PROVING THE RULE 



human action; the will operates mysteri- 

 ously ifi vacuo; women possess an intuitive 

 faculty denied to man. And perhaps it is 

 best to hold on to all the dear familiar de- 

 ceptions until the last grip parts: — 



To save a mayd, St. George the Dragon slew, 

 — A pretty tale, if all is told be true: 

 Some say there are no Dragons, and 'tis said 

 There was no George ; pray God there was a mayd ! 



It is part of the woodsman's creed that 

 trout rise best when the moon is waxing. 

 This may be so, but I have no evidence to 

 ofifer in support. Occasional attempts at 

 fishing by moonlight have met with very 

 moderate success; as to there being a rela- 

 tion between the stage of the moon and the 

 disposition of trout towards the fly, my 

 vote in a jury-box would be for the verdict 

 'not proven'. I suggest that this is another 

 lingering vestige of the beliefs, once uni- 

 versal, so plentifully recorded in The 

 Golden Bough. — 'Men in ancient and 

 modern times have deduced (from the sup- 

 posed influence of this goddess or fetich) 

 a whole code of rules for the guidance of 

 the husbandman, the shepherd, and others.' 

 'The moon in her increase, full growth, 

 and in her wane are the emblems of a 

 rising, flourishing, and declining fortune.' 

 All business of importance should be set on 

 foot between the new moon and the full. 

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