PLEASURES OF ANGLING. 115 



tions. His unapproachable dialogues liave their 

 counterpart under many another canvas in our 

 own primitive forests. They may not always be 

 marked by the profound philosophy, rollicking 

 humor, tender pathos, or glowing imagery which 

 have given the recorded sayings of these eminent 

 anglers a foremost place among the classics of the 

 century. But they are kindred in tone and spirit, 

 and often approach them in all the good qualities 

 which will render them the delight of all thought- 

 ful men of all the ages. 



It is the recollection of these social re-unions, 

 participated in by men of kindred tastes and sym- 

 pathies, who have sought these far-off solitudes to 

 be happy in their own simple way, quite as much 

 as the strike and struggle of the gamey salmon, 

 which makes the memory of these seasons of re- 

 creation and repose " a joy forever." Those who 

 do not find it so have not yet imbibed the spirit 

 of the Fathers, nor attained unto the highest possi- 

 bilities of the gentle art. 



