176 The Complete Angler. 



other fifties, and is ib called by ma- 

 ny that have been fearchers into the 

 nature of fifti; anditisfaid, that a 

 Pike will neither devour nor hurt 

 him, becaufe the Pike being fick or 

 hurt by any accident, is cured by 

 touching the Tench, and the Tench 

 does the like to other fifties, either 

 by touching them, or by being in 

 their company. 



Randelitius fayes in his difcourfe 

 of fifties (quoted by Gefner] that at 

 his being at Rome, he faw certaine 

 Jewes apply Tenches to the feet of a 

 lick man for a cure ; and it is obfer- 

 ved,that many of thofe people have 

 many Secrets unknown to Chrifti- 

 ans, fecrets which have never been 

 written, but have been fuccefsfive- 

 ly fince the dayes of Solomon (who 

 knew the nature of all things from 

 the Shrub to the Cedar) delivered 

 by tradition from the father to the 

 fon, and fo from generation to ge- 

 neration without writing, or (unlefs 



it 



