further specimens of the author's style and manner of writing in the notes on the prefent edition.

But Cotton lived in a country, where flyfishing was, and is, almoft the only practice;

"ling, which I have been gathering these threefcore (6 years; having spent many pounds in the gaining of

it, as is well known in the place where I was born "and educated, which is Bracemeale, in the liberty of "Salop; being a freeman and burgefs of the fame city. "If any noble or gentle angler, of what degree foever he be, "have a mind to difcourfe of any of thefe ways and expe "riments, I live in Henry the VIIth's Gifts, the next "door to the Gatehouse, in Westminster; my name is "Barker; where I fhall be ready, as long as please God, "to fatisfy them, and maintain my art during life, "which is not like to be long; that the younger fry "may have my experiments at a smaller charge than "I had them; for, it would be too heavy for every "one that loveth that exercife, to be at the charge as "I was at first in my youth, the lofs of my time, "with great expences. Therefore I took it in con"fideration, and thought fit to let it be understood, "and to take pains to fet forth the true grounds and

ways that I have found, by experience, both for "fitting of the rods and tackles, both for ground"baits and flies; with directions for the making "thereof; with obfervations for times and feasons, "for the ground-baits and flies, both for day and "night, with the dreffing; wherein I take as much delight as in the taking of them; and to fhew how "I can perform it, to furnifh any lord's table only "with Trouts, as it is furnished with flesh, for 16

or 20 dishes. And I have a defire to preserve their "health (with the help of God) to go dry in their "boots and fhoes in angling *; for age taketh the 66 pleasure from me."

*See his recipe for this purpose, in the Notes on Chap. XVII.

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and

and indeed, he feems to have known more of it than most men of his time. Not to anticipate what will be found in the book, it may be neceffary to fay, that there is great fpirit in the dialogue; and that the fame converfable, communicative temper appears in it, that fo eminently diftinguishes the piece it accompanies.

The descriptions of flies, with the materials for, and different methods of making them, though they may adimit of fome improvement, and accordingly the reader will meet with feveral valuable ones in the notes on the chapter of artificial flies, are indisputably the most exact and copious of all that have ever yet been published.

At the end of the fecond part, though in - this edition, it has been thought proper to transpose them, are fome verfes of Cotton's writing, which he calls The Retirement, or Stanzes Irreguliers: of them, and alfo of the book, take this character from Langbaine: "This book is not unworthy the pe"rufal of the graveft men that are lovers of "this innocent recreation; and those who "are not anglers, but have a taste for "poetry, may find Mr. Cotton's character "better described by himself, in a copy of "verfes, printed at the end of that books "called The Retirement, than any I might "prefent the reader from Col. Lovelace, Sir

Afton Cockaine, Robert Herrick, Efq; or

Mr.

Mr. Alexander Brome; all which have "writ verses in our author's praife; but in my poor judgment, far fhort of these "Stanzes Irreguliers *."

In short, these books contain a great number of excellent rules, and valuable difcoveries; and it may, with truth be faid, that few have ever perufed them, but have, unlefs it was their own fault, found themselves not only better anglers, but better men.

A book which had been published by Col. Robert Venables, fome years before, called the Experienced Angler, or Angling improved, which has its merit, was alfo now reprinted, and the booksellers prefixed to it a general title of the Univerfal Angler; under which they sometimes fold the three, bound together but the book being written in a manner very different from that of the Complete Angler, it was not thought proper to let it accompany the prefent edition; however, fome ufe has been made of it in the notes. It has a preface figned I. W, undoubtedly of Walton's writing.

Walton was now in his eighty-third year, an age, which, to ufe his own words, "might have procured him a writ of eafe †, " and

*Lives of the English dramatick Poets, Art. Cha, Cotton, Efq;

† A discharge from the office of a judge, or the ftate and degree of a ferjeant at law. Dugd. Orig. furid. 139. that good man, and learned judge, Sir

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George

" and fecured him from all further trouble "in that kind;" when he undertook to write the life of Doctor Robert Sanderfon, bishop of Lincoln, which was published, together with feveral of the bishop's pieces, and a fermon of Hooker's, in Octavo, 1677 †. And, fince little has been faid of the fubjects of these feveral lives, it may not be amifs juft to mention what kind of men they were whom Walton, and indeed, mankind in general, thought fo well worthy to be fignalized by him.

George Croke, had obtained it fome time before the writing of Sanderson's life. Life of Sir George Croke, in the preface to his Reports, Vol. III.

* See the letter from bifhop Barlow to Walton, at the end of Sanderson's life.

•

+The following curious particular, relating to king Charles the firft, is mentioned in this life of Sanderson; which, as none of our hiftorians have taken notice of it, is here given in Walton's own words: "And let me here take occafion to tell the reader this truth, "not commonly known, that in one of thefe con❝ferences this confcientious king told Dr. Sanderfon, << or one of them that then waited with him, that the remembrance of two errors did much afflict him, which were, his affent to the earl of Strafford's death, and the abolishing epifcopacy in Scotland: and that, if God ever reftored him to be in a peace"able poffeffion of his crown, he would demonftrate

his repentance by a publick confeffion, and a volun** tary penance, (I think barefoot) from the Tower " of London, or Whitehall, to St. Paul's church, and "defire the people to intercede with God for his pardon. I am fure one of them told it me, lives ftill, and will witnefs it." Life of Sanderfon.

Doctor

Doctor John Donne was born in London, of eleven about the year 1573. age 1573. At the he was fent to Oxford, from thence he was tranfplanted to Cambridge; where he applied himself very affiduoufly to the then fashionable study of school divinity. At feventeen he was admitted of Lincoln's-Inn; but not having determined what profeffion to follow, and being befides not thoroughly fettled in his notions of religion, he made himself master of the Romish controverfy, and became deeply fkilled in the civil and canon law. He was one of the many young gentlemen that attended the earl of Effex on the Cales expedition; at his return from which, he became fecretary to the lord chancellor Ellesmere. Being very young, he fell paffionately in love with, and privately married, a niece of lady Ellesmere ; one of the unhappy confequences of which ftep was, that, upon the reprefentations of Sir George Moor, his wife's father, who was very much exafperated, he was difmiffed from his attendance on the lord chancellor : diftrefs and pohe languished under great * till about 1614, when, having been prevailed

verty

* In a letter of his to an intimate friend, is the following most affecting paffage: "There is not one per"fon but myself well of my family: I have already loft "half a child, and with that mifchance of her's, my "wife is fallen into fuch a difcompofure, as would "afflict her too extremely, but that the ficknefs of all

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her