I have omitted to enumerate among the friends of our biographer Dr. George Morley, Bishop of Winchester, 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 Restoration, he and his daughter had apartments conftantly referved for them in the houfes of thefe two Prelates. Here he fpent his time in that mutual reciprocation of benevolent offices, which conftitutes the blefsed nefs 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 MITE FOR " 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 Hampshire; and then preferred him to the dignity of a Prebendary in the Cathedral Church of Winton. 66 The worthy son of a worthy father had no cause 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 Biop 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 taste of the ancient classics, may be discovered 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, first preached friendliness to him, by "ordering him a glafs of Canary, as oft as he started the queftion 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 Restoration, many Divines, who had been educated among the Puritans, and had gone into the notions and fcheme 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 faculties. 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 uneafiness to himself, and a burden to his friends and attendants. See "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 occafion Ken was wont to fay, "That he had great reafon to give God thanks for his travels; fince, if it were pofsible, he re"turned rather more confirmed of the purity of the Proteftant re"ligion than he was before." During his refidence in Italy, that country, which is juftly called the great School of Mufic and Painting, the rich Repofitory 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 Univerfity of Oxford, to profecute his ftudies. Having afterward accepted an invitation from Bishop 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 afsiftance to Dr. John Walker, when engaged in his "Hiftory of the Sufferings of the Clergy,' communicating to him a variety of materials for that excellent work. He pofsefsed all the amiable qualities that adorned the character of his father, a calm philanthropy, a genuine piety, an unaffected humility. It was at the house of this his nephew, that Dr. Ken was upon a vifit when a ftack of chimnies fell into his bed-chamber, Nov. 27, 1703, without doing him any harm; whilst Dr. Kidder, his immediate fuccefsor in the See of Bath and Wells, was unfortunately killed with his Lady by a fimilar accident, during the fame ftorm, in his palace at Wells. 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 springing 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 see standing up there diftant from "the rock, this is called Pike Pool; and young Mr. Ifaac Walton was fo pleased "with it, as to draw it in landscape in black and white, in a black book I have "at home, as he has done feveral profpects of my house alfo, which 1 keep for a "memorial of his favour, and will fhew you when we come up to dinner. "VIAT. Has young Mr. Ifaac Walton been here too? "Pisc. Yes marry has he, Sir, and that again and again too; and in France "fince, and at Rome, and at Venice, and I can't tell where; but I intend to "afk him a great many hard questions, fo feon as I can fee him, which will be, "God willing, next month.”—(Complete Angler, P. II. Ch. 6.) ▾ On a Plain flat ftone is this infcription: H. S. E. ISAACUS WALTON, HUJUS ECCLESIÆ MUNIFICENTIE, BENEVOLENTIÆ PASTORIS BONI ET FIDELIS FUNCTUS OFFICIO PER ANNOS ETATIS 69. 66 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 science, these 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 induftry 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 those that feek wisdom." How interefting and affecting are many of his narratives and defcriptions! The vifion of ghaftly horror that prefented itself to Dr. Donne, at the time of his fhort refidence in Paris,-the pleasant messages which Sir Henry Wotton and the good-natured priest 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, compafsionating the diftrefses of the poor woman of Bemerton,-the interview of Dr. Sanderson 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 shall indeed be disappointed, if we expect to find in the following volume the brilliancy of wit, the elaborate correctness of ftyle, or the afcititious graces and ornaments of fine compofition, x 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 History" was tranflated by Dr. Philemon Holland. Allo there were verfions of the tract of Janus Dubravius" de Piscinis et Pifcium Naturâ," and of "Lebault's, Maison Ruftique," so often referred to by him in the course of his Work. (See the "Biographical Dictionary, London, 1784.")-In "The Life of Dr. Sanderfon," 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 description of a domeftic 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 eloquence, 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 those 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 results 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 conversation, 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 eftablish, as it were, a friendship and familiarity with them,-this, doubtless, must be pronounced an happy anticipation of that holy intercourfe, which will, I trust, subsist between beatified spirits in another and a better ftate. " 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 interested. "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 shall ourselves be in the fame melancholy "circumftances. The general, the ftatefman, or the philofopher, "are perhaps characters which we may never act in; but the dying "man is one whom, fooner or later, we shall certainly refemble." Thus while these inftructive pages teach us how to live, they impart a lefson equally useful and momentous-how to dieb. When I con z This quality is, I trust, 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 pofsefsed with a fervent "defire to know good things, and with the deareft charity to infuse 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 restless 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 Walton'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 thofe meek traft the death-bed fcenes, which our author has defcribed, with that which is exhibited to us in the last illness of a modern philofopher, who at that awful period had no fource of confolation but what he derived from reading Lucian and other books of amusement, difcourfing chiefly with his friends on the trifling topics of common converfation, playing at his favourite game of whift, and indulging his pleasantry on the fabulous hiftory of “Charon and "his Boat," without one fingle act of devotion, without any exprefsion of penitential forrow, of hope, or confidence in the goodnefs of God, or in the merits of a Redeemer; when this contraft, I say, is prefented to my view, it is impofsible not to adopt the language of the prophet, "Let me die the death of the righteous, "and let my laft end be like his." Is it necefsary to add, that we are here prefented with two pleasing portraits of female excellence, in the mother and in the wife of Mr. George Herbert? In the first were united all the personal and mental accomplishments of her fex: The enlightened piety of the latter, her native humility, her truly Chriftian charity, exhibit her as a perfect model of every thing good and praife-worthy, while her marriage with Mr. Herbert, though attended with fome unufual circumstances, proves inconteftably, that an union, originating from good fenfe, from inclination, and from an equality of age, of dignity, and of fortune," can feldom fail of being attended with happiness. It is faid of Socrates, that all who knew him, loved him: And that if any did not love him, it was because they did not know him. May we not affirm the fame of that worthy perfon, who is the fubject of this memoir? Such was the fweetnefs of his temper, fo affectionate was the regard which his friends profefsed for him, that, in their epiftolary correfpondence, though they were far fuperior to him in rank and condition of life, they ufually addrefsed him in the language of tenderness and foothing endearment, ftyling him, "Good Mr. Walton;" "Honeft Ifaac ;" "Worthy Friend;" "Dear Brother;" "Moft Ingenious Friend." No one better deferved these kind appellations. Let it always be recorded to his honour, that he never retracted any promise, when made in favour even of his meanest frienda. Neal, in his "Hiftory of the Puritans," introduces an erroneous quotation from " Walton's Life of Mr. Hooker." Dr. Warburton, in his notes on that hiftory (Warburton's Works, Vol. VII. p. 895,) commenting upon this quotation, speaks of "the quaint trash of a fantastical life-writer." Is it pofsible to fuppofe that an epithet, more adapted to the afperity of faftidious cenfure, than to the cool and deliberate judgment of candid and meek and holy men, defcribed by the pleafing and faithful biographer. He also read, and, afsuredly, with fimilar intentions, Mr. Herbert's "Country Parfon."— Of this pious and learned man, the ornament of the eighteenth century, fee "Churton's Memoirs of Dr. Townfon." See" The Life of David Hume, Efq." p. 43, 46. d See "Mr. Cotton's Epiftle Dedicatory to his moft worthy Father and Friend, Mr. Ifaac Walton the elder," prefixed to the Second Part of "The Complete Angler." |