Sylvanus Scory (also Silvanus) (c. 1551 – 1617) was an English courtier and politician, known as a soldier, covert agent, and dissolute wit.

A. L. Rowse Alfred Leslie Rowse (4 December 1903 – 3 October 1997) was a British historian and writer, best known for his work on Elizabethan England and books relating to Cornwall. Born in Cornwall and raised in modest circumstances, he was encourag ...

, ''Simon Forman: Sex and Society in Shakespeare's Age'' (1974), pp. 195–6.

Life

He was the son of

John Scory John Scory (died 1585) was an English Dominican friar who later became a bishop in the Church of England. He was Bishop of Rochester from 1551 to 1552, and then translated to Bishop of Chichester from 1552 to 1553. He was deprived of this positio ...

, the bishop of Hereford. His father's patronage made him a

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of t ...

of Hereford, 1565–9. According to

John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquarian, antiquary, Natural philosophy, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the ''Brief Lives'', his collection of short biographical pieces. ...

his father "loved him so dearly that he fleeced the Church of Hereford to leave him a good estate".Aubrey's Brief Lives, ed. Oliver Lawson Dick, 1949 Despite his background, Scory adopted a form of Catholicism; he had had contact with Catholics during education abroad. Scory fought in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, a follower of

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was ov ...

. He was acquainted with the diplomats

Michel de Castelnau Michel de Castelnau, Sieur de la Mauvissière (c. 1520–1592), French soldier and diplomat, ambassador to Queen Elizabeth. His memoirs, covering the period between 1559 and 1570, are considered a more reliable source for the period than many othe ...

, and through him Bernardino de Mendoza; at the time of the laying of the

Francis Throckmorton Sir Francis Throckmorton (155410 July 1584) was a conspirator against Queen Elizabeth I of England in the Throckmorton Plot. Life He was the son of Sir John Throckmorton, who was the seventh out of eight sons of Sir George Throckmorton of C ...

plot Scory was on the fringe of the conspiracy, was examined, and had Castelnau write to

Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her " spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wa ...

on his behalf. It came out that Scory as intermediary had arranged for Leicester to meet Mendoza at a dinner held by Customer Smythe. In a similar role, he had set up a meeting of Gaston de Spinola, envoy from

Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma Alexander Farnese ( it, Alessandro Farnese, es, Alejandro Farnesio; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and condottiero and later a general of the Spanish army, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 15 ...

in Flanders, with the queen. Scory was at the same time suspected as the author of the scurrilous '' Leycester's Commonwealth''.historyofparliamentonline.org, ''Scory, Sylvanus (d.1617), of Cordwainer Street, London''.
/ref> He did know something of its circulation, to Henry Noel. His father's death in 1585 involved Scory in a chancery case with the new bishop of Hereford. In 1587 the privy council asked Edmund Colles and others to settle the dispute. ''The History of Parliament'' calls Scory a "swindler". Scory was on good terms with

Sir Philip Sidney ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

; but Sidney broke off the relationship in July 1583. He was favoured by

Francis, Duke of Anjou ''Monsieur'' Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon (french: Hercule François; 18 March 1555 – 10 June 1584) was the youngest son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici. Early years He was scarred by smallpox at age eight, an ...

, Queen Elizabeth's suitor; and became a patron of

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for ...

He was a friend of

Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellio ...

and

Lawrence Kemys Lawrence Kemys or Keymis ( 1562–1618) was a seaman and companion of Sir Walter Raleigh in his expeditions to Guiana in 1595 and 1617–18. First voyage to Guiana Raleigh's 1595 voyage to Trinidad and Guiana consisted of four vessels, with Kemy ...

; and a client of

Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, KG (27 April 1564 – 5 November 1632) was an English nobleman. He was a grandee and one of the wealthiest peers of the court of Elizabeth I. Under James I, Northumberland was a long-term prisoner ...

.''Early Stuart Libels'', Raleigh in this thy selfe thy selfe transcends
Scory was Member of Parliament for Newtown, Hampshire,

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

in 1597. His court connections were influential here, and are presumed to have given him favour with

George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon KG (1547 – 9 September 1603) was the eldest son of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon and Anne Morgan. His father was first cousin to Elizabeth I of England. In 1560, at the age of 13, George matriculated at ...

as nominator. Scory went to

Simon Forman Simon Forman (31 December 1552 – 5 or 12 September 1611) was an Elizabethan astrologer, occultist and herbalist active in London during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and James I of England. His reputation, however, was severely tarnishe ...

to have

impotence Erectile dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, is the type of sexual dysfunction in which the penis fails to become or stay erect during sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in men.Cunningham GR, Rosen RC. Overview of mal ...

treated in 1598. In 1615 he had extensive self-interested discussions with the king on the privileges of

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

s. Dying in 1617, he was buried in

St. Leonard's, Shoreditch St Leonard's, Shoreditch, is the ancient parish church of Shoreditch, often known simply as Shoreditch Church. It is located at the intersection of Shoreditch High Street with Hackney Road, within the London Borough of Hackney in East London. The ...

. He had two sons.

References

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Scory, Sylvanus 1550s births 1617 deaths English MPs 1597–1598 17th-century English soldiers 16th-century English soldiers