SIDNEY. 



fered for their interference. Aftuated by the fpirit of chi- 

 Talry, he exhibited his fliill in nailitary maiiceuvres at a tour- 

 nament held, in 1580, in honour of the queen ; and in the fame 

 year, he afferted his rank as a gentleman, againft an infult 

 offered him at a tennis-court by Vere, earl of Oxford. In 

 order to compofe his mind, which had been thus difquieted, 

 he retired to the houfe of his brother-in-law, the earl of 

 Pembroke, at Wilton, and engaged in the compofition of 

 his well-known romance, called " Arcadia," which was not 

 publifhed till after his death. In 158 1 his name appears as 

 one of the knights of the (hire for the county of Kent, and 

 as one of the committee for drawing up acts, with a view to 

 the fecurity of the kingdom againii: the Pope and his adhe- 

 rents. His " Defence of Poetry," written about this time, 

 contributed more to his literary reputation than Arcadia. 

 Of this treatife one of his biographers fays, that it may be 

 " confidered as the earliell piece of criticifm in the Englifh 

 language worthy of attention, and reckoned by fome the 

 bell written of his works. In a fimple and unafFefted ilyle, 

 it difplays much learning and judgment, and a true reliih 

 of the excellencies of that art which he undertakes to pa- 

 tronize and illuftrate." In the year 1583, he married the 

 only daughter and heirefs of fir Francis Walfingham, a 

 lady, as it is faid, of great beauty and merit. On occafion 

 of being nominated by the prince palatine of the Rhine his 

 proxy at the inftallation of the garter in 1584, he received 

 from the queen the honour of knighthood ; an honour which 

 (he was not lavifh in conferring. When fir Francis Drake 

 was projecting a fecret naval expedition, fir Philip Sidney 

 wifhed to join him, and with this view to equip a land and 

 naval armament againft the Spanilh fettlements in America ; 

 but the queen interpofed, and abfolutely prohibited the 

 execution of his defign. Of his nomination as a candidate 

 for the vacant crown of Poland, upon the death of Stephen 

 Bathori in 1585, we (hall fay nothing; as one of his bio- 

 graphers has ftated feveral particulars, which render the 

 faft very improbable. In the year juil mentioned, fir Phi- 

 lip had a feat in the privy council ; and queen Elizabeth 

 determining to affifl the Low Countries in their revolt, on 

 condition of their putting into her hands fome cautionary 

 towns, indulged his martial difpofition by appointing him 

 governor of Fluftiing. As foon as he had taken pofleffion 

 of his charge, he was made colonel of all the Dutch regi- 

 ments, and captain of a band of Enghfh foldiers. He was 

 foon joined by his uncle Leicefter, as general of the auxiliary 

 forces, and fir Pliilip was appointed general of the horfe, 

 under his command. It foon appeared that Leicefter was 

 unfit for the truft repofed in him ; his nephew was difia- 

 tisfied, and endeavoured to allay the difcontents which pre- 

 vailed among the fubordinate commanders. Sir Philip in his 

 firft. exploit, which was the furprife and capture of Axell, in 

 Jidy 1586, without the lofs of a man, was Angularly fuccefsful; 

 but in the month of September he fell in with a convoy fent by 

 the enemy to Zutphen, and having one horfe fliot under him, 

 he mounted another ; and while charging the foe with great 

 Tigour, he received a mufl<et bullet above the knee, which 

 broke the bone and penetrated deep into the thigh. On his 

 way from the field to Leicefter's camp, whither he was con- 

 Tcyed, he found himfelf faint and thirfty, and called for 

 water ; but as he was preparing to drink, he obferved a fol- 

 dier in the agonies of a mortal wound ; he refigned the 

 draught to him, with an expreflion which entails permanent 

 honour on his memory : " This man's neceffity is ftill greater 

 than mine!" Upon his arrival at Arnheim a mortification 

 enfued, and on the 17th of Oftober, after exhibiting the 

 Bioft unaffeAed piety, exemplary compofure, and felf-pof- 

 feifion, he expired with tranquillity at the early age of 32 



years. His death was univerfally regretted by his enemies as 

 well as friends, and abroad as well as at home. The queen 

 direfted his body to be brought to London, and after lying 

 in ftate, he was interred with all the folemnity of a public 

 funeral in St. Paul's cathedral ; and although no monument 

 was erefted over his remains, James, king of Scotland, com- 

 pofed an epitaph to celebrate his memory, and both univer- 

 fities furnifhed fome colleftions of verfes to record his fame. 

 But his name will ever live in the records of hiftory, as " one 

 of thofe who have refledled the higheft honour on his coun- 

 try." Of his " Arcadia," we (hall merely obferve, that it 

 was one of the earlieft fpecimens of grave or heroic romance ; 

 that it was left in fcattered fragments of MS., which his 

 filler collected and pubhfhed ; and from this circumftance, it 

 was denominated " The Countefs of Pembroke's Arcadia." 

 It became very popular, and was tranflated into foreign 

 languages. Lord Orford (Horace Walpole) fpeaks of it 

 very contemptuoufly ; but Dr. Zouch has more candidly 

 and more juftly appreciated its value. Biog. Brit. Zouch's 

 Mem. of Sir Phihp Sidney. Gen. Biog. 



Sidney, or Sydnet, Algernon, the fecond fon of 

 Robert, earl of Leicefter, by Dorothy, eldeft daughter of 

 Henry Piercy, earl of Northumberland, was born in 162 1 

 or 1622, and carefully educated under his father's infpec- 

 tion. In early life he was deftined to the military profeffion, 

 and in 1641 he had a commilfion in his father's own regi- 

 ment of horfe, when he was appointed lord-lieutenant of 

 Ireland. During the rebellion in that kingdom he entered 

 immediately into aftive fervice, and had many opportunities 

 of exhibiting his courage. In 1643, upon the commence- 

 ment of the war in England between the king and parlia- 

 ment, he obtained permiflion to return. He and his brother, 

 upon their landing, were intercepted, and placed under 

 guard : and the king, conceiving (juftly, as the event 

 proved) that they had been taken by their own contrivance, 

 was much offended ; and not without reafon, for they both 

 joined the parliamentary army. In 1 644, the earl of Man- 

 chefter appointed Algernon to the command of a troop of 

 horfe in his own regiment ; and in the following year, Fairfax 

 promoted him to the colonelcy of a regiment of horfe. 

 Having been prefent in feveral actions, he was entrufted 

 with the government of Chichefter. In 1646 he accom- 

 panied his brother to Ireland, and was advanced to the poft: 

 of lieutenant-general of the cavalry and governor of Dubhn. 

 For his fervices in that kingdom he received the thanks of 

 parliament, and returning to his own country was made 

 governor of Dover. Although he was nominated in 1 648 

 a member of the high court of juftice for the trial of the 

 king, he was neither prefent when fentence was pronounced, 

 nor did he fign the warrant for his execution. This part 

 of his conduft, it is fuppofed, was owing to the particular 

 requeft of his father ; for it appears, from his general con- 

 duft, that his principles would not induce him to condemn 

 this aft. When he was afterwards a voluntary exile in ■ 

 Denmark, and charged by his father with the violence of his 

 political fentiments, his father writes to this purpofe : " It 

 is faid that the univerfity of Copenhagen brought their 

 album to you, defiring you to write fomething therein, and 

 that you did fcribere in alio thefe words : 



" Manus haec, inimica tyrannis, 



Enfe petit placidam fub libertatc quietem," 



and put your name to it ; alfo, that i. minifter, being there 

 in company with you, faid, ' I think you were none of the 

 late king's judges, nor guilty of his death. ' ^"''^y ! 

 faid you ; ' do you call that guilt ? Why, it was the jufteft 

 and braveft aaion that ever was done in England, or any 

 4 N a w"«re 



