14 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



meet me : but for this gentleman that you see with me, I 

 know not how far he intends his journey ; he came so lately 

 into my company, that I have scarce had time to ask him 

 the question. 



AUCEPS. Sir, I shall , by your favour, bear you company as 

 far as Theobald's,* and there leave you ; for then I turn up 

 to a friend's house who mews a hawk for me, which I now 

 long to see. 



YEN. Sir, we are all so happy as to have a fine, fresh, cool 

 morning ; and I hope we shall each be the happier in the 

 other's company. And, gentlemen, that I may not lose yours, 

 I shall either abate or amend my pace to enjoy it; knowing 

 that, as the Italians say, "Good company in a journey makes 

 the way to seem the shorter." 



Auc. It may do so, sir, with the help of good discourse, 

 which methinks we may promise from you that both look and 

 speak so cheerfully ; and for my part I promise you, as an 

 invitation to it, that I will be as free and open-hearted as 

 discretion will allow me to be with strangers. 



YEN. And, sir, I promise the like. 



Pise. I am right glad to hear your answers, and in confi- 

 dence you speak the truth, I shall put on a boldness to ask 

 you, sir, whether business or pleasure caused you to be so 

 early up, and walk so fast ; for this other gentleman hath 

 declared that he is going to see a hawk that a friend mews 

 for him. 



YEN. Sir, mine is a mixture of both, a little business and 

 more pleasure ; for I intend this day to do all my business, 

 and then bestow another day or two in hunting the Otter, 

 which a friend, that I go to meet, tells me is much pleasanter 

 than any other chase whatsoever : howsoever, I mean to try it ; 

 for to-morrow morning we shall meet a pack of Otter-dogs 

 of noble Mr. Sadler's, upon Am well-hill, who will be there so 

 early that they intend to prevent [forestall] the sun-rising. 



Pise. Sir, my fortune has answered my desires, and my 

 purpose is to bestow a day or two in helping to destroy some 

 of those villanous vermin ; for I hate them perfectly, because 

 they love fish so well, or rather, because they destroy so much ; 

 indeed so much that, in my judgment, all men that keep 

 Otter-dogs ought to have pensions from the king, to encourage 



* A house built by Lord Burleigh in Herts, and by his son, an Earl of 

 Salisbury, exchanged with James I, for Hatfield-house. 



