Rich in the treasure of deserv'd renown, Rich in the riches of a royal heart; Who though most rich in these and every part [Sonnet 37.] This lady, so celebrated, was Penelope the Daughter of Walter Devereux Earl of Essex, and sister to the favourite of Queen Elizabeth. Her father dying when she was young, and her mother marrying afterwards the Earl of Leicester, she became a ward of that nobleman, who, it must be remembered, was the uncle of Sidney, and his father by adoption. Introduced to each other in this familiar way, and at the most susceptible age, an attachment between them was to be expected. Such an attachment appears to have taken place; it was mutual, ardent, and might have been happy aud innocent. What prevented their union does not satisfactorily appear. Sidney alludes to it in one of his best Sonnets, and shall speak for himself: I might-unhappy word! O me! I might, I find how heavenly day, wretch, I did miss! While too much wit forsooth so troubled me : How fair a day was nigh. O punished eyes! That I had been more foolish, or more wise !* [Sonnet 33.] There is a Letter in the Sidney Papers from Sir Edward Waterhouse to Sir Henry Sidney, which throws some light upon this affair. It is dated November the 14th, 1576, and contains the following passage:"Truly, my Lord, I must say to your Lordship, as I have said to my Lord of Leicester and Mr. Philip, the breaking off of this match, if the default be on your parts, will turn to more dishonour than can be repaired with any other marriage in England. And I protest unto your Lordship, I do not think that there is at this day so strong a man in England of friends, as the little Earl of Essex, nor any man more lamented than his father, since the death of King Edward.” The first sentence in this letter evidently alludes to a treaty of marriage which had taken place between the young people, and in plain terms accuses the party who would break it off, with acting dishonourably. By the evidence of the Sonnet above quoted, Sidney himself was the cause of its being broken off, and consequently in the opinion of Sir E. Waterhouse, "a person," says * There is some obscurity in the concluding part of this Sonnet. Wit at the period of its composition, was synonimous with wisdom;-the line "That I respects for both our sakes must shew," probably alludes to proposals of marriage, which had been made to the lady by her future husband, Lord Rich, and to similar proposals, made by his political friends to Sidney, on behalf of his future wife. The" fair day," which Sidney blames himself for not having foreseen, may allude to the rapid promotion and unbounded power which the Earl of Essex, when a very young man, acquired by his influence over the Queèn. It must be remembered that Essex, when his sister sacrificed herself to Lord Rich, was very young. Dr. Zouch," of consummate prudence, and the common friend of both families," he acted dishonourably. The following passage in this letter, probably guides us to the true reason for breaking off the intended match. It had evidently been a question whether the connection was advantageous to the young aspirant in a political view, and Sir E. Waterhouse says, he considers the little Earl of Essex to be the strongest of friends of any man in England. Probably Sidney and his advisers did not think so, and his subsequent marriage with the daughter of Secretary Walsingham, seems to afford a probability that he was ambitious to connect himself with some leading man at court. However this may be, the match was, according to the prediction of Sir E. Waterhouse, broken off; and the Lady soon after the date of this letter, married Lord Rich, who was afterwards created by James the first, Earl of Warwick; a man said to be of a morose and sullen disposition, and who, as we may collect from various passages in Sidney's poetry, neglected and illtreated his unhappy wife. This is not however, the most immoral part of Sidney's conduct, as connected with the unfortunate Stella. Had he in the struggle between affection and ambition, sacrificed the former to the latter, he might have been blamed; and if, as is most probable, he acted in violation of good faith, and in contempt of the feelings of another, he may be accused of dishonourable conduct: He was the son of a worthless father. The first Lord Rich, then a Court Lawyer, was employed to entrap the virtuons Sir Thomas More. He led that excellent man into an unguarded conversation, which was afterwards advanced in evidence against him, and procured his condemnation! The portrait of this man occurs in the Holbein Heads, and strongly eharacterises his disposition. but unfortunately for his character for "irreproachablemorality," he continued to prosecute this unhappy lady with his suit after her marriage, making her the subject of the most impassioned strains, and he endeavoured, for a purpose it is to be feared equally base and selfish, to effect a breach between her and her husband, by applying to the latter the most opprobrious and obnoxious epithets. This is a strong accusation, but it is impos-sible for any unprejudiced person to read the volume of poetry which he has devoted to the history of this criminal and unfortunate passion, without being convinced of its justice and strict veracity. The plea which his encomiasts have set up in his justification, which is, that his attachment to Lady Rich was merely platonic, must also vanish before such a scrutiny, it is too absurd to deserve serious notice. 66 * Another part of Sidney's conduct can hardly be reconciled with that exalted morality for which his biographers are disposed to give him credit. This is his written defence of his uncle, the Earl of Leicester, against the severe charges in a publication, entitled, Leicester's Commonwealth." In this work the Earl was accused, and there is every reason to presume justly, with crimes, both public and private, of the most heinous nature. In Sidney's answer, none of these accusations are confuted, or even noticed; he contents himself with vindicating the high descent of his relation, and after giving his antagonist the lie direct,. * See the poem entitled "Astroph el and Stella" passim, but more particularly the songs at p. 91, 100, 109, and 126, of the octa vo edition, 1724; and the articles marked 24, 37, and 78. challenges him to a meeting in any part of Europe, within three months from the date of his replication. This defence, if it be not a misnomer to call it so, was written within two years of his death, so that the plea of extreme youth cannot be fairly brought forward in its excuse. There is even another incident in the life of Sidney, in which the strictness of his morals may be called in question. In the year 1584, tired of an inactive life, and repeatedly foiled in his attempts to procure some employment from the queen's ministers, he made private arrangements to accompany Drake in one of his piratical attempts upon the Spanish colonies. He was to have been the principal director of it, and had engaged himself to furnish both a naval and a land armament for the purpose of effecting a powerful attack upon the newly settled states. He was prevented from car ying his purpose into execution, by the powerful and judicious interposition of the queen, who, while she secretly approved, perhaps, of the attempts made by a private seaman, such as Drake then was, had too much prudence and sense of propriety, to allow of them, when under the conduct of a man connected with some of her principal nobility and counsellors, and long conspicuous for his attendance near her person. It must be recollected that England was at this time at peace with Spain, and that Drake was justly considered by foreigners, in no other character than that of a pirate and freebooter. Of the personal bravery of Sir Philip Sidney, there can be no doubt; it amounted to rashness, which probably in the event cost him his life. On the morning |