DIGBY, Sir KENELME, the son of sir Everard Digby, noted as one of the gunpowder plot conspirators, was b. in 1603, three years before the execution of his father. He was brought up in the Protestant faith, and at the age of 15 was entered at Gloucester ball, Oxford. After leaving the university, where he bad acquired the reputation of ability, he spent two years in continental travel. IIe returned to England in 1623, ud was knighted in lord Montague's house. Under Charles I., he was a gentleman of he bedchamber, and held several public offices. In 1628, he equipped a squadron at his own expense, and sailed first against the Algerines, and subsequently against the Venetians. In 1632, on the death of Dr. Allen, of Gloucester hall, D. inherited hiS collection of books and manuscripts. In 1636, when in France, he was converted to the Roman Catholic faith. He returned to England in 1638, and on the breaking out of the civil war, he was imprisoned as a royalist in Winchester house, but in 1643 he was allowed to retire to France. At Paris, he was received with favor by the court, and made the acquaintance of Descartes. After Charles I. had fallen, D. returned to
England, but the parliament forbade him the kingdom, under penalty of death. Retir ing to the continent, he traveled in .Frant‘e and Italy;, but in 1655, he was again in England, and was ih frequent attendance at the court of the protector. He went again to France, and busied himself with the preparation of philosophical papers. He returned to England 'in 1661, and died there in 1665. D. married a daughter of sir Edward Stanley of Tongue castle, in Shropshire, by whom he had one son.
His works are numerous, and on a great variety of subjects, comprising A Confer ence with a Lady about the Choice of a Religion (Par. 1638); Observations on Spenser's Fairy Queen (Lund. 1644); A Treatise on the Soul, proving its Immortality (Par. 1644); Of the Care of Wounds by the Powder of Sympathy (Loud. 1658); and Discourse on Vege tation (Load. 1661), etc. The Private Memoirs of Sir K. Digby, etc., written by Himself, were published in London in 1827. D.'s library, which was removed to France when the civil war broke out in England, became, on his death, the property of the French king.