Fishing from the earliest times - Blog

WAS THE ANGLER'S ?—TIBULLUS 151To conclude, whether harundo here be a weapon for captureof birds or of fish, it is now estabUshed beyond any doubt orcontradiction that there was used in and probably long beforeMartial's time 1 a Reed Rod, capable of extension, either byprotruding a smaller cane through a larger one, or else, perhaps,by an action somewhat similar to a chimney-sweep's, withjointed rods fastened together in the hand, when prolonginghis brush.Ifsuch a Reed Rod was found of service to the fowler forreaching a bird on a high branch, is it not extremely probable,is it not almost certain, that in spite of no express mention ofsuch use the fisherman also employed a similar jointed rod forthe purpose—common alike to his primitive predecessor andhis more advanced successor— of getting the bait over anyobstacles which lay between him and the water, and forincreasingboth the reach of his arm and the length of his throw ? 2Whether the Rod of t\iQpiscatoy was similar to that of theaucupator or not, we do find these two pursuits, with but oneverb for both, coupled in two of TibuUus's beautiful lines onHope (H. 6, 23). His Hope is very reminiscent of St. Paul'sCharity or Love, which " beareth all things, believeth all things,hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth."" Haec laqueo volucres, haec captat harundine piscesCum tenues hamos abdidit ante cibus."" 'Tis Hope, that taketh birds with the Snare, fish with the Rodwith fine Hooks well hidden in the bait."Panormus, those for fishing [harundo piscatoria) from Abaris in Lower Egypt.Pliny, XVI. 66. For a legal decision as to the selling, etc., of reeds, see DigestaJiistiniani, VII. i, 9, 5.^ Possibly in the time of Aristophanes,'iffTTicn ^p6x,ovi, ra7i5as, pd^Sovs, /c.t.A.Aves, 526 f.In the seventh century B.C. the Chinese mention the Ch'ih Kan or the " glutinous line for catching birds." Cf. Apuleius, Met., XI. 8.- The epitaph in Corpus Inscript. Lat., ii. 2335, is of interestd. [M.] Quintus Marius Optatusheu iuvenis tumulo qualis iacet a[bditus isto,]qui pisces iaculo capiebat missile dextra,aucupium calamo praster studiosus agebat . . ,Cf. Carm. Lat. Epig., no. 412,