4O The Complete Angler 



custom was to spend besides his fixed hours of 

 prayer, those hours which, by command of the 

 church, were enjoined the clergy, and voluntarily 

 dedicated to devotion by many primitive Christians, 

 I say, besides those hours, this good man was 

 observed to spend a tenth part of his time in An- 

 gling; 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 he had spent that day 

 free from worldly trouble ; both harmlessly, and in 

 a recreation that became a churchman. 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 Brazen-nose College, to which he was a 

 liberal benefactor. In which picture he is drawn, 

 leaning on a desk, with his Bible before him ; and 

 on one hand of him, his lines, hooks, and other 

 tackling, lying in a round ; and, on his other hand, 

 are his Angle-rods of several sorts ; and by them 

 this is written, "that he died 13 Feb. 1601, being 

 aged ninety-five years, forty-four of which he had s 

 been Dean of St. Paul's church ; and that his age 

 neither impaired his hearing, nor dimmed his eyes, 

 nor weakened his memory, nor made any of the 

 faculties of his mind weak or useless". It is said 

 that Angling and temperance were great causes of 

 these blessings ; and I wish the like to all that imitate 

 him, and love the memory of so good a man. 



My next and last example shall be that under- 

 valuer of money, the late provost of Eton College, 

 Sir Henry Wotton, a man with whom I have often 

 fished and conversed, a man whose foreign employ- 



