And now, having three brace of Trouts, I will tell you a tal_The World's Greatest Books — Volume 20

walk back to our hostess.

A preacher that was to procure the approbation of a parish got from

a fellow preacher the copy of a sermon that was preached with great

commendation by him that composed it; and though the borrower preached

it, word for word, yet it was utterly disliked; and on complaining to

the lender of it, was thus answered: "I lent you indeed my fiddle, but

not my fiddlestick; for you are to know, everyone cannot make music

with my words, which are fitted for my own mouth." And though I lend

you my very rod and tacklings, yet you have not my fiddlestick, that

is, the skill wherewith I guide it.

_Venator._ Master, you spoke very true. Yonder comes mine hostess to

call us to supper; and when we have supped we will sing songs which

shall give some addition of mirth to the company.

_Piscator._ And so say I; for to-morrow we meet again up the water

towards Waltham.

_Fish of English Streams_

_Piscator._ Indeed, my good scholar, we may say of angling, as Dr.

Boteler said of strawberries, "Doubtless God could have made a better

berry, but doubtless God never did"; and so, God never did make a more

calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.

And when I see how pleasantly that meadow looks; and the earth smells

so sweetly too; I think of them as Charles the Emperor did of the City

of Florence; "that they were too pleasant to be looked on, but on

holidays."

To speak of fishes; the Salmon is accounted the king of fresh-water

fish. He breeds in the rivers in the month of August, and then hastes

to the sea before winter; where he recovers his strength and comes the

next summer to the same river; for like persons of riches, he has his

summer and winter house, to spend his life in, which is, as Sir Francis

Bacon hath observed, not above ten years.

The Pike, the tyrant of the fresh-waters, is said to be the

longest-lived of any fresh-water fish, but not usually above forty

years. Gesner relates of a man watering his mule in a pond, where the

Pike had devoured all the fish, had the Pike bite his mule's lips; to

which he hung so fast, the mule did draw him out of the water. And

this same Gesner observes, that a maid in Poland washing clothes in

a pond, had a Pike bite her by the foot. I have told you who relate

these things; and shall conclude by telling you, what a wise-man hath

observed: "It is a hard thing to persuade the belly, because it has no

ears."

Besides being an eater of great voracity, the Pike is observed to be a

solitary, melancholy and a bold fish. When he is dressed with a goodly,

rich sauce, and oysters, this dish of meat is too good for any man, but

an angler, or a very honest man.

The Carp, that hath only lately been naturalised in England, is said to

be the queen of rivers, and will grow to a very great bigness; I have

heard, much above a yard long.

The stately Bream, and the Tench, that physician of fishes, love best

to live in ponds. In every Tench's head are two little stones which

physicians make great use of. Rondeletius says, at his being in Rome,

he saw a great cure done by applying a Tench to the feet of a sick man.

But I will not meddle more with that; there are too many meddlers in

physic and divinity that think fit to meddle with hidden secrets and so

bring destruction to their followers.

The Perch is a bold, biting fish, and carries his teeth in his mouth;

and to affright the Pike and save himself he will set up his fins, like

as a turkey-cock will set up his tail. If there be twenty or forty in

a hole, they may be catched one after the other, at one standing; they

being, like the wicked of this world, not afraid, though their fellows

and companions perish in their sight.

And now I think best to rest myself, for I have almost spent my spirits

with talking.

_Venator._ Nay, good master, one fish more! For it rains yet; you know

our angles are like money put to usury; they may thrive, though we sit

still. Come, the other fish, good master!

_Piscator._ But shall I nothing from you, that seem to have both a good

memory and a cheerful spirit?

_Venator._ Yes, master; I will speak you a copy of verses that allude

to rivers and fishing:

Come, live with me, and be my love,

And we will some new pleasures prove;

Of golden sands, and crystal brooks,

With silken lines, and silver hooks.

When thou wilt swim in that live bath,

Each fish, which every channel hath,

Most amorously to thee will swim,

Gladder to catch thee, than thou him.

Let others freeze with angling reeds,

And cut their legs with shells and weeds,

Or treacherously poor fish beget

With trangling snare or windowy net;

For thee, thou need'st no such deceit,

For thou, thyself, art thine own bait,

That fish, that is not catched thereby

Is wiser far, alas, than I!

_Piscator._ I thank you for these choice verses. And I will now tell

you of the Eel, which is a most dainty fish. The Romans have esteemed

her the Helena of their feasts. Sir Francis Bacon will allow the Eel to

live but ten years; but he mentions a Lamprey, belonging to the Roman

Emperor, that was made tame and kept for three-score years; so that

when she died, Crassus, the orator, lamented her death.

I will tell you next how to make the Eel a most excellent dish of meat.

First, wash him in water and salt, then pull off his skin and clean

him; then give him three or four scotches with a knife; and then put

into him sweet herbs, an anchovy and a little nutmeg. Then pull his

skin over him, and tie him with pack-thread; and baste him with butter,

and what he drips, be his sauce. And when I dress an Eel thus, I wish

he were a yard and three-quarters long. But they are not so proper to

be talked of by me because they make us anglers no sport.

The Barbel, so called by reason of his barb or wattles, and the

Gudgeon, are both fine fish of excellent shape.

My further purpose was to give you directions concerning Roach and

Dace, but I will forbear. I see yonder, brother Peter. But I promise

you, to-morrow as we walk towards London, if I have forgotten anything

now I will not then keep it from you.

_Venator._ Come, we will all join together and drink a cup to our

jovial host, and so to bed. I say good-night to everybody.

_Piscator._ And so say I.

_Walking Homewards_

_Piscator._ I will tell you, my honest scholar, I once heard one say,

"I envy not him that eats better meat, or wears better clothes than I

do; I envy him only that catches more fish than I do."

And there be other little fish that I had almost forgot, such as the

Minnow or Penk; the dainty Loach; the Miller's-Thumb, of no pleasing

shape; the Stickle-bag, good only to make sport for boys and women

anglers.

Well, scholar, I could tell you many things of the rivers of this

nation, the chief of which is the Thamisis; of fish-ponds, and how to

breed fish within them, and how to order your lines and baits for the

several fishes; but, I will tell you some of the thoughts that have

possessed my soul since we met together. And you shall join with me

in thankfulness to the Giver of every good and perfect gift for our

happiness; which may appear the greater when we consider how many, even

at this very time, lie under the torment, and the stone, the gout, and

tooth-ache; and all these we are free from.

Since we met, others have met disasters, some have been blasted, and

we have been free from these. What is a far greater mercy, we are free

from the insupportable burden of an accusing conscience.

Let me tell you, there be many that have forty times our estates, that

would give the greatest part of it to be healthful and cheerful like

us; who have eat, and drank, and laughed, and angled, and sung, and

slept; and rose next day, and cast away care, and sung, and laughed,

and angled again.

I have a rich neighbour that is always so busy that he has no leisure

to laugh. He says that Solomon says, "The diligent man makest

rich"; but, he considers not what was wisely said by a man of great

observation, "That there be as many miseries beyond riches, as on this

side them."

Let me tell you, scholar, Diogenes walked one day through a country

fair, where he saw ribbons, and looking-glasses, and nut-crackers, and

fiddles, and many other gimcracks; and said to his friend, "Lord, how

many things are there in this world Diogenes hath no need!"

All this is told you to incline you to thankfulness: though the prophet

David was guilty of murder and many other of the most deadly sins, yet

he was said to be a man after God's own heart, because he abounded with

thankfulness.

Well, scholar, I have almost tired myself, and I fear, more than tired

you.

But, I now see Tottenham High Cross, which puts a period to our too

long discourse, in which my meaning was to plant that in your mind with

which I labour to possess my own soul--that is, a meek and thankful

heart. And, to that end, I have showed you that riches without them do

not make a man happy. But riches with them remove many fears and cares.

Therefore, my advice is, that you endeavour to be honestly rich, or

contentedly poor; but be sure your riches be justly got; for it is well

said by Caussin, "He that loses his conscience, has nothing left that

is worth the keeping." So look to that. And in the next place, look to

your health, for health is a blessing that money cannot buy. As for

money, neglect it not, and, if you have a competence, enjoy it with a

cheerful, thankful heart.

_Venator._ Well, master, I thank you for all your good directions, and

especially for this last, of thankfulness. And now being at Tottenham

High Cross, I will requite a part of your courtesies with a drink

composed of sack, milk, oranges, and sugar, which, all put together,

make a drink like nectar indeed; and too good for anybody, but us

anglers. So, here is a full glass to you.

_Piscator._ And I to you, sir.

_Venator._ Sir, your company and discourse have been so pleasant that I

truly say, that I have only lived since I enjoyed it an turned angler,

and not before.

I will not forget the doctrines Socrates taught his scholars, that they

should not think to be honoured for being philosophers, so much as to

honour philosophy by the virtue of their lives. You advised me to the

like concerning angling, and to live like those same worthy men. And

this is my firm resolution.

And when I would beget content, I will walk the meadows, by some

gliding stream, and there contemplate the lilies that take no care.

That is my purpose; and so, "let the blessing of St. Peter's Master be

with mine."

_Piscator._ And upon all that are lovers of virtue, and be quiet, and

go a-angling.

_Index_

In the following Index the Roman Numerals refer to the _Volumes_,

and the Arabic Numerals to _Pages_. The numerals in heavy, or

=black-faced= type, indicate the place where the _biographical_

notice will be found.

Abbé Constantine, The V 38

ABÉLARD AND HÉLOÏSE =IX= 1

ABOUT, EDMOND =I= 1

Adam Bede IV 33

ADDISON, JOSEPH =XVI= 1; XX 1

Advancement of Learning, The XIII 321

Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green, The II 41

Advice to Young Men XX 78

ÆSCHYLUS =XVI= 16 _seq._

ÆSOP =XX= 10

Africa: see Vol. XIX

Agamemnon, The XVI 16

Age of Reason, The XIII 196

Aids to Reflection XIII 84

AINSWORTH, HARRISON =I= 17

Albert N'Yanza, The XIX 1

Alcestis XVI 336

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland II 176

All for Love XVI 322

Alton Locke V 236

Ambrosio, or the Monk VI 51

Amelia IV 122

America, History of:

Mexico XII 19;

Peru XII 30;

United States XII 1;

And now, having three brace of Trouts, I will tell you a tale as we