PART II.-CHAPTER III. 



OF LEARNED MEN THAT HAD PENSIONS GRANTED TO THEM 

 BY THE EARLES OF PEMBROKE. 



IN the former Chapter I endeavoured to adumbrate Wilton House as to its architecture. We 

 are now to consider it within, where it will appeare to have been an academic as well as palace ; and 

 was, as it were, the apiarie to wliich men that were excellent in armes and arts did resort and were 

 caress't, and many of them received honourable pensions. 



The hospitality here was very great. I shall wave the grandeur of William the first Earle, who 

 married [Anne] sister to Queen Katharine Parre, and was the great favourite of King Henry 8th, 

 and conservator of his will, and come to our grandfather's memorie, in the times of his sonne Henry 

 Earle of Pembroke, and liis Countess Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Sydney, and sister to that 

 renowned knight Sir Philip Sydney, whose fame will never die wliilest poetric lives. His Lordship 

 was the patron to the men of armes, and to the antiquaries and heralds ; he took a great delight in 

 the study of herauldry, as appeares by that curious collection of hcraldique manuscripts in the 

 library here. It was tin's earle that did set up all the painted glasse scutchions about the house. 

 Many a brave souldier, no doubt, was here obliged by his Lordship ; but time has obliterated their 

 names. 



Mr. Robert Barret dedicated the " Theorick and Practick of Modeme Warres," in folio, London, 

 1598, to this noble Earle, and William Lord Herbert of Cardiff, his son, then a youth. It sccmes 

 to have been a very good discourse as any writt in that time, wherein he shows much learning, 

 besides experience. He had spent most of his time in foreigne warres, as the French, Dutch, 

 Italian, and Spanish ; and here delivers his military observations. 



John Jones, an eminent physician in his tyme, wrote a treatise of the bathes at Bath, printed in a 

 black letter, Anno Domini 1572, which he dedicated to Henry, Earle of Pembroke. [These 

 dedications were doubtless acknowledged by pecuniary gifts from the patron to the authors. J. B.] 



I shall now passe to the illustrious Lady Mary, Countesse of Pembroke, whom her brother hath 

 eternized by his Arcadia ; but many or most of the verses in the Arcadia were made by her 

 Honour, and they seem to have been writt by a woman. 'Twas a great pity that Sir Philip had not 

 lived to have put his last hand to it. He spent much, if not most part of his time here, and at 

 Ivychurch, near Salisbury, which did then belong to this family, when he was in England ; and I 

 cannot imagine that Mr. Edmund Spenser could be a stranger here. [See, in a subsequent page, 

 Chap. VIII. "The Downes." J. B.] 



Her Honour's genius lay as much towards chymistrie as poetrie. The learned Dr. Mouffet, that 

 wrote of Insects and of Meates, had a pension hence. In a catalogue of English playes set forth by 

 Gerard Langbain, is thus, viz. : " Lady Pembrock, Antonius, 4to." [This was an English transla- 

 tion of "The Tragedie of Antonie. Doone into English by the Countesse of Pembroke. 

 Imprinted at London, for William Ponsonby, 1595." 12mo. The Countess of Pembroke 



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