DOVE DALE REVISITED 3 



the Great Fire of London, which, however, did 

 not reach his residence in Fleet Street (near 

 the west corner of Chancery Lane) ; the date on 

 the Fishing House is 1674, which is doubtless 

 the date of its erection. Walton had left Fleet 

 Street, as well as his subsequent residence on 

 the west side of Chancery Lane, a few doors 

 from Fleet Street, before that period. 



It is a pity the old signboard is not perfectly 

 accurate in this respect, but it sufficiently indi- 

 cates the proper route for weary travellers to 

 take from the turnpike road up the coach drive 

 which winds itself pleasantly through the green 

 meadow to the door of "The Izaak Walton," 

 and lands them comfortably in the tavern where 

 it is good to be. This is surely the kind of inn 

 that Shenstone had in his mind when he 

 scratched these well-known lines on the window 

 of an inn : 



"Whoe'er has travelled life's dull round, 

 Whate'er his stages may have been, 



May sigh to think he still has found 

 His warmest welcome at an inn." 



And our host of " The Izaak Walton " has very 

 appropriately quoted on his prospectus Dr. 

 Johnson's reply to Boswell : 



