156 PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. 



one, at least, which survived to little short of a century under 

 the protecting aegis of a certain Shah of illustrious memory. 

 Probably it was this same Shah as piscatorial pursuits and 

 poetry seem to be so often united in the same person who 

 kept a 'tame laureate,' and of whom an amusing story is told. 



The Shah one day wrote some verses himself and sent for 

 the laureate to criticise them. ' Hafiz,' said the monarch, ' is 

 not that poetry ? ' 



The wretched bard struggled with his emotions, but his art 

 was stronger than his courtiership, and prostrating himself on 

 his face he ejaculated, ' May my soul be the penalty ! but it is 

 bosh ! ' 



' He is mad, he is an ass,' cried the Shah. 'Away with him 

 to the stables.' 



To the stables he was accordingly taken, but after a little 

 while the Shah wrote some more verses, and sent for the 

 laureate to see if his taste had improved. 



' Dog,' said his master, when the recital was finished ; ' do 

 you call that poetry ! ' 



'Allah is wonderful !' exclaimed the miserable bard ; ' take 

 me back again to the stables.' 



To return to the great ring story, Nobbes thus sums up his 

 judgment : 



Whether, says he, our faith will give us leave to believe the 

 story of the ring or not, it is not material to our disquisitions, for 

 though we cannot prove him to be so longevous as to reach hun- 

 dreds, it is certain he will live to some scores of years, and one of 

 40 or 45 inches, which are of the largest size, may possibly count 

 as many years as inches, and some of our own countrymen have 

 known and observed a pike to come within ten years of the distinct 

 age of man, and had lived longer had not fate hastened his death 

 by a violent hand. 



In natural connection with this part of the subject, the limit 

 of duration of life, occurs that of his coming of age so to 

 speak when does the young pickerel cast off his jackhood and 

 become a pike ? 



