THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 25 



say, that God enjoys himself only by a contemplation of his own 

 infiniteness, eternity, power and goodness, and the like. And 

 upon this ground, many cloisteral men of great learning and 

 devotion, prefer contemplation before action. And many of the 

 fathers seem to approve this opinion, as may appear in their 

 commentaries upon the words of our Saviour to Martha, Luke 

 X., 41, 42.* 



And on the contrary there want not men of equal authority 

 and credit, that prefer action to be the more excellent ; as 

 namely, experiments in physic, and the application of it, both for 

 the ease and prolongation of man's life ; by which each man is 

 enabled to act and do good to others ; either to serve his country, 

 or do good to particular persons ; and they say also, that action 

 is doctrinal, and teaches both art and virtue, and is a maintainer 

 of human society ; and for these, and other like reasons, to be 

 preferred before contemplation. 



Concerning which two opinions I shall forbear to add a third 

 by declaring my own, and rest myself contented in telling you, 

 my very worthy friend, that both these meet together, and do 

 most properly belong to the most honest, ingenious, quiet, and 

 harmless art of anfrlinfj.f 



And first, I shall tell you what some have observed, and I 

 have found to be a real truth, that the very sitting by the river's 

 side is not only the quietest and fittest place for contemplation, 

 but will invite an angler to it: and this seems to be maintained 

 by the learned Pet. Du Moulin, who in his discourse of the ful- 

 filling of prophecies^: observes, that when God intended to reveal 



* The best advice I have ever known drawn from the characters of these 

 two sisters, was by an old Scotch woman, " To be Mary in our hearts and 

 Martha with our hands." — Am. Ed. 



t A most sensible conclusion of a dispute, not easily settled nor profita- 

 bly discussed. — Am. Ed. 



X Peter Du Moulin, son of the famous Du Moulin of Charenton, whom a 

 Jesuit opponent, Erizon, wittily but unjustly called Moulin sans farinc. 

 The elder Du Moulin, with Drelincourt and Daille, as appears from papers 

 preserved in The Phcenix,yo\. i., 15, had certified to their Protestant cor- 

 respondents in London, the attachment of Charles II. to the Protestant 

 religion, which tended to the Restoration. The younger Du Moulin, after- 

 wards coming over to London, was made Prebendary of Canterbury and 

 chaplain to the king. He wrote several pieces on the Roman Catholic 



8 



