io THE IDYL OF THE SPLIT-BAMBOO 



then Parliament and Convocation both, chose, in- 

 joyned, and trusted him to be the man to make a 

 Catechism for publick use, such an one as should 

 stand as a rule for faith and manners to their pos- 

 teritie: And the good old man (though he was very 

 learned, yet knowing that God leads us not to 

 Heaven by many nor by hard questions) like a hon- 

 est Angler, made that good, plain, unperplext Cate- 

 chism, that is printed with the old Service Book. I 

 say, this good man was as dear a lover, and a con- 

 stant practicer of Angling, as any Age can produce; 

 and his custome was to spend (besides his fixt hours 

 of prayer, those hours which by command of the 

 Church were enjoined the old Clergy, and voluntarily 

 dedicated to devotion by many Primitive Chris- 

 tians:) besides those hours, this good man was ob- 

 served to spend a tenth part of his time in Angling; 

 and also (for I have conversed with those which 

 have conversed with him) to bestow a tenth part 

 of his Revenue, and usually all his fish, amongst the 

 poor that inhabited near to those Rivers in which it 

 was caught, saying often, That Charity gave life to 

 Religion: and at his return to his House would 

 praise God that he had spent that day free from 

 worldly trouble, both harmlesly and in a Recreation 

 that became a Church-man. And this good man 

 was well content, if not desirous, that Posterity 

 should know he was an Angler, as may appear by 

 his Picture, now to be seen, and carefully kept in 



