THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 73 



angling ; and how dear a lover and great a prac- 

 tiser of it our learned Dr. Whitaker was, as in- 

 deed many others of great learning have been. 

 But I will content myself with two memorable 

 men that lived near to our own time, whom I also 

 take to have been ornaments to the art of angling. 

 The first is Dr. Nowel, sometime dean of the 

 cathedral church of St. Paul's, in London, where 

 his monument stands yet undefaced ; a man that, 

 in the reformation of Queen Elizabeth (1550), not 

 that of Henry VIII., was so noted for his meek 

 spirit, deep learning, prudence, and piety, that the 

 then parliament and convocation both chose, en- 

 joined, and trusted him to be the man to make a 

 catechism for public use, such a one as should 

 stand as a rule for faith and manners to their pos- 

 terity. And the good old man, though he was 

 very learned, yet knowing that God leads us not 

 to heaven by many nor by hard questions, like an 

 honest angler, made that good, plain, unperplexed 

 catechism, which is printed with our good old 

 Service-book. I say, this good man was a dear 

 lover and constant practiser of angling, as any age 

 can produce. And his custom was to spend, be- 

 sides his fixed hours of prayer, those hours which 

 by command of the Church were enjoined the 

 clergy, and voluntarily dedicated to devotion by 

 many primitive Christians ; I say, besides those 

 hours this good man was observed to spend a tenth 

 part of his time in angling ; and also, for I have con- 

 versed with those who have conversed with him, 



