108 FOURTEENTH TO THE 



the Catholic church, which meddles with everything, 

 meddled likewise with angling. It took it under its 

 especial protection, to the exclusion of hunting, and 

 other recreations of a violent and boisterous character. 

 There is a standing Canon 2 on the subject, which states 

 that hunters have generally been great sinners, citing the 

 example of Esau; whereas fishermen, by Scripture tes- 

 timony, have usually been deemed holy and pious men. 

 Here is the reason for this opinion : " Sed qua re pro- 

 hibetur venari, et non piscari? Quia forte piscatis fit 

 sine clamore, venatio non ; vel quia major est, delectatio 

 in venatione ; dum enim quis est in venatione nihil potest 

 de divinis cogitare." 3 The church likewise alludes to the 

 great Ambrose, who, in his thirty-third homily, expresses 

 himself in perfect harmony with these sentiments. 



Passing from the warm and genial regions of Italy, 

 Spain, and the south of France, to Holland and Belgium, 

 we see the art of angling under another phase. And now 

 we think we hear some ardent piscatorian asking, "What, 

 in the name of wonder, could ever have been written on my 

 noble art in such a place as Holland ? " Yes ; this, we 

 admit, is a natural question to ask. Where there is 

 nothing but ditches, and canals, and sluices, and sand- 

 banks, and dikes, and windmills, it does seem somewhat 

 miraculous that anything spiritual could be imparted to 



2 Decretals, Lyons, 1670. 



3 See on this subject, Principes de Conduite, Ordonnances et 

 Statuts au Diocese d' Arras, 1825. 



