IZAAK WALTON AND HIS FRIENDS iii 



pleased Charles Dickens. He states his utter 

 dislike of the flatteries commonly used in funeral 

 sermons, and of the vast expenses otherwise laid 

 out in funeral solemnities and entertainments 

 with very little benefit to any ; which if bestowed 

 in pious and charitable works "might redound 

 to the public or private benefit of many 

 persons." 



He lay ill for some three weeks before he died, 

 longing to quit this world. It was not his desire, 

 he said, to lead a useless life, and by filling up a 

 place keep another out of it that might do God 

 and His Church service. He mentioned that till 

 he was threescore years of age he had never 

 spent five shillings in law, nor — upon himself — so 

 much in wine ; and he hoped he should die 

 without an enemy. " And now," says Walton, " his 

 thoughts seemed to be wholly of death, for which 

 he was so prepared, that the King of Terrors 

 could not surprise him as a thief in the night ; 

 for he had often said he was prepared and longed 

 for it. And as this desire seemed to come from 

 Heaven, so it left him not till his soul ascended 

 to that region of blessed spirits, whose employ- 

 ments are to join in concert with his, and sing 

 praise and glory to that God, who hath brought 

 him and them to that place, into which sin and 

 sorrow cannot enter. Thus this pattern of meek- 

 ness and primitive innocence changed this for a 



