THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 39 



made them of a sour complexion ; money-getting 

 men, men that spend all their time, first in getting, 

 and next in anxious care to keep it ; men that are 

 condemned to be rich, and then always busy or 

 discontented, for these poor rich men we anglers 

 pity them perfectly, and stand in no need to bor- 

 row their thoughts to think ourselves so happy. 

 No, no, sir, we enjoy a contentedness above the 

 reach of such dispositions ; and as the learned and 

 ingenuous Montaigne says 1 like himself, freely, 

 " When my cat and I entertain each other with 

 mutual apish tricks, as playing with a garter, who 

 knows but that I make my cat more sport than 

 she makes me ? Shall I conclude her to be simple, 

 that has her time to begin or refuse to play as freely 

 as I myself have? Nay, who knows but that it is 

 a defect of my not understanding her language 

 (for doubtless cats talk and reason with one an- 

 other) that we agree no better ; and who knows 

 but that she pities me for being no wiser than to 

 play with her, and laughs and censures my folly for 

 making sport for her, when we two play together ? " 

 Thus freely speaks Montaigne concerning cats, 

 and I hope I may take as great a liberty to blame 

 any man, and laugh at him too, let him be never so 

 grave, that hath not heard what anglers can say in 

 the justification of their art and recreation ; which 

 I may again tell you is so full of pleasure that we 

 need not borrow their thoughts, to think ourselves 

 happy. 



1 In his " Apology for Raimonde de Sebonde." 



