THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 37 



bed he has sometimes been contented with,* and have such country 

 entertainment as my friends sometimes accept, and be as welcome 

 too as the best friend of them all. 



ViAT. No doubt, Sir, but my master Walton found good reason 

 to be satisfied with his entertainment in your house ; for you, 

 who are so friendly to a mere stranger, who deserves so little, 

 must needs be exceeding kind and free to him who deserves so 

 much. 



Pisc. Believe me, no ; and such as are intimately acquainted 

 with that gentleman, know him to be a man who will not endure 

 to be treated like a stranger. So that his acceptation of my poor 

 entertainments, has ever been a pure effect of his own humility 

 and good-nature, and nothing else. But, Sir, we are now going 

 down the Spittle Hillf into the town ; and therefore let me im 

 portune you suddenly to resolve, and most earnestly not to deny 

 me. 



ViAT. In truth, Sir, I am so overcome by your bounty, that I 

 find I cannot, but must render myself wholly to be disposed by 

 you. 



Pisc. Why that's heartily and kindly spoken, and I as heartily 



• Mr. Pickering has this note here : " Tradition does not point out the 

 room ; but Mr. Bagster has, in his edition of Cotton, given an engraving of 

 the carved mantel-piece of a bed-room, ' which,' he observes, ' may be the 

 very room that Walton slept in ; many circumstances unite to lead to that 

 conclusion.' In 1S25, there were two bed-rooms vs'ith similar carved man- 

 tel-pieces existing, which were then used only as lumber or cheese rooms ; 

 and in Alstomfield Church is a pew with the back finely carved with the 

 arms of Cotton on the pannels." Fitzgibbon says : " Beresford Hall is now 

 (1838) a farm house, occiJpied by Mrs. Hannah Gibbs. It is in good repair ; 

 and we were told that its interior arrangements, with the exception of one 

 room, is the same as in the time of Cotton." — im. Ed. 



t " Before entering Ashbourn, we took the old road down Spittle Hill, 

 which was discontinued about four years since, for the present improved 

 one. The view from this hill is highly picturesque ; the town below, and 

 the hill of Thorpe-cloud, &c., forming the vicinity of Dove Dale, make 

 such a composition as I have seen from the hands of Caspar Poussin." — 

 Alexander's Journey, Sept. 9, 1815. 



Thorpe-cloud is a conical hill of very steep ascent, which rises to a 

 great height a little to the north of the village of Thorpe. — im. Ed. 



