xlii INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



own nightingale — all his graces "from beyond its 

 reach;" in good truth, whoever drinks deep of the true 

 spirit of our glorious Izaak, will be at a loss whether 

 most to admire the extreme clearness of his head or 

 the extreme goodness of his heart. 



To a theme so pleasing, it requires much resolu- 

 tion to fix the necessary bounds ; if space were 

 allowed, we could greatly swell our collection of 

 laudatory extracts, even from popular authors : but 

 the reader must now be relieved by the perusal of 

 our author's Will ; a composition illustrating 

 equally his own benevolent character and the pecu- 

 liar nature of his connexions. 



August the ninth, one thousand six hundred eighty-three. 



31n ti)t /5amc of (Son, amen* i izaak walton the 



elder, of Winchester, being this present day, in the ninetyeth 

 year of my age, and in perfect memory, for which praised be 

 God, but considering how suddainly I may be deprived of both, 

 do therefore make this my last Will and Testament as fol- 

 loweth : And first, I do declare my belief to be, that there is 

 only one God, who hath made the whole world, and me and all 

 mankind, to whom I shall give an account of all my actions, 

 which are not to be justified, but I hope pardoned, for the 

 merits of my Saviour Jesus; and because the profession of 

 Christianity does, at this time, seem to be subdivided into Pa- 

 pist and Protestante, I take it, at least, to be convenient to de- 

 clare my belief to be, in all points of faith, as the Church of 

 England now professeth : and this I do the rather, because 

 of a very long and very true friendship with some of the Roman 

 church. And for my worldly Estate (which I have neither got 

 by falsehood, or flattery, or the extreme cruelty of the law of 

 this nation) I do hereby give and bequeath it as followeth : First, 



