THE COMPLETE ANGLER 201 



Before death 

 Stops our breath : 

 Other joys 

 Are but toys, 

 And to be lamented. Jo. CHALKHILL. 



VEN. Well sung, master : this day's fortune and pleas- 

 ure, and this night's company and song, do all make me 

 more and more in love with angling. Gentlemen, my 

 master left me alone for an hour this day ; and I verily 

 believe he retired himself from talking with me, that he 

 might be so perfect in this song : was it not, master ? 



Pise. Yes indeed ; for it is many years since I learned 

 it, and having forgotten a part of it, I was forced to patch 

 it up by the help of mine own invention, who am not 

 excellent at poetry, as my part of the song may testify : 

 but of that I will say no more, lest you should think I 

 mean by discommending it to beg your commendations 

 of it. And therefore, without replications, let us hear your 

 catch, scholar, which I hope will be a good one ; for you 

 are both musical, and have a good fancy to boot. 



VEN. Marry, and that you shall ; and as freely as I 

 would have my honest master tell me some more secrets 

 of fish and fishing as we walk and fish towards London 

 to-morrow. But, master, first let me tell you, that very 

 hour which you were absent from me, I sat down under 

 a willow-tree by the water-side, and considered what you 

 had told me of the owner of that pleasant meadow in 

 which you had then left me ; that he had a plentiful 

 estate, and not a heart to think so ; that he had at this 

 time many law-suits depending, and that they both 

 damped his mirth and took up so much of his time and 

 thoughts, that he himself had not leisure to take the sweet 

 content that I, who pretended no title to them, took in 

 his fields : for I could sit there quietly ; and looking on the 

 water, see some fishes sport themselves in the silver streams, 

 others leaping at flies of several shapes and colours ; 

 lOOo* 



