I haue in my description of waters, as occasion hath serued, intreated
of the names of some of the seuerall fishes which are commonlie to bée
found in our riuers. Neuerthelesse as euerie water hath a sundrie
mixture, and therefore is not stored with euerie kind: so there is
almost no house, euen of the meanest bowres, which haue not one or mo
ponds or holes made for reseruation of water vnstored with some of
them, as with tench, carpe, breame, roch, dace, eeles, or such like as
will liue and bréed togither. Certes it is not possible for me to
deliuer the names of all such kinds of fishes as our riuers are found
to beare: yet least I should séeme iniurious to the reader, in not
deliuering so manie of them as haue béene brought to my knowledge, I
will not let to set them downe as they doo come to mind. Besides the
salmons therefore, which are not to be taken from the middest of
September to the middest of Nouember, and are verie plentifull in our
greatest riuers, as their yoong store are not to be touched from mid
Aprill vnto Midsummer, we haue the trout, barbell, graile, powt,
cheuin, pike, goodgeon, smelt, perch, menan, shrimpes, creuises,
lampreies, and such like, whose preseruation is prouided for by verie
sharpe lawes, not onelie in our riuers, but also in plashes or lakes
and ponds, which otherwise would bring small profit to the owners, and
doo much harme by continuall maintenance of idle persons, who would
spend their whole times vpon their bankes, not coueting to labour with
their hands, nor follow anie good trade. Of all these there are none
more preiudiciall to their neighbours that dwell in the same water,
than the pike and éele, which commonlie deuoure such fish or frie and
spawne as they may get and come by. Neuerthelesse the pike is fréend
vnto the tench, as to his leach & surgeon. For when the fishmonger
hath opened his side and laid out his riuet and fat vnto the buier,
for the better vtterance of his ware, and can not make him away at
that present, he laieth the same againe into the proper place, and
sowing vp the wound, he restoreth him to the pond where tenches are,
who neuer cease to sucke and licke his greeued place, till they haue
restored him to health, and made him readie to come againe to the
stall, when his turne shall come about. I might here make report how
the pike, carpe, and some other of our riuer fishes are sold by inches
of cleane fish, from the eies or gilles to the crotch of the tailes,
but it is needlesse: also how the pike as he ageth receiueth diuerse
names, as from a frie to a gilthed, from a gilthed to a pod, from a
pod to a iacke, from a iacke to a pickerell, from a pickerell to a
pike, and last of all to a luce; also that a salmon is the first yeare
a grauellin, and commonlie so big as an herring, the second a salmon
peale, the third a pug, and the fourth a salmon: but this is in like
sort vnnecessarie.
I might finallie tell you, how that in fennie riuers sides if you cut
a turffe, and laie it with the grasse downewards, vpon the earth, in
such sort as the water may touch it as it passeth by, you shall haue a
brood of éeles, it would seeme a wonder; and yet it is beleeued with
no lesse assurance of some, than that an horse haire laid in a pale
full of the like water will in short time stirre and become a liuing
creature. But sith the certeintie of these things is rather prooued by
few than the certeintie of them knowne vnto manie, I let it passe at
this time. Neuerthelesse this is generallie obserued in the
maintenance of frie so well in riuers as in ponds, that in the time of
spawne we vse to throw in faggots made of willow and sallow, and now
and then of bushes for want of the other, whereby such spawne as
falleth into the same is preserued and kept from the pike, perch, éele
and other fish, of which the carpe also will féed vpon his owne, and
thereby hinder the store and increase of proper kind. Some vse in
euerie fift or seauenth yeere to laie their great ponds drie for all
the summer time, to the end they may gather grasse, and a thin swart
for the fish to feed vpon; and afterwards store them with bréeders,
after the water be let of new againe into them: finallie, when they
haue spawned, they draw out the bréeders, leauing not aboue foure or
six behind, euen in the greatest ponds, by meanes whereof the rest doo
prosper the better: and this obseruation is most vsed in carpe and
breame; as for perch (a delicate fish) it prospereth euerie where, I
meane so well in ponds as riuers, and also in motes and pittes, as I
doo know by experience, though their bottoms be but claie. More would
I write of our fresh fish, if anie more were needfull; wherefore I
will now turne ouer vnto such of the salt water as are taken vpon our
coasts. As our foules therefore haue their seasons, so likewise haue
all our sorts of sea fish: whereby it commeth to passe that none, or
at the leastwise verie few of them are to be had at all times.
Neuerthelesse, the seas that inuiron our coasts, are of all other most
plentifull: for as by reason of their depth they are a great succour,
so our low shores minister great plentie of food vnto the fish that
come thereto, no place being void or barren, either through want of
food for them, or the falles of filthie riuers, which naturallie
annoie them. In December therefore and Ianuarie we commonlie abound in
herring and red fish, as rochet, and gurnard. In Februarie and March
we féed on plaice, trowts, turbut, muskles, &c. In April and Maie,
with makrell, and cockles. In Iune and Iulie, with conger. In August
and September, with haddocke and herring: and the two moneths insuing
with the same, as also thornbacke and reigh of all sorts; all which
are the most vsuall, and wherewith our common sort are best of all
refreshed.
For mine owne part I am greatlie acquainted neither with the seasons,
nor yet with the fish it selfe: and therefore if I should take vpon me
to describe or speake of either of them absolutelie, I should
enterprise more than I am able to performe, and go in hand with a
greater matter than I can well bring about. It shall suffice therefore
to declare what sorts of fishes I haue most often séene, to the end I
may not altogither passe ouer this chapter without the rehersall of
something, although the whole summe of that which I haue to saie be
nothing indeed, if the performance of a full discourse hereof be anie
thing hardlie required.
Of fishes therefore as I find fiue sorts, the flat, the round, the
[Sidenote: Flat fish.]
long, the legged and shelled: so the flat are diuided into the smooth,
scaled and tailed. Of the first are the plaice, the but, the turbut,
birt, floke or sea flounder, dorreie, dab, &c. Of the second the
soles, &c. Of the third, our chaits, maidens, kingsons, flath and
thornbacke, whereof the greater be for the most part either dried and
carried into other countries, or sodden, sowsed, & eaten here at home,
whilest the lesser be fried or buttered; soone after they be taken as
prouision not to be kept long for feare of putrifaction. Vnder the
[Sidenote: Round fish.]
round kinds are commonlie comprehended lumps, an vglie fish to sight,
and yet verie delicat in eating, if it be kindlie dressed: the whiting
(an old waiter or seruitor in the court) the rochet, sea breame,
pirle, hake, sea trowt, gurnard, haddocke, cod, herring, pilchard,
sprat, and such like. And these are they whereof I haue best
knowledge, and be commonlie to be had in their times vpon our coasts.
Vnder this kind also are all the great fish conteined, as the seale,
the dolphin, the porpoise, the thirlepole, whale, and whatsoeuer is
[Sidenote: Long fish.]
round of bodie be it neuer so great and huge. Of the long sort are
congers, eeles, garefish, and such other of that forme. Finallie, of
[Sidenote: Legged fish.]
the legged kind we haue not manie, neither haue I seene anie more of
this sort than the Polypus called in English the lobstar, crafish or
creuis, and the crab. As for the little crafishes they are not taken
in the sea, but plentifullie in our fresh riuers in banks, and vnder
stones, where they kéepe themselues in most secret maner, and oft by
likenesse of colour with the stones among which they lie, deceiue euen
the skilfull takers of them, except they vse great diligence. Carolus
Stephanus in his maison rustique, doubted whether these lobstars be
fish or not; and in the end concludeth them to grow of the purgation
of the water as dooth the frog, and these also not to be eaten, for
that they be strong and verie hard of digestion. But hereof let other
determine further.
I might here speake of sundrie other fishes now and then taken also
vpon our coasts: but sith my mind is onelie to touch either all such
as are vsuallie gotten, or so manie of them onelie as I can well
rehearse vpon certeine knowledge, I thinke it good at this time to
forbeare the further intreatie of them. As touching the shellie sort,
we haue plentie of oisters, whose valure in old time for their
swéetnesse was not vnknowne in Rome (although Mutianus as Plinie
noteth lib. 32, cap. 6. preferre the Cyzicene before them) and these
we haue in like maner of diuerse quantities, and no lesse varietie
also of our muskles and cockles. We haue in like sort no small store
of great whelkes, scalops and perewinkles, and each of them brought
farre into the land from the sea coast in their seuerall seasons. And
albeit our oisters are generallie forborne in the foure hot moneths of
the yeare, that is to saie, Maie, Iune, Iulie, and August, which are
void of the letter R: yet in some places they be continuallie eaten,
where they be kept in pits as I haue knowne by experience. And thus
much of our sea fish as a man in maner vtterlie vnacquainted with
their diuersitie of kinds: yet so much haue I yéelded to doo, hoping
hereafter to saie somewhat more, and more orderlie of them, if it
shall please God that I may liue and haue leasure once againe to
peruse this treatise, and so make vp a perfect péece of worke, of that
which as you now sée is verie slenderlie attempted and begun.