NAME AND NATURE OF A 1' IKK. 21 ( J 



you n* geese or goslings, a fen duck, and the foot of 

 a maid. 



If this story is not credible because it is so far- 

 fetched as from Germany, yet this is certain, that a 

 moor-hen hath been found in the belly of a Pike taken 

 out of our rivers ; and I have seen myself that a Pike 

 hath risen and struck at a swallow, that hath dipt her 

 wings upon (he water ; and have Unevvn them that have 

 used a live sparrow for a bait at snap. An English 

 Physician made this observation in his travels in the 

 Low Countries, that as they were passing the rivers in 

 little boats, the Pikes struck so swiftly and greedily at 

 the small fry, that some* times they shot themselves so 

 far out of the water, that they fell into the boat. This 

 is another foreign story, which we may parallel with 

 one at homey how one that had caught an eel, and was 

 pulling off the skin and washing it in a moat, a Pike 

 leaped at the Eel and fastened himself so to it, that he 

 drew out both Eel and Pike. Of all the small officers 

 under this great captain, a Perch is the most secure 

 from his devouring jaws ; on which he seldom adven- 

 tures, except mere hunger compels him : yet Albert 

 says he will take a Perch by the head, and kill it with 

 his teeth first, lest if he should gorge it alive, the fins 

 and prickles might be offensive to his maw; nor does 

 he only tyrannize over the small inhabitants of his own 

 dominions, and sometimes trespasses upon another ele- 

 ment, but often transgresses the laws of generation, 

 and those of his own species he unnaturally devours. 

 This commonwealth among the fishes, is much like 

 Mr. Nobbs's state of nature, which is but Status Belli, 

 the great ones always devour the less; such is the 

 government or rather anarchy of the waters, where 

 might will overcome right, and the weakest go to the 

 wall. 



A Pike is a prince in his own liquid country, and 

 like a universal monarch, can command ail the regi- 

 ments of the scaled army, can lord it over all his 

 vassals', and like a potent tyrant can enslave all the 

 residents in his own territories without the least resist. 

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