore years;
and that such useful and pleasant observations were made of this
Lamprey, that Crassus the orator, who kept her, lamented her death; and
we read in Doctor Hakewill, that Hortensius was seen to weep at the
death of a Lamprey that he had kept long, and loved exceedingly.
It is granted by all, or most men, that Eels, for about six months, that
is to say, the six cold months of the year, stir not up or down, neither
in the rivers, nor in the pools in which they usually are, but get into
the soft earth or mud; and there many of them together bed themselves,
and live without feeding upon anything, as I have told you some swallows
have been observed to do in hollow trees, for those six cold months. And
this the Eel and Swallow do, as not being able to endure winter weather:
for Gesner quotes Albertus to say, that in the year 1125, that year's
winter being more cold than usually, Eels did, by nature's instinct, get
out of the water into a stack of hay in a meadow upon dry ground; and
there bedded themselves: but yet, at last, a frost killed them. And our
Camden relates, that, in Lancashire, fishes were digged out of the earth
with spades, where no water was near to the place. I shall say little
more of the Eel, but that, as it is observed he is impatient of cold, so
it hath been observed, that, in warm weather, an Eel has been known to
live five days out of the water.
And lastly, let me tell you, that some curious searchers into the
natures of fish observe, that there be several sorts or kinds of Eels;
as the silver Eel, the green or greenish Eel, with which the river of
Thames abounds, and those are called Grigs; and a blackish Eel, whose
head is more flat and bigger than ordinary Eels; and also an Eel whose
fins are reddish, and but seldom taken in this nation, and yet taken
sometimes. These several kind of Eels are, say some, diversely bred; as,
namely, out of the corruption of the earth; and some by dew, and other
ways, as I have said to you: and yet it is affirmed by some for a
certain, that the silver Eel is bred by generation, but not by spawning
as other fish do; but that her brood come alive from her, being then
little live Eels no bigger nor longer than a pin; and I have had too
many testimonies of this, to doubt the truth of it myself; and if I
thought it needful I might prove it, but I think it is needless.
And this Eel, of which I have said so much to you, may be caught with
divers kinds of baits: as namely, with powdered beef; with a lob or
garden worm; with a minnow; or gut of a hen, chicken, or the guts of any
fish, or with almost anything, for he is a greedy fish. But the Eel may
be caught, especially, with a little, a very little Lamprey, which some
call a Pride, and may, in the hot months, be found many of them in the
river Thames, and in many mud-heaps in other rivers; yea, almost as
usually as one finds worms in a dunghill.
Next note, that the Eel seldom stirs in the day, but then hides himself;
and therefore he is usually caught by night, with one of these baits of
which I have spoken; and may be then caught by laying hooks, which you
are to fasten to the bank, or twigs of a tree; or by throwing a string
across the stream, with many hooks at it, and those baited with the
aforesaid baits; and a clod, or plummet, or stone, thrown into the river
with this line, that so you may in the morning find it near to some
fixed place; and then take it up with a drag-hook, or otherwise. But
these things are, indeed, too common to be spoken of; and an hour's
fishing with any angler will teach you better, both for these and many
other common things in the practical part of angling, than a week's
discourse. I shall therefore conclude this direction for taking the Eel,
by telling you, that in a warm day in summer, I have taken many a good
Eel by Snigling, and have been much pleased with that sport.
And because you, that are but a young angler, know not what Snigling is
I will now teach it to you. You remember I told you that Eels do not
usually stir in the daytime; for then they hide themselves under some
covert; or under boards or planks about flood-gates, or weirs, or mills;
or in holes on the river banks: so that you, observing your time in a
warm day, when the water is lowest, may take a strong small hook, tied
to a strong line, or to a string about a yard long; and then into one of
these holes, or between any boards about a mill, or under any great
stone or plank, or any place where you think an Eel may hide or shelter
herself, you may, with the help of a short stick, put in your bait, but
leisurely, and as far as you may conveniently; and it is scarce to be
doubted, but if there be an Eel within the sight of it, the Eel will
bite instantly, and as certainly gorge it; and you need not doubt to
have him if you pull him not out of the hole too quickly, but pull him
out by degrees; for he, lying folded double in his hole, will, with the
help of his tail, break all, unless you give him time to be wearied with
pulling, and so get him out by degrees, not pulling too hard.
And to commute for your patient hearing this long direction, I shall
next tell you, how to make this Eel a most excellent dish of meat.
First, wash him in water and salt; then pull off his skin below his vent
or navel, and not much further: having done that, take out his guts as
clean as you can, but wash him not: then give him three or four scotches
with a knife; and then put into his belly and those scotches, sweet
herbs, an anchovy, and a little nutmeg grated or cut very small, and
your herbs and anchovies must also be cut very small; and mixt with good
butter and salt: having done this, then pull his skin over him, all but
his head, which you are to cut off, to the end you may tie his skin
about that part where his head grew, and it must be so tied as to keep
all his moisture within his skin: and having done this, tie him with
tape or packthread to a spit, and roast him leisurely; and baste him
with water and salt till his skin breaks, and then with butter; and
having roasted him enough, let what was put into his belly, and what he
drips, be his sauce. S. F.
When I go to dress an Eel thus, I wish he were as long and as big as
that which was caught in Peterborough river, in the year 1667; which was
a yard and three quarters long. If you will not believe me, then go and
see at one of the coffee-houses in King Street in Westminster.
But now let me tell you, that though the Eel, thus drest, be not only
excellent good, but more harmless than any other way, yet it is certain
that physicians account the Eel dangerous meat; I will advise you
therefore, as Solomon says of honey, "Hast thou found it, eat no more
than is sufficient, lest thou surfeit, for it is not good to eat much
honey". And let me add this, that the uncharitable Italian bids us "give
Eels and no wine to our enemies".
And I will beg a little more of your attention, to tell you, that
Aldrovandus, and divers physicians, commend the Eel very much for
medicine, though not for meat. But let me tell you one observation, that
the Eel is never out of season; as Trouts, and most other fish, are at
set times; at least, most Eels are not.
I might here speak of many other fish, whose shape and nature are much
like the Eel, and frequent both the sea and fresh rivers; as, namely,
the Lamprel, the Lamprey, and the Lamperne: as also of the mighty
Conger, taken often in Severn, about Gloucester: and might also tell in
what high esteem many of them are for the curiosity of their taste. But
these are not so proper to be talked of by me, because they make us
anglers no sport; therefore I will let them alone, as the Jews do, to
whom they are forbidden by their law.
And, scholar, there is also a FLOUNDER, a sea-fish which will wander
very far into fresh rivers, and there lose himself and dwell: and thrive
to a hand's breadth, and almost twice so long: a fish without scales,
and most excellent meat: and a fish that affords much sport to the
angler, with any small worm, but especially a little bluish worm, gotten
out of marsh-ground, or meadows, which should be well scoured. But this,
though it be most excellent meat, yet it wants scales, and is, as I told
you, therefore an abomination to the Jews.
But, scholar, there is a fish that they in Lancashire boast very much
of, called a CHAR; taken there, and I think there only, in a mere called
Winander Mere; a mere, says Camden, that is the largest in this nation,
being ten miles in length, and some say as smooth in the bottom as if it
were paved with polished marble. This fish never exceeds fifteen or
sixteen inches in length; and is spotted like a Trout: and has scarce a
bone, but on the back. But this, though I do not know whether it make
the angler sport, yet I would have you take notice of it, because it is
a rarity, and of so high esteem with persons of great note.
Nor would I have you ignorant of a rare fish called a GUINIAD; of which
I shall tell you what Camden and others speak. The river Dee, which runs
by Chester, springs in Merionethshire; and, as it runs toward Chester,
it runs through Pemble Mere, which is a large water: and it is observed,
that though the river Dee abounds with Salmon, and Pemble mere with the
Guiniad, yet there is never any Salmon caught in the mere, nor a
Guiniad in the river. And now my next observation shall be of the
Barbel.
The fourth day-continued
Of the Barbel