“Doubtless then it followeth that it needs must be the desport of fishing with an angle, for all other manner of fishing is laborious and grievous, often making folks full wet and cold, which many times hath been cause of great infirmities.
“But the angler may have no cold, nor no disease, nor anger, except he be the cause himself. For he may not lose at the most, but a line and a hook, of which he may have store plenty of his own making, as this simple treatise shall teach him. So then his loss is not grievous, and other griefs may he not have, saving if any fish break away, after that he is taken on the hook, or else that he catch nought. Which is not grievous. For if he fail of one, he may not fail of another, if he doeth as this treatise teacheth; except there be naught in the water.
“And yet, at least he has his wholesome walk and merry at his ease, and hath a sweet air of the sweet savour of the mead flowers that maketh him hungry. He heareth the melodious harmony of fowls. He seeth the young swans, herons, ducks, coots, and many other fowls with their broods: which seemeth to me, better than all the noise of hounds, the blast of horns, and the cry that hunters, falconers, and fowlers, can make.
“And if the angler take fish, surely then, there is no man merrier than he is in his spirit.
“Also, whoso will use the game of angling, he must rise early; which thing is profitable to man in this wise, (that is to wit) most to the health of his soul, for it shall cause him to be holy. And to the health of his body, for it shall cause him to be whole. Also to the increase of his goods, for it shall make him rich, as the old English proverb says, in this wise, ‘whoso will rise early, shall be holy, healthy, and wealthy.’
“Thus, have I proved in my intent, that the sport of angling is the very means and cause that induceth a man unto a merry spirit. Which after the said parable of Solomon, and the said doctrine of physic, maketh a flowering age and a long.
“And therefore to all you that be virtuous, genteel, and free born, I write and make this simple treatise following, by which ye may have the full craft of angling to desport you at your pleasure, to the intent that your age may be the more flower and the more longer to endure.”
From the first publication of this book to the appearance of “Walton’s Complete Angler,” there seems to have been no improvement of the original work; on the contrary, the “doers” of new editions of the book under new titles seem to have had but little skill in the art of fly-fishing, and their alterations, as Pinkerton said of Evelyn’s amendments of his work on medals, “are for the worse.”
In 1653, appeared the first edition of “Walton’s Complete Angler; or, Contemplative Man’s Recreation:” in small duodecimo, adorned with cuts of most of the fish mentioned in it. It came into the world attended with laudatory verses by several writers of the day, and had in the title page, (though Walton thought proper to omit it in future editions) this apposite motto, “Simon Peter said, I go a fishing, and they said, we also will go with thee.” John xxi. 3.