CHAP. V. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 1S9 



THE ANGLER'S WISH. 



I in these flowery meads would be : 

 These chrystal streams should sqlace me, 

 To whose harmonious bubbling noise, 

 I with my angle would rejoice : 

 Sit here and see the turtle-dove, 

 Court his chaste mate to acts of love: 



Or on that bank, feel the west wind 



Breathe health and plenty : please my mind, 



To see sweet dew-drops kiss these flowers, 



And, then, wash'd off" by April showers: 



Here, hear my Kenna sing * a song + : * Like Her" 



There, see a blackbird feed her young, mit poor. 



Or a leverock build her nest : 

 Here, give my weary spirits rest, 



vein of poetry, is noted in our Life of him ; to which let me add, that the 

 name of his supposed mistress, " Kenna," seems clearly to be formed from 

 the maiden name of his wife, which was KEN. 



f We see, by the Author's reference to the margin, that he wishes to 

 hear Kenna, his mistress, sing the song, " Like Hermit poor" This song 

 was set to musickbyMr. Nich. JLaneare, an eminent master of Walton's 

 time ; (who, we are told by Wood, was also an excellent painter : and 

 whose portrait is yet to be seen in the musick school at Oxford ;) and is, 

 printed, with the notes, in a Collection intitled, Select musical ayres and 

 dialogues, folio, 1653. The song, as it stands there, we have given in the 

 opposite page. 



It was also set by Sig. Alfonso Ferabosco, and published in a collection 

 of his airs, in folio, 1609 ; but Laneare's being the better composition, we 

 have chose to give it the preference, by inserting it here. 



There is no doubt but that this song was. (and probably with Mrs. Wal- 

 ton) a favourite one; for, some years after the restoration, the three first 

 words of it were become a phrase. The affected writer of the Life of the 

 lord-keeper GuiMford, page 212 of that book speaking of Sir Job Charle- 

 ton, then chief justice of Chester says, he wanted to speak with the 

 KING; and went to Whitehall, where, returning from his walk in St. 

 James's park, HE must pass, and there he sat him down, " like hermit 

 poor." And I also find, among the poems of Mr. Phineas Fletcher, here- 

 after mentioned, a metaphrase of the xliid Psalm; which, we are told, 

 may be sung to the tune of ' Like hermit poor" Further, we meet with 

 an allusion to this song in Hudibras, Part I. Canto ii. line 1 169. 



That done they ope the trap-door gate, 

 And let Crowdero down thereat ; 

 Crowdero making doleful face, 

 Like hermit poor in pensive place, 



M 3 



