Nay, through disgrace, which oft the worthiest have; And yours, and the whole world's beloved Donne, And being then an object of much ruth, By the same clue, after his youthful swing, And though by God's most powerful grace alone Yet 'tis by you we know how it was done; And know, that having crucified vanities, The meek and learned Hooker too, almost And Herbert;-he whose education, And fitted for a court, made that his aim; Where, with a soul, composed of harmonies, All this you tell us, with so good success, To have been your friend, was a great happiness. And now, To when many worthier would be proud Where, to commend what you have choicely writ, Are equally invalid and unfit: my Yet this, and much more, is most justly due: To the best friend I now or ever knew. But, my dear friend, 'tis so, that you and I, By a condition of mortality, With all this great, and more proud world, must die: In which estate, I ask no more of fame, Nor other monument of honour claim, Than that of your true friend to advance my name. And if your many merits shall have bred CHARLES COTTON. Jan. 17, 1672. One of these verses show that Cotton's father was also a friend of Walton's; and the feeling manner in which the author mentions his own friendship for him, by calling him "the best friend I now or ever knew," is the more striking, from his having afterwards used nearly the same words in the second part of "The Complete Angler," where he says, "I have the happiness to know his person, and to be intimately acquainted with him; and in him to know the worthiest man, and to enjoy the best and the truest friend any man ever had." It is rather singular that Walton should no where allude to his only surviving son and daughter, during their childhood, for it might have been expected that he would have frequently spoken of their being with him, and of their education. His attachment to the Church of England, and the prospect of preferment which his intimacy with the bishop of Winchester and other prelates afforded, naturally induced him to destine his son for holy orders; and his veneration for the sacred profession, added to the personal esteem which he felt for Dr. William Hawkins, one of the prebends of Winchester, made him yield a ready assent to the marriage of his daughter Anne to that gentleman, which took place some time before the year 1678. Young Izaak Walton is supposed to have been educated by his maternal uncle Thomas Ken, 18 who obtained a stall in Winchester Cathedral, probably through the interest of his brother-in-law with Bishop Morley, in April, 1669. At a proper age the young Izaak was removed to Christ 18 Bowles's Life of Ken, I. 23. Church, of which his father's friend, Dr. Fell, was master;19 and in 1675, the year of the great Papal jubilee, Ken and his nephew visited Rome, Venice, and other parts of Italy; but the following passage in Cotton's treatise on fly-fishing shows that he returned early in the ensuing year. When asked by Venator, "if young Master Izaac Walton" had been at Beresford, Piscator replied, " Aye, marry has he Sir! and that again and again too, and in France since, and at Rome, and at Venice, and I can't tell where; but I intend to ask him a great many hard questions so soon as I can see him, which will be, God willing, next month." In March, 1675-6, young Walton proceeded M.A. at Christ Church; and though the date of his ordination is not stated, it probably took place about that time; and the pleasure with which his aged father saw him enter upon his holy office may readily be conceived. Some account of Walton's plans in the year 1676 occur in the fifth edition of the "Complete Angler," which appeared in that year. Eight years had elapsed since the former impression; and during that time he had ample leisure to give to his work the improvements of which he considered it susceptible. It is, however, questionable whether the additions which he then made to it have increased its interest. The garrulity and sentiments of an octogenarian are very apparent in some of the alterations; and the subdued colouring of religious feeling which prevails throughout the former editions, and forms one of the charms of the piece, is, in this impression, so much heightened, as to become almost obtrusive. For example, the interpolation in the last chapter, immediately after Venator's recipe for colouring rods 20 is, in fact, a religious essay, filled with trite reflections and scriptural quotations; whilst the digression on monsters," and the introduction of the milkmaids' second song,22 which contains the only objectionable allusion in the book, are not in Walton's usual good taste. Thinking that the work was defective in one branch of the art, Walton applied to his friend Charles Cotton, whom he had known for a great many years, to furnish a treatise on fly-fishing. Cotton promised to comply with 19 Bowles's Life of Ken, I. 23. pp. 21 Ibid. p. 61. p. 121. his wishes; but he omitted to fulfil his engagement, until he was reminded, towards the end of February, 1676, that the treatise was wanted for the new edition of the "Complete Angler," which was then in the press. Little more than ten days were allowed him for the purpose, at the end of which he had completed the task. His letter to Walton, which accompanied the manuscript, was written at Beresford, on the 10th of March, 1676; and a printed of his treatise was returned to him, with an answer, copy dated at London, on the 29th of the following month. Cotton, who is the Piscator of his own dialogue, observes, that Walton had lately written to say that he doubted whether he could visit him in the ensuing summer; but he informed Cotton in the letter just mentioned, which was written some weeks afterwards, that although he was then more than one hundred miles from him, and in the eightythird year of his age, yet he would forget both, and in the next month, May, begin a pilgrimage to see him. It is therefore likely that Walton spent some weeks at Beresford, in May and June, 1676; and he was possibly induced to change his mind by going there, in consequence of business having brought him to London, by which journey he was drawn much nearer to Derbyshire. The intimacy which existed between Walton and Cotton is well known to every reader of the Complete Angler. Their literary, no less than their piscatory pursuits, were alike; and it is easy to believe that the author of the beautiful "Stanzas Irregulier" must have possessed a disposition with which Walton's perfectly harmonized. At an early period of their intimacy, Cotton designated him his " father," and styled himself his " son," a practice which was then very common between parties whose pursuits were congenial, when the younger received instructions in them from the elder, and when it was desired to give the most affectionate character to their association. Walton frequently visited Cotton at Beresford during the spring and summer months, sometimes alone, and at others accompanied by his son or by a friend. Not long before the year 1676 Cotton built a little fishing-house on the Staffordshire side of the banks of the Dove, where the windings of the river form a small peninsula. 23 In 23 The state of the fishing-house was thus described by a visitor, in 1824.-"Just above the Pike, a small wooden foot-bridge leads commemoration of their friendship Cotton caused a stone to be placed in the centre of the buildings, with the initials of his own and Walton's name conjoined in a cypher, a representation of which was introduced, agreeably to Cotton's request, in the title-page of his part of the "Complete Angler." This stone, which no true disciple of the venerable Piscator can contemplate with indifference, was erected between Walton's last visit to Beresford, and that which he is supposed to have paid Cotton in May, 1676; but he had seen and approved of it before it was deposited in its place. The fishing-house and stone are thus described by Cotton: My house stands upon the margin of one of the finest rivers for trouts and grayling in England; I have lately built a little fishing-house upon it, dedicated to Anglers, over the door of which you will see the two first letters of my father Walton's name and mine twisted in cypher." In one of Cotton's Poems the Fishing-House is also mentioned : . 66 "My river still through the same channel glides 24 Walton says of the beautiful scenery near the FishingHouse, that "the pleasantness of the river mountains, and over the stream towards Hartshorn, in Derbyshire; it bears the date of 1818, but is merely the successor of one more ancient, as is evident from Piscator's saying, "Cross the bridge, and go down the other side." Somewhat higher up on the Staffordshire bank, the windings of the river form a small peninsula, on which stands the far-famed Fishing House; but alas! how changed since the time when, in the words of Venator, it was 'finely wainscoted, with a marble table in the middle, and all exceeding neat.' The stone slabs which compose the floor are partly broken up, the windows are entirely destroyed, the doors decaying, and without fastenings, the roof is dilapidated, and the vane which surmounts it is rusty, and nodding to its fall. The fire-place alone remains in good preservation. Hawkins tells us that the exterior was formerly adorned with paintings, in fresco, of Cotton, Walton, and the boy; but these are entirely gone, and nought now decorates the walls, save the names of various obscure individuals who have thought fit thus to record their having visited the spot. The steps at the entrance are covered with weeds, and the well known key-stone (which, however, appears to be in a sound state), is so overspread with moss, that the first word of the inscription is quite defaced.” Gentleman's Magazine, vol. part ii. p. 31. XCIX. 24 Vide p. 336, postea. |