    sir henry wotton (; 30 march 1568 â december 1639) was an english author, diplomat and politician who sat in the house of commons in 1614 and 1625. he is often quoted as saying, "an ambassador is an honest gentleman sent to lie abroad for the good of his country." (wotton said that when on a mission in augsburg, in 1604.) ==life== the son of thomas wotton (1521â1587) and his second wife, elionora finch, henry was the youngest brother of edward wotton, 1st baron wotton, and grandnephew of the diplomat nicholas wotton.wotton, henry, reliquiae wottonianae, (1672), unpaginated. henry was born at bocton hall in the parish of bocton or boughton malherbe, kent. he was educated at winchester college and at new college, oxford, where he matriculated on 5 june 1584,'alumni oxonienses, 1500â1714: woodall-wyvill', alumni oxonienses 1500â1714 (1891), pp. 1674â1697. date accessed: 8 may 2012 alongside john hoskins. two years later he moved to queen's college, graduating in 1588. at oxford he was the friend of albericus gentilis, then professor of civil law, and of john donne. during his residence at queen's he wrote a play, tancredo, which has not survived, but his chief interests appear to have been scientific. in qualifying for his m.a. degree he read three lectures de oculo, and to the end of his life he continued to interest himself in physical experiments his father, thomas wotton, died in 1587, leaving henry only a hundred marks a year. about 1589 wotton went abroad, with a view probably to preparation for a diplomatic career, and his travels appear to have lasted for about six years. at altdorf he met edward, lord zouch, to whom he later addressed a series of letters (1590â1593) which contain much political and other news, and provide a record of the journey. he travelled by way of vienna and venice to rome, and in 1593 spent some time at geneva in the house of isaac casaubon, to whom he contracted a considerable debt. he returned to england in 1594, and in the next year was admitted to the middle temple. while abroad he had from time to time provided robert devereux, 2nd earl of essex, with information, and he now definitely entered his service as one of his agents or secretaries. it was his duty to supply intell
1568_births 1639_deaths 16th-century_English_people 16th-century_English_writers 16th-century_dramatists_and_playwrights 16th-century_poets 17th-century_English_diplomats 17th-century_English_people 17th-century_English_writers 17th-century_poets Alumni_of_The_Queen\'s_College,_Oxford Ambassadors_of_England_to_the_Holy_Roman_Empire Ambassadors_of_England_to_the_Netherlands Ambassadors_of_England_to_the_Republic_of_Venice English_diplomats English_poets People_from_Maidstone_(borough) People_of_the_Tudor_period