152 THOMAS KEN AND IZAAK WALTON 



IZAAK WALTON never saw this Fishing-house in 

 its complete form ; my reason for arriving at this 

 conclusion is given in my little book " Dove Dale 

 Revisited," published in 1902. The matter seems 

 to me to be of some interest, for it is naturally 

 assumed that "Walton and Cotton's Fishing-house" 

 was a place where the two anglers may have hob- 

 nobbed together for years. 



That Izaak Walton could never have seen 

 it is partly shown in the following conversation 

 between " Piscator " and " Viator " (Piscator is 

 Charles Cotton). 



" PlSC. I will tell you that my house stands 

 upon the margin of one of the finest rivers for 

 trouts and grayling in England ; that I have 

 lately built a little Fishing-house upon it dedi- 

 cated to anglers ; over the door of which you 

 will see the two first letters of my father 

 Walton's name and mine twisted in cipher ; 

 that you shall lye in the same bed he has 

 sometimes been contented with. 



" VIATOR. Stay ; what's here over the door ? 

 piscatoribus sacrum. Why then I perceive I 

 have some title here, for I am one of them, 

 though one of the worst ; and here below it 



