THOMAS KEN AND IZAAK WALTON 107 



He was dismissed his situation, and involved in the 

 greatest poverty and distress in consequence of 

 secretly marrying " a young gentlewoman," says 

 Walton, " who was niece to the lady Ellesmere, 

 and daughter to Sir George More, then Chancellor 

 of the Garter and Lieutenant of the Tower. . . . 

 Many arguments were used to kill or cool their 

 affections to each other ; but in vain, for love is a 

 flattering mischief that hath denied aged and wise 

 men a foresight of those evils that too often prove to 

 be the children of that blind father, a passion, that 

 carries us to commit errors with as much ease as 

 whirlwinds move feathers, and begets in us an 

 unwearied industry to the attainment of what we 

 desire." 



About 1614 Donne entered into Holy Orders, 

 and at length obtained the Deanery of St. Paul's. 



It was probably through Dr. Donne, says Sir 

 Harris Nicolas, that Walton became acquainted 

 with Sir Henry Wotton, Dr. Henry King, John 

 Hales of Eton, and other eminent persons, particu- 

 larly divines. He was also acquainted with Ben 

 Jonson, he speaks of Drayton as his "honest 

 old friend," and he appears to have lived on terms 

 of intimacy with many of the most distinguished 

 literary men of his time, clear evidence, as his 



