Porter, Endymion (1587-1649)

English courtier, Royalist, and patron of the arts and literature. He was a devoted follower of both Charles I and the duke of Buckingham. In 1623 he accompanied them on their clandestine visit to Madrid, Spain, in connection with the proposed Spanish marriage. Porter became the king's most trusted confidant and, although still employed on diplomatic missions, was mainly concerned with the arts and adding to the royal collection of paintings. He was amply rewarded for his services. He sat in the Long Parliament, voting against the attainder of Strafford, and served the king in the English Civil War. He fled abroad in 1645, returning to England in 1649.