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shall do this without partiality, and with honesty, and a good conscience. And if the said major and others of the said town of Stafford shall prove so negligent, or dishonest, as not to imploy the rent by me given as intended and exprest in this my will, which God forbid,—then I give the said rents and profits of the said farme, or land, to the towne, and chief magistrates or governors, of Ecleshall, to be disposed of by them in such manner as I have ordered the disposal of it by the towne of Stafford, the said farme or land being near the towne of Ecleshall. And I give to my son-in-law, Dr Hawkins, whom I love as my own son; and to my daughter, his wife; and my son Izaak; to each of them a ring, with these words or motto; "Love my memory, I. W. obiit

;" to the Lord Bishop of Winton a ring, with this motto: "A mite for a million, I. W. obiit ;" and to the friends hereafter named, I give to each of them a ring with this motto: "A friend's farewell, I. W. obiit

And my will is, the said rings be delivered within forty days after my death; and that the price or value of all the said rings shall be thirteen shillings and fourpence a-piece. I give to Dr Hawkins, Doctor Donne's Sermons, which I have heard preacht, and read with much content. To my son Izaak, I give Dr Sibbs his "Soul's Conflict;" and to my daughter his " Bruised Reed,"* desiring them to read them so as to be well acquainted with them. And I also give unto her all my books at Winchester and Droxford, and whatever in those two places are, or I can call mine, except a trunk of linen, which I give to my son Izaak: but if he do not live to marry, or make use of it, then I give the same to my grandaughter, Anne Hawkins. And I give my daughter Doctor Hall's Works, which be now at Farnham. To my son Izaak I give all my books, not yet given, at Farnham Castell; and a deske of prints and pictures; also a cabinett near my bed's head, in which are some little things that he will value, though of no great worth. And my will and desire is, that he shall be kind to his aunt Beachame, and his aunt Rose Ken; by allowing the first about fifty shillings a-year, in or for bacon and cheese, not more, and paying four pounds a year towards the boarding of her son's dyet to Mr John Whitehead: for his aunt Ken, I desire him to be kind to her according to her necessitie and his own abilitie; and I commend one of her children, to breed up as I have said I

This book was an instrument in the conversion of Mr Richard Baxter. See Dr Calamy's Life of him, page 7.

intend to do, if he shall be able to do it, as I know he will; for they be good folke. I give to Mr John Darbyshire the Sermons of Mr Anthony Farringdon, or of Dr Sanderson, which my executor thinks fit. To my servant, Thomas Edgill, I give five pound in money, and all my cloths, linen and woollen, except one suit of cloths, which I give to Mr Holinshed, and forty shillings, if the said Thomas be my servant at my death; if not, my cloths only. And I give my old friend, Mr Richard Marriot,* ten pounds in money, to be paid him within three months after my death; and I desire my son to shew kindness to him if he shall neede, and my son can spare it. And I do hereby will and declare my son Izaak to be my sole executor of this my last will and testament; and Dr Hawkins, to see that he performs it; which I doubt not but he will. I desire my burial may be near the place of my death, and free from any ostentation or charge, but privately. This I make to be my last will, (to which I shall only add the codicil for rings,) this sixteenth day of August, one thousand six hundred eighty-three, IZAAK WALTON. Witness to this will.

The rings I give are as on the other side. To my brother, John Ken; to my sister, his wife; to my brother, Doctor Ken; to my sister Pye; to Mr Francis Morley; to Mr George Vernon; to his wife; to his three daughters; to Mistris Nelson; to Mr Richard Walton; to Mr Palmer; to Mr Taylor; to Mr Thomas Garrard; to the Lord Bishop of Sarum; to Mr Rede, his servant; to my cousin, Dorothy Kenrick; to my cousin Lewin; to Mr Walter Higgs; to Mr Charles Cotton; to Mr Richard Marryot-twenty-two. To my brother Beacham; to my sister, his wife; to the Lady Anne How; to Mrs King, Dr Phillips's wife; to Mr Valentine Harecourt; to Mrs Eliza Johnson; to Mrs Mary Rogers; to Mrs Eliza Milward; to Mrs Dorothy Wollop; to Mr Will. Milward, of Christchurch, Oxford; to Mr John Darbyshire; to Mr Undevill; to Mrs Rock; to Mr Peter White; to Mr John Lloyde; to my cousin, Creinsell's widow; Mrs Dalbin must not be forgotten-sixteen. IZAAK WALTON.

Note, that several lines are blotted out of this will, for they were twice repeated, — and that this will is now signed and sealed this twenty and fourth day of October, one thousand six hundred eighty-three, in the presence of us: Witness, ABRAHAM MAR KLAND, JOS. TAYLOR, THOMAS CRAWLEY.

• Bookseller, and his Publisher.

THE

EPISTLE DEDICATORY.

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL

JOHN OFFLEY, ESQ.

OF MADELY MANOR, IN THE COUNTY OF STAFFORD.

MY MOST HONOURED FRIEND,

SIR,-I have made so ill use of your former favours, as by them to be encouraged to entreat, that they may be enlarged to the patronage and protection of this book and I have put on a modest confidence that I shall not be denied, because it is a discourse of fish and fishing, which you know so well, and both love and practise so much.

You are assured, though there be ignorant men of another belief, that angling is an art, and you know that art better than others; and that this truth is demonstrated by the fruits of that pleasant labour which you enjoy, when you purpose to give rest to your mind, and divest yourself of your more serious business, and (which is often) dedicate a day or two to this recreation.

At which time, if common anglers should attend you, and be eyewitnesses of the success, not of your fortune, but your skill, it would doubtless beget in them an emulation to be like you, and that emulation might beget an industrious diligence to be so; but I know it is not attainable by common capacities. And there be now many men of great wisdom, learning, and experience, which love and practise this art, that know I speak the truth.

Sir, this pleasant curiosity of fish and fishing, of which you are so great a master, has been thought worthy the pens and practices of divers in other nations, that have been reputed men of great learning and wisdom. And amongst those of this nation, I remember Sir Henry Wotton (a dear lover of this art) has told me, that his intentions were to write a discourse

of the art, and in praise of angling; and doubtless he had done so if death had not prevented him; the remembrance of which hath often made me sorry; for if he had lived to do it, then the unlearned angler had seen some better treatise of this art, a treatise that might have proved worthy his perusal, which, though some have undertaken, I could never yet see in English.

But mine may be thought as weak and as unworthy of common view; and I do here freely confess, that I should rather excuse myself than censure others, my own discourse being liable to so many exceptions; against which you, sir, might make one, that it can contribute nothing to your knowledge. And, lest a longer epistle may diminish your pleasure, I shall make this no longer than to add this following truth, that I am, really, sir, your most affectionate friend, and most humble servant,

IZAAK WALTON.

ΤΟ

ALL READERS OF THIS DISCOURSE,

BUT ESPECIALLY

TO THE HONEST ANGLER.

I THINK fit to tell thee these following truths, that I did neither undertake, nor write, nor publish, and much less own, this discourse to please myself and having been too easily drawn to do all to please others, as I propose not the gaining of credit by this undertaking, so I would not willingly lose any part of that to which I had a just title before I begun it, and do therefore desire and hope, if I deserve not commendations, yet I may obtain pardon.

And though this discourse may be liable to some exceptions, yet I cannot doubt but that most readers may receive so much pleasure or profit by it, as may make it worthy the time of their perusal, if they be not too grave or too busy men. And this is all the confidence that I can put on, concerning the merit of what is here offered to their consideration and censure; and if the last prove too severe, as I have a liberty, so I am resolved to use it, and neglect all sour censures.

And I wish the reader also to take notice, that in writing of it, I have made myself a recreation of a recreation; and that it might prove so to him, and not read dull and tediously, I have in several places mixed, not any scurrility, but some innocent, harmless mirth, of which, if thou be a

severe, sour complexioned man, then I here disallow thee to be a competent judge; for divines say, there are offences given, and offences not given, but taken.

And I am the willinger to justify the pleasant part of it, because though it is known I can be serious at all seasonable times, yet the whole discourse is, or rather was, a picture of my own disposition, especially in such days and times as I have laid aside business, and gone a-fishing with honest Nat. and R. Roe; but they are gone, and with them most of my pleasant hours, even as a shadow that passeth away, and returns not. And next let me add this, that he that likes not the book, should like the excellent picture of the Trout, and some of the other fish; which I may take a liberty to commend, because they concern not myself.

Next let me tell the reader, that in that which is the more useful part of this discourse, that is to say, the observations of the nature and breeding, and seasons, and catching of fish, I am not so simple as not to know, that a captious reader may find exceptions against something said of some of these; and therefore I must entreat him to consider, that experience teaches us to know that several countries alter the time, and I think, almost the manner, of fishes' breeding, but doubtless of their being in season; as may appear by three rivers in Monmouthshire, namely, Severn, Wye, and Usk, where Camden, Brit. f. 633, observes, that in the river Wye salmon are in season from September to April; and we are certain, that in Thames and Trent, and in most other rivers, they be in season the six hotter months.

Now for the art of catching fish, that is to say, how to make a man that was none, to be an angler by a book; he that undertakes it, shall undertake a harder task than Mr Hales, a most valiant and excellent fencer, who, in a printed book called "A Private School of Defence," undertook to teach that art or science, and was laughed at for his labour. Not but that many useful things might be learned by that book; but he was laughed at because that art was not to be taught by words, but practice and so must angling. And note also, that in this discourse I do not undertake to say all that is known, or may be said of it, but I undertake to acquaint the reader with many things that are not usually known to every angler; and I shall leave gleanings and observations enough to be made out of the experience of all that love and practise this recreation, to which I shall encourage them. For angling may be said to be so like the mathematics, that it can never be fully learnt; at least not so fully, but that there will still be more new experiments left for the trial of other men that succeed us.

* These persons are supposed to have been related to Walton, from the circumstance of a copy, handed down, of his Lives of Donne, Sir H. Wotton, Hooker, and Herbert, wherein is written by the author on the frontispiece, For my Cousin Roe.

C

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