78 NOTES ON FISH AND FISHING. 



in every style, and make tackle with his solitary hand. 

 Then again there was Dr. Whitaker, the Regius Pro- 

 fessor of Divinity at Cambridge, " a dear lover and 

 great practiser," as "Walton says, of angling. Another 

 historical angler of Walton's time was Dr. Alexander 

 Nowel, spoken of by Walton as a man "noted for his 

 meek spirit, deep learning, prudence, and piety," and as 

 " a dear lover and constant practiser of angling as any 

 age can produce." What further Walton says of him is 

 worth quoting in his own words : — 



" His custom was to spend besides his fixed hours of prayer, those 

 hours which, by command of the Church, were enjoined the clergy, 

 and voluntarily dedicated tn devotion by many primitive Christians, I 

 say, besides those hours, this good man was observed to spend a tenth 

 part of his time in Angling ; and, also, for I have conversed with 

 those which have conversed with him, to bestow a tenth part of his 

 revenue, and usually all his fish, amongst the poor that inhabited near 

 to those rivers in which it was caught, saying often, ' that charity 

 gave life to religion :' and at his return to his house, would praise 

 God he had spent that day free from worldly trouble ; both harmlessly 

 and in recreation that became a Churchman. And this good man 

 was well content, if not desirous, that posterity should know he was 

 an Angler ; as may appear by his picture, now to be seen and care- 

 fully kept, in Brazen-nose College, to which he was a liberal bene- 

 factor. In which picture he is drawn leaning on a desk, with his 

 Bible before him ; and on one hand of him, his lines, hooks, and other 

 tackling, lying in a round ; and on his other hand are his Angle-rods 

 of several sorts ; and by them this is written, ' that he died 13 Feb., 

 1601, being aged ninety-five years, forty-four of which he had been 

 Dean of St. Paul's Church ; and that his age neither impaired his hear- 

 ing, nor dimmed his eyes, nor weakened his memory, nor made any 

 of the faculties of his mind weak or useless.' It is said that Anglino- 

 and temperance were great causes of these blessings ; and I wish the 

 like to all that imitate him, and love the memory of so good a man." 



By the way, the remark of Walton that Dean Nowel 

 " made that good, plain, unperplexed Catechism which is 



