In The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton have Piscator explain:
And now for the Water, the Element I trade in. The water is the eldest daughter of the Creation, the Element upon which the Spirit of God did first move, the Element which God commanded to bring forth living creatures abundantly; and without which those that inhabit the Land, even all creatures that have breath in their nostrils must suddenly return to putrefaction.
(Quoted from page 121 of The Omnipotent Magician: Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, 1716--1783, by Jane Brown. Chatto & Windus, 2011.)
For a brief biography of Izaak Walton, click here. For images of or relating to Izaak Walton, click here.
For a brief biography of Charles Cotton, click here. For images of or relating to Charles Cotton, click here.
For Jane Brown’s home page, click here.
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