and in confidence you speak the truth, I shall put on a boldness to ask you, Sir, whether business or pleasure caused you to be so early up, and walk so fast; for this other gentleman hath declared he is going to see a hawk that a friend mews for him. 5 VEN. Sir, mine is a mixture of both, a little business and more pleasure: for I intend this day to do all my business, and then bestow another day or two in hunting the otter, which, 10 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 "Lucian, well skill'd in scoffing, this hath writ: If to this you add what Solomon says of scoffers, that, "they are an abomination to mankind," (Prov. xxiv. 9), let him that thinks fit, scoff on, and be a scoffer still; but I account them enemies to me, and to all that love virtue and Angling. And for you that have heard many grave, serious men pity Anglers; let me tell you, Sir, there be many men that are by others taken noble Mr. Sadler's, upon Amwell Hill, who 15 to be serious and grave men, which we contemn will be there so early, that they intend to prevents the sun rising. Pisc. Sir, my fortune has answered my desires; and my purpose is to bestow a day or and pity. Men that are taken to be grave, because nature hath made them of a sour complexion, money-getting men, men that spend all their time, first in getting, and next in two in helping to destroy some of those vil- 20 anxious care to keep it; men that are conlanous 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 otterdogs ought to have pensions from the King to 25 encourage them to destroy the very breed of those base otters, they do so much mischief. VEN. But what say you to the foxes of the nation? Would not you as willingly have them destroyed? for doubtless they do as much mis- 30 chief as otters do. Pisc. Oh, Sir, if they do, it is not so much to me and my fraternity as those base vermin the otters do. demned to be rich, and then always busy or discontented: for these poor-rich-men, we Anglers pity them perfectly, and stand in no need to borrow their thoughts to think ourselves so happy. No, no. Sir, we enjoy a contentedness above the reach of such dispositions, and as the learned and ingenious Montaigne says like himself freely, "When my cat and I entertain each other with mutual apish tricks, as playing with a garter, who knows but that I make my cat more sport than she makes me? Shall I conclude her to be simple, that has her time to begin or refuse to play as freely as I myself have? Nay, who knows but that it is a Auc. Why, Sir, I pray, of what fraternity are 35 defect of my not understanding her language you, that you are so angry with the poor otters? (for doubtless cats talk and reason with one Pisc. I am, Sir, a Brother of the Angle, and another) that we agree no better? And who therefore an enemy to the otter: for you are to knows but that she pities me for being no wiser note that we Anglers all love one another, and than to play with her, and laughs and censures therefore do I hate the otter both for my own 40 my folly for making sport for her, when we two 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, 'tis such a heavy, contemptible, dull recreation. play together?" Thus freely speaks Montaigne concerning cats; and I hope I may take as great a liberty to blame any man, and laugh at him too, let 45 him be never so grave, that hath not heard what Anglers can say in the justification of their art and recreation; which I may again tell you is so full of pleasure, that we need not borrow their thoughts to think ourselves happy. Pisc. You know, gentlemen 'tis an easy 50 thing to scoff at any art or recreation: a little wit, mixed with ill-nature, confidence, and malice, will do it; but though they often venture boldly, yet they are often caught even in their own trap, according to that of Lucian, the 55 father of the family of scoffers. A well-known sportsman and country-gentleman of the time.. Amwell is a small village a few miles south of Ware. 'Anticipate the sunrise. VEN. Sir, you have almost amazed me; for though I am no scoffer, yet I have, I pray let me speak it without offence, always looked upon Anglers as more patient and more simple men than I fear I shall find you to be. Pisc. Sir, I hope you will not judge my earnestness to be impatience: and for my simplicity, if by that you mean a harmlessness, or that simplicity which was usually found in the primitive Christians, who were, as most Anglers are, quiet men, and followers of peace, men that were so simply-wise as not to sell their consciences to buy riches, and with them vexation and a fear to die; if you mean such simple men as lived in those times when there were fewer lawyers; when men might have had a lordship safely conveyed to them in a piece of parchment no bigger than your hand, though several sheets will not do it safely in this wiser age; I say, Sir, if you take us Anglers to be 10 height I can make her to descend by a word have her wings scorched by the sun's heat, she flies so near it, but her mettle makes her careless of danger; for she then needs nothing, but makes her nimble pinions cut the fluid air, 5 and so makes her high way over the steepest mountains and deepest rivers, and in her glorious career looks with contempt upon those high steeples and magnificent palaces which we adore and wonder at; from which from my mouth (which she both knows and obeys), to accept of meat from my hand, to own me for her master, to go home with me and be willing the next day to afford me the such simple men as I have spoken of, then man. But, gentlemen, though I be able to do this, And more; this element of air which I profess to trade in, the worth of it is such, and it is of such necessity, that no creature whatsoever, not only those numerous creatures that feed on the face of the earth, but those various creatures that have their dwelling within the waters, every creature that hath life in its nostrils stands in need of my element. The waters cannot preserve the fish without air, I am not so unmannerly as to engross all the 25 witness the not breaking of ice in an extreme discourse to myself; and therefore, you two having declared yourselves, the one to be a lover of hawks, the other of hounds, I shall be most glad to hear what you can say in the commendation of that recreation which each 30 and beasts, nay, even to man himself; that of you love and practise; and having heard what you can say, I shall be glad to exercise your attention with what I can say concerning my own recreation and art of Angling, and by this means we shall make the way to seem the 35 shorter: and if you like my motion, I would have Mr. Falconer to begin. Auc. Your motion is consented to with all my heart; and, to testify it, I will begin as you have desired me. frost: the reason is, for that if the inspiring and expiring organ of any animal be stopped, it suddenly yields to nature, and dies. Thus necessary is air to the existence both of fish air, or breath of life with which God at first inspired mankind (Gen. ii. 7), he, if he wants it, dies presently, becomes a sad object to all that loved and beheld him, and in an instant turns to putrefaction. Nay, more, the very birds of the air, those that be not hawks, are both so many and so useful and pleasant to mankind, that I must not let them pass without some observations: 40 they both feed and refresh him: feed him with their choice bodies, and refresh him with their heavenly voices. I will not undertake to mention the several kinds of fowl by which this is done; and his curious palate pleased by day, him a soft lodging at night. These I will pass by, but not those little nimble musicians of the air, that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art. And first for the element that I used to trade in, which is the air, an element of more worth than weight, an element that doubtless exceeds both the earth and water; for though I sometimes deal in both, yet the air is most properly 45 and which with their very excrements afford mine, I and my hawks use that most, and it yields us most recreation; it stops not the high soaring of my noble, generous falcon; in it she ascends to such an height, as the dull eyes of beasts and fish are not able to reach to; their 50 bodies are too gross for such high elevations: in the air my troops of hawks soar up on high, and when they are lost in the sight of men, then they attend upon and converse with the gods; therefore I think my eagle is so justly 55 heavenly employment, grows then mute and styled Jove's servant in ordinary: and that very falcon, that I am now going to see, deserves no meaner a title, for she usually in her flight endangers herself, like the son of Dædalus, to As first, the lark, when she means to rejoice, to cheer herself and those that hear her, she then quits the earth, and sings as she ascends higher into the air; and, having ended her sad to think she must descend to the dull earth, which she would not touch but for necessity. i. e., their feathers; used to stuff beds, pillows, etc. How do the blackbird and thrassel with their melodious voices bid welcome to the cheerful spring, and in their fixed mouths warble forth such ditties as no art or instrument can reach to! nourisheth, and descend to the least of creatures, how doth the earth afford us a doctrinal example in the little emmet, who in the summer provides and lays up her winter provision, and 5 teaches man to do the like! The earth feeds and carries those horses that carry us. If I would be prodigal of my time and your patience, what might not I say in commendation of the earth? that puts limits to the proud and Nav, the smaller birds also do the like in their particular seasons, as namely the laverock, the titlark, the little linnet, and the honest robin, that loves mankind both alive and dead. But the nightingale, another of my airy 10 raging sea, and by that means preserves both creatures, breathes such sweet loud music out of her little instrumental throat, that it might make mankind to think miracles are not ceased. He that at midnight, when the very labourer sleeps securely, should hear, as I have 15 very often, the clear airs, the sweet descants, the natural rising and falling, the doubling and redoubling of her voice, might well be lifted above earth, and say, "Lord, what music hast thou provided for the saints in 20 heaven, when thou affordest bad men such music on earth!" ... man and beast, that it destroys them not, as we see it daily doth those that venture upon the sea, and are there shipwrecked, drowned, and left to feed haddocks; when we that are so wise as to keep ourselves on earth, walk, and talk, and live, and eat, and drink, and go a hunting: of which recreation I will say a little, and then leave Mr. Piscator to the commendation of Angling. Hunting is a game for Princes and noble persons; it hath been highly prized in all ages; it was one of the qualifications that Xenophon bestowed on his Cyrus, that he was a hunter of wild beasts. Hunting trains up the younger obility to the use of manly exercises in their iper age. What more manly exercise than hunting the wild-boar, the stag, the buck, the fox, or the hare! How doth it preserve health, and increase strength and activity! VEN. Well, Sir, and I will now take my turn, and will first begin with a commendation of the earth, as you have done most excellently of 25 the air; the earth being that element upon which I drive my pleasant, wholesome, hungry trade. The earth is a solid, settled element; an element most universally beneficial both to man and beast: to men who have their several 30 recreations upon it, as horse-races, hunting, sweet smells, pleasant walks: the earth feeds man, and all those several beasts that both feed him and afford him recreation. What pleasure doth man take in hunting the stately 35 changes and varieties of other scents, even over And for the dogs that we use, who can commend their excellency to that height which they deserve? How perfect is the hound at smelling, who never leaves or forsakes his first scent, but follows it through so many and in the water, and into the earth! What music doth a pack of dogs then make to any man, whose heart and ears are so happy as to be set to the tune of such instruments! How will a right greyhound fix his eye on the best buck in a herd, single him out, and follow him, and him only, through a whole herd of rascal11 game, and still know and then kill him! For my hounds, I know the language of them, and they know the language and meaning of one another, as perfectly as we know the voices of those with whom we discourse daily. stag, the generous buck, the wild-boar, the cunning otter, the crafty fox, and the fearful hare! And if I may descend to a lower game, what pleasure is it sometimes with gins to betray the very vermin of the earth! as namely, 40 the fitchet,' the fulimart, the ferret, the polecat, the mouldwarp, 10 and the like creatures that live upon the face and within the bowels of the earth! How doth the earth bring forth herbs, flowers, and fruits, both for physic and 45 the pleasure of mankind! and above all, to me at least, the fruitful vine, of which when I drink moderately it clears my brain, cheers my heart, and sharpens my wit. How could Cleopatra have feasted Mark Antony with 50 as also of the docibleness of dogs in general; I might enlarge myself in the commendation of hunting, and of the noble hound especially, and I might make many observations of landcreatures, that for composition, order, figure, and constitution, approach nearest to the completeness and understanding of man; es55 pecially of those creatures which Moses in the law permitted to the Jews, (Lev. ix. 2-8), which have cloven hoofs and chew the cud, 11 "Animals unfit to chase or kill on account of ignoble quality or lean condition." which I shall forbear to name, because I will Auc. And I hope so too, though I fear it will. 15 increase of wood to be from water of rain, or from dew, and not to be from any other element. And they affirm, they can reduce this wood back again to water; and they affirm, 5 also, the same may be done in any animal or vegetable. And this I take to be a fair testimony of the excellency of my element of water. The water is more productive than the earth. showers or dews; for all the herbs, and flowers and fruits, are produced and thrive by the water; and the very minerals are fed by streams that run underground, whose natural course carries them to the tops of many high mountains, as we see by several springs breaking forth on the tops of the highest hills; and this is also witnessed by the daily trial and testimony of several miners. PISC. Gentlemen, let not prejudice pre- 10 Nay, the earth hath no fruitfulness without possess you. I confess my discourse is like to prove suitable to my recreation, calm and quiet; we seldom take the name of God into our mouths, but it is either to praise Him or pray to Him; if others use it vainly in the midst of their recreations, so vainly as if they meant to conjure, I must tell you it is neither our fault nor our custom; we protest against it. But pray remember, I accuse nobody; for as I would not make "a watery discourse," so 20 I would not put too much vinegar into it; nor would I raise the reputation of my own art by the diminution of another's. And so much for the prologue to what I meant to say. Nay, the increase of those creatures that are bred and fed in the water are not only more and more miraculous, but more advantageous to man, not only for the lengthening of his life, but for the preventing of sickness; 25 for 'tis observed by the most learned physicians, that the casting off of Lent and other fish days, which hath not only given the lie to so many learned, pious, wise founders of colleges, for which we should be ashamed, And now for the water, the element that I trade in. The water is the eldest daughter of the creation, the element upon which the Spirit of God did first move (Gen. i. 2), the element which God commanded to bring forth 30 hath doubtless been the chief cause of those many putrid, shaking, intermitting agues, unto which this nation of ours is now more subject than those wiser countries that feed on herbs, salads, and plenty of fish; of which living creatures abundantly; and without which those that inhabit the land, even all creatures that have breath in their nostrils, must suddenly return to putrefaction. Moses, the great law giver, and chief philosopher, skilled in all 35 it is observed in story, that the greatest part the learning of the Egyptians, who was called the friend of God, and knew the mind of the Almighty, names this element the first in the creation; this is the element upon which the Spirit of God did first move, and is the chief 40 ingredient in the creation: many philosophers have made it to comprehend all the other elements, and most allow it the chiefest in the mixtion12 of all living creatures. of the world now do. And it may be fit to remember that Moses (Lev. xi. 9, Deut. xiv. 9) appointed fish to be the chief diet for the best commonwealth that ever yet was. And it is observable, not only that there are fish, as namely, the whale, three times as big as the mighty elephant, that is so fierce in battle; but that the mightiest feasts have been of fish. The Romans in the height of their There be that profess to believe that all 45 glory have made fish the mistress of all their bodies are made of water, and may be reduced back again to water only; they endeavour to demonstrate it thus: entertainments; they have had music to usher in their sturgeons, lampreys, 13 and mullets, which they would purchase at rates rather to be wondered at than believed. He that shall may be confirmed and informed of this, and of 13 The lamprey, when full grown, resembles an eel, and is considered a delicacy. Take a willow, or any like speedy-growing plant, newly rooted in a box or barrel full of 50 view the writings of Macrobius, 14 or Varro, 15 earth, weigh them all together exactly when the trees begin to grow, and then weigh all together after the tree is increased from its first rooting to weigh an hundred pound weight more than when it was first rooted and weighed; 55 and you shall find this augment of the tree to be without the diminution of one drachm weight of the earth. Hence they infer this 12 Mixture. 14 A Latin writer of the fifth century. In his Convivia Saturnalia, he speaks of a certain Roman villa which, although not large, was put up for sale at four million sesterces, because of its fish ponds. 15 Marcus Terentius Varro Reatinus (116-28 B. C.), a voluminous writer. called "the most learned of the Romans." In his treatise on husbandry he speaks of the fresh and salt water fish ponds of the Romans. (De Re Rustica, III. 17, 2). the incredible value of their fish and fishponds. SELECTION FROM THE LIFE OF (From Walton's Lives, 1665) saved; but his second will was, that those only should be saved that did live answerable to that degree of grace which he had offered or afforded them." 5 But the justifying of this doctrine did not prove of so bad consequence, as the kindness of Mrs. Churchman's curing him of his late distemper and cold; for that was so gratefully apprehended by Mr. Hooker, that he thought I return to Mr. Hooker in his college,1 where 10 himself bound in conscience to believe all he continued his studies with all quietness, for the space of three years; about which time he entered into sacred orders, being then made deacon and priest, and, not long after, was appointed to preach at St. Paul's Cross. that she said: so the good man came to be persuaded by her, "that he was a man of tender constitution; and that it was best for him to have a wife, that might prove a nurse 15 to him; such a one as might both prolong his life, and make it more comfortable; and such a one she could and would provide for him, if he thought fit to marry." And he, not considering that "the children of this world are In order to which Sermon, to London he came, and immediately to the Shunamite's house; which is a house so called, for that, besides the stipend paid the preacher, there is provision made also for his lodging and diet 20 wiser in their generation than the children of for two days before, and one day after his sermon. This house was then kept by John Churchman, sometime a draper of good note in Watling Street, upon whom poverty had light;" but, like a true Nathanael, fearing no guile, because he meant none, did give her such a power as Eleazar was trusted with,— you may read it in the book of Genesis,--when so he trusted her to choose for him, promising upon a fair summons to return to London, and accept her choice; and he did so in that, or about the year following. Now, the wife provided for him was her daughter Joan, who brought him neither beauty nor portion: and for her conditions, they were too like that wife's, which is by Solomon compared to a dripping house; so that the good man had no reason to "rejoice in the wife of his youth;" but too just cause to say with the holy prophet, "Woe is me, that I am constrained to have my habitation in the tents of Kedar." at last come like an armed man, and brought 25 he was sent to choose a wife for Isaac; for even him into a necessitous condition; which, though it be a punishment, is not always an argument of God's disfavor; for he was a virtuous man. I shall not yet give the like testimony of his wife, but leave the reader to judge by what 30 follows. But to this house Mr. Hooker came so wet, so weary, and weatherbeaten, that he was never known to express more passion, than against a friend that dissuaded him from footing it to London, and for finding him no 35 easier a horse,-supposing the horse trotted when he did not;-and at this time also, such a faintness and fear possessed him, that he would not be persuaded two days' rest and quietness, or any other means could be used 40 to make him preach his Sunday's sermon: but a warm bed, and rest, and drink proper for a cold, given him by Mrs. Churchman, and her diligent attendance added unto it, enabled him to perform the office of the day, which was in 45 the race to the swift" nor "bread to the wise," or about the year 1581. This choice of Mr. Hooker's-if it were his choice-may be wondered at; but let us consider that the Prophet Ezekiel says, "There is a wheel within a wheel;" a secret sacred wheel of Providence,-most visible in marriages,-guided by His hand that "allows not nor good wives to good men: and he that can And in this first public appearance to the bring good out of evil-for mortals are blind world, he was not so happy as to be free from to this reason-only knows why this blessing exceptions against a point of doctrine delivered was denied to patient Job, to meek Moses, in his sermon; which was, "That in God there 50 and to our as meek and patient Mr. Hooker. were two wills; an antecedent and a consequent will; his first will that all mankind should be 1i. e., Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Hooker was sent to Oxford in 1567, when he was in his fifteenth year. He graduated M. A. in 1577, and obtained his Fellowship in 55 the same year. About three years later (having taken boly orders in 1581) he received the appointment to preach in London to which Walton here refers. A reference to the woman of Shunem (Shunamite) who entertained the prophet Elisha, and "constrained him to "at bread." II Kings, iv, 8:11. But so it was; and let the reader cease to wonder, for affliction is a divine diet; which though it be not pleasing to mankind, yet Almighty God hath often, very often, imposed it as good, though bitter physic to those children whose souls are dearest to him. And by this marriage the good man was drawn from the tranquility of his college; from the garden of piety, of pleasure, of peace, and |