JULY 155 



sufficiently established by his own writings in the opinion 

 of the world Mr. Samuel Johnson, the author of The 

 Folio Dictionary of the English Language.' Now whereas 

 Dr. Johnson once summarised the angler's vocation in 

 very uncomplimentary terms, he could not be suspected 

 of prepossession for Walton's theme, but his love of pure 

 literature would not suffer him to let this clear source 

 run to waste. Posterity has vindicated his judgment, 

 and the appearance of a new edition of The Compleat 

 Angler affords no excuse for plunging into criticism of 

 the work. It were as seasonable to review Virgil's JEneid 

 or Shakespeare's Winter's Tale. But forasmuch as none 

 of the present generation, nor, for that matter, of many 

 preceding generations, has any experience of detraction 

 from the merit of Walton's book or from the author's 

 rank as a fine fisherman, it is permissible to revive the 

 memory of a rival and bitter critic in both respects. 



Sir Walter Scott, as an angler, was not much more 

 proficient than Dr. Johnson, else it would not have been 

 while hunting up old fishing tackle that he stumbled 

 upon the forgotten manuscript of Waverley. The only 

 safe thing to do with old fishing tackle is to burn it. 

 But Scott's eye for a choice book was as quick as John- 

 son's; wherefore, when a young friend brought to his 

 notice a rare one, entitled Northern Memoirs calculated 

 for the Meridian of Scotland, to which is added tlie 

 Contemplative and practical Angler, writ in the year 

 1658 by Richard Franck, Philanthropus, he recognised 

 something too good to be lost. He wrote a preface and 

 a few notes for a new edition, which was published by 

 Constable in 1821. 



This Richard Franck was a fierce Puritan, a trooper 



