14 ANGLING LITERATURE OF 



My prize I loos' d, and strictest caution took, 

 For fear some gold might stick about the hook, 

 Then safe secur'd him, and devoutly swore 

 Never to venture on the ocean more, 

 But live on land as happy as a king. 

 At this I wak'd ; what think you of the thing ? 

 Speak free, for know I am extremely loth, 

 And greatly fear to violate my oath." 



FRIEND. 



" Fear not, old friend j you took no oath, for why ? 

 You took no fish your vision 's all a lie. 

 Go search the shoals, not sleeping, but awake ; 

 Hunger will soon discover your mistake ; 

 Catch real fish : you need not, sure, be told, 

 Those fools must starve who only dream of gold." 



The Greek work of OPPIAN, ' On the Nature of Pishes, 

 and the Fishing of the Ancients, 3 is an interesting per- 

 formance. It is in five books : the first and second 

 discuss the nature of fish ; and the other three, the art 

 of fishing. The author was a native of Anazarbus t a city of 

 Cilicia, and was born in the latter portion of the reign 

 of the Eoman emperor Commodus. The father of the 

 poet was a man of wealth and learning ; but falling under 

 the displeasure of the emperor Severus, he was banished 

 to the island of Malta. His son Oppian determined to 

 share his exile ; and it is generally supposed that he 

 wrote all his works during the period of this voluntary 

 banishment with his parent. Having returned again to 



