I am, Sir, a brother of the angle.
It [angling] deserves commendations; * * * it is an art worthy the knowledge and practice of a wise man.
An excellent angler, and now with God.
We may say of angling as Dr. Boteler said of strawberries: "Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did"; and so, (if I might be judge,) God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.
Thus use your frog: * * * put your hook, I mean the arming wire, through his mouth, and out at his gills, and then with a fine needle and silk sow the upper part of his leg with only one stitch to the arming wire of your hook, or tie the frog's leg above the upper joint to the armed wire; and in so doing use him as though you loved him.
O! the gallant fisher's life,
It is the best of any:
'Tis full of pleasure, void of strife,
And 'tis beloved by many.
Other joys
Are but toys;
Only this,
Lawful is;
For our skill
Breeds no ill,
But content and pleasure.
And upon all that are lovers of virtue; and dare trust in his providence; and be quiet; and go a-angling.
Of recreation there is none
So free as fishing is, alone;
All other pastimes do not less
Than mind and body, both possess:
My hand alone my work can do;
So I can fish and study too.
The first men that our Saviour dear
Did choose to wait upon Him here,
Blest fishers were; and fish the last
Food was, that He on earth did taste:
I therefore strive to follow those,
Whom He to follow Him hath chose.
ANNIMALS
(See also Fish)
Cet animal est tres mechant;
Quand on l'attaque il se defend.
This animal is very malicious; when attacked it defends itself.
The cattle upon a thousand hills.
The cattle are grazing,
Their heads never raising:
There are forty feeding Eke one!
ANT
Ants never sleep.
Parvula (nam exemplo est) magni formica laboris
Ore trahit, quodcunque potest, atque addit acervo
Quern struit; haud ignara ac non incauta futuri.
For example, the tiny ant, a creature of great industry, drags with its mouth whatever it can, and adds it to the heap which she is piling up, not unaware nor careless of the future.
While an ant was wandering under the shade of the tree of Phaeton, a drop of amber enveloped the tiny insect; thus she, who in life was disregarded, became precious by death.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
ANTICIPATION
Far off his coming shone.
I would not anticipate the relish of any happiness, nor feel the weight of any misery, before it
actually arrives.
ANTIQUITY
(See also Age)
There were giants in the earth in those days.
Antiquity, what is it else (God only excepted) but man's authority born some ages before us? Now for the truth of things time makes no alteration; things are still the same they are, let the time be past, present, or to come.
Those tilings which we reverence for antiquity what were they at their first birth? Were they false?—time cannot make them true. Were they true?—time cannot make them more true.
The circumstances therefore of time in respect of truth and error is merely impertinent.
