a wine used by our ancestors, which some have taken to be Rhenish and some Canary wine.—Venner, in his *Via Recta ad Vitam Longam*, printed in 1628, says that sack is "completely not in the third degree, and that some affect to drink sack with sugar and some without; and upon no other ground, as I think, but as it is best pleasing to their palate." He goes on to say, "that sack, taken by itself, is very hot and very penetrative; being taken with sugar, the heat is both somewhat allayed, and the penetrative quality thereof also retarded." He adds further, that Rhenish, &c., decline after a twelvemonth, but sack and the other stronger wines are best when they are two or three years old. It appears to be highly probable that sack was not a sweet wine, from its being taken with sugar, and that it did not receive its name from having a saccharine flavour, but from its being originally stored in sacks or barochios. It does not appear to have been a French wine, but a strong wine the production of a hot climate. Probably it was what is called dry mountain, or some Spanish wine of that kind. This conjecture is the more plausible, as Howell, in his French and English Dictionary, printed in the year 1650, translates sack by the words *vin d'Espagne, vin sec*.

**Sack of Wool**, a quantity of wool containing just 22 stone, and every stone 14 pounds. In Scotland, a sack is 24 stone, each stone containing 16 pounds.

**Sack of Cotton Wool**, a quantity from one hundred and a half to four hundred weight.

**Sacks of Earth**, in fortification, are canvas bags filled with earth. They are used in making retrenchments in haste, to place on parapets, or the head of the breaches, &c. to repair them, when beaten down.

**Sackbut**, a musical instrument of the wind kind, being a sort of trumpet, though different from the common trumpet both in form and size; it is fit to play a bass, and is contrived to be drawn out or shortened, according to the tone required, whether grave or acute. The Italians call it *trombone*, and the Latins *tuba ductilis*.

**Sackville** (Thomas, Lord Buckhurst, and earl of Dorset), a statesman and poet, the son of Richard Sackville, Esq.; of Buckhurst, in the parish of Witham in Sussex, was born in the year 1536. He was sent to Hart-hall in Oxford, in the latter end of the reign of Edward VI, whence he removed to Cambridge, where he took a master of arts degree, and thence to the Inner Temple. He now applied himself to the study of the law, and was called to the bar. We are told that he commenced poet whilst at the universities, and that these his juvenile productions were much admired, none of which, however, have been preserved.—In the fourth and fifth year of queen Mary, we find him a member of the house of commons; about which time, in 1557, he wrote a poetical piece, intitled *The Induction*, or *The Mirror of Magistrates*. This last was meant to comprehend all the unfortunate Great from the beginning of our history; but the design being dropped, it was inserted in the body of the work. The Mirror of Magistrates is formed on a dramatic plan; Sackville, in which the persons are introduced speaking. The Induction is written much in the style of Spencer, who, with some probability, is supposed to have imitated this author.

In 1561, his tragedy of *Gorboduc* was acted before queen Elizabeth by the gentlemen of the Inner Temple. This was the first tolerable tragedy in our language. The Companion to the Play-house tells us, that the three first acts were written by Mr Tho. Norton. Sir Philip Sidney, in his Apology for Poetry, says, "it is full of staty speeches, and well-foundings of phrases, climbing to the height of Seneca in his style, &c." Rymer speaks highly in its commendation. Mr Spence, at the instigation of Mr Pope, republished it in 1736, with a pompous preface. It is said to be our first dramatic piece written in verse.

In the first parliament of this reign, Mr Sackville was member for Sussex, and for Bucks in the second. In the mean time he made the tour of France and Italy, and in 1566 was imprisoned at Rome, when he was informed of his father's death, by which he became possessed of a very considerable fortune.

Having now obtained his liberty, he returned to England; and being first knighted was created Lord Buckhurst. In 1570 he was sent ambassador to France. In 1586 he was one of the commissioners appointed to try the unfortunate Mary queen of Scots; and was the messenger employed to report the confirmation of her sentence, and to see it executed. The year following he went ambassador to the States General, in consequence of their complaint against the earl of Leicester; who, disliking his impartiality, prevailed on the queen to recall him, and confine him to his house. In this state of confinement he continued about 10 months, when Leicester dying, he was restored to favour, and in 1580 was installed knight of the garter: but the most incontrovertible proof of the queen's partiality for lord Buckhurst appeared in the year 1591, when she caused him to be elected chancellor in the university of Oxford, in opposition to her favourite Essex. In 1598, on the death of the treasurer Burleigh, lord Buckhurst succeeded him, and by virtue of his office became in effect prime minister; and when, in 1601, the earls of Essex and Southampton were brought to trial, he sat as lord high steward on that awful occasion.

On the accession of James I, he was graciously received, had the office of lord high treasurer confirmed to him for life, and was created earl of Dorset. He continued in high favour with the king till the day of his death; which happened suddenly, on the 19th of April 1608, in the council-chamber at Whitehall. He was interred with great solemnity in Westminster abbey. He was a good poet, an able minister, and an honest man. From him is descended the present noble family of the Dorsets. "It were needless (says Mr Walpole) to add, that he was the patriarch of a race of genius and wit."

**Sackville** (Charles, earl of Dorset), a celebrated wit and poet, descended from the foregoing, was born in 1637. He was, like Villiers, Rochester, Sedley, &c. one of the libertines of king Charles's court, and sometimes indulged himself in inexcusable excesses. He openly discountenanced the violent measures of James II, and engaged early for the prince of Orange.