The Compleat ^Angler 



VEN. Well sung, master : this day's fortune and pleasure, and this 

 night's company and song, do all make me more and more in love 

 with angling. Gentlemen, my master left me alone for an hour this 

 day ; and I verily believe he retired himself from talking with me, 

 that he might be so perfect in this song : was it not, master ? 



Pise. Yes, indeed ; for it is many years since I learned it, and 

 having forgotten a part of it, I was forced to patch it up by the help 

 of mine own invention, who am not excellent at poetry, as my part 

 of the song may testify : but of that I will say no more, lest you 

 should think I mean by discommending it to beg your commenda- 

 tions of it. And therefore, without replications, let us hear your 

 catch, scholar, which I hope will be a good one ; for you are both 

 musical, and have a good fancy to boot. 



VEN. Marry, and that you shall ; and as freely as I would have 

 my honest master tell me some more secrets of fish and fishing as we 

 walk and fish towards London to-morrow. But, master, first let me 

 tell you, that, that very hour which you were absent from me, I sat 

 down under a willow tree by the water-side, and considered what you 

 had told me of the owner of that pleasant meadow in which you had 

 then left me ; that he had a plentiful estate, and not a heart to think 

 so ; that he had at this time many law-suits depending, and that they 

 both damped his mirth and took up so much of his time and thoughts, 

 that he himself had not leisure to take the sweet content that I (who 

 pretended no title to them) took in his fields : for I could sit there 

 quietly, and looking on the water, see some fishes sport themselves in 

 the silver streams, others leaping at flies of several shapes and colours ; 

 looking on the hills, I could behold them spotted with woods and 

 groves ; looking down the meadows, could see, here a boy gathering 

 lilies and lady-smocks, and there a girl cropping culverkeys and 

 cowslips, all to make garlands suitable to this present month of May : 

 these, and many other field-flowers, so perfumed the air, that I thought 

 that very meadow like that field in Sicily (of which Diodorus speaks) 

 where the perfumes arising from the place make all dogs that 

 hunt in it to fall off, and to lose their hottest scent. I say, as I thus 

 sat, joying in my own happy condition, and pitying this poor rich 

 man that owned this and many other pleasant groves and meadows 



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