90 Fly-Fifliing. 



liftlefs lazy crew, who would fteal away from the 

 world and its duties, and fan&ion their moral cow- 

 ardice with the name of religion. For Nature, it 

 feems, did not fpread forth her charms all in vain 

 for them ! It could not have been by chance that 

 the founder of thofe walls fele&ed a fpot few can 

 behold without a pafling tribute to its extreme 

 beauty ! Nor can we imagine any one to be ut- 

 terly fteeped in the dregs of fuperftition, who 

 could make up his mind to turn away for ever 

 from the bufy world, reconciled to retirement in fo 

 charming a nook. 



Who knows, too, if the frequent fafts of the 

 goodly men were not fed (excufe the heterodoxy, 

 if there be fuch a word) by the produce of fome 

 monkifh brother of the craft ? 



For 



What trout could poflibly refift 

 A little feather, and gold twift, 



Wrapt on the barbed fteel 

 By Monk, who could at will devife 

 A miracle in peafant's eyes 



So wonderful and real ? 



The very idea of fuch a thing goes no little way 

 to difabufe monkery of fome flight portion of the 

 disfavour we are inclined to regard it in. So fays 

 Pifcator at leaft. 



How gallantly we breafted the oppofite moun- 



