Universitätsbibliothek HeidelbergUniversitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
Überblick
Faksimile
0.5
1 cm
facsimile
Vollansicht
OCR-Volltext
LADY DENHAM.

143

he hath left the world. When he was there, he would game
extremely \ when he had played away all his money, he would
play away his father’s cappes wrought with gold. His father was
Sir John Denham, one of the Barons of the Exchequer; he had
been one of the Lords Justices in Ireland; he married Ellenor,*
one of the daughters of Sir Garret Moore, knight, Lord Baron of
Mellifont, in ye kingdome of Ireland, whom he married during his
service in Ireland, in ye place of Chief Justice there.
a Sir John was not supposed to be a witt. At last, viz. 1640,
his play of a The Sophy” came out, which did take extremely.
Mr. Edmund Waller sayd then of him, that he broke out like the
Irish Rebellion,—threescore thousand strong, when nobody sus-
pected it. He was much rooked by gamesters, and fell acquainted
with that unsanctified crew to his ruine. His father had some
suspicion of it, and chid him severely; whereupon his son John
(only child) wrot a little Essay in 8vo, pointed against gaming,
and to shew the vanities and inconveniences of it, which he pre-
sented to his father, to let him know his detestation of it: but
shortly after his father’s death (1638,) (who left 2000 or 1500 lib.
in ready money, two houses well furnished, and much plate,) the
money was played away first, and next the plate was sold. I
remember, about 1646, he lost 200 lib. one night at Newcutt.
J J o
* * * * *
“In 1646-7 he conveyed or stole away the two Dukes of Yorke
and Gloucester from St. James’s (from the tuition of the Earle of
Northumberland,) and conveyed them into France to the Prince of
AV ales and Queen-mother. It was at Wilton, the seat of the Earl
of Pembroke, in 1652, that he translated the-book of Virgil’s
EEneis, and also burlesqu’t it.f He married for his first wife the
* She was a beautiful woman, as appears by her monument. Sir John, they
say, did much resemble his father.
t “ He burlesqued Virgil, and burnt it, saying, that ’twas not fitt that the
first poet should be so abused.” From Mr. Chr. Ware, tutor to William Lord
Herbert.
 
Annotationen