HERBERT, William, Earl of Pembroke, was born at Wilton, in Wiltshire, 1580, and admitted to New College, Oxford, in 1592, where he continued about two years. In 1601 he succeeded to his father's honours and estate, and was made a knight of the garter in 1604, and governor of Portsmouth six years afterwards. In 1626 he was elected chancellor of the university of Oxford, and about the same time made lord steward of the king's household. He died suddenly at his house in London on the 10th of April 1630, if we may credit Wood, according to the calculation of his nativity made several years before by Mr Thomas Allen of Gloucester Hall. Concerning this calculation, Clarendon relates, that some considerable persons connected with Lord Pembroke having met at Maidenhead, one of them at supper drank a health to the lord steward; upon which another said, that he believed his lordship was at that time very merry, for he had now outlived the day which it had been prognosticated from his nativity that he would not survive. The next morning, however, they received the news of his death. Whether the noble historian really believed this and other accounts relating to astrology, apparitions, providential interpositions, and other marvels not dreamt of in philosophy, which he has inserted in his history, we do not presume to say; he narrates them, however, as if he did not actually disbelieve them. Lord Pembroke was not only a great favourer of learned men, but was himself learned, and endowed with a considerable share of poetical genius. All that are extant of his productions in this way were published under the title of Poems written by William Earl of Pembroke.