the c Compleat Angler.' 



13 



all fubfequent reprints, but Venables' treatife, which, though 

 meritorious, belongs to another order of compofition, has fince 

 been excluded. 



The illuftrations in the latter were, as before obferved, 

 duplicates of thofe given with the c Compleat Angler.' 



Here the feries of editions publifhed during the life-time of 

 the author comes to a clofe. Seven years later, and the old man 

 laid down his pen, as he had already laid afide his rod, for 

 ever ; and, full of years, and of fuch honours as befitted his 

 meeknefs and his piety, was gathered to his reft. 1 And long 

 and dreary was the interregnum that followed, and barren as 

 " from Dan to Beerfheba," — fomething of the grave's filence 

 and oblivion feeming to have fallen both on Walton's memory 

 and on his work. 



He had fet up a high ftandard in angling literature, but it 

 found neither rivals nor imitators. During the feventy-four 

 years that elapfed between the date of the fifth edition and 

 that of the firft revival, only five names of any note are met 

 with in this field, Chetham, Franck, Howlett, Bowlker and 

 Brookes. Of thefe, four were mere makers of manuals, more 

 or lefs praifeworthy, and the fifth (Franck) (lands out in ludi- 



Bindley, 2176, with Walton's autograph, 2/. 14/. Towneley, 4/. 8/. Han- 

 rott, 1/. ~js. Utterfon, 2/. \os. The firft, fecond, third, and fifth editions, 

 fold at the difperfion of Cotton's collection, 156, for 53/., and the firft five at 

 Prince's fale, 129, for 50/. 10/. The fame at Harwood's fale, in 6 vols, 

 (the fixth being Walton and Cotton, 1676, without Venables), for 42/. 

 afterwards refold — FergufTon, 44/. 



1 Alas! that no friendly and reverential veto interpofed to cancel the 

 doggrel graven on his tomb! 



