326 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



been abstracted. There are two small old views of the exterior of this 

 mansion, by John Stent and Peter King ; but the best is that published by 

 the Society of Antiquaries, in 1765, in the second volume of the "Vetusta 

 Monumenta," under the name of Richmond Palace, from a painting by Vin- 

 kcnboom. It was identified as Theobald's in The Gentleman's Magazine, 

 for September, 1836, and engraven as an illustration in Mr. Pickering's 

 edition of the Complete Angler. In 1840, in the first volume of Mr. C. J. 

 Richardson's Architectural Remains of Elizabeth and James I. Part ii. 

 plate x. were published for the first time fac-similes of Thorpe's original 

 plans of the basement and ground-floor of Theobald's Palace, from the 

 collection of the architect's drawings in the Museum of Sir John Soane. 

 The fragments of the old Theobald's House were taken down about 1765, 

 the present building standing on a rising ground, about a mile to the 

 northwest of the ancient site. Theobald's House is not mentioned in the 

 First Edition of the Contemplative Man's Recreation. 



Page 56. Then first, for the antiquity of Angling. 



At this place, in Walton's First Edition, p. 12, there is a marginal refer- 

 ence to " J. Da. Jer. Mar." as the authorities which furnished this para- 

 graph ; which are certainly meant for John Davors, and Jervis or Gervase 

 Markham. The beautiful verses by the former of these persons, on prge 

 70, have been, however, considered to belong rather to a John Dennys ; 

 since those stanzas which in the First Edition of Walton, p. 35, are marked 

 Jo. Da., afterwards extended into Davors, form a part of a very rare poem 

 entitled "The Secrets of Angling, by J. D., Esquire," first printed in 

 octavo in 1613. In a modern reprint of this very curious work, the fol- 

 lowing extract from the Books of the Stationers' Company gave an account 

 of this poem and the Author. " 1612. 33 Martij. Mr. Rog. Jackson en- 

 tred for his copie under th'ands of Mr. Mason and Mr. Warden Hooper, 

 a booke called the Secrete of Angling, teaching the choycest tooles, bates, 

 and seasons, for the taking of any fish in any pond or river, practised and 

 opened in three bookes, by John Dennis, Esquire." It is, however, pos- 

 sible that John Davors was a maternal relative of the author, and assisted 

 him in his work, and that this circumstance was known to Walton. There 

 are fourteen lines prefixed to the poem in commendation " of his praise* 

 worthy skill and work," signed " Jo. Daves," which might have been an 

 old or contracted way of writing the name of Davors. The passage at 

 present alluded to by Walton will be found in that division of the poem 

 entitled " The Author of Angling, Poetical Fictions," and on p. 13 of the 

 reprint of 1811, beginning "Then did Deucalion first the art invent." 

 The Stanzas which Piscator quotes on p. 70 will be found in the division 

 called " A Worthy Answer," on p. 10, "O let me rather on the pleasant 

 tariake," etc, j and in this instance, as in nearly every other, Walton has 



