and especially for the portraits of public men which they give.

WRIGHT, THOMAS (1810-1877).--Antiquary, _b._ near Ludlow, of Quaker
parentage, was _ed._ at Camb. His first work was a _History of Essex_
(1831-36). In 1836 he went to London, and adopted literature as a
profession, devoting himself specially to archaeology, history, and
biography. He held office in various societies such as the "Camden,"
"Percy," and "Shakespeare," and ed. many works for them. In all he was
the author of over 80 publications, of which some of the chief are _The
Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon_, _Biographia Britannica Literaria_,
_Queen Elizabeth and her Times_, and _History of Domestic Manners and
Sentiments in England during the Middle Ages_. He was superintendent of
the excavation of the Roman city at Wroxeter in 1859.

WYATT, SIR THOMAS (1503-1542).--Poet, _s._ of Sir Henry W., a servant of
Henry VII., and _ed._ at St. John's Coll., Camb., came to Court and was
frequently employed by Henry VIII. on diplomatic missions. He is said to
have been an admirer of Anne Boleyn before her marriage, and on her
disgrace was thrown into the Tower for a short time. In 1537 he was
knighted, and two years later was against his will sent on a mission to
the Emperor Charles V. On the death in 1540 of Thomas Cromwell, to whose
party he belonged, W. was accused of misdemeanours during his embassy and
again imprisoned in the Tower, where he wrote a defence which resulted in
his release. In 1542 he was sent to meet the Spanish Ambassador at
Falmouth, and conduct him to London, but on the way caught a chill, of
which he _d._ W. shares with the Earl of Surrey (_q.v._) the honour of
being the first real successor of Chaucer, and also of introducing the
sonnet into England. In addition to his sonnets, which are in a more
correct form than those of Surrey, W. wrote many beautiful lyrics; in
fact he may be regarded as the reviver of the lyrical spirit in English
poetry which, making its appearance in the 13th century, had fallen into
abeyance. In the anthology known as _Tottel's Miscellany_, first _pub._
in 1557, 96 pieces by W. appear along with 40 by Surrey, and others by
different hands. W. has less smoothness and sweetness than Surrey, but
his form of the sonnet was much more difficult as well as more correct
than that invented by the latter, and afterwards adopted by Shakespeare,
and his lyrical gift is more marked.

WYCHERLEY, WILLIAM (1640?-1716).--D