Chapter XXI: Part 21

SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM (1564-1616).--Dramatist and poet, _b._ at Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, on 22nd or 23rd, and baptised on 26th April, 1564. On his father's side he belonged to a good yeoman stock, though his descent cannot be certainly traced beyond his grandfather, a Richard S., settled at Snitterfield, near Stratford. His _f._, John S., appears to have been a man of intelligence and energy, who set up in Stratford as a dealer in all kinds of agricultural produce, to which he added the trade of a glover. He became prosperous, and gained the respect of his neighbours, as is evidenced by his election in succession to all the municipal honours of his community, including those of chief alderman and high bailiff. He _m._ Mary, youngest _dau._ of Robert Arden, a wealthy farmer at Wilmcote, and a younger branch of a family of considerable distinction, and whose tenant Richard S. had been. On her father's death Mary inherited Asbies, a house with 50 acres of land attached to it. The first children of the marriage were two _dau._, who _d._ in infancy. William was the third, and others followed, of whom three sons, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and a _dau._ Joan, reached maturity. He was _ed._ with his brother Gilbert at Stratford Grammar School, where he learned Latin from Lilly's Grammar, English, writing, and arithmetic. He probably read some of the Latin classics and may have got a little Greek, and though his learned friend Ben Jonson credits him with "little Latin and less Greek," Aubrey says he "knew Latin pretty well." This happy state of matters continued until he was about 13, when his _f._ fell into misfortune, which appears to have gone on deepening until the success and prosperity of the poet in later years enabled him to reinstate the family in its former position. Meanwhile, however, he was taken from school, and appears to have been made to assist his _f._ in his business. The next certain fact in his history is his marriage in November, 1582, when he was 18, to Ann Hathaway, _dau._ of a yeoman at the neighbouring hamlet of Shottery, and 8 years his senior. Various circumstances point to the marriage having been against the wishes of his own family, and pressed on by that of his wife, and that it was so urged in defence of the reputation of the lady, and as perhaps might be expected, they indicate, though not conclusively, that it did not prove altogether happy. The birth, in May, 1583, of his eldest child Susannah (who is said to have inherited something of his wit and practical ability, and who _m._ a Dr. John Hall), followed in the next year by that of twins, Hamnet and Judith, and the necessity of increased means, led to his departure from Stratford, whence he travelled on foot to London, where the next 23 years of his life were mainly spent. The tradition that his departure was also caused by trouble into which he had got by killing the deer of Sir Thomas Lucy, of Charlcote, is credible. Leaving Stratford in 1585 or the beginning of 1586, he seems at once to have turned to the theatres, where he soon found work, although, as Rowe, his first biographer, says, "in a very mean rank." It was not long, however, before he had opportunities of showing his capacities as an actor, with the result that he shortly became a member of one of the chief acting companies of the day, which was then under the patronage of the Earl of Leicester, and after being associated with the names of various other noblemen, at last on the accession of James I. became known as the King's Company. It played originally in "The Theatre" in Shoreditch, the first playhouse to be erected in England, and afterwards in the "Rose" on the Bankside, Southwark, the scene of the earliest successes of S. as an actor and playwright. Subsequently to 1594, he acted occasionally in a playhouse in Newington Butts, and between 1595 and 1599 in the "Curtain." In the latter year the "Globe" was built on the Bankside, and 10 years later the "Blackfriars:" and with these two, but especially with the former, the remainder of his professional life was associated. It is not unlikely that he visited various provincial towns; but that he was ever in Scotland or on the Continent is improbable. Among the plays in which he appeared were Jonson's _Every Man in his Humour_ and _Sejanus_, and in _Hamlet_ he played "The Ghost;" and it is said that his brother Gilbert as an old man remembered his appearing as "Adam" in _As You Like It_. By 1595 S. was famous and prosperous; his earlier plays had been written and acted, and his poems _Venus and Adonis_, and _Lucrece_, and probably most of the sonnets, had been _pub._ and received with extraordinary favour. He had also powerful friends and patrons, including the Earl of Southampton, and was known at Court. By the end of the century he is mentioned by Francis Meres (_q.v._) as the greatest man of letters of the day, and his name had become so valuable that it was affixed by unscrupulous publishers to works, _e.g._ _Locrine_, _Oldcastle_, and _The Yorkshire Tragedy_, by other and often very inferior hands. He had also resumed a close connection with Stratford, and was making the restoration of the family position there the object of his ambition. In accordance with this he induced his _f._ to apply for a grant of arms, which was given, and he purchased New Place, the largest house in the village. With the income derived from his profession as an actor and dramatist, and his share of the profits of the Globe and Blackfriars theatres, and in view of the business capacity with which he managed his affairs, he may be regarded as almost a wealthy man, and he went on adding to his influence in Stratford by buying land. He had enjoyed the favour of Elizabeth, and her death in 1603 did nothing to disturb his fortunes, as he stood quite as well with her successor. His company received the title of the "King's Servants," and his plays were frequently performed before the Court. But notwithstanding this, the clouds had gathered over his life. The conspiracy of Essex in 1601 had involved several of his friends and patrons in disaster; he had himself been entangled in the unhappy love affair which is supposed to be referred to in some of his sonnets, and he had suffered unkindness at the hands of a friend. For a few years his dramas breathe the darkness and bitterness of a heart which has been sounding the depths of sad experience. He soon, however, emerged from this and, passing through the period of the great tragedies, reached the serene triumph and peace of his later dramas. In 1611 S. severed his long connection with the stage, and retired to Stratford, where the remaining five years of his life were spent in honour and prosperity. Early in 1616 his health began to give way, and he made his will. In the spring he received a visit from his friends, Jonson and Drayton, and the festivity with which it was celebrated seems to have brought on a fever, of which he _d._ on April 23. He was survived by his wife and his two _dau._, both of whom were married. His descendants _d._ out with his grand-daughter, Elizabeth Hall.

Immense research has been spent upon the writings of S., with the result of substantial agreement as to the order of their production and the sources from which their subjects were drawn; for S. rarely troubled himself with the construction of a story, but adopting one already existing reared upon it as a foundation one of those marvellous superstructures which make him the greatest painter and interpreter of human character the world has ever seen. His period of literary production extends from about 1588 to 1613, and falls naturally into four divisions, which Prof. Dowden has named, "In the Workshop" ending in 1596; "In the World" 1596-1601; "Out of the Depths" 1601-1608; and "On the Heights" 1608-1613. Of the 37 plays usually attributed to him, 16 only were _pub._ during his lifetime, so that the exact order in which they were produced cannot always be determined with certainty. Recent authorities are agreed to the extent that while they do not invariably place the individual plays in the same order, they are almost entirely at one as to which belong to the four periods respectively. The following list shows in a condensed form the order according to Mr. Sidney Lee (_Dictionary of National Biography_) with the most probable dates and the original sources on which the plays are founded.

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS

FIRST PERIOD--1588?-1596 LOVE'S LABOUR LOST (1591)--Plot probably original. TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (1591)--_The Shepherdess Felismena_ in George of Montmayor's _Diana_. COMEDY OF ERRORS (1591)--_Menæchmi_ of Plautus and earlier play. ROMEO AND JULIET (1591)--Italian romance in Painter's _Palace of Pleasure_ and Broke's _Romeus and Juliet_. HENRY VI. 1, 2, and 3 (1592)--Retouched old plays, probably with Marlowe. RICHARD III. (1592-3)--Holinshed's _Chronicle_. RICHARD II. (1593-4?)-- do. TITUS ANDRONICUS (1594)--Probably chiefly by Kyd, retouched. KING JOHN (1594)--Old play retouched.

SECOND PERIOD--1596-1601-2 MERCHANT OF VENICE (1594)--Italian novels, _Gesta Romanorum_, and earlier plays. MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (1595)--North's _Plutarch_, Chaucer, Ovid. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL (1595)--Painter's _Palace of Pleasure_. TAMING OF THE SHREW (1596?)--Old play retouched, and _Supposes_ of G. Gascoigne, Shakespeare's in part only. HENRY IV. 1 and 2 (1597?)--Holinshed and earlier play. MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR (1597-8)--Italian novels (?). HENRY V. (1599). MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (1599)--Partly from Italian. AS YOU LIKE IT (1599)--Lodge's _Rosalynde, Euphues' Golden Legacie_. TWELFTH NIGHT (1599)--B. Riche's _Apolonius and Silla_.

THIRD PERIOD--1602-1608 JULIUS CÆSAR (1601)--North's _Plutarch_. HAMLET (1601-2)--Belleforest's _Histoires Tragiques_. TROILUS AND CRESSIDA (1603?)--Probably Chaucer's _Troilus and Cresseide_ and Chapman's _Homer_. OTHELLO (1604)--Cinthio's _Hecatommithi_. MEASURE FOR MEASURE (1604?)--Cinthio's _Epithia_. MACBETH (1605-6?)--Holinshed. LEAR (1606)-- do. TIMON OF ATHENS (1607?)--_Palace of Pleasure_ and Plutarch written with G. Wilkins (?) and W. Rowley (?). PERICLES (1607-8)--Gower's _Confessio Amantis_, with G. Wilkins (?). ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (1608)--North's _Plutarch_. CORIOLANUS (1608)-- do.

FOURTH PERIOD--1608-1613 CYMBELINE (1610-11?)--Holinshed and _Ginevra_ in Boccaccio's _Decamerone_. WINTER'S TALE (1610-11)--Green's _Dorastus and Fawnia_. TEMPEST (1611?)--S. Jourdain's _Discovery of the Bermudas_. HENRY VIII. (1612-13)--Draft by S. completed by Fletcher and perhaps Massinger.

POEMS
VENUS AND ADONIS (1593).
RAPE OF LUCRECE (1594).
SONNETS (1591-94?).

The evidence as to chronology is three-fold--(1) External, such as entries in registers of Stationers' Company, contemporary references, or details as to the companies of actors; (2) External and internal combined, such as references in the plays to events or books, etc.; (3) Internal, content and treatment, progressive changes in versification, presence of frequency of rhyme, etc. The genius of S. was so intensely dramatic that it is impossible to say confidently when he speaks in his own character. The sonnets, written probably 1591-94 have, however, been thought to be of a more personal nature, and to contain indications as to his character and history, and much labour and ingenuity have been expended to make them yield their secrets. It is generally agreed that they fall into two sections, the first consisting of sonnets 1 to 126 addressed to a young man, probably Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, the friend and patron of S., and 9 years his junior; and the second from 127 to 154 addressed or referring to a woman in whose snares the writer had become entangled, and by whom he was betrayed. Some, however, have held that they are allegorical, or partly written on behalf of others, or that the emotion they express is dramatic and not personal.

There are contemporary references to S. which show him to have been generally held in high regard. Thus Ben Jonson says, "I loved the man, and do honour to his memory, on this side idolatry, as much as any," and Chettle refers to "His demeanour no lesse civil than exelent in the qualities he professes." The only exception is a reference to him in Greene's _Groat's-worth of Wit_, as "an upstart crow beautified with our feathers, that with his tyger's heart wrapt in a player's hide supposes he is as well able to bumbast out a blanke verse as the best of you ... and is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a countrie." He is said to have written rapidly and with facility, rarely requiring to alter what he had set down. In addition to his generally received works, others have been attributed to him, some of which have been already mentioned: the only two which appear to have serious claims to consideration are _The Two Noble Kinsmen_, partly by Fletcher, and _Edward III._, of which part of Act I. and the whole of Act II. have been thought to be Shakespeare's. On the other hand a theory has been propounded that none of the plays bearing his name were really his, but that they were written by Bacon (_q.v._). This extraordinary view has been widely supported, chiefly in America, and has been sometimes maintained; with considerable ability and misplaced ingenuity.

SUMMARY.--_B._ 1564, _ed._ at Stratford School, _f._ falls into difficulties _c._ 1577, _m._ Ann Hathaway 1582, goes to London end of 1585, finds employment in theatres and acts in chief companies of the time, first in "The Theatre" afterwards the "Rose," the "Curtain," the "Globe" and "Blackfriars," appearing in Jonson's _Every Man in his Humour_ and _Sejanus_. _Venus and Adonis_, _Lucrece_, earlier plays, and perhaps most of sonnets _pub._ by 1595, when he was friend of Southampton and known at Court, purchases New Place at Stratford, falls into trouble _c._ 1600, having lost friends in Essex's conspiracy, and has unfortunate love affair; emerges from this into honour and peace, retires to Stratford and _d._ 1616. Productive period _c._ 1588-1613, 4 divisions, first (1588-96), second (1596-1601), third (1601-1608), fourth (1608-1613). Of 37 plays usually attributed, only 16 _pub._ in his life.

As might have been expected, there is a copious literature devoted to Shakespeare and his works. Among those dealing with biography may be mentioned Halliwell Phillipps's _Outline of the Life of Shakespeare_ (7th ed., 1887), Fleay's _Shakespeare Manual_ (1876), and _Life of Shakespeare_ (1886). _Life_ by S. Lee (1898), Dowden's _Shakespeare, his Mind and Art_ (1875), Drake's _Shakespeare and his Times_ (1817), Thornberry's _Shakespeare's England_ (1856), Knight's _Shakespeare_ (1843). _See_ also Works by Guizot, De Quincey, Fullom, Elze, and others. Criticisms by Coleridge, Hazlitt, Swinburne, T.S. Baynes, and others. Concordance by Mrs. Cowden Clarke. Ed., Rowe (1709), Pope (1725), Theobald (1733), Johnson (1765), Capell (1768), Steevens's improved re-issue of Johnson (1773), Malone (1790), Reed's _1st Variorum_ (1803), _2nd Variorum_ (1813), _3rd Variorum_ by Jas. Boswell the younger (1821), Dyce (1857), Staunton (1868-70), Camb. by W.G. Clark and Dr. Aldis Wright (1863-66), Temple (ed. I. Gollancz, 1894-96), _Eversley Shakespeare_ (ed. Herford, 1899).

SHARP, WILLIAM ("FIONA MACLEOD") (1856-1905).--Wrote under this pseudonym a remarkable series of Celtic tales, novels, and poems, including _Pharais, a Romance of the Isles_, _The Mountain Lovers_, _The Sin-Eater_ (1895), _The Washer of the Ford_, and _Green Fire_ (1896), _The Laughter of Peterkin_ (1897), _The Dominion of Dreams_ (1899), _The Divine Adventure_ (1900), _Drostan and Iseult_ (1902). He was one of the earliest and most gifted promoters of the Celtic revival. In verse are _From the Hills of Dream_, _Through the Ivory Gate_, and _The Immortal Hour_ (drama). Under his own name he wrote _Earth's Voices_, _Sospiri di Roma_, _Sospiri d'Italia_, poems, and books on Rossetti, Shelley, Browning, and Heine; also a few novels.

SHAW, HENRY WHEELER ("JOSH BILLINGS") (1818-1885).--Humorist, _b._ in Massachusetts. After working on steam-boats and farming, he became an auctioneer, and settled at Poughkeepsie. Stripped of the fantastic spelling by which he first succeeded in catching the public attention, the shrewd and droll maxims of his _Farmers' Allminax_ have something in common with Franklin's _Poor Richard_. Other books with the same features are _Josh Billings' Sayings_, _Everybody's Friend_, _Josh Billings' Trump Kards_, etc.

SHELLEY, MRS. MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT (GODWIN) (1797-1851).--Novelist, _b._ in London, the only child of William Godwin (_q.v._) and Mary Wollstonecraft, his wife (_q.v._). In 1814 she went to the Continent with P.B. Shelley (_q.v._), and _m._ him two years later. When abroad she saw much of Byron, and it was at his villa on the Lake of Geneva that she conceived the idea of her famous novel of _Frankenstein_ (1818), a ghastly but powerful work. None of her other novels, including _The Last Man_ and _Lodore_, had the same success. She contributed biographies of foreign artists and authors to Lardner's _Cabinet Cyclopædia_, and ed. her husband's poems.

SHELLEY, PERCY BYSSHE (1792-1822).--Poet, _s._ of Sir Timothy S., was _b._ at Field Place, near Horsham, Sussex, and _ed._ at Brentford, Eton, and Univ. Coll., Oxf., whence for writing and circulating a pamphlet, _The Necessity of Atheism_, he was expelled. One immediate result of this was a difference with his _f._, which was deepened into a permanent breach by his marriage in the following year to Harriet Westbrook, the pretty and lively _dau._ of a retired innkeeper. The next three years were passed in wandering about from place to place in Ireland, Wales, the Lake District, and other parts of the kingdom, and in the composition of _Queen Mab_ (1813), the poet's first serious work. Before the end of that period he had separated from his wife, for which various reasons have been assigned, one being her previous desertion of him, and the discovery on his part of imperfect sympathy between them; the principal one, however, being that he had conceived a violent passion for Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (_see_ Shelley, Mrs. M.W.), _dau._ of William Godwin (_q.v._), with whom he eloped to Italy in 1814, and whom he _m._ in 1816, his first wife having drowned herself. The custody of his two children, whom he had left with their mother, was refused him by the Court of Chancery. In Switzerland he had made the acquaintance of Byron, with whom he afterwards lived in intimacy in Italy. Returning to England in 1815 he wrote his first really great poem, _Alastor_ (1816), followed by the _Hymn to Intellectual Beauty_, _Prince Athanase_, _Rosalind and Helen_, and _Laon and Cythna_, afterwards called the _Revolt of Islam_ (1817). In 1818 he left England never to return, and went to Italy, and in the next two years--while at Rome--produced his two greatest works, the tragedy of _The Cenci_ (1819) and _Prometheus Unbound_ (1820). He removed to Venice in 1820 in the company of Byron, and there wrote _Julian and Maddalo_, a poetic record of discussions between them. _Epipsychidion_, _Hellas_, and _Adonais_, a lament for Keats, were all produced in 1821. After a short residence at Pisa he went to Lerici on the Gulf of Spezzia, where he indulged in his favourite recreation of boating, and here on July 8, 1823, he went, in company with a friend, Mr. Williams, on that fatal expedition which cost him his life. His body was cast ashore about a fortnight later, and burnt, in accordance with the quarantine law of the country, on a pyre in the presence of Byron, Leigh Hunt, and Trelawny. His ashes were carefully preserved and buried in the Protestant cemetery at Rome near those of Keats. The character of S. is a singularly compounded one. By the unanimous testimony of his friends, it was remarkable for gentleness, purity, generosity, and strong affection: on the other hand he appears to have had very inadequate conceptions of duty and responsibility, and from his childhood seems to have been in revolt against authority of every kind. The charge of Atheism rests chiefly on _Mab_, the work of a boy, printed by him for private circulation, and to some extent repudiated as personal opinion. As a poet he stands in the front rank: in lyrical gift, shown in _Prometheus_, _Hellas_, and some of his shorter poems, such as "The Skylark," he is probably unsurpassed, and in his _Cenci_ he exhibits dramatic power of a high order. Among his shorter poems are some which reach perfection, such as the sonnet on "Ozymandias," "Music when soft voices die," "I arise from dreams of thee," "When the lamp is shattered," the "Ode to the West Wind," and "O world! O life! O time!" During his short life of 30 years he was, not unnaturally, the object of much severe judgment, and his poetic power even was recognised by only a few. Posterity has taken a more lenient view of his serious errors of conduct, while according to his genius a shining place among the immortals.

The best ed. of the _Works_ is that of Buxton Forman (4 vols.). There are ed. of the Poems by W.M. Rossetti (1894), Dowden (1891), etc. _Lives_ by Medwin (1847), J.A. Symonds (1887), W.M. Rossetti, Prof. Dowden, T. Jefferson Hogg, and others.

SHENSTONE, WILLIAM (1714-1763).--Poet, _s._ of Thomas S., owner of a small estate at Hales Owen, Shropshire. At this place, called the Leasowes, the poet was _b._ In 1732 he went to Oxf. On his father's death he retired to the Leasowes where he passed his time, and ran through his means in transforming it into a marvel of landscape gardening, visited by strangers from all parts of the kingdom. The works of S. consist of poems and prose essays. Of the former two, _The Schoolmistress_, a humorous imitation of Spenser, with many quaint and tender touches, and the _Pastoral Ballad_ in four parts, perhaps the best of its kind in the language, survive. The essays also display good sense and a pointed and graceful style. The last years of S. were clouded by financial embarrassments and perhaps also by disappointed affections. After his death his works, were _coll._ and _pub._ by Dodsley.

SHERIDAN, RICHARD BRINSLEY (1751-1816).--Dramatist and orator, _b._ in Dublin, the _s._ of an actor, was _ed._ at Harrow. In 1772 he eloped with Miss Linley, a famous singer, went with her to France, fought two duels, and _m._ her in 1773. S. has a reputation of the highest in two distinct walks, those of the dramatist and the Parliamentary orator. By his three great comedies, _The Rivals_ (1775), _The School for Scandal_ (1777), and _The Critic_ (1779), he raised himself to the first place among the writers of the comedy of manners; and by his speeches, specially those in support of the impeachment of Warren Hastings, he has a position among the greatest of Parliamentary orators. Unfortunately he had little turn for business, and too great a love of pleasure and conviviality, which led to lifelong pecuniary embarrassment, completed by the destruction by fire of Drury Lane Theatre, of which he had become proprietor. As a politician S. supported the Whig party, and held the offices of Under-Sec. for Foreign Affairs, Sec. to the Treasury, and Treasurer of the Navy. He was also confidential adviser to George IV. when Prince of Wales, but like everybody else who had to do with him suffered from the ingratitude of "the first gentleman in Europe." The accounts long prevalent of the poverty and misery of his last years have been shown to be greatly exaggerated, though he was in reduced circumstances. As a dramatist S. shines in the construction of amusing situations, and in a sparkling flow of witty dialogue which never flags. His only other play was _Pizarro_ (1799), a patriotic melodrama.

_Lives_ by Walkins (1817), T. Moore (1825), and Mrs. Oliphant (1883).

SHERLOCK, WILLIAM (1641?-1707).--Divine and controversialist, _b._ at Southwark, _ed._ at Eton and Camb., took orders, and became in 1684 Master of the Temple, and in 1691 Dean of St. Paul's. He exercised a powerful influence in the Church. His most popular work was his _Discourse concerning Death_, and his principal controversial effort was his _Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity_. Other works were on _Future Judgment_ and on _The Divine Providence_. His son, THOMAS SHERLOCK (1678-1761), who was also Master of the Temple, became Bishop successively of Bangor, Salisbury, and London, and was, like his _f._, a noted controversialist. His best known work is his _Tryal of the Witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus_ (1729).

SHERWOOD, MRS. MARY MARTHA (BUTT) (1775-1851).--Writer of children's books, _m._ in 1803 Captain H. Sherwood, and went to India, where she took much interest in soldiers' children. Among her books, many of which attained great popularity, are _Susan Gray_, _Little Henry and his Bearer_, and _The Fairchild Family_.

SHIRLEY, JAMES (1596-1666).--Dramatist, _b._ in London, _ed._ at Merchant Taylor's School, London, and at Oxf. and Camb., became a master of St. Alban's Grammar School, and afterwards joined the Roman Catholic Church, and going to London wrote for the stage, producing 39 plays. His talents and his religion recommended him to Queen Henrietta Maria, and he appears to have led a fairly prosperous life until the interdict of plays by Parliament in 1642. In the Civil War he bore arms on the Royalist side, and during the Commonwealth he returned to his occupation of schoolmaster. The Restoration does not appear to have improved his fortunes much; he was burnt out in the great fire of 1666, and very soon afterwards he and his wife _d._ on the same day. The plays of S. include _The Traitor_ (1631), _The Cardinal_ (1641), _The Gamester_ (1633), _Hyde Park_ (1632), and _The Lady of Pleasure_ (1635). He also wrote poems, including the well-known lines beginning "The Glories of our mortal State." S. has fancy, liveliness, and the style of a gentleman, but he lacks depth and interest. He is less gross than most of his contemporaries.

Other plays are _The Ball_ (1632), _The Maid's Revenge_ (1626), _The Grateful Servant_ (1629), _Bird in a Cage_ (1633), _The Example_ (1634). _The Constant Maid_ (_c._ 1640), _Doubtful Heir, or Rosania_ (1640), _Court Secret_ (1653), _Contention of Ajax and Ulysses_ (1659), etc.

SHORTHOUSE, JOSEPH HENRY (1834-1903).--Novelist, _b._ at Birmingham, where he was a chemical manufacturer. Originally a Quaker, he joined the Church of England. His first, and by far his best book, _John Inglesant_, appeared in 1881, and at once made him famous. Though deficient in its structure as a story, and not appealing to the populace, it fascinates by the charm of its style and the "dim religious light" by which it is suffused, as well as by the striking scenes occasionally depicted. His other novels, _The Little Schoolmaster Mark_, _Sir Percival_, _The Countess Eve_, and _A Teacher of the Violin_, though with some of the same characteristics, had no success comparable to his first. S. also wrote an essay, _The Platonism of Wordsworth_.

SIBBES, RICHARD (1577-1635).--Divine, was at Camb., where he held various academic posts, of which he was deprived by the High Commission on account of his Puritanism. He was the author of several devotional works expressing intense religious feeling--_The Saint's Cordial_ (1629), _The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax_, etc. He was a man of great learning.

SIDNEY, or SYDNEY, ALGERNON (1622-1683).--Political writer, _s._ of the 2nd Earl of Leicester, and grand-nephew of Sir Philip S., in his youth travelled on the Continent, served against the Irish Rebels, and on the outbreak of the Civil War, on the side of the Parliament. He was one of the judges on the trial of Charles I., and though he did not attend, he thoroughly approved of the sentence. He opposed the assumption of the supreme power by Cromwell. After the Restoration he lived on the Continent, but receiving a pardon, returned in 1677 to England. He, however, retained the republican principles which he had all his life advocated, fell under the suspicion of the Court, and was in 1683, on the discovery of the Rye House Plot, condemned to death on entirely insufficient evidence, and beheaded on Tower Hill, December 7, 1683. Though no charge of personal venality has been substantiated, yet it appears to be certain that he received money from the French King for using his influence against war between the two countries, his object being to prevent Charles II. from obtaining command of the war supplies. S. was deeply versed in political theory, and wrote _Discourses concerning Government_, _pub._ in 1698.

SIDNEY, SIR PHILIP (1554-1586).--Poet and romancist, _s._ of Sir Henry S., Deputy of Ireland, and Pres. of Wales, _b._ at the family seat of Penshurst, and _ed._ at Shrewsbury School and Oxf. He was at the French Court on the fateful August 24, 1572--the massacre of St. Bartholomew--but left Paris soon thereafter and went to Germany and Italy. In 1576 he was with his _f._ in Ireland, and the next year went on missions to the Elector Palatine and the Emperor Rudolf II. When his father's Irish policy was called in question, he wrote an able defence of it. He became the friend of Spenser, who dedicated to him his _Shepherd's Calendar_. In 1580 he lost the favour of the Queen by remonstrating against her proposed marriage with the Duke of Anjou. His own marriage with a _dau._ of Sir Francis Walsingham took place in 1583. In 1585 he was engaged in the war in the Low Countries, and met his death at Zutphen from a wound in the thigh. His death was commemorated by Spenser in his _Astrophel_. S. has always been considered as the type of English chivalry; and his extraordinary contemporary reputation rested on his personal qualities of nobility and generosity. His writings consist of his famous pastoral romance of _Arcadia_, his sonnets _Astrophel and Stella_, and his _Apologie for Poetrie_, afterwards called _Defence of Poesie_. The _Arcadia_ was originally written for the amusement of his sister, afterwards Countess of Pembroke, the "Sidney's sister, Pembroke's mother," of Ben Jonson. Though its interest now is chiefly historical, it enjoyed an extraordinary popularity for a century after its appearance, and had a marked influence on the immediately succeeding literature. It was written in 1580-81 but not _pub._ until 1590, and is a medley of poetical prose, full of conceits, with occasional verse interspersed. His _Defence of Poesie_, written in reply to Gosson (_q.v._), is in simple and vigorous English. S. also made a translation of the Psalms.

_Poems_ ed. by Grosart, _Apologie_ by Arber and others, _Astrophel_ by Gray, Arber, and others. _Life_ by Fulke Greville (1652), ed. by Sir E. Brydges (1816). _Arcadia_ (_facsimile_), by Somner. Lives by J.A. Symonds, Fox Bourne, and others.

SIGOURNEY, MRS. LYDIA (HUNTLEY) (1791-1865).--American verse writer, was an extraordinarily copious writer of smooth, sentimental verse, which had great popularity in its day. Her most ambitious effort was a blank verse poem, _Traits of the Aborigines of America_ (1822). Other books were _Connecticut Forty Years Since_, _Pocahontas_, etc.

SIMMS, WILLIAM GILMORE (1806-1870).--Novelist, etc., _b._ at Charleston, South Carolina, began his literary life with journalism. He then for some time tried poetry, but without any distinct success except occasionally in _Southern Passages and Pictures_ (1839). But in fiction, which he began in 1833 with _Martin Faber_, he was more successful, though rather an imitator of Cooper. _The Yemassee_ (1835) is generally considered his best novel. He was less happy in his attempts at historical romance, such as _Count Julian_ and _The Damsel of Darien_. During the war, in which he was naturally a strong partisan of the South, he was ruined, and his library was burned; and from these disasters he never recovered. He had a high repute as a journalist, orator, and lecturer. He was the first Southerner to achieve any name in literature.

SKELTON, JOHN (1460?-1529).--Poet, _b._ in Norfolk, and _ed._ at Oxf. and Camb., of both of which he was _cr._ Poet Laureate, and perhaps held the same office under the King. He was appointed tutor to Henry VIII., and notwithstanding his sharp tongue, enjoyed some favour at Court. In 1498 he entered the Church, and became Rector of Diss in his native county. Hitherto he seems to have produced some translations only, but about this time he appears to have struck upon the vein which he was to work with such vigour and popularity. He turned his attention to abuses in Church and State, which he lashed with caustic satire, conveyed in short doggerel rhyming lines peculiar to himself, in which jokes, slang, invectives, and Latin quotations rush out pell-mell. His best works in this line are _Why come ye not to Court?_ and _Colin Clout_, both directed against the clergy, and the former against Wolsey in particular. Piqued at his inconstancy (for S. had previously courted him) the Cardinal would have imprisoned him, had he not taken sanctuary in Westminster, where he remained until his death. Other works of his are _The Tunning_ (brewing) _of Elynor Rummynge_, a coarsely humorous picture of low life, and the tender and fanciful _Death of Philip Sparrow_, the lament of a young lady over her pet bird killed by a cat.

SKELTON, SIR JOHN (1831-1897).--Miscellaneous writer. _B._ in Edinburgh, _ed._ at the Univ. there, and called to the Scottish Bar 1854, he was Sec. and ultimately Chairman of the Local Government Board for Scotland. He wrote _Maitland of Lethington and the Scotland of Mary Stuart_ (1887), _The Crookit Meg_ (1880), and _The Table Talk of Shirley_. He contributed to _Fraser's_ and _Blackwood's Magazines_. He received the degree of LL.D. from Edin. 1878, and was made K.C.B. 1897.

SKENE, WILLIAM FORBES (1807-1892).--Historian, 2nd _s._ of James S. of Rubislaw, friend of Sir Walter Scott, was a Writer to the Signet in Edinburgh, and Clerk of the Bills in the Court of Session. He wrote and ed. historical works of considerable authority, _The Highlanders of Scotland_ (1837), and his most important work, _Celtic Scotland_ (1876-80), and ed. of _The Four Ancient Books of Wales_ (1868), and other Celtic writings.

SKINNER, JOHN (1721-1807).--Historian and song-writer, _s._ of a schoolmaster at Birse, Aberdeenshire, was _ed._ at Marischal Coll. Brought up as a Presbyterian, he became an Episcopalian and ministered to a congregation at Longside, near Peterhead, for 65 years. He wrote _The Ecclesiastical History of Scotland_ from the Episcopalian point of view, and several songs of which _The Reel of Tullochgorum_ and _The Ewie wi' the Crookit Horn_ are the best known, and he also rendered some of the Psalms into Latin. He kept up a rhyming correspondence with Burns.

SKIPSEY, JOSEPH (1832-1903).--Poet, _b._ near North Shields, and from childhood worked in the mines. He _pub._ a few pieces of poetry in 1859, and soon after left working underground and became caretaker of Shakespeare's house at Stratford-on-Avon. During the last 30 years of his life he _pub._ several vols. of poetry, including _The Collier Lad_ and _Carols from the Coal Fields_; and he ed. some vols. for the "Canterbury Poets." _Memoir_ by R.S. Watson (1908).

SMART, CHRISTOPHER (1722-1771).--Poet, _s._ of the steward to Lord Vane, was _b._ at Shipbourne, Kent, and by the bounty of the Duchess of Cleveland sent to Camb. Here his ill-balanced mind showed itself in wild folly. Leaving the Univ. he came to London and maintained himself by conducting and writing for periodicals. His _Poems on Several Occasions_, which contained "The Hop Garden," was issued in 1752, and _The Hilliad_ in 1753 against "Sir" John Hill, a notoriety of the day who had attacked him. His mind ultimately gave way, and it was in confinement that he produced by far his most remarkable work, the _Song to David_, a most original and powerful poem. Unfortunate to the last, he _d._ in the King's Bench prison, to which he had been committed for debt. He also translated Horace.

SMEDLEY, FRANK (1818-1864).--Novelist, was the author of several novels which had considerable popularity, including _Frank Fairleigh_ (1850), _Lewis Arundel_ (1852), and _Harry Coverdale's Courtship_ (1855). S. was a life-long cripple.

SMILES, SAMUEL (1812-1904).--Biographer and miscellaneous writer, _b._ at Haddington, _ed._ at the Grammar School there, studied medicine at Edin., and settled in practice in his native town. Subsequently he betook himself to journalism, and ed. a paper in Leeds. Afterwards he was sec. to various railways. His leisure was devoted to reading and writing, and his first publication was _The Life of George Stephenson_ (1857). _Self-Help_, his most popular work, followed in 1859; it had an immense circulation, and was translated into 17 languages. It was followed up by _Character_ (1871), _Thrift_ (1875), and _Duty_ (1880). _The Lives of the Engineers_ and _Industrial Biography_ appeared in 1863, _The Huguenots, their Settlements, Churches, and Industries in England and Ireland_ (1867), and _The Huguenots in France_ a little later. He also wrote biographies of Telford and James Watt, and of the Scottish naturalists, Edwards the shoemaker and Dick the baker. He received the degree of LL.D. from Edin. in 1878.

SMITH, ADAM (1723-1790).--Philosopher and economist, _b._ at Kirkcaldy, Fife, the _s._ of the Controller of Customs there. His _f._ _d._ shortly before his birth. The first and only adventure in his tranquil life was his being kidnapped by gipsies. After being at the Grammar School of Kirkcaldy, he went to the Univ. of Glasgow, whence he proceeded to Oxf. On the conclusion of his Univ. course he returned to Kirkcaldy, going subsequently to Edinburgh, where he was soon recognised as a man of unusual intellect. In 1751 he was appointed to the Chair of Logic at Glasgow, which he next year exchanged for that of Moral Philosophy, and in 1759 he _pub._ his _Theory of the Moral Sentiments_. He received in 1762 the degree of LL.D. from his Univ., and two years later resigned his chair and became travelling tutor to the young Duke of Buccleuch, accompanying him to the Continent. He remained for nearly a year in Paris, and made the acquaintance of the brilliant circle of _savans_ in that city. Returning to Kirkcaldy in 1766 he lived there with his mother for nearly ten years in retirement and close study, the results of which were given to the world in 1776 in the publication of his epoch-making work, _Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations_ (1776). This book may be said to have founded the science of political economy, and to have created a new department of literature; and very few works have, to the same extent, influenced the practical history of the world. In 1778 S. was made a Commissioner of Customs, and settled in Edinburgh; and in 1787 he was elected Lord Rector of the Univ. of Glasgow. In addition to the works above mentioned, he wrote various essays on philosophical subjects, and an account of the last days of David Hume. The style of his works was plain and lucid, and he had a remarkable faculty of apt illustration.

SMITH, ALBERT (1816-1860).--Humorous writer, studied medicine, and for a short time assisted his _f._ in practice. He was one of the original contributors to _Punch_, and among his books are _The Adventures of Mr. Ledbury_ and _The Scattergood Family_. He also lectured and gave entertainments, including _The Ascent of Mont Blanc_, which were highly popular.

SMITH, ALEXANDER (1830-1867).--Poet and essayist, _s._ of a Paisley pattern-designer, at first followed the same occupation in Glasgow, but having become known as a poet of promise was, in 1854, appointed Sec. of Edin. Univ. After contributing to the _Glasgow Citizen_ he _pub._ _A Life Drama_ (1853), which received much admiration. Thereafter appeared _War Sonnets_ (in conjunction, with S. Dobell, _q.v._), _City Poems_ (1857), and _Edwin of Deira_ (1861). In prose he wrote _Dreamthorpe_ (essays), _A Summer in Skye_, and two novels, _Alfred Hagart's Household_ and _Miss Dona M'Quarrie_. His poems were in a rich and glowing style, but by some good judges were held to show fancy rather than imagination. He belonged to what was called the "spasmodic" school of poetry.

SMITH, MRS. CHARLOTTE (TURNER) (1749-1806).--Was _m._ at 15 to a West Indian merchant, who by a series of misfortunes and imprudences was reduced from affluence to poverty. She had in her youth shown considerable promise as a poetess, and in her misfortunes she was able to maintain herself and her family by her pen. In addition to a poem, _Beachy Head_, and sonnets, she wrote several novels of more than usual merit, including _Emmeline_ (1788), and, her best work, _The Old English Manor House_.

SMITH, HORACE (1779-1849), SMITH, JAMES (1775-1839).--Humorists, _s._ of a London lawyer who was solicitor to the Board of Ordnance. James succeeded his _f._; Horace became a successful stockbroker. Both brothers were distinguished for brilliant wit and humour. Their first great hit was _Rejected Addresses_ (1812), extremely clever parodies on leading contemporary poets. To this _jeu d'esprit_ James contributed among others imitations of Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Crabbe, while Horace's share included Scott and Moore. James _pub._ little more, but anonymously gave Charles Matthews assistance in his entertainments. Horace _pub._ several novels which, with perhaps the exception of _Brambletye House_, are now forgotten. He also wrote _The Address to a Mummy_, a remarkable poem in which wit and true sentiment are admirably combined. Both brothers were highly esteemed not only for their social qualities, but for their benevolence and goodness of heart.

SMITH, SYDNEY (1771-1845).--Miscellaneous writer, _b._ at Woodford, Essex, the _s._ of a gentleman of independent means, and _ed._ at Winchester and Oxf., took orders 1794, becoming curate of Amesbury. He came to Edinburgh as tutor to a gentleman's _s._, was introduced to the circle of brilliant young Whigs there, and assisted in founding the _Edinburgh Review_. He then went to London, where he was for a time preacher at the Foundling Hospital, and lectured on moral philosophy at the Royal Institution. His brilliant wit and general ability made him a favourite in society, while by his power of clear and cogent argument he exercised a strong influence on the course of politics. His _Plymley Letters_ did much to advance the cause of Catholic emancipation. He received various preferments, and became a canon of St. Paul's. In politics he was a Whig, in his Church views an Erastian; and in the defence of his principles he was honest and courageous. Though not remarkable for religious devotion he was a hard-working and, according to his lights, useful country parson. By the death of a younger brother he in his later years came into a considerable fortune.

SMITH, WALTER CHALMERS (1824-1908).--_B._ in Aberdeen and _ed._ there and at Edin., was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland at Orwell, Glasgow, and Edinburgh successively, a distinguished preacher and a man of kindly nature and catholic sympathies. He attained considerable reputation as a poet. Among his works are _The Bishop's Walk_ (1861), _Olrig Grange_ (1872), _Hilda among the Broken Gods_ (1878), _Raban_ (1880), _Kildrostan_ (1884), and _A Heretic_ (1890). Some of these were written under the names of "Orwell" and Hermann Kunst. He received the degrees of D.D. and LL.D.

SMITH, SIR WILLIAM (1813-1893).--Lexicographer, _ed._ at Univ. Coll., London, was a contributor to the _Penny Magazine_ and compiled or ed. many useful works of reference, including _Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities_ (1842), and dictionaries of the Bible, of Christian Antiquities, and Christian Biography, etc., also various school series and educational handbooks, including _The Classical Dictionary_. He held various academical degrees, including Ph.D. of Leipsic, and was knighted in 1892.

SMITH, WILLIAM ROBERTSON (1846-1894).--Theologian and Semitic scholar, _s._ of the Free Church minister of Keig, Aberdeenshire, studied for the ministry of that Church. In 1870 he was appointed Prof. of Hebrew, etc., in its coll. at Aberdeen, a position which he had to resign on account of his advanced critical views. He became joint ed. of _The Encyclopædia Britannica_, and in 1883 Prof. of Arabic at Camb. S. was a man of brilliant and versatile talents, a mathematician as well as a scholar, somewhat uncompromising and aggressive in the exposition and defence of his views. His works include _The Old Testament in the Jewish Church_ (1881), and _The Religion of the Semites_ (1889).

SMOLLETT, TOBIAS GEORGE (1721-1771).--Novelist, 2nd _s._ of Archibald S., of Dalquhurn, Dumbartonshire, and _ed._ at Glasgow, proceeded to London in 1739 with the view of having a tragedy, _The Regicide_, put on the stage, in which, however, he failed. In this disappointment he took service as surgeon's mate on one of the vessels of the Carthagena expedition, 1741, an experience which he turned to account in his novels. On his return he settled in London, and endeavoured to acquire practice as a physician, but was not very successful, and having discovered where his talent lay, he thenceforth devoted himself to literature. _Roderick Random_ appeared in 1748, _The History of an Atom_ (1749), _Peregrine Pickle_ in 1751, _Ferdinand, Count Fathom_ in 1753, _Sir Lancelot Greaves_ in 1766, and _Humphrey Clinker_, generally considered his best novel, in 1770. Besides these works, however, he translated Voltaire, wrote a _History of England_ in continuation of Hume's, an _Ode to Independence_, travels and satires, and contributed to various periodicals. He was repeatedly involved in acrimonious controversy, and on one occasion fined and imprisoned for a libel, which, with various private misfortunes, embittered his life, and he _d._ disappointed and worn out near Leghorn. Had he lived four years longer he would have succeeded to his grandfather's estate of Bonhill. The novels of S. display great narrative power, and he has a remarkable comic vein of a broad type, which enables him to present ludicrous scenes and circumstances with great effect. There is, however, a strong infusion of coarseness in his treatment of his subjects.

SOMERVILLE, MRS. MARY (FAIRFAX) (1780-1872).--Mathematician and writer on science, _dau._ of Admiral Sir William G. Fairfax, _b._ at Jedburgh, was twice _m._, first to Mr. Greig, an officer in the Russian Navy, and second to her cousin Dr. William S. Although she had early manifested a taste for study, and specially for science, she had, until after the death of her first husband, little opportunity of following out her favourite subjects. With Dr. S., who was in full sympathy with her scientific tastes, she went to reside in London, and there her talents made her known in scientific circles. In 1823 she was requested by Lord Brougham to popularise the _Mechanique Celeste_ of La Place. This she did with great success, publishing her work as _The Celestial Mechanism of the Heavens_ (1830). She also _pub._ _The Connection of the Physical Sciences_ (1834), and other works. She received a pension from Government, and _d._ aged 92 at Naples, where she had resided for the last ten or twelve years of her life.

SOMERVILLE, WILLIAM (1675-1742).--Poet, a Warwickshire squire of literary tastes, wrote among others a poem, _The Chase_, in 4 books, which has some passages of considerable descriptive power.

SOTHEBY, WILLIAM (1757-1833).--Poet and translator, belonged to a good family, and was _ed._ at Harrow. In early life he was in the army. He _pub._ a few dramas and books of poems, which had no great popularity, and are now forgotten; his reputation rests upon his admirable translations of the _Oberon_ of Wieland, the _Georgics_ of Virgil, and the _Iliad_ and _Odyssey_. The last two were begun when he was upwards of 70, but he lived to complete them. His _Georgics_ is considered one of the best translations from the classics in the language.

SOUTH, ROBERT (1634-1716).--Divine, _s._ of a London merchant, was _b._ at Hackney, and _ed._ at Westminster School and Oxf., where in 1660 he was appointed Univ. Orator. He became domestic chaplain to the Lord Chancellor Clarendon, and in 1663 the degree of D.D. was conferred upon him. After accompanying an embassy to Poland he became Rector of Islip, and a chaplain to Charles II. Thereafter he steadily declined higher preferment, including the bishopric of Rochester. He was opposed to the Romanising measures of James II., but owing to his views as to the duty of passive obedience he declined to associate himself in any way with the Revolution, to which nevertheless he submitted. He was an expert controversialist, but it is chiefly by his sermons, which are among the classics of English divinity, that he is remembered. He has the reputation of being the wittiest of English preachers, and this characteristic is sometimes present to a degree not quite suitable to the subjects treated.

SOUTHERNE, THOMAS (1660-1746).--Dramatist, _b._ in Dublin, and _ed._ at Trinity Coll. there, came to London and studied law at the Middle Temple. Afterwards he entered the army and saw service. He wrote ten plays, of which two were long acted and are still remembered, _The Fatal Marriage_ (1694) and _Oroonoko_ (1696), in the latter of which he appeals passionately against the slave-trade. Unlike most preceding dramatists he was a practical man, succeeded in his theatrical management, and retired on a fortune. Other plays are _The Loyal Brother_ (1682), _The Disappointment_ (1684), _The Wives' Excuse_ (1692), _The Spartan Dame_ (1719), etc.

SOUTHEY, MRS. CAROLINE ANNE (BOWLES) (1786-1854).--Poetess, _dau._ of a captain in the navy, submitted a poem, _Ellen Fitzarthur_ to Southey (_q.v._), which led to a friendship, and to a proposed joint poem on Robin Hood, not, however, carried out, and eventually to her becoming the poet's second wife. She wrote various other works, including _Chapters on Churchyards_ and _Tales of the Factories_.

SOUTHEY, ROBERT (1774-1843).--Poet, biographer, etc., _s._ of an unsuccessful linen-draper in Bristol, where he was _b._, was sent to Westminster School, and in 1792 went to Oxf. His friendship with Coleridge began in 1794, and with him he joined in the scheme of a "pantisocracy" (_see_ Coleridge). In 1795 he _m._ his first wife, Edith Fricker, and thus became the brother-in-law of Coleridge. Shortly afterwards he visited Spain, and in 1800 Portugal, and laid the foundations of his thorough knowledge of the history and literature of the Peninsula. Between these two periods of foreign travel he had attempted the study of law, which proved entirely uncongenial; and in 1803 he settled at Greta Hall, Keswick, to which neighbourhood the Coleridges had also come. Here he set himself to a course of indefatigable literary toil which only ended with his life. _Thalaba_ had appeared in 1801, and there followed _Madoc_ (1805), _The Curse of Kehama_ (1810), _Roderic, the Last of the Goths_ (1814), and _A Vision of Judgment_ (1821); and in prose a _History of Brazil_, Lives of Nelson (1813), Wesley (1820), and Bunyan (1830), _The Book of the Church_ (1824), _History of the Peninsular War_ (1823-32), _Naval History_, and _The Doctor_ (1834-37). In addition to this vast amount of work he had been from 1808 a constant contributor to the _Quarterly Review_. In 1839 when he was failing both in body and mind he _m._, as his second wife, Miss Caroline Ann Bowles, who had for 20 years been his intimate friend, and by whom his few remaining years were soothed. Though the name of S. still bulks somewhat largely in the history of our literature, his works, with a few exceptions, are now little read, and those of them (his longer poems, _Thalaba_ and _Kehama_) on which he himself based his hopes of lasting fame, least of all. To this result their length, remoteness from living interests, and the impression that their often splendid diction is rather eloquence than true poetry, have contributed. Some of his shorter poems, _e.g._, "The Holly Tree," and "The Battle of Blenheim" still live, but his fame now rests on his vigorous prose and especially on his classic _Life of Nelson_. Like Wordsworth and Coleridge, S. began life as a democratic visionary, and was strongly influenced by the French Revolution, but gradually cooled down into a pronounced Tory. He was himself greater and better than any of his works, his life being a noble record of devotion to duty and unselfish benevolence. He held the office of Poet Laureate from 1813, and had a pension from Government. He declined a baronetcy.

_Life and Correspondence_ (6 vols., 1849-50) by his younger son, Rev. C. Southey. _Life_ by Dowden in Men of Letters (1880).

SOUTHWELL, ROBERT (1561?-1595).--Poet, _b._ at Horsham St. Faith's, Norfolk, of good Roman Catholic family, and _ed._ at Douay, Paris, and Rome, he became a Jesuit, and showed such learning and ability as to be appointed Prefect of the English Coll. In 1586 he came to England with Garnett, the superior of the English province, and became chaplain to the Countess of Arundel. His being in England for more than 40 days then rendered him liable to the punishment of death and disembowelment, and in 1592 he was apprehended and imprisoned in the Tower for three years, during which he was tortured 13 times. He was then put on trial and executed, February 22, 1595. He was the author of _St. Peter's Complaint_ and _The Burning Babe_, a short poem of great imaginative power, and of several prose religious works, including _St. Mary Magdalene's Teares_, _A Short Rule of Good Life_, _The Triumphs over Death_, etc.

SPEDDING, JAMES (1808-1881).--Editor of Bacon's works, _s._ of a Cumberland squire, and _ed._ at Bury St. Edmunds and Camb., was for some years in the Colonial Office. He devoted himself to the ed. of Bacon's works, and the endeavour to clear his character against the aspersions of Macaulay and others. The former was done in conjunction with Ellis and Heath, his own being much the largest share in their great ed. (1861-74); and the latter, so far as possible, in _The Life and Letters_, entirely his own. In 1878 he brought out an abridged _Life and Times of Francis Bacon_. He strongly combated the theory that B. was the author of Shakespeare's plays. His death was caused by his being run over by a cab. He enjoyed the friendship of many of his greatest contemporaries, including Carlyle, Tennyson, and Fitzgerald.