53 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



Lord, who hath praise enough ; nay, who hath any ? 



None can express Thy works, but he that knows them; 

 And none can know Thy works, they are so many, 



And so complete, but only he that owes them. 



We all acknowledge both Thy power and love 



To be exact, transcendent, and divine ; 

 Who dost so strongly and so sweetly move, 



Whilst all things have their end, yet none but Thine. 



Wherefore, most sacred Spirit, I here present, 

 For me and all my fellows, praise to Thee ; 



And just it is that I should pay the rent, 

 Because the benefit accrues to me. 



And as concerning fish, in that psalm (Psalm civ.), where- 

 in, for height of poetry and wonders, the prophet David 

 seems even to exceed himself, how doth he there express 

 himself in choice metaphors, even to the amazement of a 

 contemplative reader, concerning the sea, the rivers, and 

 the fish therein contained! And the great naturalist Pliny 

 says, "that nature's great and wonderful power is more 

 demonstrated in the sea than on the land." And this may 

 appear by the numerous and various creatures inhabiting 

 both in and about that element ; as to the readers of 

 Gesner, 1 Rondeletius, m Pliny, Ausonius, n Aristotle, and 

 others, may be demonstrated. But I will sweeten this dis- 

 course also, out of a contemplation in divine Du Bartas c (in 

 the fifth day), who says : 



God qnicken'd in the sea, and in the rivers, 

 So many fishes of so many features, 

 That in the waters we may see all creatures, 

 Even all that on the earth are to be found, 

 As if the world were in deep waters drown'd. 



