THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 37 



And since I have your promise to lioar me with patience, I 

 ^vill take a liberty to look back upon an observation that hath 

 been made by an ingenious and learned man, wlio observes, that 

 God hath been pleased to allow those, whom he himself hath 

 appointed to write his holy will in Holy Writ, yet, to express his 

 will in such metaphors as their former affections or practice had 

 inclined them to ; and he brings Solomon for an example, who 

 before his conversion was remarkably carnally-amorous ; and 

 after by God's appointment wro^ft that spiritual dialogue or holy 

 amorous love-song the Canticles, between God and his church ; 

 in which he says his beloved had eyes like the fish-pools of Hesh- 

 bon.* 



And if this hold in reason, as I see none to the contrary, then 

 it may be probably concluded, that Moses, who, I told you before, 

 writ the book of Job, and the Prophet Amos, who was a shepherd, 

 were both anglers ; for you shall in all the Old Testament find fish- 

 hooks, I think but twice mentioned,-!* namely, by meek Moses the 

 friend of God, and by the humble Prophet Amos. 



Concerning which last, namely the Prophet Amos, I shall make 

 but this observation, that he that shall read the humble, lowly, 

 plain style of that prophet, and compare it with the high, glori- 

 ous, eloquent style of the Prophet Isaiah, though they be both 

 equally true, may easily believe Amos to be, not only a shep- 

 herd, but a good-natured, plain fisherman. 



Which I do the rather believe by comparing the affectionate, 

 loving, lowly, humble epistles of St. Peter, St. James, and St. 

 John, who we know were all fishers, with the glorious language 

 and high metaphors of St. Paul, who we may believe was 

 not. 



And for the law^fulness of fishing it may very well be main- 

 tained by our Saviour's bidding St. Peter cast his hook into the 

 water and catch a fish, for money to pay tribute to Caesar. And 

 let me tell you, that angling is of high esteem, and of much use 



* The force of the compliment lies in the sparkling clearness of the 

 waters — Am. Ed. 



t Walton forgot Is. xix., 8 ; Habakkuk i., l^.— Hawkins. 



