Charles Cotton
born April 28, 1630, Beresford Hall,
Staffordshire, Eng.
died Feb. 16, 1687, London
English poet and country squire, chiefly
remembered for his share in Izaak Walton’s The
Compleat Angler.
Cotton made a number of translations from the
French, including, in 1685, his often-reprinted
version of Montaigne’s Essays, Corneille’s
Horace (1671), and several historical and
philosophical works. Following the French
fashion, he wrote Scarronides (1664, 1665),
which is a coarse burlesque of the Aeneid, books
1 and 4, and the Burlesque upon Burlesque . . .
Being some of Lucians Dialogues newly put into
English fustian (1675).
His original writings include The Compleat
Gamester (1674); The Planter’s Manual (1675);
and the second part, on fly fishing, which he
added at Walton’s suggestion, to the 5th edition
of The Compleat Angler (1676). The Wonders of
the Peake (1681), a long topographical poem
popular throughout the 18th century, and his
other poetry, published in the posthumous and
unauthorized Poems on several occasions (1689),
reflect Cotton’s enjoyment of life.
The standard edition of Cotton’s poetry is
Poems (1958), edited by John Buxton.
