ness　worth　his　labour：　and　I　love　them　the　better；　because　they　allude　to　Rivers；　and　Fish　and　Fishing。　They　be　these：
  Come；　live　with　me；　and　be　my　love；　And　we　will　some　new　pleasures　prove；　Of　golden　sands；　and　crystal　brooks；　With　silken　lines；　and　silver　hooks。
  There　will　the　river　whisp'ring　run；　Warm'd　by　thy　eyes　more　than　the　sun　And　there　the　enamel'd　fish　will　stay　Begging　themselves　they　may　betray。
  When　thou　wilt　swim　in　that　live　bath；　Each　fish；　which　every　channel　hash；　Most　amorously　to　thee　will　swim；　Gladder　to　catch　thee。　than　thou　him。
  If　thou；　to　be　so　seen；　beest　loath　By　sun　or　moon；　thou　dark'nest　both；　And　if　mine　eyes　have　leave　to　see；　I　need　not　their　light；　having　thee；
  Let　others　freeze　with　angling　reeds；　And　cut　their　legs　with　shells　and　weeds；　Or　treacherously　poor　fish　beset　With　strangling　snares　or　windowy　net；
  Let　coarse　bold　hands；　from　slimy　nest；　The　bedded　fish　in　banks　outwrest；　Let　curious　traitors　sleeve　silk　flies；　To　'witch　poor　wand'ring　fishes'　eyes。
  For　thee；　thou　need'st　no　such　deceit；　For　thou　thyself　art　shine　own　bait；　That　fish　that　is　not　catcht　thereby；　Is　wiser　afar；　alas；　than　I。
  Piscator。　Well　remembered；　honest　scholar。　I　thank　you　for　these　choice　verses；　which　I　have　heard　formerly；　but　had　quite　forgot；　till　they　were　recovered　by　your　happy　memory。　Well；　being　I　have　now　rested　myself　a　little；　I　will　make　you　some　requital；　by　telling　you　some　observations　of　the　Eel；　for　it　rains　still：　and　because；　as　you　say；　our　angles　are　as　money　put　to　use；　that　thrives　when　we　play；　therefore　we'll　sit　still；　and　enjoy　ourselves　a　little　longer　under　this　honeysuckle　hedge。
  The　fourth　day…continued
  Of　the　Eel；　and　other　Fish　that　want　Scales
  Chapter　XIII
  Piscator
  It　is　agreed　by　most　men；　that　the　Eel　is　a　most　dainty　fish：　the　Romans　have　esteemed　her　the　Helena　of　their　feasts；　and　some　the　queen　of　palate…pleasure。　But　most　men　differ　about　their　breeding：　some　say　they　breed　by　generation；　as　other　fish　do；　and　others；　that　they　breed；　as　some　worms　do；　of　mud；　as　rats　and　mice；　and　many　other　living　creatures；　are　bred　in　Egypt；　by　the　sun's　heat　when　it　shines　upon　the　overflowing　of　the　river　Nilus；　or　out　of　the　putrefaction　of　the　earth；　and　divers　other　ways。　Those　that　deny　them　to　breed　by　generation；　as　other　fish　do；　ask；　If　any　man　ever　saw　an　Eel　to　have　a　spawn　or　melt　？　And　they　are　answered；　That　they　may　be　as　certain　of　their　breeding　as　if　they　had　seen　spawn；　for　they　say；　that　they　are　certain　that　Eels　have　all　parts　fit　for　generation；　like　other　fish；　but　so　small　as　not　to　be　easily　discerned；　by　reason　of　their　fatness；　but　that　discerned　they　may　be；　and　that　the　He　and　the　She　Eel　may　be　distinguished　by　their　fins。　And　Rondeletius　says；　he　has　seen　Eels　cling　together　like　dew…worms。
  And　others　say；　that　Eels；　growing　old；　breed　other　Eels　out　of　the　corruption　of　their　own　age；　which；　Sir　Francis　Bacon　says；　exceeds　not　ten　years。　And　others　say；　that　as　pearls　are　made　of　glutinous　dewdrops；　which　are　condensed　by　the　sun's　heat　in　those　countries；　so　Eels　are　bred　of　a　particular　dew；　falling　in　the　months　of　May　or　June　on　the　banks　of　some　particular　ponds　or　rivers；　apted　by　nature　for　that　end；　which　in　a　few　clays　are；　by　the　sun's　heat；　turned　into　Eels：　and　some　of　the　Ancients　have　called　the　Eels　that　are　thus　bred；　the　offspring　of　Jove。　I　have　seen；　in　the　beginning　of　July；　in　a　river　not　far　from　Canterbury；　some　parts　of　it　covered　over　with　young　Eels；　about　the　thickness　of　a　straw；　and　these　Eels　did　lie　on　the　top　of　that　water；　as　thick　as　motes　are　said　to　be　in　the　sun：　and　I　have　heard　the　like　of　other　rivers；　as　namely；　in　Severn；　where　they　are　called　Yelvers；　and　in　a　pond；　or　mere　near　unto　Staffordshire；　where；　about　a　set　time　in　summer；　such　small　Eels　abound　so　much；　that　many　of　the　poorer　sort　of　people　that　inhabit　near　to　it；　take　such　Eels　out　of　this　mere　with　sieves　or　sheets；　and　make　a　kind　of　Eel…cake　of　them；　and　eat　it　like　as　bread。　And　Gesner　quotes　Venerable　Bede；　to　say；　that　in　England　there　is　an　island　called　Ely；　by　reason　of　the　innumerable　number　of　Eels　that　breed　in　it。　But　that　Eels　may　be　bred　as　some　worms；　and　some　kind　of　bees　and　wasps　are；　either　of　dew；　or　out　of　the　corruption　of　the　earth；　seems　to　be　made　probable　by　the　barnacles　and　young　goslings　bred　by　the　sun's　heat　and　the　rotten　planks　of　an　old　ship；　and　hatched　of　trees；　both　which　are　related　for　truths　by　Du　Bartas　and　Lobel；　and　also　by　our　learned　Camden；　and　laborious　Gerhard　in　his　Herbal。
  It　is　said　by　Rondeletius；　that　those　Eels　that　are　bred　in　rivers　that　relate　to　or　be　nearer　to　the　sea；　never　return　to　the　fresh　waters；　as　the　Salmon　does　always　desire　to　do；　when　they　have　once　tasted　the　salt　water；　and　I　do　the　more　easily　believe　this；　because　I　am　certain　that　powdered　beef　is　a　most　excellent　bait　to　catch　an　Eel。　And　though　Sir　Francis　Bacon　will　allow　the　Eel's　life　to　be　but　ten　years；　yet　he；　in　his　History　of　Life　and　Death；　mentions　a　Lamprey；　belonging　to　the　Roman　emperor；　to　be　made　tame；　and　so　kept　for　almost　threescorc　years；　and　that　such　useful　and　pleasant　observations　were　made　of　this　Lamprey；　that　Crassus　the　orator；　who　kept　her；　lamented　her　death；　and　we　read　in　Doctor　Hakewill；　that　Hortensius　was　seen　to　weep　at　the　death　of　a　Lamprey　that　he　had　kept　long；　and　loved　exceedingly。
  It　is　granted　by　all；　or　most　men；　that　Eels；　for　about　six　months；　that　is　to　say；　the　six　cold　months　of　the　year；　stir　not　up　or　down；　neither　in　the　rivers；　nor　in　the　pools　in　which　they　usually　are；　but　get　into　the　soft　earth　or　mud；　and　there　many　of　them　together　bed　themselves；　and　live　without　feeding　upon　anything；　as　I　have　told　you　some　swallows　have　been　observed　to　do　in　hollow　trees；　for　those　six　cold　months。　And　this　the　Eel　and　Swallow　do；　as　not　being　able　to　endure　winter　weather：　for　Gesner　quotes　Albertus　to　say；　that　in　the　year　1125；　that　year's　winter　being　more　cold　than　usually；　Eels　did；　by　nature's　instinct；　get　out　of　the　water　into　a　stack　of　hay　in　a　meadow　upon　dry　ground；　and　there　bedded　themselves：　but　yet；　at　last；　a　frost　killed　them。　And　our　Camden　relates；　that；　in　Lancashire；　fishes　were　digged　out　of　the　earth　with　spades；　where　no　water　was　near　to　the　place。　I　shall　say　little　more　of　the　Eel；　but　that；　as　it　is　observed　he　is　impatient　of　cold；　so　it　hath　been　observed；　that；　in　warm　weather；　an　Eel　has　been　known　to　live　five　days　out　of　the　water。
  And　lastly；　let　me　tell　you；　that　some　curious　searchers　into　the　natures　of　fish　observe；　that　there　be　several　sorts　or　kinds　of　Eels；　as　the　silver　Eel；　the　green　or　greenish　Eel；　with　which　the　river　of　Thames　abounds；　and　those　are　called　Grigs；　and　a　blackish　Eel；　whose　head　is　more　flat　and　bigger　than　ordinary　Eels；　and　also　an　Eel　whose　fins　are　reddish；　and　but　seldom　taken　in　this　nation；　and　yet　taken　sometimes。　These　several　kind　of　Eels　are；　say　some；　diversely　bred；　as；　namely；　out　of　the　corruption　of　the　earth；　and　some　by　dew；　and　other　ways；　as　I　have　said　to　you：　and　yet　it　is　affirmed　by　some　for　a　certain；　that　the　silver　Eel　is　bred　by　generation；　but　not　by　spawning　as　other　fish　do；　but　that　her　brood　come　alive　from　her；　being　then　little　live　Eels　no　bigger　nor　longer　than　a　pin；　and　I　have　had　too　many　testimonies　of　this；　to　doubt　the　truth　of　it　myself；　and　if　I　thought　it　needful　I　might　prove　it；　but　I　think　it　is　needless。
  And　this　Eel；　of　which　I　have　said　so　much　to　you；　may　be　caught　with　divers　kinds　of　baits：　as　namely；　with　powdered　beef；　with　a　lob　or　garden　worm；　with　a　minnow；　or　gut　of　a　hen；　chicken；　or　the　guts　of　any　fish；　or　with　almost　anything；　for　he　is　a　greedy　fish。　But　the　Eel　may　be　caught；　especially；　with　a　little；　a　very　little　Lamprey；　which　some　call　a　Pride；　and　may；　in　the　hot　months；　be　found　many　of　them　in　the　river　Thames；　and　in　many　mud…heaps　in　other　rivers；　yea；　almost　as　usually　as　one　finds　worms　in　a　dunghill。
  Next　note；　that　the　Eel　seldom　stirs　in　the　day；　but　then　hides　himself；　and　therefore　he　is　usually　caught　by　night；　with　one　of　these　baits　of　which　I　have　spoken；　and　may　be　then　caught　by　laying　hooks；　which　you　are　to　fasten　to　the　bank；　or　twigs　of　a　tree；　or　by　throwing　a　string　across　the　stream；　with　many　hooks　at　it；　and　those　baited　with　the　aforesaid　baits；　and　a　clod；　or　plummet；　or　stone；　thrown　into　the　river　with　this　line；　that　so　you　may　in　the　morning　find　it　near　to　some　fixed　place；　and　then　take　it　up　with　a　drag…hook；　or　otherwise。　But　these　things　are；　indeed；　too　common　to　be　spoken　of；　and　an　hour's　fishing　with　any　angler　will　teach　you　better；　both　for　these　and　many　other　common　things　in　the　practical　part　of　angling；　than　a　week's　discourse。　I　shall　therefore　conclude　this　direction　for　taking　the　Eel；　by　telling　you；　that　in　a　warm　day　in　summer；　I　have　taken　many　a　good　Eel　by　Snigling；　and　have　been　much　pleased　with　that　sport。
  And　because　you；　that　are　but　a　young　angler；　know　not　what　Snigling　is　I　will　now　teach　it　to　you。　You　remember　I　told　you　that　Eels　do　not　usually　stir　in　the　daytime；　for　then　they　hide　themselves　under　some