NOTES. 369 



other work in the English tongue, a progressive compo- 

 sition; since each succeeding edition, down to the Fifth, — 

 which was the last published in the Author's life, — con- 

 tained some variation, addition, or improvement, on that 

 which preceded it. Though Walton certainly anticipated 

 future impressions of his most entertaining work, yet 

 in the Preface to his First Edition, which was afterwards 

 considerably altered, he writes of such a circumstance 

 with very great modesty. When speaking of the flies 

 which are used for the different months, he says: "Of 

 " these (because no man is born an artist nor an Angler) 

 " I thought fit to give thee this notice. I might say 

 " more, but it is not fit for this place: but if this Dis- 

 " course which follows, sJiall come to a second impression, 

 " which is possible, for slight books have been in this 

 *' age observed to have that fortune ; I shall then for 

 " thy sake, be glad to correct what is faulty, or, by a 

 " conference with any, to explain or enlarge what is de- 

 " fective ; but for this time I have neither a willingness 

 " nor leisure to say more, than wish thee a rainy even- 

 " ing to read this book in, and that the east wind may 

 " never blow when thou goest a fishing. Farcwel. Iz. 

 " Wa." He faithfully fulfilled this promise, for the 

 Second Edition, has Eight entirely new Chapters, and 

 above an hundred pages more than the First j and the 

 Fifth contains twenty pages more than the Fourth.* 



* As these various Editions are referred to in the succeeding 

 Notes by the number of the impression only, a list of them in 

 the order of publication is here given. First, 1653 — Second, 

 1655 — Third, 1664 — Fourth, 1668 — Fifth, 1676. Of all 

 these impressions, copie are in the possession of W. J. Broderip, 

 Esq., with the most liberal use of which, beside other assistance, 

 the Editor has been favoured for the improvement of this work. 



B B 



