fon; this fon was William Hawkins, Efq ferjeant at law, one of the ableft lawyers of the laft age, and author of the well-known treatife of the pleas of the crown.

A few months before his death he made his will; which appears, by the peculiarity of many expreffions contained in it, as well as by the hand, to be of his own writing> as there is fomething characteristick in this laft folemn act of his life, it has been thought proper to conclude this account with the following authentick copy thereof.

Auguft the ninth, one thousand fix
hundred eighty three.

N the Name of God, Amen. I
ISAAC WALTON, the elder,

I'

of Winchefter, being this prefent day, in the ninetyeth year of my age, and in perfect memory, for which praised be God, but confidering how fuddainly I may be deprived of both, do therefore make this my laft will and teftament as followeth: And first, I do declare my belief to be, that there is only one God, who hath made the whole world, and me and all mankind, to whom I shall give an account of all my actions, which are not to be justified, but I hope pardoned, for the merits of my Saviour Fefus; and because the profeffion of Chriftianity does, at this time, feem to be fubdivided into Papist and Pro

teftante,

testante, I take it, at least, to be convenient to declare my belief to be, in all points of faith, as the church of England now profeffeth and this I do the rather, becaufe of a very long and very true friendship with fome of the Roman church. And for my worldly eftate (which I have neither got by falthood or flattery, or the extreme cruelty of the law of this nation *) I do hereby give and bequeath it as followeth: First, I give my fonin-law, Doctor Hawkins, and to his wife, to them I give all my title and right of or in a part of, a house and fhop in Pater-nofter-row, in London, which I hold by leafe from the lord bishop of London for about fifty years to come. And I do alfo give to them all my right and title of or to a houfe in Chancerylane, London, wherein Mrs. Greinwood now dwelleth, in which is now about fixteen. years to come: I give these two leafes to them, they faving my executor from all damage concerning the fame. And I give to my fon Ifaac, all my right and title to a lease of Norington fàrme, which I hold from the lord bishop of Winton; and I do alfo give him all my right and title to a farme or land near to Stafford, which I bought of Mr. Walter Noell; I fay, I give it to him and his heirs for ever; but upon the condition fol* Alluding, perhaps, to that fundamental maxim of our law, Summum jus eft fumma injuria.

lowing, namely: if my fon fhall not marry before he shall be of the age of forty and one years, or, being married, shall dye before the faid age, and leave no fon to inherit the faid farme or land; or if his fon or fons fhall not live to attain the age of twenty and one years, to difpofe other ways of it; then I give the faid farme or land to the towne or corporation of Stafford, in which I was borne, for the good and benefit of fome of the faid towne, as I fhall direct, and as followeth but first note, that it is at this present time rented for twenty one pounds ten fhillings a year, and is like to hold the faid rent, if care be taken to keep the barn and houfing in repair; and I would have, and do give ten pound of the faid rent, to bind out yearly, two boys, the fons of honest and poor parents, to be apprentices to fome tradefmen or handycraft-men, to the intent the faid boys may the better afterward get their own living. And I do alfo give five pound yearly, out of the faid rent, to be given to fome maid-servant, that hath attained the age of twenty and one year, not lefs, and dwelt long in one fervice, or to fome honest poor man's daughter, that hath attained to that age, to be paid her at or on the day of her marriage: and this being done, my will is, that what rent fhall remain of the faid farme or land, fhall be difpofed of as followeth: first I do give twenty fhillings yearly,

to

to be spent by the major of Stafford, and thofe that fhall collect the faid rent, and difpose of it as I have and fhall hereafter direct; and that what money or rent shall remain undisposed of, thall be imployed to buy coals for fome poor people, that shall most need them, in the faid towne; the faid coals to be delivered the first weeke in January, or in every first weeke in February; I say then, because I take that time to be the hardest and moft pinching times with poor people; and God reward thofe that fhall do this without partialitie, and with honefty, and a good confcience. And if the faid major and others of the faid towne of Stafford, thall prove fo negligent, or difhoneft, as not to imploy the rent by me given as intended and expreft in this my will, which God forbid, then I give the faid rents and profits of the faid farme or land to the town and chief magiftrates, or governors of Eclefhall, to be difpofed of by them in fuch manner as I have ordered the difpofal of it by the town of Stafford, the faid farme or land being near the town of Eclefball: and I give to my fon-in-law, Dr. Hawkins, whom I love as my own fon, and to my daughter, his wife, and my fon Ifaac, to each of them a ring, with thefe words or motto; "Love ་ my memory, I. W. obiit

to the lord bishop of Winton a ring, with this motto; "A mite for a million, I. W. " obiit and to his friends here

та

after named, I give to each of them a ring with this motto; "A friend's farewell, I. W " obiit and my will is, the faid rings be delivered within forty days after my death and that the price or value of all the faid rings fhall be thirteen fhillings and four pence a piece. I give to Doctor Hawkins, Doctor Donne's fermons, which I have heard preacht, and read with much content. To my fon Ifaac, I give Doctor Sibbs his Soul's Conflict; and to my daughter his Bruifed Reed, defiring them to read them fo as to be well acquainted with them. And I also give unto her all my books at Winchester and Droxford, and whatever in those two places are, or I can call mine, except a trunk of linnen, which I give to my fon Ifaac; but if he do not live to marry, or make use of it, then I give the fame to my grand-daughter, Anne Hawkins; and I give my daughter, Doctor Hall's works, which be now at Farnham. To my fon Ifaac, I give all my bocks, not yet given, at Farnham Caftell, and a defke of prints and pictures; alfo a cabinett bed's head, in which are fome little things that he will value, though of no great worth. And my will and defire is, that he will be kind to his aunt Beachame, and his aunt Rofe Ken, by allowing the first about fifty fhillings a year, in or for bacon and cheese, not more, and paying four pounds a year toward the boarding of her fon's dyet:

hear my

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