The country-mans recreation, or The art of [brace] planting, graffing, and gardening, [brace] in three books. The first declaring divers waies of planting, and graffing, and the best times of the year, with divers commodities and secrets herein, how to set or plant with the root, and without the root; to sow or set pepins or curnels, with the ordering thereof, also to cleanse your grafts and cions, to help barren and sick trees, to kill worms and vermin, and to preserve and keep fruit; how to plant and proin your vines, and to gather and presse your grape; to cleanse and mosse your trees, to make your cider and perry, with many other secret practises which shall appear in the table following. The second treateth of the hop-garden, with necessary instructions for the making and maintenance thereof, ... with some directions for tabaco. Whereunto is added, The expert gardener, containing divers necessary and rare secrets belonging to that art, ... hereunto is likewise added the Art of angling.

To dresse a Pike.

When the Pike cometh into the Kitchin, kill it; then take a handfull of Salt, with water, and rub the fish ve∣ry well to take the slime off, draw out the Intrailes; wash the Pike cleane, put a handfull of Salt in the Pikes Belly; then take so much water, with a pinte of Vine∣gar: if the Pike be any thing large, you must put in at least three handfull of Salt, with a bunch of Rosemary, Thyme, and sweet Marjoram, and two or three green

Onyons; boyle your liquor very well with a high fire made of wood; then put in your Pike, cover your Kettle, with your Bellows keep your Kettle boiling verie high for the space of halfe an houre or thereabouts: a Pike asketh great boiling: for the Sauce, it is sweet Butter well beaten with some of the top of the same liquor, with two or three Antchovaes, the skin taken off, and the bones taken out, a little Vinegar, so garnish your Dish: when your Pike is Dished, take the juyce of a Lemmon and put on the top of the fish: there is no doubt but it is good victuall.

I could set downe as many wayes to dress Eeles, as would furnish a Lords Table: but I will relate but one.

Take off the skinne whole, till you come within two inches of the taile, beginning at the head: take out the Intrailes, wash the Eele cleane, drie it with a cloth, scotch it all along both the sides; take some Pepper and Salt, mixe them together, rub the Eele well with the Pepper, and Salt; draw the skinne on againe whole; tye the skinne about the head with a little thred lapped round, broyled on a Charcoale fire, let your Grid-iron be hot, rub your Grid iron with some ruffe Suet; the skinne will not burne; this is good; but take the skin off, and stew the Eele betwixt two Di∣shes, on a Chafing-dish of Coals, with sweet Butter, Vi∣negar, and beaten Cinnamon, they will be better.

The boyling of a Carp is the very same way as I have shewed for the Trout, the scales on: no better Sauce can be made then the Antchovaes Sauce. The high boyling is the way for all fresh-water Fish: I have served seven times seven years, to see the experiment.

If there be any Gentleman that liveth adjoyning to a River side, where Trouts are; I will shew the way to bring them to feed, that he may see them at his pleasure;

and to bring store to the place. Gather great Garden-Wormes, the quantity of a pinte, or a quart, chop them in pieces, and throw them where you intend to have your pleasure; with feeding often, there is no doubt of their comming; they will come as Sheep to the Pen: you must begin to feed with peeces of worms, by hand, by one and one, untill you see them eat; then you may feed with Liver or Lights, so your de∣sire will be effected. And thus I conclude this short Treatise.