Orrery, Roger Boyle, 1st Earl Of

(1621-1679)

   The son of Richard Boyle, first Earl of Cork, was born at Lismore, County Waterford, and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He served with the Earl of Northumberland, then took part in the campaign against the Irish in the rebellion of 1641. Oliver Cromwell got wind of Boyles' plan to reinstate Charles II and seduced him by offering him a general's command against the Irish, which he accepted. He was in Cromwell's parliament in 1654, and in 1656 was made lord president of the council to Scotland and created Earl of Orrery in 1660. He was buried at Youghal, East Cork. Between 1655 and 1659 he published Parthenissa, a romance in six volumes, and in 1677, Treatise of the Art of War. He also wrote Poems on Most of the Festivals of the Church (1681) as well as several rhymed-verse tragedies. Some of his publications: Henry V, 1664. Mustapha, 1665. The Black Prince, 1669. Tryphon, 1672. Herod the Great, 1694. Some of his poems: "A Poem on the Death of Abraham Cowley," "On Christmas Day," "The Dream," "The Earl of Orrery to Mrs. Philips."

   Sources: Biography of Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery: Answer.Com (http://www.answers.com/topic/roger-boyle1st-earl-of-orrery). Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. Results in Early English Prose Fiction. (http://www.letrs.indiana.edu/eepf/browse.html). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000. Treasury of Irish Religious Verse. Patrick Murray, ed. Crossroad, 1986.