234 LIFE OF CHARLES COTTON. 



Stanhope, dean of Canterbury, who, from his name, the 

 same with that of Mr Cotton's mother, is conjectured to 

 have been distantly allied to the family. 



The above are the most remarkable particulars that at 

 this time are recoverable of the life of Mr Cotton. His 

 moral character is to be collected, and indeed does naturally 

 arise, out of the several sentiments contained in his writings ; 

 more especially those in the Collection of his Poems above 

 mentioned, which, consisting of all such verses of his as 

 the publishers could get together, as, namely, Eclogues, 

 Odes, and Epistles to his Friends, and Translations from 

 Ausonius, Catullus, Martial, Mons. Maynard, Corneille, 

 Benserade, Guarini, and others, if perused with a severe 

 and indiscriminating eye, may perhaps be thought to reflect 

 no great credit on his memory ; for many of them are so 

 inexcusably licentious, as to induce a suspicion that the 

 author was but too well practised in the vices of the town : 

 and yet it may be said of the book, that it contains the only 

 good poems he ever wrote. 



It is true that, for the looseness of his writings, and, if we 

 may judge by them, of his manners, he deserves censure : 

 but, at the same time, it is to be noted, that he was a warm 

 and steady friend, and a lover of such as he thought more 

 worthy than himself ; of which last quality, his attachment 

 to Mr Walton affords the clearest proof. 



Nor did it derogate from the character of honest old Izaak, 

 to contract and cherish an intimacy with one who, being 

 of the cavalier party, might have somewhat of the gallant, 

 not to say the rake, in him, and be guilty of some of those 

 practices which it was the employment of Izaak's life and 

 writings to discountenance. Mr Cotton was both a wit and 

 a scholar ; of an open, cheerful, and hospitable temper ; 

 endowed with fine talents for conversation, and the courtesy 

 and affability of a gentleman ; and was, withal, as great a 

 proficient in the art, as a lover of the recreation, of angling ,- 

 these qualities, together with the profound reverence which 

 he uniformly entertained for hi? father, Walton, could not 

 but endear him to the good old man, whose charitable 

 practice it was, to resolve all the deviations from that rule 

 of conduct which he had prescribed himself, not into vicious 

 inclination, but error. 



But notwithstanding this creditable connection, and the 

 qualities above ascribed to him, Mr Cotton's moral character 

 must appear very ambiguous to any one that shall reflect 



