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| 1st, 2nd and 3rd Earls of Pembroke. |
He is known to have been a bookish, melancholy youth. As early as 1597 he was pressing his father to allow him to reside in London. His father agreed to allow the move the next spring. In the meantime, a contract of marriage would be negotiated with the Lord Great Treasurer, Baron Burghley, for the hand of his niece, Bridgit De Vere. The young lady's estate being distressed, and Burghley's days clearly numbered, her inheritance, upon his death, was offered as her marriage portion. The promise of future satisfaction was not considered sufficient and negotiations were ended.
In a letter of September 8, 1597, from Bridgit's father, Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, to Burghley, Oxford indicates that he did not yet know Herbert personally.
...the young gentleman, as I understand hath been well brought up, fair conditioned, and hath many good parts in him.
Upon the younger man's arrival the next year, both moved regularly among the London literary scene.
William Herbert's literary pursuits in London were less written about than the project to make of him a courtier. History is provided an ongoing record of this in the letters from Rowland Whyte to his cousin and employer Robert Sidney. Beginning in the second half of the year1599, He began to train himself and his horses to impress in the lists and on the battlefield.
My Lord Harbert meanes to follow the camp, and bids me write unto you, that if yourfelf come not over, he meanes to make bold with you, and send for Bayleigh [a champion horse] to Penhurst, to serve upon. Yf you have any armor, or pistols, that may steede him for himself only, he desires he may have the use of them till your own return.1
*
My Lord Harbert hath bene away from Court these 7 daies in London, swagering yt amongest the Men of Warre, and viewing the maner of the musters.2
Just how well he shown is not mentioned. Never in his life did he have the opportunity to enter in such competitions, it would seem, or in battle.
The sudden enthusiasm for such matters seems to have been to a purpose. As a courtier he appears to have been too retiring for his own good. It is not that he didn't try.
My Lord Harbert is to have 200 Horse sent up by his Father to attend her Majesties Person.3
But mostly he was just a wistful young man ̶ not the trait to succeed in a Royal Court. Even if the courtier in question is son to one of the richest and most powerful noblemen in the country.
The Queen was not impressed by wistfulness but rather by masculine command. She liked to be vigorously wooed and flattered. Liked young courtiers to show-off in hopes of impressing her.
Whyte and other family advisors continually advised him to step up ̶ to show himself. He needed to out perform his competition.
My Lord Harbert is a. continuall Courtier, but doth not follow his business with that care as is fit; he is to cold a courtier in a matter of such greatnes.4
*
Now that my Lord Harbert is gon, he is much blamed for his cold and weake maner of pursuing her Majesties favor, having had soe good steps to leade him unto it. There is a want of spirit and courage laid to his charge, and that he is a melancholy young man. Young Carey followes it with more care and boldnes. I protest unto you, that I did from time to time advise his lordship to a more careful course, assuring him, that to goe back would prove disgraceful unto him, and that this yong competitor might purposely start up, to try what he wold doe. Yt is not yet to[o] late, if he stay not to[o] long in the country.5
Everyone one in the Pembroke faction was depending upon an impressive success by the heir to the earldom.
In September the old Earl underwent another of his serious health crises. William returned to Penhurst to attended upon him. He rallied and the expectation was voiced that he would live for years yet to come ̶ perhaps a desparate hope in those who saw nothing impressive in his diffident heir.
Of course queen's needed powerful allies, also. A weakening of the Pembroke faction was not to her benefit, either. Perhaps it was she who took the young man in hand.
Lord Harbart is highly favoured by the Queen; for at his departure he had access unto her; and was private an hour...6
However this striking show of favor came about, it began a lifetime of confidence.
From this point onward, in the Whyte-Sidney correspondence, the young nobleman is spoken of with high expectation.
My Lord Harbert is very well thought of, and keapes Company with the best and gravest in Court, and is well thought of amongest them.7
He has taken up the popular habit of smoking a pipe.
I open a Lettre from my Lord Harbert to me, who saies, that he hath a continuall Paine in his Head, and finds no Manner of Ease, but by taking of Tobacco. He wills me to comend hym to you, and to signifie, that you cannot send hym a more pleasing Giſte then excellent Tobacco.8
The headaches he experiences might be suspected to be more effect of addiction. This request for tobacco always follows upon several months of a cold that the young lord somehow can't seem to shake.
As he started to get the hang of the courtier thing, we learn that he began to attend to the masculine sports that marked out the noble young warrior. He began working on his moves.
My Lord Harbert is practifing at Greenwich, I ſent him Word of this; he leapes, he dawnces, he singes, he gives Cownterbuffes, he makes his Horse runne with more Speede; he thanckes me, and meanes to be exceeding merry with you this Winter in Baynards Castell, where you must take Phisicke.9
Whyte and his other advisors have succeeeded. The young man will make a fine earl no matter that he will still prefer to spend unusual amounts of time alone reading.
Upon his father's death, just over a year later, in January of 1601, Herbert became the 3rd Earl of Pembroke. He is rarely mentioned again in the Sidney Papers until the year 1625. He must learn to keep his own counsel.
1 Collins, Arthur. Letters and Memorials of State, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, King James, King Charles The First, Part Of The Reign Of King Charles The Second, And Oliver's Uſsurpation. Written and Collected by Sir Henry Sydney (1746). Sidney Papers. II.113. 4 Aug. 1599.
2 Sidney Papers. II.118. 18 Aug. 1599.
3 Ibid. II.115. 11 Aug. 1599.
4 Ibid. II.120. 8 Sept. 1599.
5 Ibid. II.122. 12 Sept. 1599.
6 Ibid. II.144. 29 Nov. 1599.
7 Ibid. II.209. 8 Augus, 1600
8 Ibid. II.165 26 January 1599
9 Ibid. II.220. 30 October, 1600.
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
- More on Thomas North as Shakespeare and author of Arden of Feversham. June 14, 2021. “This is also the reason why the title pages included the address of the shop that was selling the book.”
- A 1572 Oxford Letter and the Player’s Speech in Hamlet. August 11, 2020. “The player’s speech has been a source of consternation among Shakespeare scholars for above 200 years. Why was Aeneas’ tale chosen as the subject?”
- Gutenberg, proto-Hack Writers and Shakespeare. May 26, 2020. “A less well known effect of the Reformation was that many young Catholic men who had taken religious orders in order to receive an education began to lead lives at large from monastic discipline. Like Erasmus and Rabelais they took up the pen.”
- Shakespeare’s Funeral Meats. May 13, 2020. “Famous as this has been since its discovery, it has been willfully misread more often than not. No mainstream scholar had any use for a reference to Hamlet years before it was supposed to have been written.”
- Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
- Check out the Letters Index: Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford for many letters from this fascinating time, some related to the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
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