THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 47 



ramish hawk, the haggard, and the two sorts of 

 lentners, and then treat of their several eyries, 

 their mewings, rare order of casting, and the re- 

 novation of their feathers, their reclaiming, diet- 

 ing, and then come to their rare stories of prac- 

 tice 5 I S ay, if I should enter into these, and many 

 other observations that I could make, it would be 

 much, very much pleasure to me ; but lest I should 

 break the rules of civility with you, by taking up 

 more than the proportion of time allotted to me, I 

 will here break off, and entreat you, Mr. Venator, 

 to say what you are able in the commendation of 

 hunting, to which you are so much affected ; and 

 if time will serve, I will beg your favor for a further 

 enlargement of some of those several heads of 

 which I have spoken. But no more at present. 

 Veil. Well, sir, and I will now take my turn, 

 and will first begin with a commendation of the 

 earth, as you have done most excellently of the air ; 

 the earth being that element upon which I drive 

 my pleasant, wholesome, hungry trade. The earth 

 is a solid, settled element ; an element most uni- 

 versally beneficial both to man and beast : to men 

 who have their several recreations upon it, as 

 horse-races, hunting, sweet smells, pleasant walks. 

 The earth feeds man, and all those several beasts 

 that both feed him and afford him recreation. 

 What pleasure doth man take in hunting the stately 

 stag, the generous buck, the wild boar, the cunning 

 otter, the crafty fox, and the fearful hare ! And if 

 I may descend to a lower game, what pleasure is 



