If they be absent, a knocking, like the chopping of their meat, serueth for a summons to call them, & confirmeth Plynies assertion, that fishes do heare. In the hotest Summer weather, they swimme with the ryme of the water; and in the Winter, keepe the depth. Lymy, or thicke puddelly water, killeth them: they grow very fast, and fatte, which also bettereth their taste, and deliuereth them to the demaunders ready vse, at all seasons, seasonable.
They are taken generally, by a little Sayne net: specially the Eeles in weelies: the Flowks, by groping in the sand, at the mouth of the pond, where (about Lent) they bury themselues to spawn; & the Basse and Millet by angling.
The pleasure which I took at my friends pleasure herein, idlely busied me thus to expresse the same.
I Wayt not at the Lawyers gates, Ne shoulder clymers downe the stayres; I vaunt not manhood by debates, I enuy not the misers feares: But meane in state, and calme in sprite, My fishfull pond is my delight.
Where equall distant Iland viewes His forced banks, and Otters cage :
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Where salt and fresh the poole renues, As Spring and drowth encrease or swage: Where boat presents his seruice prest, And net becomes the fishes nest;
There sucking Millet, swallowing Basse, Side-walking Crab, wry-mouthed Flooke, And flip-fist Eele, as euenings passe, For safe bayt at due place doe looke: Bold to approche, quick to espy, Greedy to catch, ready to fly.
In heat the top, in cold the deepe: In spring the mouth, the mids in neap: With changelesse change by shoales they keepe, Fat, fruitfull, ready, but not cheap : Thus meane in state, and calme in sprite, My fishfull pond is my delight.
And againe.
STench-louing Flies, their father heat, On mother, moysture doth beget; Who feeling force of Sunne too great, Their course vnto some water set, There meane of calmy ayre to proue, Twixt coole below and warmth aboue.
But carelesse of foresight in weale, The euening deaw droplodes their wing, So forst, downe-falne, for flight to fayle, With buzzing moane their bane they sing, Fluttering in waue, swimming in ayre, That, weake to drowne, and this, to beare.
While thus they can nor liue nor dye, Nor water-gieu'd, escape away,
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The fish and swallowes it espie, And both them challenge for their pray; The fish as caught within their toyle, The Swallowes as their kindely spoyle.
The fish, like Swallowes, mount on high, The Swallowes, fish-like diue in waue, These, finlesse swimme, those, winglesse fly, One bent their diuers ventures haue, Fish in the drye, Swallowes in wet, By kinde 'gainst kinde their prey to get.
Their push a bubble vp doth reare, The bubble driues the Fly to brinke: So Fish in vaine deuoure the ayre, Swallowes in vayne the water drinke, While Fly escapes, this sport I take. Where pond doth th' Ocean captiue make.
I carried once a purpose, to build a little woodden banqueting house, on the Iland in my pond, which because some other may (perhaps) elsewhere put in execution, it wil not do much amisse, to deliuer you the plot, as the same was deuised for mee, by that perfectly accomplished gentleman, the late Sir Arthure Champernowne.
The Iland is square, with foure rounds at the corners, like Mount-Edgecumb. This should first have bene planched ouer and rayled about, with ballisters. In themidst, there should haue risen a boorded roome, of the like fashion, but lesser proportion, so to leaue sufficient space betweene that and the rayles for a walke round about: this square roome should within side haue bene sieled roundwise, and in three of the places where [108] the round joyned with the square, as many windowes should haue bene set; the fourth should haue serued for a dore.