ANCIENT AND MODERN PISHINQ-, 13 



Izaak Walton, ' who made that plain imperplexed form 

 of words, the Church catechism, printed with our service- 

 book; was an honest angler; nay, he was even content, 

 if not desirous, that posterity should know it, which is 

 evident from his picture now carefully preserved in 

 Brazenose College, where he is drawn leaning on a desk 

 with his Bible before him; on one hand of him lines, 

 hooks, and other tackling lie around ; and on the other, 

 his angle-rods of several sorts, with this inscription, that 

 he died 13th February, 1601, aged 95 years, forty-four 

 of which he had been dean of St. Paul's church, and 

 that age had neither impaired his hearing, nor dimmed 

 his eyes, nor weakened his memory, nor made any of the 

 faculties of his mind weak or useless. 'Tis said that 

 angling and temperance were two great causes of these 

 blessings.' Sir Henry Wotton calls the first ' an em- 

 ployment for his idle time, which was not then idly 

 spent ; for angling after tedious study, was a rest to his 

 mind, a cheerer of his spirits, a diverter of sadness, a 

 calmer of unquiet thoughts, a moderator of passions, a 

 proctu-er of contentedness ;' and he adds, ' that it begets 

 habits of peace and patience in those who prefer and 

 practise it.' 



' There is something in the capture of fish, even when 

 pursued as a trade, which tends to improve the moral, 

 if not the intellectual character of those engaged in it, 

 and brings them up for the most part, however unlet- 

 tered, a patient, simple, humane, and hardy race ; not 

 insensible, in the midst of storm and danger, to the sub- 

 lime feeling of dependence on a higher power, and pre- 

 paredness to acknowledge and obey his divine will when- 

 ever revealed to them. ' They that occupy themselves 

 in deep waters, see the wonderful works of God : indeed 

 such wonders and pleasures too, as the land afibrds not ! 

 Of the Apostles, our Saviour chose four that were sim- 

 ple fishermen, whom he inspired and sent to publish his 



