Concerning which fome have endeavoured to maintain their opinion of the firft, by faying, that the nearer we mortals come to God by way of imitation, the more happy we are. And they fay, that God enjoys himfelf only by a contemplation of his own infinitenefs, eternity, power and goodness, and the like. And upon this ground, many cloisteral men of great learning and devotion, prefer contemplation before action. And many of the fathers feem to approve this opinion, as may appear in their commentaries upon the words of our Saviour to Martha, Luke X. 41, 42.

And on the contrary, there want not men of equal authority and credit, that prefer action to be the more excellent, as namely experiments in phyfick, and the application of it, both for the cafe and prolongation of man's life; by which each man is enabled to act and do good to others, either to serve his country, or do good to parti-. cular perfons; and they fay alfo, that action is doctrinal, and teaches both art and virtue, and is a maintainer of human fociety; and for these, and other like reasons, to be preferred before contemplation.

Concerning which two opinions I fhall forbear to add a third by declaring my own, and rest myself contented in telling you, my very worthy friend, that both thefe meet together, and do moft properly belong to the most honeft, ingenuous, quiet, and harmless art of angling.

the judgment of Lord Clarendon, about as profitable, as whether a long journey is beft undertaken on a black or a bay horfe. See Lord Clarendon's Tracs, pag. 167.

And

And first, I fhall tell you what fome have obferved, and I have found it to be a real truth, that the very fitting by the river's fide is not only the quieteft and fitteft place for contemplation, but will invite an angler to it and this feems to be maintained by the learned Peter du Moulin, *who in his difcourfe of the fulfilling of prophecies, obferves, that when God intended to reveal any future events or high notions to his prophets, he then carried them either to the defarts or the fea-fhore, that having so separated them from amidst the prefs of people and bufi ness, and the cares of the world, he might fettle their mind in a quiet repofe, and there make them fit for revelation.

And this feems alfo to be intimated by the children of Ifrael, Pfal. cxxxvii. who having in a fad condition banished all mirth and mufick from their penfive hearts, and having hung up their then mute harps upon the willow-trees growing by the rivers of Babylon, fat down upon those banks bemoaning the ruins of Sion, and contemplating their own fad condition.

And an ingenuous Spaniard + fays, that " ri"vers and the inhabitants of the watry element "were made for wife men to contemplate, and "fools to pass by without confideration.” And though I will not rank myself in the number of the firft, yet give me leave to free myself from the laft, by offering to you a fhort contemplation, first of rivers, and then of fish; concern ing which I doubt not but to give you many

• Dr. Peter du Moulin, Prebendary of Canterbury, and author of feveral pieces in the Romish controversy.

+ Faldeo.

obfervations

obfervations that will appear very confiderable: I am fure they have appeared fo to me, and made many an hour pals away more pleasantly, as I have fate quietly on a flowery bank by a calm river, and contemplated what I fhall now relate to you.

And first concerning rivers; there be fo many wonders reported and written of them, and of the feveral creatures that be bred and live in them, and those by authors of fo good credit, that we need not to deny them an historical faith.

As namely of a river in Epirus, that puts out any lighted torch, and kindles any torch that was not lighted. Some waters being drunk cause madness, fome drunkenness, and fome laughter to death. The river Selarus in a few hours turns à rod or wand to ftone: and our Camdem mentions the like in England, and the like in Lochmere in Ireland. There is alfo a river in Arabia, of which all the sheep that drink thereof have their wool turned into a vermilion colour. And one of no less credit than Ariftotle, tells us of a merry river, the river Elufina, that dances at the noife of mufick, for with mufick it bubbles, dances, and grows fandy, and fo continues till the mufick ceases, but then it presently returns to its wonted calmness and clearnefs. And Camden tells us of a well near to Kirby in Westmoreland, that ebbs and flows feveral times every day: and he tells us of a river in Surry, it is called Mole, that after it has run feveral miles, being oppofed by hills, finds or makes itself a way under ground, and breaks out again fo far off, that the inhabi

tants

tants thereabout boast, as the Spaniards do of their river Anus, that they feed divers flocks of sheep upon a bridge. And laftly, for I would not tire your patience, one of no less authority than Jofephus, that learned Jew, tells us of a river in Judea, that runs fwiftly all the fix days of the week, and ftands still and refts all their fabbath.

But I will lay aside my discourse of rivers, and tell you fome things of the monfters, or fish, call them what you will, that they breed and feed in them. Pliny the philofopher fays, in the third chapter of his ninth book, that in the Indian fea, the fish called the Balana or Whirl-pool, is fo long and broad, as to take up more in length and breadth than two acres of ground, and of other fish of two hundred cubits long; and that in the river Ganges, there be Eels of thirty feet long. He fays there, that these monsters appear in that fea only, when the tempestuous winds oppose the torrents of waters falling from the rocks into it, and fo turning what lay at the bottom to be seen on the waters top. And he fays, that the people of Cadara, an island near this place, make the timber for their houses of those fish-bones. He there tells us, that there are fometimes a thousand of these great Eels found wrapt, or interwoven together. He tells us there, that it appears that dolphins love musick, and will come, when called for, by fome men or boys, that know and ufe to feed them, and that they can fwim as fwift as an arrow can be shot out of a bow, and much of this is fpoken concerning the dolphin, and other fish, as may be

found

found alfo in the learned Dr. Cafaubon's * discourse of credulity and incredulity, printed, by him about the year 1670.

I know, we iflanders are averfe to the belief of these wonders; but, there be so many strange creatures to be now feen, many collected by John Tradefcant, and others added by my friend Elias Afbmole, Efq; who now keeps them carefully and methodically at his house near to Lambeth near London †, as may get fome belief of

Dr. Meric Cafaubon, the fon of the famous Ifaac Cafau bon; he was a prebendary of Canterbury, and died 1671. See his life in the Biograph. Britan.

† Mr. John Tradefcant was a great collector of rarities, and lived at South Lambeth, in Surry: there is extant a catalogue of his collection, entituled, Mufaum Tradefcantianum, in fmall Octavo, 1656. Mr. Amole and his wife, boarded at his houfe for a fummer; and Tradef tant and his wife, after long confideration upon whom they should bestow the collection above-mentioned, joined in a deed of gift thereof to Mr. Amole. What kind of rarities they were, few who have been at Oxford are ignorant; it feems they were of fuch a fort as made it neceflary that a Feme-Covert, the wife of the proprietor, fhould join in a conveyance of them; in which refpect, it must be owned, they are great rarities! fince they are, by that circumstance alone, diftinguished from every other fpecies of perfonal property in this kingdom. However, the woman feems to have repented of her generofity: for, after the death of her husband, Mr. Afhmole applied to the Court of Chancery, and procured a decree for the delivery of them. Soon after the obtaining whereof, Mrs. Tradefcant was found drowned in her pond. This collection, with what additions he afterwards made to it, Mr. Afhmele gave to the University of Oxford; and fo became the founder of the Ashmolean Museum. Afbmole was at first a folicitor in Chancery; but marrying a lady with a large fortune, he addicted himself to the then falhionable ftudies of chemistry and judicial aftrology: he was befides a laborious and learned antiquary, and a very kilful herald. But the foundness of his underftanding is rendered