William Habington

William Habington (November 4, 1605 - November 30, 1654), was an English poet.

He was born at Hindlip Hall, Worcestershire, and belonged to a well-known Catholic family. His father, Thomas Habington, an antiquary and historical scholar, had been implicated in the plots on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots; his uncle, Edward Habington, was hanged in 1586 on the charge of conspiring against Elizabeth in connection with Anthony Babington; while to his mother, Mary Habington, was attributed the revelation of the Gunpowder Plot.

The poet was sent to the college of St. Omer, but, pressure being brought to bear on him to induce him to become a Jesuit, he removed to Paris. He married about 1632 Lucy, second daughter of Sir William Herbert, 1st Baron Powis. This lady he had addressed in the volume of lyrical poems arranged in two parts and entitled Castara, published anonymously in 1634. In 1635 appeared a second edition enlarged by three prose characters, fourteen new lyrics and eight touching elegies on his friend and kinsman, George Talbot, 9th Earl of Shrewsbury. The third edition (1640) contains a third part consisting of a prose character of A Holy Man and twenty-two devotional poems.

He also wrote a tragi-comedy, The Queen of Arragon (1640), published without his consent by his kinsman, the earl of Pembroke, and revived at the Restoration; and six essays on events in modern history, Observations upon History (1641).