the c Compleat Angler.' 



ferred, fince then, to known hands, and promoted from duft 

 and oblivion to a diftinguimed place among the crown-jewels 

 of their poflefibrs. 



Their value has, of courfe, rifen accordingly, and fine and 

 perfect copies of this edition are eftimated by Dr. Bethune 

 (the editor of the American reprint) at twelve guineas and 

 upwards ; an appreciation, which the ftatiftics of fale-cata- 

 logues do more than corroborate. 1 



Learned commentators have cudgelled their brains per- 

 feveringly to difcover out of what mine the author of this 

 favourite work dug his ore. One of them fuggefts a certain 

 <c Treatife on the Nature of God," attributed to Bifhop Mor- 

 ton, and publimed in 1599. Another points to Herefbach's 

 <c Foure Bookes of Hufbandry," tranflated from the Latin by 



as the angler's pocket companion, many copies have no doubt fuccumbed to 

 the procefs of continual wear and tear, while others may have periflied by 

 mifchance, dropped, unconfcioufly, by Pifcator, in the high grafs by the river 

 fide, or carelefsly left behind on the moffy bank where he had indulged in his 

 afternoon's fiefta. 



1 Thefe ftatiftics are as follows : — Haworth, 892, 10/. 15/. Milner, 151, 

 15/. Higgs, 34, 11/. Pickering, firft fale, 301, 11/. iij-. Naflau, pf. ii. 

 905, 3/. 10/. Bindley, pt. iv. 884, 61. Jadis, prefentation copy, ruffia, 

 13/. 13/. Utterfon, 11/. 15/. Gardner, 2326, mounted with guards and 

 fome words mended, 10/. ijs. 6d. A fac-fimile copy in manufcript, beauti- 

 fully tranfcribed in imitation of the original, with the old plates inlaid, and 

 with the Rev. Mr. Cotton's note on the fly-leaf, (" This copy of Izaak 

 Walton's ' Compleat Angler' is true, accurate and faithful, ad verbum verba, 

 ufque ad macu/am"), was fold, at the difperfion of that gentleman's collection, 

 for 4/. j\j. 



There is an error in the paging of fome of the copies of this edition. 



