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first exploit, which was the surprise and capture of Axell, in 
July, 1586, without the loss of a man, was singularly success¬ 
ful' ; but in the month of September he fell in with a convoy 
sent by the enemy to Zutphen, and having one horse shot 
under him, he mounted another; and while charging the foe 
with great vigour, he received a musket bullet above the 
knee, which broke the bone and penetrated deep into the 
thigh. On his way from the field to Leicester’s camp, whi¬ 
ther he was conveyed, he found himself faint and thirsty, 
and called for water; but as he was preparing to drink, he 
observed a soldier in the agonies of a mortal wound; he re¬ 
signed the draught to him, with an expression which entails 
permanent honour on his memory: “ This man’s necessity is 
still greater than mine!” Upon his arrival at Arnheim a 
mortification ensued, and on the 17th of October, after ex¬ 
hibiting the most unaffected piety, exemplary composure, 
and self-possession, he expired with tranquillity at the early 
age of 32 years. His death was universally regretted by his 
enemies as well as friends, and abroad as well as at home. 
The queen directed his body to be brought to London, and 
after lying in state, he was interred with all the solemnity 
of a public funeral in St. Paul’s Cathedral; and although no 
monument was erected over his remains, James, king of 
Scotland, composed an epitaph to celebrate his memory, 
and both universities furnished some collections of verses to 
record his fame. But his name will ever live in the records 
of history, as “ one of those who have reflected the highest 
honour on his country.” Of his “ Arcadia,” we shall merely 
observe, that it was one of the earliest specimens of grave or 
heroic romance; that it was left in scattered fragments of 
MS., which his sister collected and published; and from 
this circumstance, it was denominated “ The Countess of 
Pembroke’s Arcadia.” It became very popular, and was 
translated into foreign languages. Lord Orford (Horace 
Walpole) speaks of it very contemptuously; but Dr. Zouch 
has more candidly and more justly appreciated its value. 
Biog. Brit. Zouch's Mem. of Sir Philip Sidney. Gen. 
Biog. 
SIDNEY, or Sydney (Algernon), the second son of 
Robert, Earl of Leicester, by Dorothy, eldest daughter of 
Henry Piercy, Earl of Northumberland, was born in 1621 
or 1622, and carefully educated under his father’s inspec¬ 
tion. In early life he was destined to the military profes¬ 
sion, and in 1641, he had a commission in his father’s own 
regiment of horse, when he was appointed lord-lieutenant of 
Ireland. During the rebellion in that kingdom, he entered 
immediately into active service, 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 permission to return. He and his bro¬ 
ther, upon their landing, were intercepted, and placed under 
guard: and the king, conceiving (justly, as the event 
proved) that they had been taken by their own contrivance, 
was much offended; and not without reason, for they both 
joined the parliamentary army. In 1644, the Earl of Man¬ 
chester appointed Algernon to the command of a troop of 
horse in his own regiment; and in the following year, Fair¬ 
fax promoted him to the colonelcy of a regiment of horse. 
Having been present in several actions, he was entrusted 
with the government of Chichester. In 1646, he accom¬ 
panied his brother to Ireland, and was advanced to the post 
of lieutenant-general of the cavalry and governor of Dublin. 
For his services 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 1648, 
a member of the high court of justice for the trial of the 
king, he was neither present when sentence was pronounced, 
nor did he sign the warrant for his execution. This part of 
his conduct, it is supposed, was owing to the particular 
request of his father; for it appears,’from his general conduct, 
that his principles would not have induced him to condemn 
this act. When he was afterwards a voluntary exile in Den¬ 
mark, and charged by his father with the violence of his 
political sentiments, his father writes to this purpose: “ It is 
Vdl. XXIII. No. 1564. 
N E Y. 
said that the university of Copenhagen brought their album 
to you, desiring you to write something therein, and that 
you did scribere in albo these words: 
“ Manus haec, inimica tyrannis 
Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem," 
and put your name to it; also, that a minister, being there 
in company with you, said, * I think you were none of the 
late king’s judges, nor guilty of his death.’ * Guilty !’ said 
you; * Do you call that guilt ? Why, it was the justest and 
bravest action that ever was done in England, or any where 
else.’” Consistently with the sentiments avowed on this 
occasion, Sidney actually opposed the designs of Cromwell; 
and he afterwards refused to act under him and under his 
successor Richard. During this period he passed a retired 
life at Penshurst, and employed himself, as it is said, in 
writing his Discourses on Government. But when the Long 
Parliament regained its power, Sidney hoping for the es¬ 
tablishment of a republic, to which form of government he 
was ardently attached, became an active partisan, and was 
nominated one of the council of state. He also accepted 
the office of one of the commissioners for mediating a peace 
between Denmark and Sweden, and was actually engaged 
in this embassy at the period of Charles II.’s restoration. 
Although he was solicited by general Monk and others to 
return to England, he could repose no confidence in the 
royal party, but remained in exile for seventeen years, find¬ 
ing that the few supplies which he received from home were 
insufficient to support him in a manner suitable to his birth 
and rank. He was, however, treated with respect and 
civility in various places, and particularly at Rome; and he 
employed his many leisure hours in making addition to the 
ample stock of knowledge which he had already acquired. 
In 1677 his father, being advanced in life, was anxious to 
see him, and employed his interest in obtaining the king’s 
permission for his return, to which permission was annexed 
a pardon for all his past offences. When he afterwards 
joined in cabals against the court, he incurred the censure 
of those who were disposed to take offence; and Mr. Hume 
has charged him with acting counter to the moral principles 
of gratitude and with a breach of faith: others, however, 
have vindicated him, alleging that, unconscious of guilt, he 
might consider the royal permission to return, after so long 
an absence, as a reparation of injustice rather than an act of 
clemency, and that personal obligation ought not to influ¬ 
ence his public conduct, when he conceived the great in¬ 
terests of his country in danger. At the time of his return, 
parliament was urging the king to commence a war with 
France ; but Charles, being a pensioner of the French court, 
wished from selfish motives to avoid it; but as he was actu¬ 
ated by no sound principles, it was apprehended that he 
would appear to concur with the wishes of the nation, that 
he might have a plea for raising supplies, for his own per¬ 
sonal gratification, in the prosecution of his pleasures or his 
designs to render himself arbitrary. The English patriots 
were averse from war, and some of their leaders intrigued 
with Barillon, the French ambassador, for preventing it. 
In the list of those persons in England who were at this time 
pensioners in France, the name of Sidney appears. When 
this discovery was made, by Sir J. Dalrymple’s publication 
of Barillon’s papers, the friends of liberty were astonished 
and grieved; and they hesitated in admitting this dishonour¬ 
able charge. In vindication of Sidney, some have suggested, 
that Barillon falsified his accounts of the money with which 
he had been entrusted; whilst others have satisfied them¬ 
selves with that persuasion of Sidney’s honour and integrity 
which was founded on his general conduct, and with the 
assurance that he always adopted and pursued those political 
measures which appeared to him, all circumstances con¬ 
sidered, most beneficial to his country. Upon his father’s 
death, he joined the opposition party without disguise, and 
offered himself for a seat in parliament; but he was twice 
defeated by the influence of the court. Thus exasperated, 
and apprehending the liberty of his country to be in danger, 
3D as 
