50 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



former affections or practice had inclined them to ; and 

 he brings Solomon for an example, who before his 

 conversion was remarkably carnally amorous ; and after, 

 by God's appointment, wrote that spiritual dialogue, 

 or holy amorous love-song, the Canticles, betwixt God 

 and His church ; in which he says, his beloved had eyes 

 like the fish-pools of Heshbon. 



And if this hold in reason, as I see none to the contrary, 

 then it may be probably concluded, that Moses, who I 

 told you before writ the book of Job, and the prophet 

 Amos, who was a shepherd, were both anglers ; for you 

 shall, in all the Old Testament find fish-hooks, I think, 

 but twice mentioned : namely, by meek Moses the friend 

 of God, and by the humble prophet Amos. Concerning 

 which last, namely the prophet Amos, I shall make but 

 this observation ; that he that shall read the humble, lowly, 

 plain style of that prophet, and compare it with the high, 

 glorious, eloquent style of the prophet Isaiah (though they 

 both be equally true), may easily believe Amos to be, 

 not only a shepherd, but a good-natured plain fisherman. 

 Which I do the rather believe, by comparing the affec- 

 tionate, loving, lowly, humble epistles of St. Peter, St. 

 James, and St. John, whom we know were all fishers, 

 with the glorious language and high metaphors of St. 

 Paul, whom we may believe was not. 



And for the lawfulness of fishing : it may very well be 

 maintained by our Saviour's bidding St. Peter cast his 

 hook into the water and catch a fish, for money to pay 

 tribute to Caesar. 



And let me tell you, that angling is of high esteem and 

 much use in other nations. He that reads the voyages 

 of Ferdinand Mendez Pinto,* shall find, that there he 

 declares to have found a king and several priests 

 a-fishing. 



* A traveller so noted for his mendacity, that to call any narrator 

 of travels a " Mendez Pinto," is an insult. E. 



