gentlemen, who admired the vivacity of his genius, he repaired to
court, in hopes of making his fortune in that pleasing, but dangerous
element. He became first page to Frances, duchess of Richmond, a lady
much celebrated in those days, as well for her beauty, as the
influence she had at court, and her extraordinary taste for grandeur,
which excited her to keep a kind of private court of her own, which,
in our more fashionable æra, is known by the name of Drums, Routs, and
Hurricanes. Sir William afterwards removed into the family of Sir Fulk
Greville, lord Brooke, who being himself a man of taste and erudition,
gave the most encouraging marks of esteem to our rising bard. This
worthy nobleman being brought to an immature fate, by the cruel hands
of an assassin, 1628, Davenant was left without a patron, though not
in very indigent circumstances, his reputation having increased,
during the time he was in his lordship's service: the year ensuing the
death of his patron, he produced his first play to the world, called
Albovino, King of the Lombards, which met with a very general, and
warm reception, and to which some very honourable recommendations were
prefixed, when it was printed, in several copies of verses, by men of
eminence, amongst whom, were, Sir Henry Blount, Edward Hyde,
afterwards earl of Clarendon, and the honourable Henry Howard. Our
author spent the next eight years of his life in a constant attendance
upon court, where he was highly caressed by the most shining
characters of the times, particularly by the earl of Dorset, Edward
Hyde, and Lord Treasurer Weston: during these gay moments, spent in
the court amusements, an unlucky accident happened to our author,
which not a little deformed his face, which, from nature, was very
handsome. Wood has affirmed, that this accident arose from libidinous
dalliance with a handsome black girl in Axe-yard, Westminster. The
plain fact is this, Davenant was of an amorous complexion, and was so
unlucky as to carry the marks of his regular gallantries in the