Introduction to The Compleat Angler.docx

Introduction to The Compleat Angler.docx

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IntroductiontoTheCompleatAngler

IntroductiontoTheCompleatAnglerbyAndrewLangTowriteonWaltonis,indeed,toholdacandletothesun.

Theeditorhasbeencontenttogiveasummaryofthechieforrathertheonlyknown,eventsinWalton'slonglife,addinganoticeofhischaracterasdisplayedinhisBiographiesandinTheCompleatAngler,withcommentsontheancientandmodernpracticeoffishing,illustratedbypassagesfromWalton'sforegoersandcontemporaries.LikealleditorsofWalton,heowesmuchtohispredecessors,SirJohnHawkins,Oldys,Major,and,aboveall,tothelearnedSirHarrisNicolas.

HISLIFE

ThefeweventsinthelonglifeofIzaakWaltonhavebeencarefullyinvestigatedbySirHarrisNicolas.Allthatcanbeextricatedfromdocumentsbythealchemyofresearchhasbeenselected,andIamunawareofanyimportantacquisitionssinceSirHarrisNicolas'ssecondeditionof1860.IzaakwasofanoldfamilyofStaffordshireyeomen,probablydescendantsofGeorgeWaltonofYoxhall,whodiedin1571.Izaak'sfatherwasJarvisWalton,whodiedinFebruary1595-6;ofIzaak'smothernothingisknown.IzaakhimselfwasbornatStafford,onAugust9,1593,andwasbaptizedonSeptember21.HediedonDecember15,1683,havinglivedinthereignsofElizabeth,JamesI.,CharlesI.,undertheCommonwealth,andunderCharlesII.Theanxiousandchangefulagethroughwhichhepassedisincontrastwithhisverypacificcharacterandtranquilpursuits.

OfWalton'seducationnothingisknown,exceptontheevidenceofhiswritings.HemayhavereadLatin,butmostofthebooksheciteshadEnglishtranslations.Didhelearnhisreligionfrom'hismotherorhisnurse'?

Itwillbeseenthatthefreespeculationofhisagelefthimuntouched:

perhapshispietywasawakened,fromchildhood,undertheinstructionofapiousmother.Hadhebeenorphanedofbothparents（ashasbeensuggested）hemighthavebeenlessamenabletoauthority,andalessnotableexampleofthevirtueswhichAnglicanismsovainlyopposedtoPuritanismism.Hisliterarybeginningsareobscure.Thereexistsacopyofawork,TheLovesofAmosandLaura,writtenbyS.P.,publishedin1613,andagainin1619.Theeditionof1619isdedicatedto'Iz.

Wa.':

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'ThoubeingcauseITISASNOWITIS';

theDedicationdoesnotoccurintheoneimperfectknowncopyof1613.Conceivablythewords,'asnowitis'refertotheeditionof1619,whichmighthavebeenemendedbyWalton'sadvice.Buttherearenoemendations,henceitismoreprobablethatWaltonrevisedthepoemin1613,whenhewasamanoftwenty,orthathemerelyadvisedtheauthortopublish:

-'For,hadstthouheldthytongue,bysilencemightThesehavebeenburiedinoblivion'snight.'

S.P.alsoremarks:

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'Noillthingcanbeclothedinthyverse';

henceIzaakwasalreadyarhymer,andaharmlessone,undertheRoyalPrentice,gentleKingJamie.

BythistimeWaltonwasprobablysettledinLondon.Adeedinthepossessionofhisbiographer,Dr.Johnson'sfriend,SirJohnHawkins,showsthat,in1614,WaltonheldhalfofashoponthenorthsideofFleetStreet,twodoorswestofChanceryLane:

theotheroccupantwasahosier.Mr.NichollhasdiscoveredthatWaltonwasmadefreeoftheIronmongers'

CompanyonNov.12,1618.HeisstyledanIronmongerinhismarriagelicence.ThefactsaregiveninMr.Marston'sLifeofWalton,prefixedtohiseditionofTheCompleatAngler（1888）.Itisoddthataprenticeironmongershouldhavebeenapoetandacriticofpoetry.Dr.Donne,before1614,wasVicarofSt.Dunstan'sintheWest,andinWaltonhadaparishioner,adisciple,andafriend.Izaakgreatlylovedthesocietyoftheclergy:

heconnectedhimselfwithEpiscopalfamilies,andhadanaturaltasteforaBishop.

ThroughDonne,perhaps,oritmaybeinconverseacrossthecounter,hemadeacquaintancewithHalesofEton,Dr.King,andSirHenryWotton,himselfanangler,andonewho,likeDonneandIzaak,lovedaghoststory,andhadseveralinhisfamily.Drayton,theriver-poet,authorofthePolyolbion,isalsospokenofbyWaltonas'myolddeceasedfriend.'

OnDec.27,1626,Waltonmarried,atCanterbury,RachelFloud,aniece,onthematernalside,byseveraldescents,ofCranmer,thefamousArchbishopofCanterbury.TheCranmerswereintimatewiththefamilyofthejudiciousHooker,andWaltonwasagainconnectedwithkinsfolkofthatcelebrateddivine.Donnediedin1631,leavingtoWalton,andtootherfriends,abloodstoneengravedwithChristcrucifiedonananchor:

thesealisimpressedonWalton'swill.WhenDonne'spoemswerepublishedin1633,Waltonaddedcommendatoryverses:

-'Asalllament（Orshould）thisgeneralcauseofdiscontent.'

Theparenthetic'orshould'ismuchinWalton'smanner.

'Witnessmymildpen,notusedtoupbraidtheworld,'isalsoapleasantandaccuratepieceofself-criticism.'Iamhisconvert,'Waltonexclaims.Inacitationfromamanuscriptwhichcannotbefound,andperhapsneverexisted,Waltonisspokenofas'averysweetpoetinhisyouth,andmorethanallinmattersoflove.'{1}Donnehadbeeninthesamecase:

he,orTime,mayhaveconvertedWaltonfromamorousditties.

Walton,inaneditionofDonne'spoemsof1635,writesof'Thisbook（dryemblem）whichbeginsWithlove;butendswithtearsandsighsforsins.'

Thepreacherandhisconverthadprobablyasimilarhistoryoftheheart:

asweshallsee,Walton,liketheCyclops,hadknownlove.Earlyin1639,WottonwrotetoWaltonaboutaproposedLifeofDonne,tobewrittenbyhimself,andhoped'toenjoyyourowneverwelcomecompanyintheapproachingtimeoftheFlyandtheCork.'Wottonwasafly-fisher;thecork,orfloat,or'tremblingquill,'marksIzaakforthebottom-fisherhewas.WottondiedinDecember1639;WaltonprefixedhisownLifeofDonnetothatdivine'ssermonsin1640.Hesays,intheDedicationofthereprintof1658,that'ithadtheapprobationofourlatelearnedandeloquentKing,'themartyredCharlesI.Livingin,oratthecornerofChanceryLane,Waltonisknowntohaveheldparochialoffice:

hewasevenelected'scavenger.'Hehadthemisfortunetolosesevenchildren--ofwhomthelastdiedin1641--hiswife,andhismother-in-law.In1644heleftChanceryLane,andprobablyretiredfromtrade.Hewas,ofcourse,aRoyalist.

SpeakingoftheentryoftheScots,whocame,asoneofthemsaid,'forthegoods,--andchattelsoftheEnglish,'heremarks,'Isawandsufferedbyit.'{2}Healsomentionsthathe'saw'shopsshutbytheirownerstillLaudshouldbeputtodeath,inJanuary1645.InhisLifeofSanderson,Waltonvouchesforananecdoteof'theknowingandconscientiousKing,'Charles,who,hesays,meanttodopublicpenanceforStrafford'sdeath,andfortheabolishingofEpiscopacyinScotland.Butthecondition,'peaceablepossessionoftheCrown,'wasnotgrantedtoCharles,norcouldhavebeengrantedtoaprincewhowishedtoreintroduceBishopsinScotland.WaltonhadhisinformationfromDr.

Morley.OnNov.25,1645,Waltonprobablywrote,thoughJohnMarriottsigned,anAddresstotheReader,printed,in1646,withQuarles'sShepherd'sEclogues.Thepieceisalittleidyllinprose,and'angle,lines,andflies'arenotomittedinthedescriptionof'thefruitfulmonthofMay,'whilePanisimploredtorestoreArcadianpeacetoBritannia,'andgrantthateachhonestshepherdmayagainsitunderhisownvineandfig-tree,andfeedhisownflock,'whentheKingcomes,nodoubt.'About'1646WaltonmarriedAnne,half-sisterofBishopKen,alady'ofmuchChristianmeeknesse.'SirHarrisNicolasthinksthatheonlyvisitedStaffordoccasionally,inthesetroubledyears.Hementionsfishingin'Shawfordbrook';hewaslikelytofishwherevertherewaswater,andthebrookflowedthroughlandwhich,asMr.Marstonshows,heacquiredabout1656.In1650achildwasborntoWaltoninClerkenwell;itdied,butanother,Isaac,wasborninSeptember1651.In1651hepublishedtheReliquiaeWottonianae,withaMemoirofSirHenryWotton.TheknighthadvaluedWalton'scompanyasacurefor'thosespleneticvapoursthatarecalledhypochondriacal.'

WorcesterfightwasonSeptember3,1651;thekingwasdefeated,andfled,escaping,thankstoastandmadebyWogan,andtotheloyaltyofMistressJaneLane,andofmanyotherfaithfuladherents.AjewelofCharles's,thelesserGeorge,waspreservedbyColonelBlague,whointrustedittoMr.

BarlowofBlorePipeHouse,inStaffordshire.Mr.BarlowgaveittoMr.Milward,aRoyalistprisonerinStafford,andhe,inturn,intrustedittoWalton,whomanagedtoconveyittoColonelBlagueintheTower.Thecolonelescaped,andtheGeorgewasgivenbacktotheking.Ashmole,whotellsthestory,mentionsWaltonas'wellbelovedofallgoodmen.'

Thisincidentis,perhaps,theonlyknownadventureinthelonglifeofoldIzaak.Thepeacefulangler,witharoyaljewelinhispocket,musthaveencounteredmanydangersonthehighway.HewasamanofsixtywhenhepublishedhisCompleatAnglerin1653,andsosecuredimmortality.Thequietbeautiesofhismannerinhisvariousbiographieswouldonlyhavemadehimknowntoafewstudents,whocouldneverhaverecognisedByron's'quaint,old,cruelcoxcomb'intheirauthor.'Thewholediscourseisakindofpictureofmyowndisposition,atleastofmydispositioninsuchdaysandtimesasIallowmyselfwhenhonestNat.andR.R.andIgoa-fishingtogether.'Izaakspeaksofthepossibilitythathisbookmayreachasecondedition.Therearenoweditionsmorethanahundred!

WaltoniansshouldreadMr.ThomasWestwood'sPrefacetohisChronicleoftheCompleatAngler:

itisreprintedinMr.Marston'sedition.Mr.WestwoodlearnedtoadmireWaltonatthefeetofCharlesLamb:

-'Nofisher,Butawell-wisherTotheg