22 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



even in their own trap, according to that of Lucian, 

 the father of the family of scoffers. 



Lucian, well skill'd in scoffing, this hath writ, 

 Friend, that's your folly, which you think your wit ; 

 This, you vent oft, void both of wit and fear, 

 Meaning another, when yourself you jeer. 



If to this you add what Solomon says of scoffers, that 

 " they are an abomination to mankind," let them that 

 think fit scoff, on, and be a scoffer still ; but I account 

 them enemies to me and to all that love virtue and 

 angling. 



And for you that have heard many grave, serious men 

 pity Anglers ; let me tell you, Sir, there be many men 

 that are by others taken to be serious and grave men, 

 whom we contemn and pity. Men that are taken to 

 be grave, because nature hath made them of a sour com- 

 plexion ; money-getting men, men that spend all their 

 time, first in getting, and next in anxious care to keep 

 it ; men that are condemned to be rich, and then always 

 busy or discontented ; for these poor rich men, we 

 Anglers pity them perfectly, and stand in no need to 

 borrow their thoughts to think ourselves so happy. 

 No, no, Sir, we enjoy a contentedness above the reach 

 of such dispositions, and as the learned and ingenuous 

 Montaigne says like himself, freely, "When my cat 

 and I entertain each other with mutual apish tricks, 

 as playing with a garter, who knows but that I make 

 my cat more sport than she makes me ? Shall I con- 

 clude her to be simple, that has her time to begin or 

 refuse to play as freely as I myself have ? Nay, who 

 knows but that it is a defect of my not understanding 

 her language (for doubtless cats talk and reason with 

 one another), that we agree no better? And who knows 

 but that she pities me for being no wiser, than to play 

 with her, and laughs and censures my folly for making 

 sport for her, when we two play together ? " 



