A CONFERENCE BETWIXT 



amorous ; and after, by God's appointment, wrote that spiritual 

 dialogue or holy amorous love-song, the Canticles, betwixt God 

 and his Church; in which he says his beloved had Eyes like 

 the Fish-pools of Heshbon. 



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, 

 glorious, eloquent style of the Prophet Isaiah, though they be 

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

 Shepherd, 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, whom we know were all Fishers, with the glorious 

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

 was not. 



And for the lawfulness 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 in other nations. He that reads the Voyages of 

 Ferdinand Mendez Pinto, shall find, that there he declares to 

 have found a King and several Priests a-fishing. 



And he that reads Plutarch, shall find that Angling was 

 not contemptible in the days of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, 

 and that they in the midst of their wonderful glory used Angling 

 as a principal recreation. And let me tell you, that in the 

 Scripture, Angling is always taken in the best sense, and that 

 though Hunting may be sometimes so taken, yet it is but 

 seldom to be so understood. And let me add this more, he 

 that views the ancient Ecclesiastical Canons, shall find hunting 

 to be forbidden to Churchmen, as being a turbulent, toilsome, 

 perplexing recreation ; and shall find Angling allowed to Clergy- 

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