Eeles abound fo much, that many of the poorer fort of people, that inhabit near to it, take fuch Eeles out of this Mere, with fieves or fheets, and make a kind of Eele-cake of them, and eat it like as bread. And Gefner quotes venerable Bede to say, that in England there is an Iland called Ely, by reafon of the innumerable number of Eeles that breed in it. But that Eeles may be bred as fome worms and fome kind of Bees and Wafps are, either of dew, or out of the corruption of the earth, seems to be made probable by the Barnacles and young Goflings bred by the Suns heat and the rotten planks of an old Ship, and hatched of trees, both which are related for truths by Dubartas, and our learned Cambden, and laborious Gerrard in his Herball.

It is faid by Rande litius,that those Eeles that are bred in Rivers, that relate to, or be neer to the Sea, ne

ver return to the fresh waters (as the Salmon does alwaies defire to do) when they have once tafted the falt water; and I do the more easily believe this, because I am certain that powdered Bief is a moft excellent bait to catch an Eele: and S. Francis Bacon will allow the Eeles 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 fo kept for almost three score yeers; and that fuch useful and pleasant observations were made of this Lamprey, that Craffus the Oratour (who kept her) lamented her death.

It is granted by all, or most men, that Eeles,for about fix months (that is to say, the fix cold months of the yeer) ftir not up and down, neither in the Rivers nor the Pools in which they are, but get into the foft earth or mud, and there many of them together bed themselves, and live

without feeding upon any thing (as I have told you fome Swallows have been obferved to do in hollow trees for those fix cold months); and this the Eele and Swallow do, as not being able to endure winter weather; for Gefner quotes Albertus to fay, that in the yeer 1125 (that years winter being more cold then ufual) Eeles did by natures inftinct get out of the water into a stack of hay in a Meadow upon dry ground, and there bedded themselves, but yet at laft died there. I fhall fay no more of the Eele, but that, as it is observed,he is impatient of cold, fo it has been observed, that in warm weather an Eele has been known to live five days out of the water. And laftly, let me tell you,that fome curious fearchers into the natures of fish, obferve that there be several forts or kinds of Eeles, as the filver-Eele, and green or greenish Eel(with which the River of Thames abounds, and

arc

are called Gregs); and a blackish Eele, whofe head is more flat and bigger then ordinary Eeles; and alfo an Eele whose fins are redish, and but feldome taken in this Nation (and yet taken fometimes): These feveral kinds of Eeles, are (say some) diverfly bred; as namely, out of the corruption of the earth, and by dew, and other wayes (as I have faid to you:) and yet it is affirmedby fome, that for a certain, the SilverEele breeds by generation, but not by Spawning as other fifh do, but that her Brood come alive from her no bigger nor longer then a pin, and I have had too many teftimonies of this to doubt the truth of it.

And this Eele of which I have faid fo much to you,may be caught with divers kinds of baits; as namely, with powdered Bief, with a Lob or Garden-worm, with a Minnow, or gut of a Hen, Chicken, or with almost

any

any thing, for he is a greedy fifh: but the Eele feldomeftirs in the day, but then hides himselfe, and therefore he is usually caught by night, with one of these baits of which I have spoken, and then caught by laying hooks, which you are to fasten to the bank,or twigs of a tree; or by throwing a string cross the ftream, with many hooks at it, and baited with the forefaid baits, and a clod or plummet, or stone, thrown into the River with this line, that fo you may in the morning find it neer to fome fixt 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 hours fishing with any Angler will teach you better, both for thefe, and many other common things in the pra&tical part of Angling, then a weeks difcourfe. I fhall therefore conclude this direction for taking the Eele, by telling you, that in a warm