PREFACE

Despite Francis Bacon’s dictum that “prefaces are great wastes of time, and, though they seem to proceed of modesty, they are bravery,” I hazard a few words as to this book, which, like Topsy, “growed, I ’spects,” from a chance request for a quotation from Homer on Fishing with a Rod for my sister’s game-book.

It is, as far as I can discover, the first attempt to examine classical and other ancient writers on Fishing from the standpoint of one who has not only been a practical Pisciculturist for many years and an Angler all his life, but has also been taught (though somewhat forgotten) his Greek and Latin.

If my work, in the main, is necessarily based on the compilations of others, it yet by serendipity (to adopt Horace Walpole’s mintage) has unearthed some rare authors, who, judging from lack of mention, were unknown to previous writers on the subject. It contains also—if I may venture a “bravery”—several points which are apparently original.

Instances of these are:—

(1) The definite establishment of Aristotle as our first, if through lack of microscope primitive, scale-reader;

(2) The acquittal without a stain on his character of Plutarch from the charge, under which he has lain for centuries, of libelling and contemning Fishing;

(3) The discussion by whom, Martial or Ælian, was the use of (a) the natural, or (b) the artificial fly first suggested or implied;

(4) The examination whether the crescens harundo of Martial was a jointed Rod, somewhat like our own;

(5) The conclusion that the Rod was apparently never employed by the Ancient Assyrians or the Israelites, despite their long connection with Egypt, where as early as c. 2000 b.c. it is depicted in actual use;

(6) The point which, if not original, is rarely made or insufficiently pressed, that the Line of both the ancients and moderns down till the seventeenth century was a tight, as opposed to a running Line.

May I, as a last “bravery,” state that apart from articles in Magazines and Encyclopædias, I do not know, with the exception of Bates’s Ancient Egyptian Fishing, of any work in English on Fishing, not Fish, in ancient Egypt, Assyria, Palestine, or China, nor, with the exception of Mainzer’s magazine article on Jewish Fishing, have I come across one in French or German?

If any object that I have cast my net too wide and enclosed a few things that are neither Fish nor Fishing, I must insist that as these waters are not, as yet, adequately charted, it is well-nigh impossible to avoid some infringement of the three miles’ territorial limit. To drop metaphor, in the present state of archæological research, it is notorious that no one subject can be fully investigated without trenching here and there on allied topics. This indeed is not merely necessary, but desirable, unless important side-lights are simply to be ignored.

Moreover, every good Waltonian prefers the discursive to the cursive style, and would rather take part in a leisurely exploration of his preserves than skim the surface in a manner hasty and in-Compleat.

Whatever the demerits of my volume, written at intervals between war-work and illness, I do trust that of the three counts of the indictment brought against Nicander’s Theriaca, “longa, incondita, et nullius farrago fidei,” the verdict of my readers will, at any rate as regards the last, be “Not Guilty,” for on this head I have stoutly striven to avoid conviction.

Reference to aid from any book or person is usually set forth in my pages; but here and at once I acknowledge with glad gratitude the debt I owe for counsel and help to certain of my friends, whose names I yet hesitate to state, “pour ne point leur donner une part de responsabilité dans les fautes que je suis seul coupable d’avoir laissé subsister.”

They are: Mr. A. B. Cook, Reader in Classical Archæology at Cambridge; Dr. Bernard Grenfell, Professor of Papyrology at Oxford; Dr. A. R. S. Kennedy, Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages at Edinburgh; the late, alas! Dr. Leonard W. King, of the Assyrian Department of the British Museum; Dr. S. Langdon, Professor of Assyriology at Oxford; Dr. J. W. Mackail; Dr. A. Shewan; and last, but very far from least, Mr. H. T. Sheringham.

CONTENTS

page
Preface[vii]
Introduction[ 3]
GREEK AND ROMAN FISHING
chap.
I.Homer. Position of Fishermen[63]
II.Homer. Methods of Fishing[74]
III.Contest between Homer and Hesiod. Homer’s Death[86]
IV.The Dolphin. Herodotus. The Ichthyophagi. The Tunny[90]
V.Plato. Aristotle the First Scale Reader. Senses of Fish[106]
VI.Characteristics of Fishermen in Greece and Rome.
 Deities of Fishing		[116]
VII.Theocritus. The Greek Epigrammatists[133]
VIII.The Two Plinys. Martial. Was the Rod Jointed?[141]
IX.The First Mention of a Fly[152]
X.The Scarus. The First Notice, “Fishing Prohibited”[159]
XI.Plutarch: Charge against Him of contemning Fishing
 False. Cleopatra’s Fishing. Oppian. The Torpedo for
 Gout. Athenæus		[169]
XII.Ælian. The Macedonian Invention, or the First Mention
 of an Artificial Fly		[185]
XIII.Ausonius. Salmo. Salar and Fario. First Mention of
 the Pike in Classical Literature		[194]
XIV.Infatuation for Fish. Extravagant Prices. Costly
 Entertainments. Vitellius. Cleopatra. Apicius.
 Cooks. Sauces		[201]
XV.Fish in Sacrifices. Pickled Fish. Vivaria.
 Oysters. Archimedes		[215]
XVI.Legal Regulations of Rome as regards Fishing[231]
XVII.Tackle. Curious Methods of Fishing for the Sargus,
 the Skate, the Silurus, and the Eel. What was the
 Silurus? Wild Theories as to the Propagation of Eels		[235]
XVIII.The Nine Fish most highly prized[254]
XIX.Fish in Myths, Symbols, Diet, and Medicine[270]
XX.Diocletian’s Edict, 301 a.d. Prices of Fish and
 other Articles Then and Now		[285]
XXI.Difference between Roman and Modern Pisciculture[289]
XXII.The Ring of Helen[295]
EGYPTIAN FISHING
XXIII.“The Nile is Egypt”[301]
XXIV.Tackle[307]
XXV.Abstention from Fish[319]
XXVI.Sacred Fish[327]
XXVII.Fisheries. Attempted Correlation of the Price of
 Fish Then and Now. Spawning		[333]
XXVIII.Fishing with the Hair of the Dead[340]
XXIX.The Ring of Polycrates[344]
ASSYRIAN FISHING
XXX.No Rod, although close intercourse with Egypt[349]
XXXI.Fishing Methods[355]
XXXII.The Earliest Recorded Contract of Fishing[360]
XXXIII.Fish-Gods. Dagon[363]
XXXIV.The Legends of Adapa, and of the Flood[369]
XXXV.Fish. Vivaria. The First Instance of Poaching[373]
XXXVI.Fish in Offerings, Magic Auguries[382]
XXXVII.The Fight between Marduk and Tiāmat[391]
JEWISH FISHING
XXXVIII. Rod not employed in spite of Close Intercourse
 with Egypt. Reasons suggested for Absence		[397]
XXXIX.Fish with and without Scales. Methods of Fishing.
 Vivaria		[414]
XL.Ichthyolatry improbable. Fish not in Sacrifices
 or Auguries		[424]
XLI.The Fish of Tobias. Demonic Possession[431]
XLII.The Fish of Moses. Jonah. Solomon’s Ring[438]
CHINESE FISHING
XLIII.“Plus un pays produit des poissons, plus il produit
 d’hommes”		[449]
INDEX[470]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

page
The Fish Avatar of Vishnu, with Scenes
 Illustrating Life of Krishna		[Frontispiece]
The Oldest (save one) Representation of
 Angling, c. 1400 b.c.		[Title page]
Poseidon, Heracles, and Hermes Fishing [11]
Aztec Fishing [22]
Aztec Boating [23]
Palæolithic Engravings: Seals, Dead Trout,
 and (?) Eels		 [26]
Alaskan Hook with a Wizard’s Head [28]
Bone Gorges [32]
(1) The Eurycantha latro. (2) Hook made from its
 Leg Joints		facing[34]
Barbed Harpoons [37]
Broken Harpoon from Kent’s Cave [37]
Fishing Net spun by Spidersfacing[42]
Fishermen on the Vase of Phylakopi”[63]
“In at the Death””[72]
Methods of Fishing, from Roman Mosaic [75]
Mr. Minchin’s Explanation of κέρας [83]
The Dolphin and the Boy of Iasos [96]
Cutting up the Tunny [100]
Artemis with a large Fish painted on her Dress [127]
“The Happy Fisherman” [131]
The Fowler’s Rod [149]
Venus and Cupid Angling [168]
Torpedo Fishfacing[180]
(1) Fisherman and Son. (2) Son saluting Wayside Hermes [186]
The Naked Fisherman of the Vaticanfacing[201]
Two Men Fishing [220]
Arethusa [221]
A Greek Anglerfacing[235]
Mycenæan Hooks [238]
Angling with Wine, from a Mosaic at Melosfacing[240]
Fish on a Pompeian Mosaic in the Naples Museum”[254]
Head of Tiberius. Temple with two Columns in shape of Fish,
 from a Coin of Abdera		 [273]
The Rape of Helen, from a Fifth Century b.c. Scyphos [294]
The Return of Helen ”””” [296]
Egyptians carrying a large Fish [300]
Early Harpoons [308]
An Egyptian Reelfacing[309]
Spearing Fish”[309]
Senbi Spearing Fish[310]
The Earliest Representation of Angling and Hand-liningfacing[314]
A Fishing Scene”[318]
The Oxyrhyncus taking the place of the Bird Soul [328]
Fisherman wading with Creel round Neckfacing[349]
Men Fishing astride Goatskins”[355]
The Net of Ningirsu (so-called)”[358]
Fish-God [365]
Gilgamesh carrying Fish [367]
The Demon of the South-west Wind [370]
The Fight between Marduk and Tiāmatfacing[392]
Tobias, in La Madonna del Pesce,by Raphael”[397]
A pre-Inca Fishing Scene [399]
Atargatis, from a Coin of Hierapolis [426]
Jonah entering the Whale’s Mouth, from a 14th Century MS. [439]
Jonah leaving  ””””” [442]
Chinese Anglingfacing[449]
Chinese Fishing”[458]

ANCIENT FISHING