INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. xli 



gards our purpose, it were superfluous to covet au- 

 thorities in addition to that of the, now, in these 

 enlightened days, illustrious President of the Royal 

 Society ! * 



Again, for the honour of our author let us not for- 

 get that the brilliant wit, Richard Brinslev Sheridan, 

 is known to have declared that he never desired a 

 better companion for a post-chaise, than this same 

 angler, or Contemplative Man's Recreation. 



Far indeed from singular is any man who imagines 

 himself alone to have carried his enthusiasm for our au- 

 thor to exactly the proper pitch ! it seems as if there 

 must yet exist a " friendly contention" about the mode 

 of expressing it — as to who shall be loudest in his 

 praise! — who honour him most in every possible 

 way — thus he is daily more and more appreciated 

 as an honour to the English Character ! — whilst his 

 increasing popularity is doubtless an honour to the 

 English people, who love him all the more, because 

 (though far from devoid of art) he drew — like his 



* Sir Humphrey Davy ( — Alas ! for Chan- 

 trey also — ) since deceased. The annexed en- 

 graving is from a seal ring, which this ardent 

 angler, a short time before his death, caused 

 to be engraved " with a trout upon it " and 

 left to his friend W. Haseldine Pepys, Esq. F. R. S., " not 

 as a mourning ring " but to be worn " in memory of the 

 happy days they had passed together by the rirer side ! " — this 

 was quite in the true " love-my-memory " spirit of our own 

 Izaak himself! 



