ELIOT, Sir JOHN, 1592-1632; an English statesman, b. at his father's seat on the river Tamar. He graduated at Oxford, studied law, and traveled on the continent, for part of the time with George Villiers, afterwards duke of Buckingham. At the age of 22, he entered parliament, and at 27, was made vice-admiral of Devon, in which office he captured the famous Nutt, a pirate whose depredations were a constant inflic tion upon the commerce on the southern coast. But by corrupt influences at court, Nutt was released to continue his depredations, while E. was imprisoned, on false charges, in the Marshalsea for about four months. Immediately upon his release, in 1624, he was returned to parliament, where, during the first three parliaments of Charles I., with Pyin, Hampden, Selden, and Coke, E. was the foremost leader in resistance to the encroachments of the crown, surpassing all the great statesmen of his time in his sym metrical union of learning, genius, and lofty devotion, with absolute personal bravery and the fire of oratory. He spoke out boldly against the lawlessness and venality or the ministry, and the weak, ill-tempered foreign policy of Buckingham, and urged par liament to withhold supplies until an account was given of the money already voted. For comparing Buckingham to Sejanus, he was imprisoned in the Tower in 1626; but the commons compelled his release, and exonerated him by special vote. He suffered another short imprisonment for petitioning the king against forced loans, and later received sentence of outlawry. These persecutions only increased his popularity, and though earnestly opposed by the court, he was again returned to parliament in 1628.. He took part in drawing up the petition of right, and, on the last day of that parlia ment, read a protest against tonnage and poundage and other taxes unauthorized by par liament; and against the king's illegal encouragement of Arminians and Roman Catho lics. Being summoned before the council, with Holies, Selden, Valentine, and others,
he refused to answer for his acts in parliament except to parliament itself. He was then rigorously confined in the Tower, with his fellow-members, for more than two until manifestations of popular indignation compelled the king to bring him to trial. During tedious delays his confinement was somewhat softened; he occupied himself in writing a personal defense, and other works; and in Feb., 1631, sentence was at last given. All the prisoners were condemned to a fine, the largest, of £2,00Q being imposed upon E.; to imprisonment during the king's pleasure; and not to be released until they had given security for good behavior, submitted to the king, and acknowledged their offenses. The confinement of the others was gradually relaxed, until they were all released, but E. would make no submission. Dec. 21, 1631, more than a year after his arrest, the council resolved to force him to submission. They removed him to a cold, unwholesome room, and forbade any one except his sons to visit him. His health broke down, and with medical advice he petitioned the king, in simple, manly words, for such release as health demanded. His petition was refused as not sufficiently humble. In a second petition he declared himself "heartily sorry that he had displeased his majesty," but added no words acknowledging wrong. He was denied an answer. He had now been prisoner two years, and though only forty years old, was worn out with cruel confinement. Ile died two weeks after the king refused his last petition. Charles even refused permission to his sons to bury him in the family tomb, and ordered that he should be buried in the church of the parish where he died. During the commonwealth his sentence of conviction was reversed by act of parliament.