Introduction 



years of his residence with Bishop Morley at Winchester. To the 

 Life was prefixed that delightful letter from Dr. King, Bishop of 

 Chichester, from which one of Walton's many soubriquets of affection 

 is borrowed. " Honest Izaak," it began : 



Though a familiarity of more than forty years continuance, and the 

 constant experience of your love, even in the worst of the late sad times, 

 be sufficient to endear our friendship, yet, I must confess my affection 

 much improved, not only by evidences of private respect to many that 

 know and love you, but by your new demonstration of a public spirit, 

 testified in a diligent, true and useful collection of so many material 

 passages as you have now afforded me in the life of venerable Mr. Hooker ; 

 of which, since desired by such a friend as yourself, I shall not deny to 

 give the testimony of what I know concerning him and his learned books; 

 but shall first here take a fair occasion to tell you, that you have been 

 happy in choosing to write the lives of three such persons as posterity 

 hath just cause to honour ; which they will do the more for the true 

 relation of them by your happy pen ; of all which I shall give you my 

 unfeigned censure. 



Walton's preface is particularly interesting from the allusion he 

 makes to some other friendships. The friend who had persuaded 

 him to the task, " a friend whom I reverence, and ought to obey," 

 was, of course, Bishop Morley. He goes on to speak of his long 

 " happy affinity with William Cranmer now with God a grand- 

 nephew unto the great Archbishop of that name," and " I had also," 

 he continues, " a friendship with the Reverend Dr. Usher, the late 

 learned Archbishop of Armagh ; and with Dr. Morton, the late 

 learned and charitable Bishop of Durham ; as also the learned John 

 Hales, of Eton College ; and with them also who loved the very 

 name of Mr. Hooker I have had many discourses concerning 



him " 



The year 1668 is marked by a fourth edition of 'The Compleat 

 Angler, and in 1670 appeared The Life of Mr. George Herbert. This 

 year also appeared the first collected edition of the Lives, dedicated to 

 Bishop Morley. In 1673 appeared a third edition of the Reliquiae 

 Wottoniante, and from a letter to his publisher, Marriott,* it appears 

 that Walton was then collecting materials for a life of John Hales. 



* See Appendix. 



Iv 



