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

GREEK AND ROMAN FISHING

chap.

I. Homer. Position of Fishermen

II. Homer. Methods of Fishing

III. Contest between Homer and Hesiod. Homer’s Death

IV. The Dolphin. Herodotus. The Ichthyophagi. The Tunny

V. Plato. Aristotle the First Scale Reader. Senses of Fish

VI. Characteristics of Fishermen in Greece and Rome.
Deities of Fishing

VII. Theocritus. The Greek Epigrammatists

VIII. The Two Plinys. Martial. Was the Rod Jointed?

IX. The First Mention of a Fly

X. The Scarus. The First Notice, “Fishing Prohibited”

XI. Plutarch: Charge against Him of contemning Fishing
False. Cleopatra’s Fishing. Oppian. The Torpedo for
Gout. Athenæus

XII. Ælian. The Macedonian Invention, or the First Mention
of an Artificial Fly

XIII. Ausonius. Salmo. Salar and Fario. First Mention of
the Pike in Classical Literature

XIV. Infatuation for Fish. Extravagant Prices. Costly
Entertainments. Vitellius. Cleopatra. Apicius.
Cooks. Sauces

XV. Fish in Sacrifices. Pickled Fish. Vivaria.
Oysters. Archimedes

XVI. Legal Regulations of Rome as regards Fishing

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

XVIII. The Nine Fish most highly prized

XIX. Fish in Myths, Symbols, Diet, and Medicine

XX. Diocletian’s Edict, 301 a.d. Prices of Fish and
other Articles Then and Now

XXI. Difference between Roman and Modern Pisciculture

XXII. The Ring of Helen

EGYPTIAN FISHING

XXIII. “The Nile is Egypt”

XXIV. Tackle

XXV. Abstention from Fish

XXVI. Sacred Fish

XXVII. Fisheries. Attempted Correlation of the Price of
Fish Then and Now. Spawning

XXVIII. Fishing with the Hair of the Dead

XXIX. The Ring of Polycrates

ASSYRIAN FISHING

XXX. No Rod, although close intercourse with Egypt

XXXI. Fishing Methods

XXXII. The Earliest Recorded Contract of Fishing

XXXIII. Fish-Gods. Dagon

XXXIV. The Legends of Adapa, and of the Flood

XXXV. Fish. Vivaria. The First Instance of Poaching

XXXVI. Fish in Offerings, Magic Auguries

XXXVII. The Fight between Marduk and Tiāmat

JEWISH FISHING

XXXVIII. Rod not employed in spite of Close Intercourse
with Egypt. Reasons suggested for Absence

XXXIX. Fish with and without Scales. Methods of Fishing.
Vivaria

XL. Ichthyolatry improbable. Fish not in Sacrifices
or Auguries

XLI. The Fish of Tobias. Demonic Possession

XLII. The Fish of Moses. Jonah. Solomon’s Ring

CHINESE FISHING

XLIII. “Plus un pays produit des poissons, plus il produit
d’hommes”

INDEX

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

Aztec Fishing

Aztec Boating

Palæolithic Engravings: Seals, Dead Trout,
and (?) Eels

Alaskan Hook with a Wizard’s Head

Bone Gorges

(1) The Eurycantha latro. (2) Hook made from its
Leg Joints facing

Barbed Harpoons

Broken Harpoon from Kent’s Cave

Fishing Net spun by Spiders facing

Fishermen on the Vase of Phylakopi ”

“In at the Death” ”

Methods of Fishing, from Roman Mosaic

Mr. Minchin’s Explanation of κέρας

The Dolphin and the Boy of Iasos

Cutting up the Tunny

Artemis with a large Fish painted on her Dress

“The Happy Fisherman”

The Fowler’s Rod

Venus and Cupid Angling

Torpedo Fish facing

(1) Fisherman and Son. (2) Son saluting Wayside Hermes

The Naked Fisherman of the Vatican facing

Two Men Fishing

Arethusa

A Greek Angler facing

Mycenæan Hooks

Angling with Wine, from a Mosaic at Melos facing

Fish on a Pompeian Mosaic in the Naples Museum ”

Head of Tiberius. Temple with two Columns in shape of Fish,
from a Coin of Abdera

The Rape of Helen, from a Fifth Century b.c. Scyphos

The Return of Helen ”” ””

Egyptians carrying a large Fish

Early Harpoons

An Egyptian Reel facing

Spearing Fish ”

Senbi Spearing Fish

The Earliest Representation of Angling and Hand-lining facing

A Fishing Scene ”

The Oxyrhyncus taking the place of the Bird Soul

Fisherman wading with Creel round Neck facing

Men Fishing astride Goatskins ”

The Net of Ningirsu (so-called) ”

Fish-God

Gilgamesh carrying Fish

The Demon of the South-west Wind

The Fight between Marduk and Tiāmat facing

Tobias, in La Madonna del Pesce, by Raphael ”

A pre-Inca Fishing Scene

Atargatis, from a Coin of Hierapolis

Jonah entering the Whale’s Mouth, from a 14th Century MS.

Jonah leaving ”” ”””

Chinese Angling facing

Chinese Fishing ”

ANCIENT FISHING