46 THE COMPLETE ANGLEK. [PART I. 



which a friend that I go to meet, tells me, is much pleasanter 

 than any other chase whatsoever ; howsoever I mean to 

 try it ; for to-morrow morning we shall meet a pack of 

 otter-dogs of noble Mr. Sadler's, 1 upon Amwell-hill, who will 

 be there so early, that they intend to prevent the sun-rising. 



Pise. Sir, my fortune has answered my desires, and my 

 purpose is to bestow a day or two in helping to destroy some 

 of those villainous vermin, for I hate them perfectly, because 

 they love fish so well, or rather, because they destroy so 

 much ; indeed so much, that in my judgment, all men that 

 keep otter-dogs, ought to have pensions from the King to 

 encourage them to destroy the breed of these base otters, 

 they do so much mischief. 



Pen. But what say you to the foxes of the nation, would 

 not you as willingly have them destroyed ? for doubtless 

 they do as much mischief as otters do. 



Pise. Oh sir, if they do, it is not so much to me and my 

 fraternity, as those base vermin the otters do. 



Auc. Why, sir, I pray, of what fraternity are you, that 

 you are so angry with the poor otters ? 



Pise. I am, sir, a brother of the angle, and therefore an 

 enemy to the otter : for you are to note, that we anglers 

 all love one another, and therefore do I hate the otter both 

 for my own and for their sakes who are of my brotherhood. 



Ven. And I am a lover of hounds ; I have followed many 

 a pack of dogs many a mile, and heard many merry huntsmen 

 make sport and scoff at anglers. 



Auc. And I profess myself a falconer, and have heard 

 many grave, serious men pity them, it is such a heavy, con- 

 temptible, dull recreation. 



kills them in large numbers. When salmon are in the act of spawning, 

 they are surrounded by trout, hungering after the ova, which they would 

 devour were they not beaten off by one or other of the breeding salmon ; 

 and they, moreover, feed voraciously on salmon-fry. Otter-hunting is now 

 principally confined to the midland, western, and northern counties, and 

 to the lowlands of Scotland. The otter packs of the Earl of Aberdeen 

 and the Marquis of Worcester are very celebrated." 



1 Mr. Ralph Sadler was the grandson of Sir Ralph Sadler, so conspicuous 

 in the reigns of Henry the Eighth and Queen Elizabeth. "He delighted 

 much in hawking and hunting, and the pleasures of a country life ; was 

 famous for his noble table, his great hospitality, and his abundant charity 

 to the poor." H. 



