CHAP. I. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 35 



maintained by our Saviour's bidding St. Peter cast his 

 hook into the water and catch a fish, for money to pay 

 tribute to Caesar. 



And let me tell you, that Angling is of high esteem, 

 and of much use in other nations. He that reads the 

 Voyages of Ferdinand Mendez Pinto, 1 shall find that 

 there he declares to have found a king and several priests 

 a fishing. 



And he that reads Plutarch shall find that Angling 

 was not contemptible in the days of Mark Antony and 

 Cleopatra, and that they, in the midst of their wonderful 

 glory, used Angling as a principal recreation. 2 And let 

 me tell you, that in the Scripture, Angling is always taken 

 in the best sense ; and that though hunting may be some- 

 times so taken, yet it is but seldom to be so understood. 



(1) A traveller, whose veracity Is much questioned. 



(2) I must here to far differ from my author, as to say, that if Angling was 

 not contemptible in the day* of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, that illustrious 

 prostitute endeavoured to make it so. The fact related by Plutarch is the 

 following : 



" It would be very tedious and trifling to recount all his follies : hut his fish- 

 ing must not be forgot. He went out one day to angle with Cleopatra ; and 

 bring so unfortunate as to catch nothing in the presence of his mistress, he was 

 very much vexed, and gave secrei orders to the 6shermen to dive under water, 

 and put fishes that had been fresh taken upon his hook. After he had drawn 

 op two or three, Cleopatra perceived tiie trick ; she pretended, however, to be 

 surprised at his good fortune and dexterity ; told it to all her friends, and in. 

 vited them to come and see htm fish the next day. Accordingly, a very large 

 company went out in the fishing vessels ; and as soon as Autony had let down 

 his line, she commanded one of her servants to be before-hand with Antony's, 

 and, diving into the water, to fix upon his hook a salted fish, one of those which 

 were brought from the Luiinc Sta." 



The story here told affords matter of serious reflection. Behold here, two 

 persons of the highest rank, who had exhausted all the sources of delight, their 

 appetites palled, aud every gratification rendered tasteless, stooping to partake 

 of the recreations of the humbler kind, and, of tyrants, and persecutors of 

 their fellow-creatures, to become the deceivers of silly fish, aud of each other. 

 Doubtless we may suppose that long before, the tragical end, which they seve- 

 rally made, of a profligate and wicked life, they were grown tired aud sick of 

 the world ; and had frequent occasion to exclaim, and that with greater reason 

 than their Predecessor in worldly glory, that all the pomp and spleudour of 

 dominion, all the pomp aud authority resulting from regal grandeur, all am. 

 bilious enterprises, all merely human projects, pursuits, and pleasures, without 

 a tranquil and composed mind, such as Cod vouchsafes only to the meek and 

 humble, are vanity and vexation of Spirit. 



D2 



