THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 22$ 



physicians account the eel dangerous meat. I 

 will advise you, therefore, as Solomon says of 

 honey (Prov. xxv. 16), "Hast thou found it, eat 

 no more than is sufficient, lest thou surfeit, for it 

 is not good to eat much honey." And let me 

 add this, that the uncharitable Italian bids us 

 " give eels and no wine to our enemies." 



And I will beg a little more of your attention to 

 tell you that Aldrovandus and divers physicians 

 commend the eel very much for medicine, though 

 not for meat. But let me tell you one observation, 

 that the eel is never out of season, as trouts and 

 most other fish are at set times ; at least most eels 

 are not. 



I might here speak of many other fish whose 

 shape and nature are much like the eel, and fre- 

 quent both the sea and fresh rivers, as namely the 

 lamprel, the lamprey, and the lamperne ; as also of 

 the mighty conger, taken often in Severn about 

 Gloucester ; and might also tell in what high es- 

 teem many of them are for the curiosity of their 

 taste. But these are not so proper to be talked of 

 by me, because they make us anglers no sport ; 

 therefore I will let them alone, as the Jews do, to 

 whom they are forbidden by their law. 



And, scholar, there is also a flounder, a sea-fish, 

 which will wander very far into fresh rivers, and 

 there lose himself, and dwell, and thrive to a hand's 

 breadth, and almost twice so long ; a fish without 

 scales, and most excellent meat ; and a fish that 

 affords much sport to the angler with any small 



