Thomas Sackville Biography

Dromo's Den

SACKVILLE, Thomas (1536–1608). The first Earl of Dorset and Baron Buckhurst, an English poet and statesman. He was born at Buckhurst, Sussex, in 1536. He joined the Inner Temple and was called to the bar. In conjunction with Thomas Norton (q.v.) he wrote the first English tragedy in blank verse, Ferrex and Porrex, afterward called Gorboduc (q.v.), performed at the Inner Temple on Twelfth Night, 1561. It is founded on British legend and is molded to the form of Latin tragedy. It has no dramatic life or energy, but the style is pure and stately, evincing eloquence and power of thought. Sackville's other productions (first published in 1563) are the Induction, a poetical preface to the Mirror for Magistrates (1559–63), and the Complaint of the Duke of Buckingham, which was designed to conclude the work. The Induction is a noble poem, uniting, as Hallam says, "the school of Chaucer and Lydgate to the Fairy Queen." Soon after his father's death in 1866 he was created Lord Buckhurst and became a favorite with the Queen, who employed him in foreign diplomacy. Many places and honors came to him. He went to Parliament as early as 1557. In the spring of 1568 he was sent to France, where he twice negotiated for the Queen's marriage. In 1587 he incurred her displeasure by what she called his shallow judgment in diplomacy and he was confined to his own house as a prisoner for six months. On the death of Leicester he returned to favor. He succeeded Burleigh as Lord High Treasurer (1599). On the accession of James his patent of office was renewed for life and in the following year he was created Earl of Dorset. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

The New International Encyclopaedia, Vol. XX (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1920) 289.