8 



The Chronicle of 



Barnaby Googe in 1577. 1 And a third fuggefts Plutarch's 

 dialogue on the problem, Cf Whether water or land Animals 

 are moft crafty," as Englifhed by Dr. Philemon Holland in 

 1602. 



In our opinion the real mine was Izaak's fertile wits, and the 

 pure gold he gives us, his own gold and nobody elfe's. 



It had been the fafhion, both in claffical and mediaeval times, 

 to adopt the colloquial form in paftorals, and frequently to make 

 the compofition turn on a difcuffion between the various inter- 

 locutors as to the relative merits of the vocation of each. 

 This fafhion and frame-work Walton adopted, but wrought 

 out his fubjecl: in a manner eflentially original, and which it 

 is impoffible to identify, beyond a few mere fuperficial features, 

 with the productions of any of his forerunners or contem- 

 poraries. 



To give an analyfis of a book which every reader is fure to 

 poffefs in extenfo, would be a work of fupererogation ; and 



1 Why not rather to the fame author's " De Venatione, Avcvpio atqve 

 Pifcatione" (appended to the Latin verfion of the ' Hu/bandry'), with which 

 the 'Compleat Angler' has a far more intimate analogy. The treatife in 

 queftion is in the dialogue form, and the interlocutors (five in number) have 

 names fignificant of their feveral vocations. Accordingly Pbilotberus eulogifes 

 the fport of hunting. Lagus defcants on the paftime of hunting the hare, the 

 fox, the badger, and the flag. Elaphorrhous paffes in review the chafe of the 

 deer, the wild bear, the wolf, the boar, &c. Ornitheuta treats of the fport of 

 fowling, and Halieus defcribes the different modes of fifhing, and varieties of fifh. 

 The identity of frame-work is felf-evident, but I am not aware that this Latin 

 tratt has ever been Englilhed. A loofe and garbled tranflation of it may be 

 found in Liger's " Theatre d'Agriculture," 4to. 1 7 13. 



