Background
Sir Charles Sedley was born about 1639, possibly at Aylesford in Kent. He was the son of Sir John Sedley, 2nd Baronet, of Aylesford in Kent, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Henry Savile.
Sir Charles Sedley was born about 1639, possibly at Aylesford in Kent. He was the son of Sir John Sedley, 2nd Baronet, of Aylesford in Kent, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Henry Savile.
He attended Oxford but took no degree.
After the restoration of Charles II in 1660, he entered Parliament, and became one of a group of lords and wits, including the Duke of Buckingham, Lord Buckhurst, and Sir Thomas Ogle, whose escapades gained them notoriety and brought them and the court into disfavor with the city and the Puritans. By his wit and conversational skill, however, Sedley gained the favor of Charles II. A patron of literature, he also wrote pamphlets on political matters, many lyrics, some translations, and a number of plays in several contemporary modes. His Antony and Cleopatra (1677), a rhymed heroic tragedy, was compared, not very favorably, with Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and Dryden's All for Love. His first comedy, The Mulberry-Garden (1688), had rhymed verse for one portion and prose for the other, and although it disappointed some critics it had considerable success; the prose part, by its satire, wit, and typical Restoration figures, linked it with the comedy of manners of Sir George Etherege and William Wycherley. His second comedy, Bellamira (1687), based on Classical materials, was a more unified play. Sedley died at his home near Hampstead on August 20, 1701.
(This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)
(This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)
(Mark Twain once famously said "there was but one solitary...)
(Mark Twain once famously said "there was but one solitary...)
Quotations:
"As the king has made my daughter a countess, the least I can do, in common gratitude, is to assist in making his Majesty's daughter (Mary) a queen".
"Wise men and gods are on the strongest side. "
"When change itself can give no more, 'T is easy to be true. "
Sedley was member of parliament for New Romney in Kent, and took an active and useful part in politics.
By his first wife Lady Katherine Savage, daughter of John, 2nd Earl Rivers he had only one legitimate child, Catherine, Countess of Dorchester, mistress of James II. The couple lived in Great Queen Street. After his first wife had been sent to a convent in Ghent on account of a serious mental condition, Sedley in vain tried to obtain a divorce. He met Ann Ayscough, probably around 1670, by whom he had two illegitimate sons, William and Charles Sedley. The relationship with Ann Ayscough lasted to the end of Sedley's life.
