SCOTT, WILLIAM BELL (1811-1890).—Poet and painter,s.of Robert S., an engraver, and brother of David S., painter,b.inEdin., settled in London, and painted chiefly historical subjects. Hepub.five vols. of poetry, includingHadesandThe Year of the World, and many fine sonnets, a form of poetry in which he excelled, and in proseHalf-hour Lectures on ArtandThe Little Mastersin the Great Artists Series. He also ed. a series of "English Poets," and wrote a Life of his brother and one of Albrecht Dürer, etc.
SEDLEY, SIR CHARLES (1639?-1701).—Poet,s.and heir of a Kentish baronet, was at Oxf. and, coming to the Court of Charles II., became one of the most popular and brilliant members of its dissipated circles. He was the author of two tragedies and three comedies, now forgotten, though extravagantly lauded in their day, and of some poems and songs, of which the best known arePhyllisandChloris. His only child was the witty and profligate Catherine S., mistress of James II., who created her Countess of Dorset.BellamiraandThe Mulberry Garden, founded respectively on Terence and Molière, are his best plays. His prose in pamphlets and essays is better than his verse.
SEELEY, SIR JOHN ROBERT (1834-1895).—Historian and essayist,s.of a publisher in London,ed.at City of London School and Camb. In 1863 he became Prof. of Latin at Univ. Coll., London, and was Prof. of Modern History at Camb. from 1869 until his death. In 1865 appeared anonymouslyEcce Homo, a work which created intense excitement and keen controversy in the theological and religious world. Other works wereThe Life and Times of Stein, the Prussian statesman (1879),Natural Religion(1882),The Expansion of England(1883),Life of Napoleon(1885), and a work on Goethe.The Growth of British Policy(1895) was left finished but unrevised at his death. In recognition of his services to the empire in his political writings he was, in 1894, made K.C.M.G.
SELDEN, JOHN (1584-1654).—Jurist and scholar,b.near Worthing, Sussex, thes.of a farmer who was also a musician,ed.at Chichester and Oxf., and studied law at Clifford's Inn and the Inner Temple. His learning soon attracted attention and, though practising little, he was consulted on points involving legal erudition. His first work,Analecton Anglo-Britannicon, a chronological collection of English records down to the Norman invasion, was written in 1606, though notpub.till 1615. In 1610 appeared a treatise on theDuello, or Single Combat; and in 1614 his largest English work onTitles of Honour, full of profound learning, and still a high authority. Three years later, 1617, he wrote in Latin his treatise,De Deis Syris(on the Gods of Syria), an inquiry into polytheism, specially with reference to the false deities mentioned in Scripture. His reputation as a scholar had now become European. In 1618 he incurred the indignation of the King and the clergy by hisHistory of Tithes, in which he denied their claim to be a divine institution. Called before the High Commission he made a statement regretting the publication of the book though not withdrawing any of its statements. In 1621 he suffered a brief imprisonment for withstanding some of James's doctrines as to the privileges of Parliament. Two years later he was elected member for Lancaster. As a politician his views were moderate, and all along he endeavoured to repress thezeal of the extremists on both sides. He was imprisoned in the Tower for four years, 1630-34. During the final struggle of King and Parliament he was much employed; but like most men of moderate views, was frequently under suspicion, and after the execution of the King, to which he was strongly opposed, he took little to do with public matters. He was a lay member of the Westminster Assembly, 1643, where his profound knowledge of the original tongues made him somewhat of a terror to certain extremists among the divines. He had at an early age been appointed steward to the Earl of Kent, and at the house of his widow, with whom he had long lived in such close friendship as to give rise to the belief that they werem., hed.Among other works may be mentioned a description of the Arundel Marbles (1629), a treatise concerning the Jewish calendar (1646), and, specially, hisTable Talk,pub.1689, of which Coleridge said "there is more weighty bullion sense in this book than I can find in the same number of pages of any uninspired writer." He was likewise the author of various treatises on constitutional matters and the law of nations, includingMare Clausum(a Closed Sea), in defence of the property of England in its circumfluent seas. Most of these were written in Latin.
Coll. WorkswithLife, Dr. Wilkins (3 vols., folio, 1726), Aikin'sLivesof Selden and Ussher.
SELLAR, WILLIAM YOUNG (1825-1890).—Scholar,b.in Sutherlandshire, hisf.being factor to the Duke of Sutherland,ed.at Glasgow Univ. and Oxf., became in 1859 Prof. of Greek at St. Andrews and, in 1863, of Latin at Edin. Hepub.a work on theRoman Poets of the Republic(1863), followed byThe Roman Poets of the Augustan Age. Both of these hold a high place among modern works of scholarship.
SEMPILL, ROBERT (1530?-1595), SEMPILL, ROBERT (1595?-1659?), SEMPILL, FRANCIS (1616?-1682).—Scottish poets, all belonging to the same family, the last two beingf.ands.The first was mainly a satirist, was in Paris at the massacre of St. Bartholomew, and belonged to the extremist division of the Reforming party,The Regente's Tragedylaments the death of Murray,Ane Complaint upon Fortoun, the fall of Morton. The second Robert wroteThe Life and Death of Habbie Simson, the Piper, a humorous description of old Scottish life. Francis wrote occasional pieces. The songShe Rose and let me in, formerly attributed to him, is now known to be byTom D'Urfey(q.v.).
SENIOR, NASSAU WILLIAM (1790-1864).—Economist and essayist,s.of a clergyman, wasb.at Compton Beauchamp, Berks,ed.at Eton and Oxf., studied law, and was called to the Bar in 1819. He twice held the Professorship of Political Economy at Oxf., 1825-30 and 1847-52, rendered important service as a member of the Poor Law Commission of 1833, and wrote its Report. S. holds a high position among English economists, and made many contributions to the literature of the science, includingOutline of the Science of Political Economy(1836). He was, moreover, a writer of considerable versatility, his works in general literature includingEssays on Fiction(1864),Historical and Philosophical Essays(1865), and specially hisnotes of conversations with many eminent persons, chiefly political,e.g., De Tocqueville, Thiers, and Guizot, which combine fulness of information with discretion; he alsopub.journals of his travels in Turkey, Greece, Egypt, etc.
SETTLE, ELKANAH (1648-1724).—Poet and dramatist,ed.at Oxf., was the author of a number of turgid dramas, now unreadable and unread, but which in their day were held to rival Dryden, who pilloried S. as Doeg in the second part ofAbsalom and Achitophel. S. essayed a reply inAbsalom Senior. He wrote against the Papists, but recanted, and made amends by aNarrative of the Popish Plot, in which he exposed the perjuries of Titus Oates. He was appointed City Poet. Latterly he had a booth in Bartholomew Fair. Hed.in the Charterhouse. His plays includeCambyses(1666),Empress of Morocco(1671),Love and Revenge(1675),The Female Prelate,Distressed Innocence(1691), and theLadies' Triumph(1718).
SHADWELL, THOMAS (1640 or 1642-1692).—Dramatist and poet, belonged to a good Staffordshire family, wasb.in Norfolk,ed.at Camb., and after studying law travelled, and on his return became a popular dramatist. Among his comedies, in which he displayed considerable comic power and truth to nature, may be mentionedThe Sullen Lovers(1668),Royal Shepherdess(1668),The Humourists(1671), andThe Miser(1672). He attached himself to the Whigs, and when Dryden attacked them inAbsalom and AchitophelandThe Medal, had the temerity to assail him scurrilously inThe Medal of John Bayes(1682). The castigation which this evoked inMacFlecknoeand in the second part ofAbsalom and Achitophel, in which S. figures as "Og," has conferred upon him an unenviable immortality. He may have found some consolation in his succession to Dryden as Poet Laureate when, at the Revolution, the latter was deprived of the office.
Other plays areEpsom Wells(1673),The Virtuoso(1676),Lancashire Witches(1681),The Volunteers(1693), etc.
SHAFTESBURY, ANTHONY ASHLEY COOPER, 3RD EARL OF (1671-1713).—Philosopher,b.in London, grandson of the 1st Earl, the eminent statesman, the "Achitophel" of Dryden. After a private education under the supervision of Locke, and a short experience of Winchester School, he travelled much on the Continent. On succeeding to the earldom in 1699 he took a prominent part in the debates of the House of Lords, but devoted himself mainly to philosophical and literary pursuits. Hiscoll.writings werepub.in 1711 under the title ofCharacteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, and Times. In his philosophy he maintains, as against Hobbes, the existence of a moral sense, a view subsequently developed by the Scottish school of philosophy. The style of S. is stately and sonorous but laboured. Hed.at Naples, whither he had gone in search of health, at the early age of 42. Though his writings are directed strongly against Atheism, they have been held to be hostile to a belief in revelation.
SHAIRP, JOHN CAMPBELL (1819-1885).—Poet and critic,ed.at Glasgow and Oxf., became Prof. of Latin at St. Andrews 1861. Principal of the United Coll. there 1868, and Prof. of Poetry at Oxf.1877-87. Among his writings areKilmahoe and other Poems(1864),Studies in Poetry and Philosophy(1868),Culture and Religion(1870), and a Life of Burns in the English Men of Letters Series. He also collaborated with Prof. Tait in writing the Life ofPrincipal Forbes(q.v.), and ed. the Journal of Dorothy Wordsworth.
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. Hisf., 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. Hem.Mary, youngestdau.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 twodau., whod.in infancy. William was the third, and others followed, of whom three sons, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and adau.Joan, reached maturity. He wased.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 hisf.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 hisf.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 whom.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 meanrank." 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'sEvery Man in his HumourandSejanus, and inHamlethe played "The Ghost;" and it is said that his brother Gilbert as an old man remembered his appearing as "Adam" inAs You Like It. By 1595 S. was famous and prosperous; his earlier plays had been written and acted, and his poemsVenus and Adonis, andLucrece, and probably most of the sonnets, had beenpub.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 byFrancis 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, andThe 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 hisf.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 theremaining 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 hed.on April 23. He was survived by his wife and his twodau., both of whom were married. His descendantsd.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 werepub.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.
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 nolesse civil than exelent in the qualities he professes." The only exception is a reference to him in Greene'sGroat'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 areThe Two Noble Kinsmen, partly by Fletcher, andEdward 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 byBacon(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 difficultiesc.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'sEvery Man in his HumourandSejanus.Venus and Adonis,Lucrece, earlier plays, and perhaps most of sonnetspub.by 1595, when he was friend of Southampton and known at Court, purchases New Place at Stratford, falls into troublec.1600, having lost friends in Essex's conspiracy, and has unfortunate love affair; emerges from this into honour and peace, retires to Stratford andd.1616. Productive periodc.1588-1613, 4 divisions, first (1588-96), second (1596-1601), third (1601-1608), fourth (1608-1613). Of 37 plays usually attributed, only 16pub.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'sOutline of the Life of Shakespeare(7th ed., 1887), Fleay'sShakespeare Manual(1876), andLife of Shakespeare(1886).Lifeby S. Lee (1898), Dowden'sShakespeare, his Mind and Art(1875), Drake'sShakespeare and his Times(1817), Thornberry'sShakespeare's England(1856), Knight'sShakespeare(1843).Seealso 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's1st Variorum(1803),2nd Variorum(1813),3rd Variorumby 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, includingPharais, a Romance of the Isles,The Mountain Lovers,The Sin-Eater(1895),The Washer of the Ford, andGreen 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 areFrom the Hills of Dream,Through the Ivory Gate, andThe Immortal Hour(drama). Under his own name he wroteEarth'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 hisFarmers' Allminaxhave something in common with Franklin'sPoor Richard. Other books with the same features areJosh Billings' Sayings,Everybody's Friend,Josh Billings' Trump Kards, etc.
SHELLEY, MRS. MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT (GODWIN) (1797-1851).—Novelist,b.in London, the only child ofWilliam Godwin(q.v.) andMary Wollstonecraft, his wife (q.v.). In 1814 she went to the Continent withP.B. Shelley(q.v.), andm.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 ofFrankenstein(1818), a ghastly but powerful work. None of her other novels, includingThe Last ManandLodore, had the same success. She contributed biographies of foreign artists and authors to Lardner'sCabinet Cyclopædia, and ed. her husband's poems.
SHELLEY, PERCY BYSSHE (1792-1822).—Poet,s.of Sir Timothy S., wasb.at Field Place, near Horsham, Sussex, anded.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 hisf., which was deepened into a permanent breach by his marriage in the following year to Harriet Westbrook, the pretty and livelydau.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 ofQueen 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 (seeShelley, Mrs. M.W.),dau.ofWilliam Godwin(q.v.), with whom he eloped to Italy in 1814, and whom hem.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 theHymn to Intellectual Beauty,Prince Athanase,Rosalind and Helen, andLaon and Cythna, afterwards called theRevolt of Islam(1817). In 1818 he left England never to return, and went to Italy, and in the next two years—while atRome—produced his two greatest works, the tragedy ofThe Cenci(1819) andPrometheus Unbound(1820). He removed to Venice in 1820 in the company of Byron, and there wroteJulian and Maddalo, a poetic record of discussions between them.Epipsychidion,Hellas, andAdonais, 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 onMab, 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 inPrometheus,Hellas, and some of his shorter poems, such as "The Skylark," he is probably unsurpassed, and in hisCencihe 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 theWorksis that of Buxton Forman (4 vols.). There are ed. of the Poems by W.M. Rossetti (1894), Dowden (1891), etc.Livesby 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 wasb.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 thePastoral Balladin 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, werecoll.andpub.by Dodsley.
SHERIDAN, RICHARD BRINSLEY (1751-1816).—Dramatist and orator,b.in Dublin, thes.of an actor, wased.at Harrow. In 1772 he eloped with Miss Linley, a famous singer, went with her to France, fought two duels, andm.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), andThe 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 wasPizarro(1799), a patriotic melodrama.
Livesby 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 hisDiscourse concerning Death, and his principal controversial effort was hisVindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity. Other works were onFuture Judgmentand onThe 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 hisf., a noted controversialist. His best known work is hisTryal 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, areSusan Gray,Little Henry and his Bearer, andThe 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 Parliamentin 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 wifed.on the same day. The plays of S. includeThe Traitor(1631),The Cardinal(1641),The Gamester(1633),Hyde Park(1632), andThe 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 areThe 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, andA 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 wroteDiscourses 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, anded.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 hisf.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 hisShepherd'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 adau.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 hisAstrophel. 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 ofArcadia, his sonnetsAstrophel and Stella, and hisApologie for Poetrie, afterwards calledDefence of Poesie. TheArcadiawas 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 notpub.until 1590, and is a medley of poetical prose, full of conceits, with occasional verse interspersed. HisDefence of Poesie, written in reply toGosson(q.v.), is in simple and vigorous English. S. also made a translation of the Psalms.
Poemsed. by Grosart,Apologieby Arber and others,Astrophelby Gray, Arber, and others.Lifeby Fulke Greville (1652), ed. by Sir E. Brydges (1816).Arcadia(facsimile), by Somner. Lives by J.A. Symonds, Fox Bourne, and others.