240 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



he has with a meek and contented quietness, sucli a quietness as 

 makes his very dreams pleasing both to God and himself. 



My honest Scholar, all this is told to incline you to thankful- 

 ness : and to incline you the more, let me tell you, that though 

 the prophet David was guilty of murder and adultery, and many 

 other of the more deadly sins ; yet he was said to be a man after 

 God's own heart, because he abounded more with thankfulness 

 than any other that is mentioned in holy Scripture, as may ap- 

 pear in his book of Psalms ; where there is such a commixture 

 of his confessing of his sins and unworthiness, and such thank- 

 fulness for God's pardon and mercies, as did make him to be ac- 

 counted, even by God himself, to be a man after his own heart. 

 And let us, in that, labor to be as like him as we can : let not the 

 blessings we receive daily from God, make us not to value, or 

 not praise him, because they be common ; let not us forget to 

 praise him for the innocent mirth and pleasure we have met with 

 since we met together. What would a blind man give to see the 

 pleasant rivers, and meadows, and flowers, and fountains, that 

 we have met with since we met to2;ether ? I have been told, that 

 if a man, that was born blind, could obtain to have his sight, for 

 but only one hour during his whole life, and should, at the first 

 opening of his eyes, fix his sight upon the sun when it was in his 

 full glory, either at the rising or setting of it, he would be so 

 transported and amazed, and so admire the glory of it, that he 

 would not willingly turn his eyes from that first ravishing object, 

 to behold all the other various beauties this world could present 

 to him. And this, and many other like blessings, we enjoy 

 daily ; and for most of them, because tiiey be so common, most 

 men forget to pay their praises : but let not us ; because it is a 

 sacrifice so pleasing to him that made that sun and us, and still 

 protects us, and gives us flowers, and showers, and stomachs, and 

 meat, and content, and leisure to go a fisiiing. 



Well, Scholar, I have almost tired mysL-lf, and, I fear, more 

 than almost tired you : but I now see Tottenham High-Cross ; 

 and our short walk thither shall put a period to my too long dis- 

 course ; in which my meaning was, and is, to plant that in your 

 mind, with which I labor to possess my own soul ; that is, a 

 meek and thankful heart. And, to that end, I have showed you 



