THE PLEASURES OF HOPE 159 



never be lost sight of; and yon should imagine 

 every moment of the livelong day that an extra- 

 ordinarily large salmon is coming at it. No man can 

 do any thing properly unless he is sanguine, and 

 his whole heart and soul is in the business. " Re- 

 member, my good people all, I do not wish to press 

 this laborious sport unfairly upon you : excuse me, 

 but it may be you are not exactly fit for it — non 

 cuivis homini" &c. You may saunter about with a 

 gauze net and two sticks, if you prefer it, and catch 

 butterflies. Every man to his vocation ; but " what 

 is a gentleman without his recreations ? " 



There is a speculation in angling that gives 

 great zest to the sport. You may catch a 

 moderate -sized fish, or a distinguished one ; or, 

 mayhap, a monster of such stupendous dimensions 

 as will render your name immortal ; and he may 

 be painted, and adorn some fishing-tackle shop in 

 London, like Colonel Thornton's pike, which threw 

 Newmarket on his back as he was landing him — a 

 lad, says the Colonel, so called from the place of 

 his nativity. Of course you expect the latter 

 phenomenon every cast. You see him in your 

 mind's eye eternally following your fly, and you 

 are ready to strike from second to second. It is 

 true he does not actually come, as experience 

 teaches. But what of that ? he may come in an 

 hour — in a minute — in a moment ; the thing is 

 possible, and that is enough for an angler. 



A friend of mine (sacred be his name !) of great 

 repute for his dexterity with the rod, and celebrated 

 for his agreeable and amiable qualities, as well as 

 for his intelligence and various accomplishments, 



