CHAP. XIII. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 167 



threescore years ; and that such useful and pleasant ob- 

 servations were made of this Lamprey, that Crassus the 

 orator, who kept her, lamented her death. And we read 

 in Doctor Hakewill, that Hortensius was seen to weep at 

 the death of a Lamprey that he had kept long, and loved 

 exceedingly. 1 



It is granted by all, or most men, that Eels, for about 

 six months, that is to say, the six cold months of the year, 

 stir not up and down, neither in the rivers, nor in the 

 pools in which they usually are, but get into the soft earth 

 or mud ; and there many of them together bed them- 

 selves, and live without feeding upon any thing, as I 

 have told you some swallows have been observed to do 

 in hollow trees, for those six cold months. And this the 

 Eel and. Swallow do, as not being able to endure winter 

 weather : for Gesner quotes Albertus to say, that in the 

 year 1125, (that year's winter being more cold than 

 usually,) Eels did, by nature's instinct, get out of the 

 water into a stack of hay in a meadow upon dry ground; 2 

 and there bedded themselves : but yet, at last, a frost 

 killed them. And our Camden relates, that, in Lan- 

 cashire, fishes were digged out of the earth with spades, 

 where no water was near to the place. 3 I shall say little 



(1) ihe Autlior, page 1J3, lias riled lio i, P.iuy an instance of liie fonduess of 

 Antonia, a woman, for a tame Lamprey, whicli the teiideiurss of her sex ini^lit 

 perhaps excuse ; but the sagacity and uocility of these creatuies s-eeni less wo- 

 deiful than tlie weakness of sncli meu as Crassu-* and Mortens. PS, iu brcowin:; 

 mourners for tlie death of au Eel. 



Tl:e former or tlie two p> TSOIJS w,, for this his | u-.ill.ii. iu.it v, reproached in 

 tlie Senate of Rome by Domitius. in these words: " Foolish Crassus! you wept 

 for your Alurtnu'' [or Lamprey ] " fnat is mo:e," letorted Crassua, " than you 

 did for y.iur two wives." Lord Bacon's Apophthegms. 



(2) Dr. Plot, in his History of Sttiffurdshirc, page 24C, mentions certain 

 wateis, and a pool, that wep stocl.e.i ny Fc-ls tl.at l.ad iioin watris the y liknl 

 nor travelled in arido, or over dry 1 md, to these other. 



(3) Canuieu's telaliou is to ttiis effect; ri:. " fl.at, at a place called Settou, 

 iii tl:f above county, UI-OD turning up the turf, men find a black deadish water 

 with small fislxs therein." Britttntiia Lancashire. Fuller, who also reports 

 this strange fact, humorously says, "That tne men of inis place s;o a-nshiug 

 with spades and mattocks ; inkling, tlia' rishes :<re t'lus f )u:ul \.\ :in cou.it'y 

 about Htrajle.t aud Tius, in I'outus." Worthies, in Lancashire, 10?. 



