The ninth Booke of 



, overagainft Bi2antium,which cape thereupon beareth the name of Auricoriim. And therefore G 

 it is, that the Bizantines make great game byfil"hing for them : whereas theChalcedonians 

 have a greatmilfeof thatconimoditie, andyetthearmeof the fca or frith betweene them, i» 

 not paft halfe a mile, or a mile at the moft^ over. Now they ever vsait for the North wind, that 

 (together with the tide) they might with more cafe paffc outof Pontus* Howt)cit3 theonely 

 taking of them atBizantium,iswhenthey rcturneagaine into Pontus. In Winter the Tunnies 

 fiirre not nor raunge abroad: but Iooke,whcrcfoever they arc then found to bee, there they 

 take up their Winter harbour , and make their abode untill the Spring /Equino6tialI about 

 mid March. Many a time they will accompanie the fhips that faile thereby with full wind, and 

 it is a wondcrfull pleafant fight for the failers to fee them from the fterne, how for certainc 

 hourcs together, and forthefpace of fome milesjthcy will follow and attend upon the poupe, j| 

 be the wind never fo good ,nay,although they ftrike at them with the trout fpeare fundrietimes, 

 . or launce at them fome three- tincd inltrument,yet wil they not be chafed away,nor skared.Thefc 

 funnies that thus wait upon the fhips under faile, fome call Pompili , Many of them palTe the 

 Summer time in Proponiis,and never enter into Pontus.Soles likewife ufe the fame manner,and 

 yet yee (hall have many Turbots there.Neither {hall a man find the Cuttil there,although there 

 be good ftorc of Sea cuts or Calamaries. Moreoverjof Stone fifhes/uch as live among rocks, 

 the lea Thrul"h,the lea Merle,and the purple fhell-fifhes are not to be foundjwhere Oyfters not- 

 withftandingarein great abundance.Forallfuch WinterintheiEgxanfca,called now Archi- 

 pelago.Of them that enter into the fca Pontus jtherc is none ftaieth thete,but goeth forth again, 

 lave onely the 111611-6111 called ihe Saredantf or Trichia : for 1 thinke it good,in fuch diverfitie of | 

 fifhes nameSjfeeing that one and the ielfefame filli is in many countries called diverfly,to ufe the 

 Greekc name for the moft of them.Thcfe fifh,l fay,alone goc up thcriver Iftcrjand out of it they 

 pafle againe by certainc ilTues and conduits under the ground, and fo defcend into the Adriatick 

 lea : and evermore a man fhall fee this kind of fifh comming downe thithcr,but never mounting 

 ft . t up againe out ofthatfea.The right fiiliingfor the Tunnics,and theonely taking ofthemisfroni 

 ginn'ins of ^' thc rifing of the ftarre *Vergiliae,to the fetiing of Ardurus. All the Winter time befides they lie 

 May. ^ hiddeninthedeepe,atthebottomeof pits and gulfcs within the feajunlefle they come footth to 

 take their pleafure in fome warme feafon,or otherwhilcs when the Moon is at the full. They grow 

 fomeiimefofatjthat their skins will not hold,but they arc readic to cleave andburft withall.Thc 

 Jongeft lime that they live is two yeares and not above* Moreover,there is a little creature or vcr- K 

 mine,made fomewhat like a Scorpion^and asbigas a Spider,which ufually wiU fet her fharp fting 

 under the fin both of the Tunnie,and alfo of the fword-fifh(which many times is bigger than the 

 Dolphin) and put them to fuch paine,ihat to avoid them, they oftentimes are driven to launce 

 themfclves^and skip into the very ilups. Which propertie they have alfo at other times,for fear 

 of the violence of other fillies : and moft of all,the Mullets have this caft with them^and this they 

 doe with fuch exceeding fwiftneile and agilitie^that they will fling themlelves otherwhilcs cioflc 

 over the fhips. 



Chap, 3cyi. 



of frefagfsandforetokenmgshypfhes^andof their diverfi^^^ 



Aturc willing to endue this Element alfo of the water with fome Auguries, hath given to 

 allies likewife a kind of prefciencc and fore- knowledge of things to come. And verily du- 

 ring the Sicilian wa r, as Auguflu^ Cdfar walked along the fliore upon the fands, there was 

 a certainc fifh leapt forth of the fea,and light at his very feet.The Soothfaiers and Wifards upon 

 this occurrentjbeing fought unto,gavethisconflrudion thercof,and prefagedtherbyjThaithcy 

 who at that time were lords of thc iea,and held it in fubjedion,fhould be ranged under the obe~ 

 dience of Cdfar ^^nd at his devotion. And yet at that prefent it is thought and faid,That god Nef^ 

 turn had adopted Sex,Pmpem for hisfon/o fortunate he was,and fuch exploits had he atchec* 

 ved upon the fea^ 



The female kind of fifhcs are commonly bigger than the males. And there are fome forts of fyj| 

 •thcm,whereof rhere be no males at all ^but all females,as the Erythini and the Chani.For they be 

 taken alwaiesfpawners,and full of egs, 



Fiflies that bee skaled, for thc moft part fwim in troupes, and fort together.Thc beft fifhing is 

 before the funnc be up: for then fifhes fee kaft or not at alLFor if the nights be eleare and moon- 



toe 



