XXXIV LIFE OF WALTON. 



nevertheless, far from being deficient in any of those excellencies that 

 distinguish the former Lires, this abounds with the evidences of a 

 vigorous imagination, a sound judgment, and a memory unimpaired; 

 and for the nervous sentiments and pious simplicity therein displayed, 

 let the concluding paragraph thereof, pointed out to me by an emi- 

 nent writer,' and here given, serve as a specimen. 



'* Thus, this pattern of meekness and primitive innocence changed 

 this for a better life : 'tis now too late to wish that mine may be like 

 his ; (for I am in the eighty-fifth year of my age; and God knows it 

 hath not ;) but I most humbly beseech Almighty God that my death 

 and I do as earnestly beg, that if any reader shall receive any 

 satisfaction from this very plain, and as true relation, he will be so 

 charitable as to say Amen." 



Such were the persons, whose virtues Walton was so laudably 

 employed in celebrating : and surely he has done but justice in saying 

 that 



" These were honourable men in their generations." 



Ecctus. xliv. 7. 



And yet so far was he from arrogating to himself any merit in this his 

 labour, that, in the instance of Dr. Donne's Life, he compares him- 

 self to Pompey's bondman who being found on the sea-shore, ga- 

 thering UP the scattered fragments of an old broken boat, in order to 

 burn the body of his dead master, was asked, " Who art thou that 

 preparest the funerals of Pompey the Great ?" hoping, as he says, 

 (hat if a like question should be put to him, it would be thought to 

 have in it more of frontier than disdain. 



The above passage in scripture, assumed by Walton as a motto to 

 the collection of Lite*, may, with equal propriety, be applied to most 

 of his friends and intimates; -who were men of such distinguished 

 characters for learning and piety, and so many in number, 3 that it is 

 matter of wonder by what means a man in his station could obtain 

 admittance among so illustrious a society ; unless we will suppose, as 

 doubtless was the case, that his integrity and amiable disposition at- 

 tracted the notice and conciliated the affections of all with whom he 

 had any concern. 



It is observable, that not only these, but the rest of Walton's friends, 

 were eminent royalist*; and that he himself was in great repute for 

 his attachment to the royal cause, will appear by the following rela- 

 tion taken from Ashmole's History of the Order of the Garter, page 

 228 ; where the Author, speaking of the ensigns of the order, says : 

 " Nor will it lie unfitly here remembered, by what good fortune the 

 present sovereign's Lesser George, set with fair diamonds, was pre- 



(1) Dr. Samuel Johnson. 



(*) Motto to the Collection of Lives. 



(3) In the number of his intimate friends, we find Archbishop Usher, 

 Archbishop Sheldon, Bishop Morton, Bishop King, Bishop Barlow, Dr. 

 Fuller, Dr. Price, Dr. Woodlbrd, Dr. Featly, Dr. Holdsworth, Dr. Ham- 

 mond, Sir Edward Sandys, Sir Edward Bysh, Mr. Cranmer, Mr. Chilling- 

 xvmtli, Michael Dray ton, and that celebrated scholar and critic Mr. John 

 Hales, of Eton. 



