Habington, William (1605-1654)

English poet. In 1634 he published Castara, a volume of lyrical poems, some of which are notable for their purity. He also wrote The Historie of Edward the Fourth 1640; The Queene of Arragon 1640, a tragicomedy; and Observations upon Historie 1641.

Habington was born in Hindlip, Worcestershire. He belonged to a Roman Catholic family, and his father and uncle were both implicated in Anthony Babington's plot to assassinate Elizabeth I. Having resisted pressure to become a Jesuit, he went to Paris and married Lucy Herbert, daughter of the 1st Lord Powys.