J.D. Esquire.
The Secrets of Angling.
With the exception of J. D.'s verses, who is the laureate of the craft, angling, as practised in England, sadly wants a sacred bard. Why does no fisherman hamis et reti potens, as familiar with all the finny tribes as was GLAUCUS of old after tasting grass, cut himself a reed from the margin of his loved trout stream, and pipe a strain worthy of the subject?—Quarterly Review. Oct. 1875, p. 358. Our attention was drawn to this tract by the charming article on the literature and mysteries of Trout and Trout Fishing, from which we have made the above quotation. The original edition of 1613 is of extraordinary rarity. Only two copies are known. One of these is in the Bodleian; the other in the superb collection of Mr. HENRY HUTU, who kindly lent it for the present reproduction. In addition to the original impression, we have given at pages 191—198 all the additional Note and Comment which WILLIAM LAGSON added to the second impression of 1653. ISAAK WALTON quotes from this poetical work in his Compleat Angler first published in 1653, assigning by a marginal note, the authorship to J. DA.; but the following entry in the Stationers' Registers definitely fixes the name of the Writer, who was apparently a Somersetshire man. Master ROGER JACKSON. Entred for his copie vnder th[e h]ands of Master MASON and Warden HOOPER A booke called The secretes of Angling teaching the Choysest tools bates and seasons for the taking of any fish in pond or River practised and opened in three bookes by JOHN DENNYS Esquier. . .vjd.
As it appears from the Publisher's Epistle at p. 143 that the work appeared posthumously, the date of its composition can but approximately be fixed as "Before 1613."
We think that to not a few Anglers, the poem will prove a very pleasant surprise; and we imagine that this is the second printed book in our Literature specially devoted to stream fishing with the rod; JULIANA BARNES' treatise of Fysshynge with an angle at the end of the 1496 edition of her book of The manere of hawkynge and huntynge &c., being the first.
Though the tract has several times been reprinted; lastly in 1811: we feel sure we are but expressing the feeling of all Anglers in thanking Mr. HUTH for his generous assistance in making it now perpetually accessible to all lovers of the gentle craft.
