The Life of Henry, Third Earl of Southampton, Shakespeare's Patron

Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton (1573?1624) is widely regarded as the subject of Shakespeare's sonnets, and the two narrative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece are both dedicated to him. Originally published in 1922, this book used the limited available material concerning Southampton to provide a biographical account of his life and connections with Shakespeare. The text was written by Charlotte Carmichael Stopes (1840?1929), a renowned Shakespearean scholar, literary critic and campaigner for women's rights. Illustrative figures and addenda are also contained. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the life of Southampton, Shakespeare and literary criticism.

Preface; Hints of readers; 1. Lord Wriothesley's infancy; 2. The boyhood of the Earl; 3. The Earl's first association with St John's College, Cambridge; 4. Proposals for marriage; 5. The patron; 6. The Earl's majority; 7. Causes of gossip; 8. Sea dreams and actions, 1596–7; 9. The two Countesses of Southampton; 10. The Irish campaign; 11. The quarrel between Lord Grey of Wilton and the Earl of Southampton, 1599–1604; 12. The perils of 'contempt', 1599–1600; 13. The conspiracy, 1600–1; 14. Judgments; 15. Clearing up; 16. A lampoon of the day, 1601; 17. The passing of the Tudors; 18. The coming of the king; 19. Festivities, 1604–5; 20. The fifth of November; 21. 'Some discover islands far away'; 22. The occurrents in England; 23. A noble gift to St John's College library; 24. A long progress; 25. Work in the house of Lords; 26. 'Virginia Britannica'; 27. The fifty-second year; 28. 'Hence these tears'; 29. The heir of all; Addenda: I. The paternal ancestors; II. The maternal ancestors; III. The second Earl and Countess of Southampton; IV. Southampton's contemporaries in St John's College, Cambridge; Note to chapter 21; Index.