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Hunc cupio, hunc cupias, bone frater arundinis ix@ov;
Solverit hic pro me debita, teque Deo.

Piscis is est, et piscator, mihi credito, qualem

Vel piscatorem piscis amare velit.

HENRY BAYLEY, A.M.

AD VIRUM OPTIMUM ET PISCATOREM PERITISSIMUM, ISAACUM WALTONUM.

MAGISTER artis docte piscatoriæ,
Waltone, salve! magne dux arundinis,
Seu tu reducta valle solvs ambulas,
Præterfluentes interim observans aquas,
Seu fortè puri stans in amnis margine,
Sive in tenaci gramine et ripâ sedens,
Fallis peritâ squameum pecus manu;
O te beatum ! qui procul negotiis,
Forique et urbis pulvere et strepitu carens,
Extraque turbam, ad lenè manantes aquas
Vagos honestâ fraude pisces discipis.
Dum cætera ergo pœnè gens mortalium
Aut retia invicem sibi et technas struunt,
Donis, ut hamo, aut divites captant senes,
Gregi natantûm tu interim nectis dolos.
Voracem inescas advenam hamo lucium,
Avidamve percam parvulo alberno capis,
Aut verme ruffo, muscula aut truttam levi,
Cautumve cyprinum, et ferè indocilem capi
Calamoque linoque, ars at hunc superat tua,
Medicamve tincam, gobium aut esca trahis,

Gratum palato gobium, parvum licet,
Prædamve, non acque salubrem barbulum,
Etsi ampliorem, et mystace insignem gravi.
Hæ sunt tibi artes, dum annus et tempus sinunt,
Et nulla transit absque lineâ dies.

Nec sola praxis, sed theoria et tibi

Nota artis hujus; unde tu simul bonus

Piscator, idem et scriptor; et calami potens
Utriusque necdum et ictus, et tamen sapis,
Ut hamiotam nempe tironem instruas !
Stylo eleganti scribis en Halientica
Oppianus alter artis et methodum tuæ, et
Præcepta promis rite piscatoria,

Varias et escas piscium, indolem et genus.
Nec tradere artem sat putas piscariam,
(Virtutis est hæc et tamen quædam schola
Patientiamque et temperantiam docet),
Documenta quin majora das, et regulas
Sublimioris artis, et perennia

Monimenta morem, vitæ et exempla optima,

Dum tu profundum scribis Hookerum; et pium
Donnum ac disertum; sanctum et Herbertum, sacrum
Vatem; hos videmus nam penicillo tuo
Graphicè, et peritâ, Isace, depictos manu.
Post fata factos hosce per te Virbios.
O quæ voluptas est legere in scriptis tuis!
Sic tu libris nos, lineis pisces capis,
Musisque litterisque dum incumbis, licet
Intentus hamo, interque piscandum studes.

AD ISAACUM WALTONUM, VIRUM ET PISCATOREM OPTIMUM.

ISAACE, macte hac arte piscatoriâ ;
Hac arte Petrus principi censum dedit;
Hac arte princeps nec Petro multo prior,
Tranquillus ille, teste Tranquillo, pater
Patriæ, solebat recreare se lubens
Augustus, hamo instructus ac arundine.
Tu nunc, amice, proximum clari est decus
Post Cæsarem hami, gentis ac Halienticæ :
Euge O professor artis haud ingloriæ,
Doctor cathedræ, perlegens piscariam !
Næ tu magister, et ego discipulus tuus,
Nam candidatum et me ferunt arundinis,
Socium hâc in arte nobilem nacti sumus,
Quid amplius, Waltone, nam dici potest?
Ipse hamiota Dominus en orbis fuit!

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CONFERENCE BETWIXT AN ANGLER, A HUNTER, AND A FALCONER; EACH COMMENDING HIS RECREATION.

[First Day.]

PISCATOR, VENATOR, AUCEPS.

PISCATOR.

[graphic]

OU are well overtaken, gentlemen, a good morning to you both; I have stretched my legs up Tottenham Hill to overtake you, hoping your business may occasion you towards Ware, whither I am going this fine, fresh May morning.

VENATOR. Sir, I for my part shall almost answer your hopes; for my purpose is to drink my morning's draught at the Thatched House in Hoddesdon,a and I think not to rest till I come thither, where I have appointed a friend or two to meet me but for this gentleman that you see with me, I know not how far he intends his journey; he came so lately into my company, that I have scarce had time to ask him the question.

AUCEPS. Sir, I shall by your favour bear you company as far as Theobald's," and there leave you; for then I turn up to a friend's house who mews1 a hawk for me, which I now long to see.

VEN. Sir, we are all so happy as to have a fine, fresh, cool morning; and I hope we shall each be the happier in the other's company. And, gentlemen, that I may not lose yours, I shall either abate or amend my pace to enjoy it; knowing that, as the Italians say, "Good company in a journey makes the way to seem the shorter."

Auc. It may do so, Sir, with the help of good discourse, which methinks we may promise from you that both look and speak so cheerfully; and for my part I promise you, as an invitation to it, that I will be as free and open-hearted as discretion will allow me to be with strangers.

VEN. And, Sir, I promise the like.

PISC. I am right glad to hear your answers, 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 that he is going to see a hawk that a friend mews for him.

VEN. Sir, mine is a mixture of both, a little business and

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