He furvived his wife many years. She died in 1662, and was buried in our Lady's Chapel, in the Cathedral of Worcester. In the north wall is placed a fmall oval monument of white marble, on which is the following infcription, written, no doubt, by her affectionate husband. * Ex 66 D. « S. + terris +. M. "Here lyeth buried so much as " a woman of remarkeable prudence, "with foe much Chriftian meeknefse as "She died (alas that the is dead) He had one fon Ifaac, who never married, and a daughter Anne, the wife of Dr. William Hawkins, a Prebendary in the Church of Winchester, and Rector of Droxford in Hampshire. Dr. William Hawkins left a son William, and a daughter Anne. The latter died unmarried. The fon, who was a Serjeant at Law, and author of the well-known treatife of "The Pleas of the Crown," lived and died in the Close of Sarum. He published a fhort account of the life of his great uncle in 1713, and alfo his works in 1721, under the title of The Works of the right reverend learned and pious Thomas Ken, D. D. late Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, 4 vol." Thefe works include only Ken's Poetical Compofitions, which do not merit any great encomium, though they are written in a train of real piety and devotion. This William Hawkins had a fon and three daughters, the eldest of whom Mrs. Hawes, relict of the Rev. Mr. Hawes, Rector of Bemerton, is the only furviving perfon of that generation. a The following fepulchral inscriptions are in the Cathedral Church of Winchefter. H. S. E. H. S. E. ANNA ETIAM IZAAC WALTON FILIA QUÆ OBIIT SUPER-MEMORATI GULIELMI VIDUA I have omitted to enumerate among the friends of our biographer Dr. George Morley, Bishop of Winchefter', and Dr. Seth Ward, Bishop of Salisbury'. To be efteemed, to be carefsed by men of fuch comprehenfive learning and extraordinary abilities is honourable indeed. They were his choiceft and most confidential companions. After the Reftoration, he and his daughter had apartments conftantly referved for them in the houses of thefe two Prelates. Here he fpent his time in that mutual reciprocation of benevolent offices, which conftitutes the blefsedneís of virtuous friendship. He experienced many marks of favour from the Bishop of Winchefter, of whofe kindness to him he has fignified his remembrance in the ring bequeathed at his death with this exprefsive motto, 66 A MILLION." It was doubtless through his recommendation, that Ken obtained the patronage of Dr. Morley; who, having appointed him his Chaplain, prefented him to the Rectory of Woodhay, in Hamphire; and then preferred him to the dignity of a Prebendary in the Cathedral Church of Winton. 66 A MITE FOR The worthy fon of a worthy father had no caufe to complain that his merit was unnoticed, or unrewarded. Mr. Ifaac Walton, junior, was educated at Chrift Church, in Oxford. Whilft he was Bachelor r Mr. Edward Powell, in commendatory Verfes, prefixed to "The Complete Angler," has commemorated the friendship which fubfifted between Bishop Morley and Mr. Ifaac Walton. "He that converfed with angels fuch as were A diftinguished trait in the character of this Prelate, who was first known to the world as the friend of Lord Falkland, and to whom Mr. Waller owns himself indebted for his tafte of the ancient classics, may be difcovered from the following narrative. "Being confulted by the Mayor of a country Corporation, what "method he should take effectually to root out the fanatics in the year of his "Mayoralty; the Bishop, now growing old, finit preached friendliness to him, by "ordering him a glafs of Canary, as oft as he started the question in company; "and next admonished him, when alone, to let thofe people live quietly, in "many of whom, he was fatisfied, there was the true fear of God, and who were "not likely to be gained by rigour and feverity." See "Kennet's Regifter," p. 816. s After the Reftoration, many Divines, who had been educated among the Puritans, and had gone into the notions and scheme of Prefbytery, upon mature thoughts, judged it lawful, and even eligible to conform for the honour and intereft of the Chriftian religion, and for the peace and happiness of this church and nation. Among thefe was Dr. Seth Ward, celebrated for his mathematical studies. Having been appointed Prefident of Trinity College, Oxford, in 1659, he was ejected in 1660: In which year he was admitted Precentor of Exeter, Dean in 1661, and Bishop in 1662. He was tranflated to the fee of Salisbury in 1667, and upon his death, in 1688, was fucceeded by Dr. Burnet, who has given a character of him in "The Hiftory of his own Times." A few years before his death, he fuffered a fatal decay, not only in his body, but in his intellectual facultics. For, to the mortification of all human fufficiency and wisdom, this great mafter of reafon fo entirely loft the use of his understanding, as to become an object of compafsion, and uneafinefs to himself, and a burden to his friends and attendants. Ste" Dr. Walter Pope's Life of Seth, Bishop of Salisbury." of Arts, he attended his uncle, Mr. Ken, to Rome, where he was prefent at the jubilee appointed by Pope Clement X. in 1675. On this occation Ken was wont to fay, "That he had great reason to "give God thanks for his travels; fince, if it were pofsible, he re" turned rather more confirmed of the purity of the Proteftant religion than he was before." During his refidence in Italy, that country, which is juftly called the great School of Mufic and Painting, the rich Repohtory of the nobleft productions of Statuary and Architecture, both ancient and modern, young Mr. Walton indulged and improved his tafte for the fine arts". On his return to England, he retired to the University of Oxford, to profecute his fiudies. Having afterward accepted an invitation from Bhop Ward, to become his domeftic chaplain, he was preferred to the Rectory of Polfhot, near Devizes, in Wiltshire, and elected a Canon of Salisbury. He afforded much atsiftance to Dr. John Walker, when engaged in his "Hiltory of the Sufferings of the Clergy,' communicating to him a variety of materials for that excellent work. He pofselsed all the ammable qualities that adorned the character of his father, a calm philanthropy, a genuine piety, an unaffected humility. It was at the houfe of this his nephew, that Dr. Ken was upon a vitit when a ftack of chimnies fell into his bed-chamber, Nov. 27, 1703, without doing him any ham; whilst Dr. Kinder, his immediate fuccessor in the See of Bath and Wells, was unfortunately killed with his Lady by a fimilar accident, during the fame form, in his palace at Welis. Mr. Walton, junior, died in 1716. His remains lie interred at the feet of his friend and patron, Bishop Ward; in the Cathedral of Salisbury. t Ken was not admitted to the degree of D. D. till 1679. VIATOR. But what have we got here? a rock (pringing up in the middle " of the river.--This is one of the oddeft fights that ever I faw. "PISC, Why, Sir, from that pike that you fee standing up there diftant from the rock, this is called Pike Poo!; and young Mr. Ifaac Walton was fo pleased “ with 1), as to draw it in landscape in black and white, in a black book I have "at homs, at has done several prospects of my houfe alfo, which I keep for a This favour, and will fhew you when we come up to dinner. VIAT. Has young Mr. Ifaac Walton been here too? *15c. Yes marry has he, Sir, and that again and again too; and in France ❝ quc, end a Rome, and at Venice, and I can't tell where; but I intend to fk him a great mary hard questions, fo foon as I can fee him, which will be, God willing, next month.”—(Complete Angler, P. II. Ch. 6.) y On a Plain flat fone is this infcription: H. S. E. ISAACUS WALTON, HUJUS ECCLESIÆ MUNIFICENTIÆ, BENEVOLENTIE PASTORIS BONI ET FIDELIS FUNCTUS OFFICIO PER ANNOS ETATIS 69. It would be highly improper to afcribe to Mr. Ifaac Walton that extent of knowledge, which characterizes the fcholar: Yet those who are converfant in his writings will probably entertain no doubt of his acquaintance with books. His frequent references to ancient and modern hiftory, his feasonable applications of feveral pafsages in the most approved writers, his allufions to various branches of general fcience, thefe and other circumstances concur in confirming the afsertion, that though he did not partake of the benefits of early erudition, yet in maturer age, he enlarged his in tellectual acquifitions, fo as to render them fully proportionate to his opportunities and abilities. The fruits of his truly commendable industry he has generously confecrated to pofterity. Deprived of the advantage of a learned education, he hath with great fidelity preferved the memory of thofe, who were " by their knowledge of "learning meet for the people,wife and eloquent in their inftructions, "honoured in their generations; and the glory of their times," each of whom, in his edifying pages, "being dead yet fpeaketh." He may be literally faid "to have laboured not for himself only, "but for all thofe that feek wifdom." How interefting and affecting are many of his narratives and defcriptions! The vifion of ghaftly horror that presented itself to Dr. Donne, at the time of his fhort refidence in Paris,-the pleasant mefsages which Sir Henry Wotton and the good-natured prieft exchanged with each other in a church at Rome, during the time of vefpers,-the domestic incidents which excited the tender commiferation of Mr. Edwin Sandys and Mr. George Cranmer, while they vifited their venerable tutor at his country parfonage of Drayton Beauchamp',-the affectionate and patient condefcenfion of Mr. George Herbert, com, passionating the diftrefses of the poor woman of Bemerton,-the interview of Dr. Sanderfon and Mr. Ifaac Walton accidentally meeting each other in the streets of London,-these and numberlefs other fimilar pafsages will always be read with reiterated pleasure. We fhall indeed be difappointed, if we expect to find in the following volume the brilliancy of wit, the elaborate correctness of style, or the afcititious graces and ornaments of fine compofition. * Walton, in his " Complete Angler," frequently cites authors that have written only in Latin, as Gefner, Aldrovandus, Rondeletius, and others. The voluminous Hiftory of Animals, compofed by Gefner, is tranflated into English by Mr. Edward Topfel. This tranflation was published in 1658, and as it contained numberlefs particulars, extracted from the works of various writers concerning frogs, ferpents, and caterpillars, it furnished our author with much intelligence. "Pliny's Natural Hiftory" was tranflated by Dr. Philemon Holland. Alfo there were versions of the tract of Janus Dubravius“ de Piscinis et Pifcium Naturâ," and of Lebault's Maifon Ruftique," fo often referred to by him in the courfe of his Work. (See the "Biographical Dictionary, London, 1784.")-In "The Life of Dr. Sanderíon," Walton has quoted Thucydides. It must be remembered, that Hobbes printed his English translation of “ The History of the Græcian War," in 1628. y A circumftance mentioned in this narrative, reminds me of the defcription of a domelic picture, in "The Life of Melanthon," who was feen by one of his friends," with one hand rocking the cradle of his child, with the other holding "a book." But that pleafing fimplicity of fentiment, that plain and unaffected language, and, may I add, that natural eloquence2, which pervades the whole, richly compenfates the want of elegance, and rhetorical embellishment. Truth is never difplayed to us in more grateful colours, than when the appears, not in a garish attire, but in her own native garb, without artifice, without pomp. In that garb Ifaac Walton has arrayed her. Deeply impressed with the excellence of thofe exemplary characters which he endeavours to portray, he speaks no other language than that of the heart, and thus imparts to the reader his own undifguifed fentiments, fo friendly to piety and virtue. Afsuredly, no pleasure can be placed in competition with that, which refults from the view of men fedulously adjusting their actions with integrity and honour. To accompany. them, as it were, along the path of life, to join in their converfation, to obferve their demeanour in various fituations, to contemplate their acts of charity and beneficence, to attend them into their closets, to behold their ardour of piety and devotion; in fhort, to establish, as it were, a friendship and familiarity with them,-this, doubtlefs, muft be pronounced an happy anticipation of that holy intercourse, which will, I truft, subfist between beatified spirits in another and a better state. 66 Thofe parts of this volume are more peculiarly adapted to afford fatisfaction, improvement, and confolation, in which is related the behaviour of thefe good men at the hour of death. Here we find ourfelves perfonally and intimately interefted. "A battle or a triumph," fays Mr. Addifon," are conjunctures, in which not one man in a million is likely to be engaged; but when we fee a perfon at the point of death, we cannot forbear being attentive to every thing he fays or does; because we are fure, that fome "time or other, we fhall ourselves be in the fame melancholy "circumftances. The general, the statefman, or the philofopher, are perhaps characters which we may never act in ; but the dying man is one whom, fooner or later, we thall certainly refemble." Thus while these inftructive pages teach us how to live, they impart a lefson equally useful and momentous-how to die. When I con 66 z This quality is, I truft, not improperly applied to Mr. Ifaac Walton's writings. "True eloquence," fays Milton, "I find to be none but the ferious and hearty "love of truth: And, that, whofe mind foever is fully pofsefied with a fervent "defire to know good things, and with the dearest charity to infufe the knowledge "of them into others; when fuch a man would speak, his words, like fo many "nimble and airy fervitors, trip about him at command, and in well-ordered "files, as he would wish, fall aptly into their own places." a I indulge myself in quoting only one pafsage. Having defcribed the poig. nancy of Dr. Donne's grief on the death of his wife, the author pathetically concludes. "Thus he began the day, and ended the night; ended the reftless night, "and began the weary day in lamentations." The repetition is exquifitely beautiful. It reminds me of Orpheus lamenting over Eurydice, in Virgil's Georgics : "Te veniente Die, te decedente canebat." b Dr. Thomas Townfon, the late Archdeacon of Richmond, read " Ifaac Wal ton's Lives" during his laft illness, with a view, no doubt, to trim his lamp, and prepare for his Lord, by comparing his conduct with the examples of those meek |