LIFE OF COTTON. 361 



of the gallant, not to say the rake in him, and be guilty 

 of some of those practices which it was the employment 

 of Isaac's life and writings to discountenance. Mr. 

 Cotton was, both, a wit and a scholar ; of an open, 

 chearfnl and hospitable temper, endowed with fine ta- 

 lents for conversation, and the courtesy and affability 

 of a gentleman : and was withal as great a proficient 

 in the art, ns a lover of the recreation, of angling:- 

 these qualifies, together with the profound reverence 

 which he uniformly entertained for his father Walton, 

 could not but endear him to the good old man ; whose 

 charitable practice it was, to resolve all the deviations 

 from that rule of conduct which he had prescribed him- 

 self not into vicious inclination but, error. 



But notwithstanding this creditable connexion, and 

 the qualities above ascribed to him, Mr. Cotton's mo- 

 ral character must appear very ambiguous to any one, 

 that shall reflect on the subjects by him chosen for the 

 exercise of his poetical talent : a burlesque of an epic 

 poem ; a version of the most licentious of Lucian's 

 dialogues ; and a ludicrous delineation of some of the 

 most stupendous works of nature : in all which, we 

 meet with such foul imagery, such obscene allusions, 

 such offensive descriptions, such odious comparisons, 

 such coarse sentiment, and such filthy expression, as 

 could only proceed from a polluted imagination, and 

 [as] tend to excite loath ing and contempt. 



On the other hand, there are in his Poems on seve- 

 ral occasions Verses, to ladies in particular, of so 

 courtly and elegant a turn, that, bating their incorrect- 

 ness, they might vie with many of \Valler and 

 Cowley ; others there are, that bespeak him to have 

 had a just sense of honour, loyalty, and moral rec- 

 titude; as do these that follow, penned by him 

 with a view to preserve the memory of a deceased 

 friend*. 



Virtue in those good times, that bred good men - 

 No testimony crav'd, of tongue or pen ; 



* On a monument of Robert Port, Esq. ; in the church of Ham, in 

 the County of Stafford. 



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