178 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [part. i. 



smooth scales, a red circle about his eyes, which 

 are big and of a gold colour, and from either angle 

 of his mouth there hangs down a little barb. In 

 every Tench's head there are two little stones, 

 which foreign physicians make great use of ; but 

 he is not commended for wholesome meat, though 

 there be very much use made of them, for outward 

 applications. Rondeletius says, that at his being 

 at Rome, he saw a great cure done by applying a 

 Tench to the feet of a very sick man. This he says, 

 was clone after an unusual manner by certain Jews. 

 And it is observed, that many of those people have 

 many secrets, yet unknown to Christians ; secrets 

 that have never yet been written, but have been 

 since the days of their Solomon, who knew the 

 nature of all things, even from the cedar to the 

 shrub, delivered by tradition from the father to the 

 son, and so from generation to generation without 

 writing ; or, unless it were casually, without the 

 least communicating them to any other nation or 

 tribe : for to do that, they account a profanation. 

 And yet it is thought that they, or some spirit 

 worse than they, first told us, that lice swallowed 

 alive were a certain cure for the yellow-jaundice. 

 This, and many other medicines, were discovered 

 by them, or by revelation ; for, doubtless, we at- 

 tained them not by study. 



Well, this fish, besides his eating, is very useful, 

 both dead and alive, for the good of mankind. But 

 I will meddle no more with that ; my honest hum- 

 ble art teaches no such boldness : there are too 



