fo, he had, as the rule is, put in three Melters for one Spawner) he has, I fay, after three or four years found neither a young nor old Carp remaining: And the like I have known of one that has almost watched his Pond, and at a like distance of time at the fishing of a Pond, found of seventy or or eighty large Carps,not above five or fix: and that he had forborn longer to fish the faid Pond, but that he saw in a hot day in Summer, a large Carp fwim neer to the top of the water with a Frog upon his head, and that he upon that occafion caused his Pond to be let dry: and I fay, of feventie or eighty Carps, only found five or fix in the faid Pond, and thofe very fick and lean, and with every one a Frog sticking fo fast on the head of the faid Carps, that the Frog would not bee got off without extreme force or killing, and the Gentleman that did affirm this to me, told

me

me he saw it, and did declare his belief to be (and I also believe the fame) that he thought the other Carps that were so strangely loft, were fo killed by Frogs, and then devoured.

But I am faln into this difcourfe by accident, of which I might say more, but it has proved longer then I intended, and poffibly may not to you be confiderable; I fhall therefore give you three or four more fhort obfervations of the Carp, and then fall upon fome directions how you shall fish for him.

The age of Carps is by S. Francis Bacon (in his History of Life and Death)obferved to be but ten years; yet others think they live longer:but most conclude, that(contrary to the Pike or Luce) all Carps are the better for age and bigness; the tongues of Carps are noted to be choice and coftly meat, especially to them that buy them; but Gefner fayes, Carps M 3 have

have no tongues like other fith, but a piece of flesh-like-fifh in their mouth like to a tongue, and may be fo called, but it is certain it is choicely good, and that the Carp is to be reckoned amongst thofe leather mouthed fish, which I told you have their teeth in their throat, and for that reafon he is very feldome loft by breaking his hold, if your hook bee once ftuck into his chaps.

I told you,that Sir Francis Bacon thinks that the Carp lives but ten years; but Janus Dubravius (a Germane as I think) has writ a book in Latine of Fish and Fish Ponds, in which he fayes, that Carps begin to Spawn at the age of three yeers, and continue to do fo till thirty; he fayes also, that in the time of their breeding, which is in Summer when the Sun hath warmed both the earth and water, and so apted them also for generation, that then three or

four

four Male CarpswillfollowaFemale, and that then she putting on a feeming coyness, they force her through weeds and flags, where she lets fall her eggs or Spawn, which sticks faft to the weeds, and then they let fall their Melt upon it, and so it becomes in a short time to be a living fish; and, as I told you, it is thought the Carp does this feveral months in the yeer, and most believe that most fish breed after this manner, except the Eele: and it is thought that all Carps are not bred by generation, but that fome breed otherwayes, as fome Pikes do.

Much more might be faid out of him, and out of Ariftotle, which Dubravius often quotes in his Difcourse, but it might rather perplex then fatisfie you, and therefore I shall rather chufe to direct you how to catch, then spend more time in M 4

dif

difcourfing either of the nature or the breeding of this Carp,

or of any more circumstances concerning him, but yet I fhall remember you of what I told you before, that he is a very subtle fish and hard to be caught.

And my first direction is, that if you will fish for a Carp,you must put on a very large measure of patience, especially to fish for a River Carp: I have knowne a very good Fisher angle