PRINCIPAL RIVERS IX ENGLAND. 143 



1. 



The flood's Queen, Thames, [for ships and swans is 



crown'd, 



And stately Severn for her shore is prais'd; 

 The Chrvstal Trent for fords and fish renown'd, 

 And Avon's fame to Albion's cliffs is rais'd: 



J. 



Carlegion Chester vaunts her holy Dee : 

 York many wonders of her Ouse can tell : 



The Peak her Dove, whose banks so fertile be, 

 And Kent will say her Medway doth excel. 



S. 



Cotswold commands her Isis to the Tame : 

 Our northern borders boast of Tweed's fair flood : 



Our western parts extol their Willy's fame, 

 And the old Lea brags of the Danish blood. 



But let me return to the Thames, of whicb,and 

 the rivers that fall into it, I shall treat somewhat 

 particularly, as they are more theseat for the di- 

 version of angling than any others. The higher 

 an angler goes up the Thames, if within about 40 

 miles, the^more sport, and the greater variety of 

 fish he will meet with ; but as few Londoners go 

 so far from home, I shall mention the best places 

 for Thames angling from London Bridge to 

 Chelsea. 



But before I proceed any farther on this sub- 

 ject, it will be necessary to lay down some rules 

 which the angler must attend to. 



If the air is cold and raw, the wind high, the 

 water rough, or if the weather is wet, it is totally 

 useless to angle in the Thames. 



