Life of Walton. 107 



" But when I look back upon the ruin 

 of families, the bloodshed, the decay of 

 common honesty, and how the former 

 piety and plain-dealing of this now sinful 

 nation is turned into cruelty and cunning, 

 I praise God that he prevented me from 

 being of that party which helped to bring 

 in this covenant, and those sad con- 

 fusions that have followed it." * 



A BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF 

 WALTOJS. 



Izaak Walton was born on August gth, 

 1593, in the parish ofLSL-JMary in the 

 town of Stafford. Of his father, Jervis 



* The following extract, from a list, published 

 in 1647, of the names of officers under com- 

 mand of General Sir Thomas Fairfax, is a grim 

 commentary on Walton's lament : " Major Cook, 

 died before Bristol ; Lieutenant-Colonel Frances, 

 slain at Naseby; Lieutenant-Colonel Cottesworth, 

 slain before Oxford ; Captain Hill, slain before 

 Bristol ; Captain Wilks, slain at Basing ; Colonel 

 Lloyd, slain at Taunton ; Captain Wigsal, slain 

 ^t Berkeley Castle ; Captain Jenkins, slain at 

 Farringdon, succeeded by Captain Tompkins, 

 slain at Naseby ; Lieutenant-Colonel Ingoldesby, 

 slain at Pendennis ; Major Cromwell, slain at 

 Bristol," etc., etc. Our ancestors meant business 

 when they fought ; at Edgehill they killed about 

 three thousand of each other, or six thousand in 

 one day a tremendous proportion of the small 

 armies" engaged. 



