24 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



instructive ; for the contrary will most evidently appear from 

 a perusal of this excellent piece, which, whether we consider 

 the elegant simplicity of the style, the ease and unaffected 

 humor of the dialogue, the lovely scenes which it delineates, 

 the enchanting pastoral poetry which it contains, or the fine 

 morality it so sweetly inculcates, has hardly its fellow in any 

 of the modern languages. ' ' 



From Walton's latest * and most copious biographer, the 

 Rev. Dr. Thomas Zouch, an equally honorable testimony is 

 selected. 



" In this volume of the Complete Angler, which will be 

 always read with avidity, even by those who entertain no 

 strong relish for the art which it professes to teach, we discover 

 a copious vein of innocent pleasantry and good-humor. The 

 dialogue is diversified with all the characteristic beauties of 

 colloquial composition. The songs and little poems which are 

 occasionally inserted will abundantly gratify the reader who 

 has a taste for the charms of pastoral poetry. And above all, 

 those lovely lessons of religious ^and moral instruction, which 

 are so repeatedly inculcated throughout the whole work, will 

 ever recommend this exquisitely pleasing performance." 



Yet the enthusiastic admirer of Walton will be still more 

 delighted with the wonder-working effects of his book, as set 

 forth by that deservedly popular writer, Mr. Washington 

 Irving ; whose applause, being that of a man of acknowledged 

 taste and brilliant fancy, bespeaks its own peculiar value in 

 pointing out our author's claims upon the present and succeed- 

 ing ages. 



From "The Sketch Book" of this gentleman, published 

 under the assumed name of Geoffrey Crayon, we extract the 

 following. 



* Sir Harris Nicolas's elaborate and circumstantial Life of our author so 

 far as it was possible for the most industrious and skilful research to make it 

 so has appeared since the above was written. Sir Harris has here contin- 

 ued for Walton all that has been done in the way of literary and personal 

 illustration for Shakespeare himself t 



