IZAAK WALTON AND HIS FRIENDS 37 



What a number of times in his writings 

 does Walton use this word primitive ! At a 

 meeting of brothers of the angle he says : 

 "Let's e'en say grace, and turn to the fire, 

 and drink the other cup to wet our whistles, 

 and so sing away sad thoughts." Tlie Treaty se of 

 Fysshynge before mentioned contains this advice 

 near the end: " Whanne ye purpoos to goo on 

 your disportes in fysshynge, ye woll not desyre 

 gretly many persones wyth you, whiche myghte 

 lette you of your game. And thenne ye maye 

 serve God deuowtly in sayenge affectuously youre 

 custumable prayer. And thus doynge ye shall 

 eschewe and voyde many vices." It may be worth 

 observing that in no age has angling been con- 

 sidered repugnant to the clergyman's calling. 

 Amongst many clerical votaries of the art who 

 have lived since Walton's day may be mentioned — 

 Dr William Paley, the author of Natural Theology, 

 who died in 1805,^ who had himself painted with a 

 rod and line in his hand ; Charles Kingsley, Canon 

 of Westminster, who died in 1875 ; the Eev. John 

 Russell, best known as " the sporting parson," or 

 as "Jack " Russell, who died in 1883 ; Archbishop 

 Magee, who died in 1891 ; the Rev. R. H. Barham, 

 author of The Ingoldshy Legends, who died in 1845 ; 

 the Rev. William Kirby, the entomologist, who 

 died in 1850 ; the Rev. Theobald Mathew, called 



1 He was Senior Wrangler, and Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. 



