124 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [PART i. 



known to be above eight feet high above water. And our 

 Camden mentions, in his " Britannia," the like wonder to be in 

 Pembrokeshire, where the river Tivy falls into the sea ; and that 

 the fall is so downright, and so high, that the people stand and 

 wonder at the strength and sleight by which they see the Salmon 

 use to get out of the sea into the said river ; and the manner and 

 height of the place is so notable, that it is known, far, by the 

 name of the Salmon-leap. Concerning which, take this also out 

 of Michael Drayton,* my honest old friend ; as he tells it you, in 

 his " Polyolbion : " 4 



And when the Salmon seeks a fresher stream to find 

 (Which hither from the sea comes, yearly, by his kind), 

 As he towards season grows ; and stems the wat'ry tract 

 Where Tivy, falling down, makes an high cataract, 

 Forc'd by the rising rocks that there her course oppose, 

 As tho' within her bounds they meant her to inclose; 

 Here, when the labouring fish does at the foot arrive. 

 And finds that by his strength he does but vainly strive ; 

 His tail takes in his mouth, and, bending like a bow 

 That's to full compass drawn, aloft himself doth throw, 

 Then springing at his height, as doth a little wand 

 That bended end to end, and started from man's hand| 

 Far off itself doth cast ; so does the Salmon vault : 

 And if, at first, he fail, his second summersault 

 He instantly essays, and, from his nimble ring 

 Still yerking, never leaves until himself he fling 

 Above the opposing stream. . . . 



VARIATION. 



* Concerning which, take this also out of honest Michael Draiton. -zd edit. 



The whole of the preceding paragraph is in the first edition much condensed. It 

 runs thus : ' ' And it is to be observed, that, to the end they may get far from the sea, either 

 to spawn or to possess the pleasure that they then and there find, they will force them- 

 selves over the tops of weirs or hedges, or stops in the water, by taking their tails into their 

 mouths and leaping over those places, even to a height beyond common belief: and 

 sometimes by forcing themselves against the stream through sluices and floodgates 

 beyond common credit." 



* A celebrated poet, who was bora in Warwickshire, 1563. Among his works, which 

 are very numerous, is the Polyolbion, a chorographical description of the rivers, moun- 

 tains, forests, castles, &c., in this island. Though this poem has great merit, it is rendered 

 much more valuable by the learned notes of Mr Selden. Drayton died in 1631, and lies 

 buried among the poets in Westminster Abbey. Bishop Warburton, in the Prejace to 

 his Shakespeare, speaking of this poem, says it was written by one Drayton; a mode 

 of expression very common with great men, when they mean to consign the memory of 

 others to oblivion and contempt. Bishop Burnet, speaking of the negotiations previous 

 to the peace of Utrecht, says in like manner, that " one Prior was employed to finish 

 the treaty." But both those prelates, in this their witty perversion of an innocent mono- 

 syllable, were but imitators of the Swedish ambassador, who complained to Whitlocke, 

 that a treaty had been sent to be translated by one Mr Milton, a blind man. Whitlocke's 

 Mem. 633. H. An equally remarkable example of aristocratic superciliousness occurs 

 in the case of Doctor Johnson. Earl Gower being asked to assist in obtaining the degree 

 of Master of Arts for Johnson, from the University of Dublin, wrote to a friend of Dean 

 Swift on the subject. After noticing that Johnson was the " a^^thor of London, a Sat- 

 ire, and some other Poetical pieces, and was much respected," his lordship alludes to 

 him as " tius poor man : " he says, " they highly extol the mails learning and probity ;" 

 and adds that he is assured that his correspondent's willingness to relieve merit in distress, 

 will incline him to serve " the poor man. 1 ' Bosvvell's Life of Johnson. The noble Earl 



