 | Lyra Pastoralis |  |
Izaak Walton's Oak Cabinet
INSCRIBED WITH HIS NAME, 1672
O dainty cabinet, with carvings rare,Well might thy antique grace my wonder claim,
But 'mid the scroll-work I descry the Name
Which on thy forefront thou dost proudly bear.
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And happy anglers follow, void of blame,
The art they love, dear Izaak Walton's fame
With Shakespeare's self will heart-felt homage share.
Full many a coloured fly and cunning hook
In this old chest perchance were stored away,
To tempt his finny spoil from shadowy nook:
Or here those precious manuscripts once lay,
Those saintly lives he wrought into a book,
Wherewith to lure dim souls to realms of day.
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