13 Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke This nymph, quoth he, great Pembroke hight by name, Sister to valiant Sidney, whose clear light Gives light to all that tread true paths of Fame, Who in the globe of heaven doth shine so bright For to this Lady now I will repair, Presenting her the fruits of idle hours; Though many Books she writes that are more rare, Yet there is honey in the meanest flowers: Æmelia Lanyer, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum
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he extraordinary Mary Sidney (1561 – 1621) was an almost exact contemporary of Shakespeare and has been one of the candidates in various conspiracy theories for the actual author of Shakespeare’s works, in particular his sonnets. Even though this is nonsense, Mary Sidney, brother of the more famous Philip, was arguably Shakespeare’s – and almost everyone else’s – equal as a poet. Her largest work is her complete translation of the Psalms of David, a form known as a psalter. She and her brother worked on the translations together at first but he died in battle overseas in 1586 when they had only reached Psalm 43 of 150; she finished 77
