36 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



see Mount Sion, Jerusalem, and the very sepulchre of 

 our Lord Jesus ? How may it beget and heighten the 

 zeal of a Christian to see the devotions that are daily 

 paid to him at that place ? Gentlemen, lest I forget 

 myself, I will stop here and remember you, that but 

 for my element of water, the inhabitants of this poor 

 island must remain ignorant that such things ever were, 

 or that any of them have yet a being. 



Gentlemen, I might both enlarge and lose myself in 

 such like arguments ; I might tell you that Almighty 

 God is said to have spoken to a fish but never to a beast ; 

 that He hath made a whale a ship to carry, and set His 

 prophet Jonah safe on the appointed shore. Of these I 

 might speak, but I must in manners break off, for I 

 see Theobald's house. I cry your mercy for being so 

 long, and thank you for your patience. 



Auc. Sir, my pardon is easily granted you : I except 

 against nothing that you have said ; nevertheless I 

 must part with you at this park-wall, for which I am 

 very sorry ; but I assure you, Mr. Piscator, I now part 

 with you full of good thoughts, not only of yourself, 

 but your recreation. And so, gentlemen, God keep you 

 both. 



Pise. Well now, Mr. Venator, you shall neither want 

 time, nor my attention to hear you enlarge your discourse 

 concerning hunting. 



YEN. Not I, sir : I remember you said that angling 

 itself was of great antiquity and a perfect art, and an 

 art not easily attained to ; and you have so won upon 

 me in your former discourse, that I am very desirous to 

 hear what you can say farther concerning those particulars. 



Pise. Sir, I did say so : and .1 doubt not but if you 

 and I did converse together but a few hours, to leave 

 you possessed with the same high and happy thoughts 

 that now possess me of it ; not only of the antiquity 

 of angling, but that it deserves commendations ; and 



