IG THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [part i. 



in a herd, single him out, and follow him, and him 

 only, through a whole herd of rascal game, and still 

 know and then kill him ! For my Hounds, I know 

 the language of them, and they know the language 

 and meaning of one another, as perfectly as we know 

 the voices of those with whom we discourse daily. 



I might enlarge myself in the commendation of 

 Hunting, and of the noble Hound especially, as also 

 of the docibleness of dogs in general ; and I might 

 make many observations of land-creatures, that for 

 composition, order, figure, and constitution, ap- 

 proach nearest to the completeness and understand- 

 ing of man ; especially of those creatures which 

 Moses in the Law permitted to the Jews, Lev. ix. 2-8. 

 which have cloven hoofs and chew the cud ; which I 

 shall forbear to name, because I will not be so uncivil 

 to Mr. Piscator, as not to allow him a time for the 

 commendation of Angling, which he calls an Art ; 

 but doubtless 'tis an easy one : and, Mr. Auceps, I 

 doubt we shall hear a watery discourse of it, but I 

 hope 'twill not be a long one. 



Auc. And I hope so too, though I fear it will. 



Pise. Gentlemen, let not prejudice prepossess 

 you. I confess my discourse is like to prove suitable 

 to my recreation, calm, and quiet ; we seldom take 

 the name of God into our mouths, but it is either 

 to praise him or pray to him : if others use it vainly 

 in the midst of their recreations, so vainly as if they 

 meant to conjure ; I must tell you, it is neither our 

 fault nor our custom ; we protest against it. But, 



