192 S I D 
. SIDING, s. Engagement in a faction. Unused .—As 
soon as discontents drove men into sidings, as ill humours 
fall to the disaffected part, which causes inflammations, so 
did all, who affected novelties, adhere to that side. Icon 
Basilike. 
SIDLAW, or Sudlaw Hills, a ridge of hills in Scot¬ 
land, which extends in a direction from west to east, 
through the counties of Perth and Angus, beginning at Kin- 
noul, and terminating near Brechin. This ridge forms the 
south side of the valley of Strathmore, and receives its name 
from that circumstance; Sudlaws being the Gaelic name for 
south hills. The mountains of the ridge are of various 
height; the elevation of the Sidlaw hill is 1406 feet above 
the level of the sea. 
To SIDLE, v. n. To go with the body the narrowest 
way.—I passed very gently and sidlitig through the two 
principal streets. Swift .—To lie on the side.—A fellow 
nailed up maps in a gentleman’s closet, some sidling , and 
others upside down, the better to adjust them to the pannels. 
Swift .—To saunter. Northern. 
SIDLESHAM, a village and parish of England, in the 
county of Sussex. The church is a handsome building, with 
a good tower. Here is a convenient quay, situated on Pag- 
ham harbour, for the use of vessels in the coasting trade. 
Population 865 ; 4f miles from Chichester. 
SIDMONTIN, a parish of England, in Southamptonshire; 
7 miles north-by-west of Whitchurch. 
SIDMONTON, a hamlet of England, in Berkshire; 2 
miles from Kingsclere. 
SIDMOUTH, a market town of England, in the county 
of Devon, situated in a valley between two high hills, on 
the banks of the river Sid, which falls into a bay of the 
English channel. It was formerly a sea-port of some import¬ 
ance, but declined in consequence of the harbour becoming 
clogged and choaked up with pebbles; so that no vessels 
except pleasure boats and fishing smacks could approach the 
shore. Of late years, however, its buildings and population 
have increased, from the number of visitors who arrive in 
summer for the sea bathing. The air is healthy; the bath¬ 
ing accommodations are good: and a ball-room, billiard- 
room and tea-room, have been erected for the use of the 
company. Near the beach is an ancient stone building, 
with very thick walls, firmly cemented, said by tradition to 
have been a chapel of ease when Otterton was the mother 
church; and in a part leading from Sidnrouth to Otterton, 
called Gochurch, is an ancient cross. The parish in 1811, 
contained 349 houses, and 1618 inhabitants; 12 miles south¬ 
east of Exeter, and 158 west-by-south of London. Lat. 50. 
41. N. long. 3. 14. W. 
SIDNEY (Sir Philip), the eldest son of Sir Henry Sidney, 
by a daughter of the duke of Northumberland, was born at 
Penshurst in Kent, in the year 1554. He was named Phi¬ 
lip in compliment to the king of Spain, the husband of 
queen Mary. In very early life he manifested a sedate, stu¬ 
dious disposition; and he sedulously improved every ad¬ 
vantage for gaining knowledge, which he enjoyed, first at 
Shrewsbury school, and afterwards at Oxford, where he was 
entered at Christchurch college in 1569, and also at Cam¬ 
bridge. At the age of 18, the queen, according to the then 
existing custom, granted him a licence to travel abroad; and 
he first visited Paris, where he was introduced, by his ma¬ 
ternal uncle, the earl of Leicester, to Sir Francis Walsing- 
ham, the English ambassador. Charles IX., who was then 
king of France, wishing to shew respect to Leicester, and 
probably with the perfidious design of lulling into security 
the Protestant party in France, previously to the horrid 
massacre of St. Bartholomew’s, appointed Sidney one of the 
gentlemen of his bed-chamber. When the fatal day arrived, 
Sidney, together with several of his countrymen, found a 
refuge in the house of the English ambassador. Soon after¬ 
wards he pursued his tour to Germany; and at Frankfort 
formed an intimate acquaintance and friendship with Hubert 
Languet, then resident for the elector of Saxony, whose 
communications were singularly useful to our young tra¬ 
veller. After visiting Vienna, Hungary, Venice and Padua, 
N E Y. 
in company with his friend Languet, he returned through 
Germany and Flanders, and arrived in England in 1755, 
with those accomplishments, and with his moral principles 
in untainted purity, which rendered him the admiration 
and delight of his countrymen. In the following year, 
being only in the 22d year of his age, he was dispatched as 
ambassador to the court of Vienna, to condole with and 
congratulate the new emperor Rodolph II.; and entrusted 
with a commission to engage the Protestant princes of Ger¬ 
many in a league with each other, or with England. He 
was also entrusted to demand the repayment of the sum ad¬ 
vanced by Elizabeth to the elector palatine. In the dis¬ 
charge of these several trusts, he acquitted himself with sin¬ 
gular reputation, and with satisfaction to all the parties 
concerned in the objects of his embassy. After his return, 
he received no other honorary recompence besides the office 
of cup-bearer to the queen. With a temper somewhat iras¬ 
cible, and a high sense of honour, blended in some degree 
with the spirit of chivalry, few characters in that age were 
so unexceptionable as that of Sidney. Of his disinterested 
patriotism, we have a striking instance in his remonstrance 
addressed to queen Elizabeth on her projected marriage with 
the duke of Anjou; and such was the estimation in which 
he was held by the queen, that she did not manifest her 
displeasure against Sidney, though others suffered for their 
interference. Actuated by the spirit of chivalry, he exhi¬ 
bited his skill in military manoeuvres at a tournament held, 
in 1580, in honour of the queen; and in the same year, he 
asserted his rank as a gentleman, against an insult offered 
him at a tennis-court by Vere, Earl of Oxford. In order to 
compose his mind, which had been thus disquieted, he 
. retired to the house of his brother-in-law, the Earl of Pem¬ 
broke, at Wilton, and engaged in the composition of his 
well known romance, called “ Arcadia,” which was not 
published till after his death. In 1581, his name appears as 
one of the knights of the shire for the county of Kent, and 
as one of the committee for drawing up acts, with a view to 
the security of the kingdom against the Pope and his adhe¬ 
rents. His “ Defence of Poetry,”, written about this time, 
contributed more to his literary reputation than Arcadia. 
Of this treatise, one of his biographers says, that it may be 
“ considered as the earliest piece of criticism in the English 
language worthy of attention, and reckoned by some the 
best written of his works. In a simple and unaffected style, 
it displays much learning and judgment, and a true relish 
of the excellences of that art which he undertakes to pa¬ 
tronize and illustrate.” In the year 1583, he married the 
only daughter aud heiress of Sir Francis Walsingham, a 
lady, as it is said, of great beauty and merit. On occasion 
of being nominated by the prince palatine of the Rhine his 
proxy at the installation of the garter in 1584, he received 
from the queen the honour of knighthood; an honour which 
she was not lavish in conferring. When Sir Francis Drake 
was projecting a secret naval expedition, Sir Philip Sidney 
wished to join him, and with this view to equip a land-and 
naval armament against the Spanish settlements in America; 
but the queen interposed, and absolutely prohibited the 
execution of his design. Of his nomination as a candidate 
for the vacant crown of Poland, upon the death of Stephen 
Bathori in 1585, we shall say nothing; as one of his bio¬ 
graphers has stated several particulars, which render the 
fact very improbable. In the year just mentioned, Sir Philip 
had a seat in the privy council; and queen Elizabeth deteiv 
mining to assist the Low Countries in their revolt, on con¬ 
dition of their putting into her hands some cautionary towns, 
indulged his martial disposition by appointing him governor 
of Flushing. As soon as he had taken possession of his 
charge, he was made colonel of all the Dutch regiments, 
and captain of a band of English soldiers. He was soon 
joined by his uncle Leicester, as general of the auxiliary 
forces, and Sir Philip was appointed general of the horse, 
under his command. It soon appeared that Leicester was 
unfit for the trust reposed in him; his nephew was dissatis¬ 
fied, and endeavoured to allay the discontents which pre¬ 
vailed among the subordinate commanders. Sir Philip in his 
