The Secrets of Angling. 33 



The hills and Mountaines raised from the Plaines, 



The plaines extended leuell with the ground, 



The ground deuided into sundry vaines, 



The vaines inclos'd with running riuers roundc, 



The riuers making way through natures chaine, 



With headlong course into the sea profounde : 

 The surging sea beneath the valleys low, 

 The valleys sweet, and lakes that lonely flowe. 



The lofty woods the forrests wide and long, 

 Adornd with leaues and branches fresh and greene, 

 In whose coole bow'rs the birds with chaunting song, 

 Doe welcome with thin quire the Summers Queene, 

 The meadowes faire where Flora's guifts among, 

 Are intermixt the verdant grasse betweene, 



The siluer skaled fish that softlie swim me, 

 Within the brookes and Cristall watry brimme. 



All these and many more of his creation, 



That made the heauens, the Angler oft doth see, 



And takes therein no little delectation, 



To think how strange and wonderfull they be, 



Framing thereof an inward contemplation, 



To set his thoughts from other fancies free, 



And whiles hee lookes on these with ioyfull eye, 

 His minde is rapt aboue the starry skye. 



THE A UTHOlt OF ANGLJXG. 



Bvt how this Art of Angling did beginne, 

 And who the vse thereof and practise found, 

 How many times and ages since haue bin, 

 Wherein the sunne hath dayly com past round. 

 The circle that the signes twice sixe are in : 

 And yeelded yearely comfort to the ground, 



It were too hard for me to bring about, 

 Since Quid wrote not all that story out. 



