Vere, Sir Horace

, baron of Tilbury, and younger brother.to the preceding sir Francis Vere, was born at Kirby-hall, in Essex, in 1565. Entering early into a military life, he accompanied, in the twentieth year of his age, his brother, sir Francis, into the Low Countries, uhere he acquired great reputation by his valour and conduct. In 1600 he had a considerable share in the victory obtained by the English and Dutch near Nieuport. He afterwards, as well as his brother, signalized himself in the defence of Ostend. He commanded the forces sent by king James I. to the assistance of the elector Palatine. He was a man of a steady and sedate courage, and possessed that presence of mind in the greatest dangers and emergencies, which is the highest qualification of a general. It was owing to this quality that he made that glorious retreat from Spinola, | the Spanish general, which was the greatest action of his life; and his taking of Sluys was attended with difficulties which were thought insuperable.

Upon the accession of king Charles I. sir Horace Vere, as a reward for his services, was advanced to the peerage, by the title of lord Vere, baron of Tilbury; being the first peer created by that monarch. He died the 2d of May, 1635, and was buried in Westminster-abbey. He married a lady who was then the widow of Mr. John Hoby: she was the youngest daughter of sir John Tracy of Doddington, or Tuddington, in Gloucestershire. She died in 1671, at a great age. The parliament placed the younger children of Charles I. under the care of this lady, who was a person of great piety and worth, and in her punning epitaph, written by Dr. Simon Ford, is thus addressed,

"Nobilitas tibi

vera fuit; prudentia vera

Vera tibi pietas, &c."

Clark has a long account of her in his lives published in 1684, fol. and so highly was sir Horace esteemed, that at his death a volume was published, dedicated to her, containing “Elegies celebrating the happy memory of sir Horatio Vere,” &c. Lond. 1642, 8vo. 1

1 Biog. Brit. Bibliographer, tol, Il.-Ldf e’s Illustrations.