The Compleat ^Angler 



The age of carps is by Sir Francis Bacon, in his History of Life 

 and T)eath^ observed to be but ten years ; yet others think they live 

 longer. Gesner says a carp has been known to live in the Palatinate 

 above a hundred years ; but most conclude, that (contrary to the 

 pike or luce) all carps are the better for age and bigness. The 

 tongues of carps are noted to be choice and costly meat, especially to 

 them that buy them : but Gesner says carps have no tongue like 

 other fish, but a piece of flesh-like fish in their mouth like to a 

 tongue, and should be called a palate : but it is certain it is choicely 

 good ; and that the carp is to be reckoned amongst those leather- 

 mouthed fish, which I told you have their teeth in their throat, and 

 for that reason he is very seldom lost by breaking his hold, if your 

 hook be once stuck into his chaps. 



I told you that Sir Francis Bacon thinks that the carp lives but ten 

 years ; but Janus Dubravius has writ a book, Of Fish and Fish- 

 ponds, in which he says, that carps begin to spawn at the age of three 

 years, and continue to do so till thirty : he says also, that in the 

 time of their breeding, which is in summer, when the sun hath warmed 

 both the earth and water, and so apted them also for generation, 

 that then three or four male carps will follow a female ; and that 

 then, she putting on a seeming coyness, they force her through weeds 

 and flags, where she lets fall her eggs or spawn, which sticks fast to 

 the weeds ; and then they let fall their melt upon it, and so it be- 

 comes in a short time to be a living fish : and, as I told you, it is 

 thought that the carp does this several months in the year. And 

 most believe that most fish breed after this manner except the eel. 

 And it has been observed, that when the spawner has weakened her- 

 self by doing that natural office, that two or three melters have 

 helped her from off the weeds, by bearing her up on both sides, and 

 guarding her into the deep. And you may note, that though this 

 may seem a curiosity not worth observing, yet others have judged it 

 worth their time and cost to make glass hives, and order them in 

 such a manner as to see how bees have bred and make their honey- 

 combs, and how they have obeyed their king, and governed their 

 commonwealth. But it is thought that all carps are not bred by 

 generation ; but that some breed other ways, as some pikes do. 



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