II. 



IZAAK TVALTOX AND THE RIVER LEA. 



By EicHARD B. Ckofx, R.N., RL.S., F.R.M.S., Hon. Sec. 



Read at Hertford, 22nd December, 1881. 



Few books in our language have had a wider popularity than the 

 ' Compleat Angler ' of honest Izaak Walton, and as that work is 

 the record of an excursion of five days in Hertfordshire, during a 

 great part of wliich time the characters are seated by or fishing in 

 the River Lea and discoursing on the habits of the inhabitants 

 thereof, and on the beauty of the trees and flowers which grew 

 near its banks, I cannot but tliink that a short paper calling atten- 

 tion to some of these "Natural History Notes " of two hundred 

 years ago will be acceptable to this Society. The first chapter, 

 which is one of the most charming in the book, is a conversation 

 between an Angler, a Falconer, and a Hunter, each commending 

 his recreation, and commences thus :* — 



PiscATOR : " You are well overtaken, gentlemen, a good morning 

 to you both ; I have stretched my legs up Tottenham Hill to over- 

 take you, hoping your business may occasion you towards Ware, 

 this fine, fresh, May day in the morning." 



To this inquiry Vej^ator replies, " Sir, I for my part shall 

 almost answer your hopes ; for my purpose is to drink my morning's 

 draught at the Thatched-house in Hodsden" — where he had 

 business, and Atjceps, who had only just joined Yei^ator, says 

 that he is going as far as Theobalds, where he has a friend "who 

 mews a hawk " for him, which, he adds, " I now long to see." 



Yexator then remarks that " good company makes the way to 

 seem the shorter ; " and the three mutually agree to journey 

 together, one of them remarking, " I will bee as free and open- 

 hearted as discretion will allow me to bee with strangers." 



On Yenator telling his companions that he proposes to go otter- 

 hunting on the morrow, Piscator announces his puqiose to bestow 

 a day or two in helping to destroy some of those " villanous vermin," 

 which he hates as a brother of the angle both for his own and for 

 their sakes who are of his brotherhood. 



The Hunter and Falconer profess no great admiration for the 

 gentle science, and after further conversation the latter gives a 

 description of his favourite pursuit, in which he introduces the 

 following beautiful description of what he calls the "little nimble 

 musicians of the air." "As first the Lark, when she means to 

 rojoyce, to cheer her self and those that hear her, she then quits 

 the earth, and sings as she ascends high into the aire, and having 

 ended her heavenly Imployment, growes then mute and sad to 

 think shee must descend to the dull earth, which shee would not 

 touch but for necessity. 



* Nearly all the quotations are from the second edition, which differs shghtly 

 from all others. 



