The " Secrets r 63 



Harris Nicolas), left a son, Hugh Dennys, 

 who died in 15595 and at no immature 

 age, since he was married, and had 

 four offspring. If, therefore, Sir Harris 

 Nicolas's assumption be correct, we must 

 ascribe the poem to the early part, at 

 the latest to the middle, of the sixteenth 

 century, whereas its style and general cha- 

 racter belong assuredly to a later period. 



" Collateral evidence is to be found in 

 the fact that R. J. (Roger Jackson), in his 

 dedication, does not throw the poem far 

 back, in a posthumous sense, but merely 

 says : ' This poem being sent unto me to be 

 printed after the death of the author, who 

 intended to have done it, in his life, but 

 was prevented by death,' etc." 



The Bibliotheca Piscatoria then quotes 

 a long and appreciative notice of the 

 poem by T. Westwood, published in 

 The Angler '.$ Note-Book, 1880, pp. 181-85, 

 from which I shall take but a short 

 extract : 



"It is not needful that I should enter 

 into a critical appreciation of this little 

 poem, the finest passages of which are 

 well known and highly esteemed. Thus 

 much, however, may be said, that, so 

 replete is it, in its higher moods, with 

 subtlety of rhythm, sweetness of expres- 

 sion, and elevation of thought and feeling, 



