Izaak M'alton 



Stafford ! great indeed is the glory that 

 belongs to these two fair midland towns. 

 If one is the birthplace of the king of 

 English poets and dramatists, in the other 

 the patron saint of all true anglers first 

 beheld the light of day stream down from 

 the many-tinted, ever-changing English 

 sky, under whose canopy he, as boy, 

 youth, and man, delighted so much to 

 wander at his own sweet will, in all sea- 

 sons, with his honest heart as full of love 

 to God and man as was the old-fashioned 

 pannier on his back brimful of trouts from 

 the Lea or Dove ! 



As with Shakespeare, so with Walton ; 

 tradition has ventured to fill up 'the spaces 

 which an unregarding destiny had left 

 void. Her finger has pointed to the house 

 and street even to the very room in 

 Stafford town where Walton was born ; 

 and we can only believe or discredit ac- 

 cording to our measure of faith. Happily, 

 there is no doubt whatever respecting that 

 event itself, which took place somewhere 

 within the Parish of St. Mary's on Aug. 

 9th, 1593. The register of the church 

 of that name states that : 



" September 1593 : Baptiz fuit Isaac 

 Filius Jervis Walton, XX die mensis 

 et anni praedict." 



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