2 SALMONIA. 



PHYS. Of your own catching? 



HAL. Yes, with the artificial fly. 



PHYS. I admire the fish, but I cannot 

 admire the art by which it was taken; and I 

 wonder how a man of your active mind and 

 enthusiastic character can enjoy what ap- 

 pears to me a stupid and melancholy occu- 

 pation. 



HAL. I might as well wonder in my turn, 

 that a man of your discursive imagination 

 and disposition to contemplation should not 

 admire this occupation, and that you should 

 venture to call it either stupid or melancholy. 



PHYS. I have at least the authority of a 

 great moralist, Johnson, for its folly. 



HAL. I will allow no man, however great 

 a philosopher, or moralist, to abuse an occu- 

 pation he has not tried; and as well as I re- 

 member, this same illustrious person praised 

 the book and the character of the great 

 Patriarch of Anglers, Isaac Walton. 



PHYS. There is another celebrated man, 

 however, who has abused this your patriarch, 

 Lord Byron, and that in terms not very qua- 

 lified. He calls him, as well as I can recol- 



