[VFB] Dame Juliana Berner's 12 Flies

[Jimmy D. Moore]

Tho't ya'll might enjoy this. JIMMY D

These are the twelve flies with which ye shall angle for the trout and 
grayling; and dub them like ye will now hear me tell:
March
(1.)The dun fly the body of dun wool and the wings of the partridge. (2) 
Another dun fly, the body of black wool; the wings of the blackest 
drake; and the jay under the wing and under the tail.
April
(3)The stone fly, the body of black wool, and yellow under the wing and 
under the tail; and the wings, of the drake. (4) In the beginning of 
May, a good fly, the body of reddened wool and lapped about with black 
silk; the wings, of the drake and the red capon’s hackle.
May
(5) The yellow fly, the body of yellow wool; the wings of red cock 
hackle and of the drake dyed yellow. (6) The black leaper, the body of 
black wool and lapped about with the herl of the peacock’s tail: and the 
wings of the red capon with a blue head.
June
(7) The dun cut: the body of black wool, and a yellow stripe after 
either side; the wings of the buzzard, bound on with barked hemp. (8) 
The maure fly, the body of dusky wool, the wings of the blackest male of 
the wild drake. (9) The tandy fly at St. William’s Day, the body of 
tandy wool; and the wings contrary either against the other, of the 
whitest breast feathers of the wild drake.
July
(10) The wasp fly, the body of black wool and lapped about with yellow 
thread: the wings of the buzzard. (11) The shell fly at St. Thomas’ Day, 
the body of green wool and lapped about with the herl of the peacock’s 
tail: wings of the buzzard.
August
(12) The drake fly, the body of black wool and lapped about with black 
silk: wings of the breast feathers of the blackest drake, with a black head.

Here follows the order made to all those who shall have the 
understanding of this aforesaid treatise and use it for their pleasures.
Ye that can angle and catch fish for pleasure, as the aforesaid treatise 
teaches and shows ye: I charge and require ye in the name of all noble 
men that ye do not fish in any poor man's private water: as his pond: 
stew: or other necessary things to keep fish in without his license and 
good will. Nor that ye use not to break any man's engines lying in their 
weirs and in other places due to them. Nor to take the fish away that is 
taken in them. For after a fish is taken in a man's trap, if the trap is 
laid in the public waters: or else in such waters as he hires, it is his 
own personal property. And if ye take it away, ye rob him: which is a 
right shameful deed for any gentle man to do, that the thieves and 
robbers do, who are punished for their evil deeds by the neck and 
otherwise when they can be found and captured. And also if ye do in like 
manner as this treatise shows, ye will have no need to take other men’s 
fish, while ye will have enough catching, if ye wish to work for them. 
It will be a true pleasure to see the fair, bright, shining-scaled 
fishes deceived by ye crafty means and drawn upon the land. Also, I 
charge ye, that ye break no man's hedges in going about ye sports: nor 
open any man's gates but that ye shut them again. Also, ye must not use 
this aforesaid artful sport for covetousness to increasing or saving of 
ye money only, but principally for ye solace and to promote the health 
of ye body and specially thine soul. For when ye propose to go on your 
sports in fishing, ye will not desire greatly many persons with ye, 
which might hinder in letting ye at thy game. And then ye can serve God 
devoutly by earnestly saying thou customary prayers. And thus doing, ye 
will eschew and avoid many vices, such as idleness, which is the 
principal cause to induce man to many other vices, as is right well 
known. Also, ye must not be too greedy in catching thine said game as 
taking too much at one time, which ye may easily do if ye do in every 
point as this present treatise shows ye in every point. Which could 
easily be the occasion of destroying thine own sport and other men's 
also. As when ye have a sufficient mess ye should covet no more as at 
that time. Also ye shall help thineself to nourish the game in all that 
ye may, and to destroy all such things as are devourers of it. And all 
those that do as this rule shall have the blessing of God and St. Peter. 
Which he grants them that with his precious blood he bought.

And so that this present treatise should not come into the hands of 
every idle person who would desire it if it were printed alone by itself 
and put in a little pamphlet, therefore I have compiled it in a greater 
volume of diverse books concerning gentle and noble men, to the end that 
the aforesaid idle persons which should have but little measure in the 
said sport of fishing should not by this means utterly destroy it.