ELIOT, Sir Jolts (1592-11132). An English patriot and statesman. horn at Port Eliot, Cornwall, April 20. 1502. Ile spent three years at Exeter College, Oxford. where. however. he did not take a degree. and after studying law trav eled on the Continent, where he became friendly with C:eorge Villiers, afterwards Duke of Buck ingham. At the age of twenty-two he entered Parliament, and at twenty-seven was made Vice Admiral of Devon, in which office he captured Nutt, a famous pirate. whose depredations went. a constant infliction upon the commerce of the southern coast. By bribery Nutt obtained his release and continued his depredations. while Eliot was imprisoned, on false charges. for four months in the Marshalsea. Ile received popular sympathy, and immediately upon his release. in 1624. was returned to Parliament, where. during the first three Parliaments of Charles I., with Pyin, Hampden, Seldom and Coke, he was the foremost leader in resisting the encroachments of the Crown. He spoke boldly against the venality of the Ministry and the unwarranted foreign policy of his former friend Buckingham, and urged Parliament to withhold supplies until an account teas given of the money already voted. Igor eomparing Buckingham to Sejamis la' wan hapriS011ed in the Tower in 1626, but the Com mons compelled his release and exonerated him by special vote. Ire suffered another short im prisonment for petitioning the King against forced loans, and later received sentence of out lawry. These persecutions only increased his popularity. and though strenuously opposed by the Court, he was again returned to Parliament in 162S. Ile took part in drawing up the Peti tion of Eight. and, on the last day of that Par
liament, directed Holies and Valentine to hold the Speaker in the chair by force, while he read a protest against tonnage and poundage and other taxes and acts unauthorized by Parliament. Icing summoned before the Council. with Ho Selden, Valentine, and others, he refused to answer for his nets in Parliament except to Par liament itself and was confined in the Tower, with his fellow-inembers, for More than two months, until popular indignation compelled the King, to. bring him to trial. The offenders were heavily fined and sentenced to he imprisoned during the King's pleasure; and not to be re leased until they had given security for good behavior. submitted to the King. and acknowl edged their offenses. The confinement of the others was greatly relaxed until they were all released, hut Eliot could make no conscientious submission. The rips• of his imprisonment was increased. and his health suffered. simple and manly petitions for temporary release were ignored, and he was allowed to sicken and die after two years' imprisonment, on November 27. 1632. His death contributed largely to the downfall and execution of Charles. During the Commonwealth Eliot's sentence of conviction was reversed by act of Parliament. llis writings in clude The Monarchy of Man (1879); sill Apology for Socrates (ISSI) ; Nryo(ilim Pusterorum 18S1 ) : De ',Ha jcstatis ( 1SS2 ) ; and t he Letter-Book of Sir John Eliot Consult: .Iola Forster. I,iIe of Sir John Eliot (2d ed. London. 18711; and Gardiner. History of Eng land (London. IS93-95) , vols. v.-vii.