NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 169 



of this my observation, lie direct him a prece- 

 dent, and go no farther than the brood of perch, 

 because both are barrel-bellied fish, and answer- 

 able in some measure to the race of salmon ; 

 which if he do, he may rationally conclude that 

 nature's laws are alike to both. 



Now the milter, because having discharged 

 himself with some little labour, and as little 

 trouble, suddenly recovers again the depth of 

 the water, with most accurate swiftness; nor 

 have I rarely seen'a more violent motion : whose 

 absence in a trice invites the female fish, and she 

 no sooner returns to the place, dictated beyond 

 dispute by the mediums of nature (which I 

 think no wise intelligent man will deny) works 

 a trough like a cistern in sand or gravel, and, 

 as near as I could guess, of about her own 

 proportion ; into which trough, with nothing 

 save the spring of her tail, she jumbles and 

 tumbles in theprima mater ia 9 according to Aris- 

 totle ; but proximo, materia, if you credit San- 

 divogius, who allows, a visibility of the second 

 matter, but not of the first : So gently she co- 

 ver'd it over with sand, and then left it to the 

 great luminaries for vivification, and the semi- 

 nals, because having a prolifick virtue, and life- 

 quality innated in them. Life inevitably shines 

 forth after certain days, accidents omitted ; be- 

 cause the lustre of life is a thing so sacred, that 



