WITH DIRECTIONS HOW TO FISH FOR HIM 



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 becomes in a short time to be a living fish ; and 

 as I told you, it is thought 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 herself 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 costs, to make glass-hives, and order them in 

 such a manner as to see how bees have bred and made 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. 



The physicians make the galls and stones in the heads of 

 Carps to be very medicinable; but 'tis not to be doubted but 

 that in Italy they make great profit of the spawn of Carps, 

 by selling it to the Jews, who make it into Red Caviare, the 

 Jews not being by their law admitted to eat of Caviare made 

 of the Sturgeon, that being a fish that wants scales, and, as 

 may appear in Levit. xi. 10, by them reputed to be unclean. 



Much more might be said out of him, and out of Aristotle, 

 which Dubravius often quotes in his * Discourse of Fishes ' ; but 

 it might rather perplex than satisfy you, and therefore I shall 

 rather choose to direct you how to catch, than spend more 

 time in discoursing either of the nature or the breeding of 

 this Carp, or of any more circumstances concerning him ; but 



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