142 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



But if these relations be disbelieved, it is too evident 

 to be doubted, that a pike will devour a fish of his own 

 kind that shall be bigger than his belly or throat will 

 receive, and swallow a part of him, and let the other part 

 remain in his mouth till the wallowed part be digested, 

 and then swallow that other part, that was in his mouth, 

 and so put it over by degrees ; which is not unlike the ox, 

 and some other beasts, taking their meat, not out of their 

 mouth immediately into their belly, but first into some 

 place betwixt, and then chew it, or digest it by degrees 

 after, which is called chewing the cud. And, doubtless, 

 pikes will bite when they are not hungry ; but, as some 

 think, even for very anger, when a tempting bait comes 

 near to them. 



watch is still in the possession of Mr. John Roberts, at the Cross 

 Keys, in Littleport, for the inspection of the public." And this is 

 in the same paper, the 25th of the same month and year. " On 

 Tuesday last, at Lillishall lime-works, near Newport, a pool about 

 nine yards deep, which has not yet been fished for ages, was let 

 off by means of a level brought up to drain the works, when an 

 enormous pike was found ; he was drawn out by a rope fastened 

 round his head and gills, amidst hundreds of spectators, in which 

 service a great many men were employed : he weighed upwards 

 of 170 pounds, and is thought to be the largest ever seen. Some 

 time ago, the clerk of the parish was trolling in the above pool, 

 when his bait was seized by this furious creature, which by a sudden 

 jerk pulled him in, and doubtless would have devoured him also, had 

 he not by wonderful agility and dexterous swimming, escaped 

 the dreadful jaws of this voracious animal." In Dr. Plot's History 

 of Staffordshire, 246, are sundry relations of pike of great magnitude, 

 one in particular, caught in the Thame, an ell and two inches long. 

 The following story, containing further evidence of the voracity of 

 this fish, with the addition of a pleasant circumstance, I met with 

 in Fuller's Worthies, Lincolnshire, page 144. " A cub fox drinking 

 out of the River Arnus in Italy, had his head seized on by a mighty 

 pike, so that neither could free themselves, but were ingrappled 

 together. In this contest a young man runs into the water, takes 

 them out both alive, and carrieth them to the Duke of Florence, 

 whose palace was hard by. The porter would not admit him without 

 promising of sharing his full half in what the duke should give him ; 

 to which he (hopeless otherwise of entrance) condescended : the 

 duke, highly affected with the rarity, was about giving him a good 

 reward, which the other refused, desiring his highness would appoint 

 one of his guard to give him a hundred lashes, that so, his porter 

 might have fifty, according to his composition. And here my 

 intelligence leaveth me how much farther the jest was followed." II. 



