THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 41 



But, gentlemen, though I be able to do this, I 

 am not so unmannerly as to engross all the dis- 

 course to myself; and, therefore, you two having 

 declared yourselves, the one to be a lover of hawks, 

 the other of hounds, I shall be most glad to hear 

 what you can say in the commendation of that 

 recreation which each of you love and practise ; 

 and having heard what you can say, I shall be glad 

 to exercise your attention with what I can say con- 

 cerning my own recreation and art of angling, and 

 by this means we shall make the way seem the 

 shorter ; and if you like my motion, I would have 

 Mr. Falconer to begin. 



Auc. Your motion is consented to with all my 

 heart ; and, to testify it, I will begin as you have 

 desired me. 



And first for the element that I use to trade in, 

 which is the air, an element of more worth than 

 weight, an element that doubtless exceeds both the 

 earth and water ; for though I sometimes deal in 

 both, yet the air is most properly mine, I and 

 my hawks use that, and it yields us most recreation. 

 It stops not the high soaring of my noble, generous 

 falcon ; in it she ascends to such an height as the 

 dull eyes of beasts and fish are not able to reach 

 to, their bodies are too gross for such high ele- 

 vations : in the air my troops of hawks soar up on 

 high, and when they are lost in the sight of men, 

 then they attend upon and converse with the gods ; 

 therefore I think my eagle is so justly styled Jove's 

 servant in ordinary ; and that very falcon that I 



