Brief Lives, Vol. 1

Chapter 202: Sir Everard Digby (1578-1605/6).

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Biographies History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)

About This Book

A collection of concise biographical sketches compiled from the author's manuscript notes, offering anecdotal portraits of a wide range of literary, scientific, political, and social figures across several generations. Entries blend remembered quotations, learned citation, personal recollection, and occasional gossip, producing uneven but vivid character sketches. Material is presented alphabetically and supplemented by antiquarian notes, a short theatrical piece, and facsimiles of manuscript drawings and plans. An introduction outlines editorial principles and reproduces the manuscript spellings and citations where appropriate, preserving the informality and immediacy of the original notes.

Sir Everard Digby (1578-1605/6).

[834]Sir Everard Digby (father of Sir Kenelme) scripsit libellum Latinè cui titulus:—

Everardi Dygbei de duplici methodo—

in 8vo, in dialogues.

I have heard Mr. John Digby say (his grandsonne) that he was the handsomest man (accounted) in England.

[835]Sir Everard Digby was a most gallant gentleman and one of the handsomest men of his time. He writt something in Latin de methodo, which I did light upon 23 yeares ago at a country man's howse in Herefordshire; and Mr. Francis Potter told me he writt de arte natandi.

'Twas his ill fate to suffer in the powder-plott. When his heart was pluct out by the executioner (who, secundum formam, cryed 'Here is the heart of a traytor!'), it is credibly reported, he replied, 'Thou liest!' This my lord Bacon speakes of, but not mentioning his name, in his Historia vitae et mortis.