The sea strond is also strowed with sundry fashioned & coloured shels, of so diuersified and pretty workmanship, as if nature were for her pastime disposed to shew her skil in trifles. With these are found, moreouer, certaine Nuts, somewhat resembling a sheepes kidney, saue that they are flatter: the outside consisteth of a hard darke coloured rinde: the inner part, of a kernell voyd of any taste, but not so of vertue, especially for women trauayling in childbirth, if at least, old wiues tales may deserue any credit. If I become blame-worthy in speaking of such toyes, Scipio and Lelius shall serue for my patrons, who helde it no shame to spend time in their gathering.
But to carie you from these trifles, you shall vnderstand, that Cornewall is stored with many sorts of shipping, (for that terme is the genus to them all) namely, they haue Cock-boats for passengers, Sayn-boats for taking of Pilcherd, Fisher-boates for the coast, Barges for sand, Lighters for burthen, and Barkes and Ships for trafficke: of all which seuerally to particularize, were consectari minutias, and therefore I will omit to discourse of them, or of the wrackes proceeding from them, to their great dammage, and the finders petty benefit, to whom, he that inioyeth the Admirals right, by the common custome alloweth a moytie for his labour.
But though I shunne tediousnesse herein, I feare lest I shal breede you Nauseam, while I play the fishmonger: and yet, so large a commoditie may not passe away in silence. I will therefore, with what briefnes I can, shew you, what they are, when they come, where they haunt, with what baite they may be trayned, with what engine taken, and with what dressing saued.
Herein we will first begin with the Peall, Trowt, and Sammon, because they partake of both salt and fresh water, breeding in the one, and liuing in the other.
The Trowte and Peall come from the Sea, betweene March and Midsummer, and passe vp into the fresh ryuers, to shed their spawne. They are mostly taken with a hooke-net, made like the Easterne Weelyes, which is placed in the stickellest part of the streame (for there the fish chiefely seeketh passage) and kept abroad with certaine hoopes, hauing his smaller end fastened against the course of the water, and his mouth open to receiue the fish, while he fareth vp by night.
The Sammons principal accesse, is betweene Michaelmas and Christmas: for then, and not before, the ryuers can afford them competent depth. A time forbidden to take them in, by the Statute thirteene of Richard the second: but if they should bee allowed this priuiledge in Cornwall, the Inhabitants might vtterly quit all hope of good by them, for the rest of the yeere. They are refettest (that is fattest) at their first comming from the Sea, and passe vp as high as any water can carrie them, to spawne the more safely, and, to that end, take aduantage of the great raynie flouds. After Christmas, [29] they returne to the Sea, altogether spent & out of season, whome, as the spring time commeth on, their fry doe follow: and it hath beene obserued, that they (as also the Trowt and Peall) haunt the same ryuers where they first were bred. Vpon the North coast, and to the Westwards of Foy, few or none are taken, either through those ryuers shallownesse, or their secret dislike. To catch them, sundrie deuices are put in practise: one is, with the hooke and line, where they vse Flies for their baite: another, with the Sammons speare, a weapon like Neptunes Mace, bearded at the points. With this, one standeth watching in the darke night, by the deepe pooles, where the Sammons worke their bed for spawning, while another maketh light with a waze of reed. The Sammon naturally resorteth to the flame, playing in and out, and therethrough is discerned, strooken and drawne on land by a cord fastened to the speare. The third and more profitable meanes of their taking, is by hutches. A head of Fagots, or stones, is made acrosse the ryuer, and his greatest part let out, through a square roome therein, whose vpper side giueth passage to the water by a grate, but denieth it to the fish, and the lower admitteth his entrie, thorow certaine thicke laths, couched slope-wise one against another, but so narrowly, as he can find no way of returne, while the streame tosseth him hither and thither, and the laths ends gall him, if he stumble on the place.
They vse also to take Sammons and Trowts, by groping, tickling them vnder the bellies, in the Pooles where they houer, vntill they lay hold on them with their hands, & so throw them on land. Touching these, one scribling of the ryuer Lyner, rymed as ensueth:
THE store-house of Sunnes cheuisance,
The clocke whose measures time doth dance,
The Moones vassall, the Lord of chance,
Oceanus
Ere yeeres compasse his circle end,
From hugie bosome, where they wend,
His scaly broode to greete doth send,
His wife Tellus.
Some haile but with the coasting shore,
Some multiplie the Harbours store,
Some farre into the ryuers bore,
Amongst the rest.