EIGHTEENTH CENTURY,, 103 



animals killing a large trout, and of his subsequent capture 

 by an expert young angler. 



In the fourth ' Eclogue/ entitled ' The Sea Swains/ we 

 have the following passage on the fisher's life and 

 character : 



" Happy the fisher's life and humble state, 

 Calm are his hours, and free from rude debate ; 

 No restless cares he knows of sordid gain, 

 Nor schemes, that rack the moiling statesman's brain ; 

 Fearless in shades he takes his healthy dreams, 

 And labours, mild, amid refreshing streams, 

 Or on the quiet ocean tries his oar j 

 Or sings in tempests on the shelt'ry shore. 

 His boat his cabin yields, his sails a bed, 

 And ready fruit his homely table spread : 

 While berries, which th' unrifl'd trees produce, 

 Refresh his kindly thirst with plenteous juice ; 

 Or clustering grapes their liquid treasures bring, 

 Cool temper'd from the neighbour running spring, 

 Who shares, like him, what bounteous nature yields ; 

 The gifts of rivers, and the sweets of fields ; 

 Ev'n all is his where'er he wanders round, 

 And age with undiminished vigour crown' d." 



The fifth * Eclogue' describes the feelings of a young 

 angler who has been crossed in love. The sixth is The 

 Angler's Songs, which represents two craftsmen sitting 

 by the banks of a purling stream, and pouring out their 

 respective ditties in rapturous praise of their art. In 

 the seventh 'Eclogue,' we have The Strife; in the 



