HOW TO FISH FOR TROUT. 175 



And raise my low-pitch'd thoughts above 

 Earth, or what poor mortals love : 



Thus, free from lawsuits and the noise 



Of princes' Courts, I would rejoice ; 



Or, with my Bryan and a book, 

 Loiter long days near Shawford brook ; 

 There sit by him, and eat my meat ; 

 There see the sun both rise and set ; 

 There bid good morning to next day ; 

 There meditate my time away ; 



And angle on, and beg to have 



A quiet passage to a welcome grave. 



When I had ended this composure, I left this place, and 

 saw a brother of the angle sit under that honeysuckle hedge, 

 one that will prove worth your acquaintance : I sat down 

 by him, and presently we met with an accidental piece of 

 merriment, which I will relate to you ; for it rains still. 



On the other side of this very hedge sat a gang of gipsies, 

 and near to them sat a gang of beggars. The gipsies were 

 then to divide all the money that had been got that week, 

 either by stealing linen or poultry, or by fortune-telling, or 

 legerdemain, or indeed by any other sleights and secrets 

 belonging to their mysterious government. And the sum 

 that was got that week proved to be but twenty and some 

 odd shillings. The odd money was agreed to be distributed 

 amongst the poor of their own corporation ; and for the 

 remaining twenty shillings, that was to be divided unto four 

 gentlemen gipsies, according to their several degrees in their 

 commonwealth. 



And the first or chiefest gipsy was, by consent, to have a 

 third part of the 2os., which all men know is 6s. Set. 



