*r. 80.] LIFE OF 1ZAAK WALTON. Ixxxv 



through the interest of his brother-in-law with Bishop Morley, in 

 April 1 669. At a proper age the young Izaak was removed to Christ 

 Church, of which his father's friend, Dr Fell, was master ; 4 and 

 in 1675, the year of the great Papal jubilee, Ken and his nephew 

 visited Rome, Venice, and other parts of Italy ; but the following 

 passage in Cotton's treatise on fly-fishing shows that he returned 

 early in the ensuing year. When asked by Venator, " if young 

 Master Izaac Walton " had been at Beresford, Piscator replied, 

 " Aye, marry has he, Sir ! and that again and again too, and in 

 France since, and at Rome, and at Venice, and I can't tell where ; 

 but I intend to ask him a great many hard questions so soon as I 

 can see him, which will be, God willing, next month." In March 

 1675-6, young Walton proceeded M.A. at Christ Church; and 

 though the date of his ordination is not stated, it probably took 

 place about that time ; and the pleasure with which his aged 

 father saw him enter upon his holy office may readily be con- 

 ceived. 



Some account of Walton's plans in the year 1676 occur in the 

 fifth edition of " The Complete Angler," which appeared in that 

 year. Eight years had elapsed since the former impression ; and 

 during that time he had ample leisure to give to his work the 

 improvements of which he considered it susceptible. It is, how- 

 ever, questionable whether the additions which he then made to 

 it have increased its interest. The garrulity and sentiments of an 

 octogenarian are very apparent in some of the alterations ; and 

 the subdued colouring of religious feeling which prevails through- 

 out the former editions, and forms one of the charms of the piece, 

 is, in this impression, so much heightened, as to become almost 

 obtrusive. For example, the interpolation in the last chapter, 

 immediately after Venator's recipe for colouring rods 5 is, in fact, 

 a religious essay, filled with trite reflections and scriptural quota- 

 tions ; whilst the digression on monsters, 6 and the introduction of 

 the milkmaids' second song, 7 which contains the only objectionable 

 allusion in the book, are not in Walton's usual good taste. 



Thinking that the work was defective in one branch of the art, 

 Walton applied to his friend Charles Cotton, whom he had known 

 for a great many years, to furnish a treatise on fly-fishing. Cotton 

 promised to comply with his wishes ; but he omitted to fulfil his 

 engagement, until he was reminded, towards the end of February 

 1676, that the treatise was wanted for the new edition of "The 



4 Bowles's Life of Ken, i. 23. c Ibid. pp. 303-308. 



a Ibid. p. 61. ? Ibid, p i2i. 



