XT. 58.] LIFE OF IZAAK WALTON. xlv 



intrusted with a commission of some delicacy if not danger. In 

 consequence of the sudden flight of the King, the baggage in his 

 quarters at Worcester fell into Cromwell's hands. A Collar of 

 j$, and a Garter which belonged to His Majesty, formed part of 

 the spoil, and were brought to the Parliament a few days after- 

 wards by Major Corbet, 8 who was despatched by Cromwell with 

 an account of his victory. The Sovereign's lesser George was, 

 however, preserved by Colonel Blague ; who having taken shelter 

 at Blore Pipe House, two miles from Eccleshall, in Staffordshire, 

 then the residence of Mr George Barlow, delivered the jewel into 

 that gentleman's custody. In the ensuing week, Mr Barlow 

 carried it to Robert Milward, Esquire, who was at that time a 

 prisoner in the garrison of Stafford, and Milward shortly after- 

 wards gave it into " the trusty hands " of Mr Izaak Walton, to 

 convey to Colonel Blague, who was confined by the Parliament 

 in the Tower of London. It is said that Blague, " considering 

 it had already past so many dangers, was persuaded it could yet 

 secure one hazardous attempt of his own ; " and having made his 

 escape from the Tower, he had the gratification of restoring the 

 George to its royal owner. This anecdote is related by Ashmole 

 in his " History of the Order of the Garter," 9 from the statement 

 of Blague, Milward, and Walton themselves ; and he takes that 

 opportunity of speaking of the latter as " a man well known, 

 and as well beloved of all good men, and will be better known 

 to posterity by his ingenious pen in the Lives of Dr Donne, Sir 

 Henry Wotton, Mr Richard Hooker, and Mr George Herbert." 

 Milward 1 was an intimate friend, if not a distant relation of 

 Walton's ; and the circumstance of his being a prisoner at 

 Stafford, when he intrusted the George to him, makes it likely 

 that Walton was in that town towards the end of 1651. He, 

 however, appears to have been in London on the 9th of September 

 in that year, when his son was born ; and if he went to Stafford 

 soon afterwards, he must have returned to the metropolis before 

 Blague made his escape from the Tower. Walton seems to have 

 resided at Clerkenwell from 1650 uritil after the return of Charles 

 the Second, as " Mr Walton " is recorded to have contributed to 

 the poor's rate in November 1661, which is the last time the 

 name occurs in the books of that parish. 2 



8 Commons' Journals. 



9 P. 228. See also Plot's History of Staffordshire and Boscobel. 



1 This gentleman was the cousin of Charles Cotton, and of Sir Aston Cokaine. Cokaine 

 addressed several poems to him, which are printed in a collection of his works, entitled 

 "Small Poems of Divers Sorts, written by Sir Aston Cokaine," London, i2mo, 1658. 



2 See the Appendix. 



