94 



THE TROUT. 



silent sepulchre, for upon that Bilty, gravelly, shelf of sand I 

 resolve to land him, or lose all I have. And now I fancy him 

 weary of life, as aged people that are weary of infirmities, yet 

 I want courage to encounter him, lest fearing to lose him, 

 which if I do I impair my reputation. However, here is 

 nobody but trees to reprove me, except these rocks, and 

 they tell no tales. Well, then, as he wants no agility to 

 evade me, I'll endeavor with activity to approach him, so 

 that the difference between us will be only this, that he covets 

 acquaintance with but one element, and I would compel him 

 to examine another. Now he runs to divert me or himself, 

 but I must invite him nearer home, for I fancy none such 

 distance. 



" Though his fins fag, and his tail wriggles, his strength 

 declines, his gills look languid, and his mettle declineth — all 

 of which interpret tokens of submission — still, the best news 

 I bring him is summons of death. Yet, let not my rashness 

 pre-engage me to the loss of my game, for, to neglect my ru- 

 diments is to ruin my design, which in plain terms, is the 

 ruin c.f this resolute fish, who, seemingly, now measures and 

 mingles his proportion with more than one element, and, 

 doomed to a trance, he prostrates himself on the surface of 

 the calms, dead to my apprehension, save only I want credit 

 to believe him dead, when, calling to mind my former pre- 

 cipitancy, that invited me to a loss, and so this adventure may 

 prove, if I look not well about me, to land and strand him on 

 that shelf of sand, where I resolve with my rod to survey his 

 dimensions Welcome on shore, my languishing combatant, 

 if only to entertain my friend Arnoldus." 



The following beautiful lines from the poet and fisherman 

 Gay, " run " directly from the " reel " of his imagination, 

 and from the crystal " waters" of the fount of inspiration; 

 ©very "line" " plumb'd " to the nicety of a "hair," the 

 " point " needs but the aid of the "fly " press of the printer 



