196 FLY FISHING FOE TROUT. 



and in that place, we will make a brave break- 

 fast with a piece of powdered Beef, and a 

 Radish or two that I have in my Fish-bag ; we 

 shall, I warrant you, make a good, honest, 

 wholsome, hungry breakfast, and I will then 

 give you direction for the making and using of 

 your flies.' 



I chose that passage because it shows Walton 

 at his best, and shows how hard he is to follow. 

 Charles Lamb says that the meals in the 

 Compleat Angler give you an immortal hunger. 

 And truly we long for nine o'clock to arrive on 

 that May morning, so that we can sit under the 

 sycamore tree and taste powdered beef and a 

 radish or two. But the passage also illustrates 

 the difficulty of imitating Walton. It looks so 

 easy; a homely scene, told in simple words. It 

 is only when you have seen it tried that you 

 realise the difficulties. It is this side of Walton 

 which has led his admirers to such hopeless 

 grief. 



But to come back to the sycamore tree. 

 Whilst they are at breakfast, they leave their 

 rods in the water. The Scholar finds a fish on 

 his, but is broken. Then Piscator points the 

 moral : 'I marry Sir, that was a good fish 

 indeed : if I had had the luck to have taken up 

 that Rod, then 'tis twenty to one, he should not 

 have broke my line by running to the rods end 

 as you suffered him : I would have held him 

 within the bent of my Rod (unlesse he had 

 been fellow to the great Trout that is near an ell 



