PREFACE. 



But we have thought it well to give the original 

 verfion here as a literary curiofity, and the firft 

 v/ork of his that has come down to us. The 

 original Lives themfelves — efpecially thofe of 

 Wotton and Donne — were mere sketches of what 

 they are in their prefent enlarged form. 



Walton had the good fortune to be thrown 

 very early in life into the fociety and intimacy 

 of men who were his fuperiors in rank and educa- 

 tion. But he had enough of culture, joined to 

 his inherent reverence of mind, to appreciate and 

 underfcand all that they had and he wanted. 



The preface to Sir John Skeffington's Heroe of 

 Lorenzo had for two centuries lain forgotten, and 

 efcaped the notice of Walton's biographers, till in 

 1852 it was difcovered by Dr. Blifs of Oxford, 

 and communicated by him to the late William 

 Pickering. 



The original Spanifh work was firft publifhed 

 in 1630. The author's real name was not 



Lorenzo, 



