26 THOMAS KEN AND IZAAK WALTON 



by any other of Ken's or Walton's biographers. 

 Mr. Bowles sticks to his guns ; he says — 



" If I had not held the pen, the story of 

 Izaak Walton, which alone explains the origin 

 of Ken's preferments, would have remained 

 probably after death of the last descendant 

 of the family for ever unwritten." 



In another place Mr. Bowles speaks of the same 

 story as having derived it from living traditional 

 information — that of Dr. Hawes, a descendant of 

 Izaak Walton, the then owner of the Prayer- 

 Book and a personal friend of Mr. Bowles. 



It seems to me that a good reason for claiming 

 it to be true is that it is so difficult to conceive 

 why Mr. Bowles should have gone out of his way 

 to invent it. It might also be said that if it were 

 merely a traditionary legend, it is not the only 

 one that wraps Izaak Walton in a veil of mystery. 

 If it is not true, it might have been true, and 

 anyhow it is not bad, and so I give it considerably 

 abbreviated. 



Mr. Bowles tells us that the singular friendship 

 which existed and lasted till death between Bishop 

 Morley and Izaak Walton, originated in this way. 

 Morley, having been ejected from his Canonry of 



