172 NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 



ly glide along ; but not as cataracts to terrify the 

 fish, by reason their fall is so gently moderated, 

 amongst those knotty stumpy rocks. I call it 

 a river enrich'd with inhabitants ; where rocks 

 are landlords, and trouts tenants. For here's not 

 a stream but it's furnished with trouts ; I have 

 angled them over from stem to stern, and drag'd 

 them forth, brace after brace, with nothing but 

 a hackle, or an artificial fly, adapted to the sea- 

 son, and proportioned to the life. Humor but 

 the fish, and you have his life; and that's as 

 much as you can promise your self. O, the di- 

 version I have had in these solitary streams ! be- 

 lieve me, Theophilus, it surpasseth report. I 

 remember on a time, when the clouds let fall 

 some extravagant drops, which in a manner dis- 

 coloured the surface of the water, then it was 

 that amongst those stony cisterns, where you see 

 the tops of the rocks make a visible discovery, a 

 little above that trembling stream, if you mind 

 it ; there stands a stumpy craggy rock, peeping 

 perceptibly out of the water. From thence, 

 and above those slaty foundations, I have struck, 

 and killed many a brace of brave trouts ; a re- 

 ward beyond my labour and expence. 



Theoph. I question it not ; but what's here, 

 the arcanum of angling ? 



Am. Yes sure, and the treasure lies in those 

 trembling streams that come tumbling down to 



