of all the Common Words and Proper Names … in the English Tongue … Second edition, etc.,’ 12mo, London, 1725; 3rd edition, corrected, 12mo, London, 1731. 4. ‘A New General English Dictionary, to which is prefixed a compendious English Grammar, together with a Supplement of the Proper Names of the most noted Kingdoms, Provinces, Cities, etc., of the World. Originally begun by the late Reverend Mr. Thomas Dyche … and now finish'd by William Pardon, Gent. Third edition,’ 8vo, London, 1740. Many other editions were subsequently published. A French version, with plates, by Esprit Pezenas, appeared in two vols. 4to, Avignon, 1756. Dyche was also author of ‘The Youth's Guide to the Latin Tongue,’ and ‘Fables of Phædrus, rendered into familiar English.’ A portrait of Dyche, by Fry, engraved by J. Nutting, and prefixed to his ‘Guide,’ represents a comely personage in clerical costume. Another, but fictitious, portrait, engraved by Vandergutch, is sometimes found adorning the ‘Spelling Dictionary’ (Noble, continuation of Granger, ii. 137).
[Works cited above; Notes and Queries, 2nd ser. viii. 249, 3rd ser. viii. 9, 4th ser. iii. 395; Evans's Cat. of Engraved Portraits; Lempriere's Universal Biography has a worthless notice.]
DYER, Sir EDWARD (d. 1607), poet and courtier, son of Sir Thomas Dyer, kt., of Somersetshire, by his second wife, the daughter of Lord Poynings (more probably a daughter of one of the bastard brothers of Thomas, lord Poynings, who died 18 May 1545), was born at Sharpham Park, Somersetshire. Wood states that he had in Oxford ‘some of his academical education,’ either at Balliol College or at Broadgates Hall. Leaving the university without a degree, he travelled on the continent; and in 1566 he was at the court of Elizabeth. His patron in 1571 was the Earl of Leicester, over whom he seems to have exercised much influence. In 1572 he addressed a very curious letter of advice to Sir Christopher Hatton, who had fallen under the displeasure of the queen. Dyer himself had also incurred royal disfavour, for Gilbert Talbot, writing in 1573 to his father, the Earl of Shrewsbury, says: ‘Dyer lately was sick of a consumption, in great danger; and, as your lordship knoweth, he hath been in displeasure these eleven years. It was made the queen believe that his sickness came because of the continuance of her displeasure towards him, so that unless she would forgive him he was not like to recover; and hereupon her majesty hath forgiven him, and sent unto him a very comfortable message’ (Nicolas, Memoir). The writer of the letter also states that Leicester, with the connivance of Burghley, intrigued to make Dyer the queen's personal favourite in the place of Hatton. In 1580 Gabriel Harvey in a letter to Spenser (Three Proper and Wittie, Familiar Letters) describes Sidney and Dyer as ‘the two very diamondes of her maiesties courte for many speciall and rare qualities.’ From Harvey's ‘Letter-Book’ it appears that Spenser in 1579 obtained some of Harvey's poems and published them with a dedication ‘to the right Worshipfull Gentleman and famous Courtier Master Edwarde Diar, in a manner oure onlye Inglishe poett.’ Early in 1584 Dyer was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Low Countries. In May 1585 he addressed a letter to Lord Burghley, whose patronage had been temporarily withdrawn. On 26 Aug. 1586 articles of agreement were drawn up between Lord Burghley and ‘Edward Dyer of Weston, in the county of Somerset, esqr.,’ whereby Dyer was empowered, by the authority of the queen, to search and find out what manors, lands, &c., were concealed or detained from her majesty. In May of the same year (1586) Dyer addressed a letter of advice to Leicester on the subject of the expedition for the relief of Grave. Sir Philip Sidney, his intimate friend, died in October 1586, and desired by his will that his books should be divided between Dyer and Fulke Greville. In Davison's ‘Poetical Rhapsody,’ 1602, are ‘Two Pastorals’ by Sidney ‘upon his meeting with his two worthy friends and fellow-poets, Sir Edward Dyer and Sir Fulke Greville.’ By a warrant dated 30 March 1588 Dyer was granted by the queen all the lands which he had ascertained to have been concealed ‘before the 20th November, 1558, 1 Eliz., for five years next insuing’ (Nicolas, from Lansd. MS. 56, f. 42). In 1589 he went on a diplomatic mission to Denmark. His method of dealing with the forfeited lands gave dissatisfaction to the queen, and in March 1592–3 he wrote to solicit Burghley's protection. There is extant a statement by Dyer of ‘The whole course of my proceedings, both before and since the granting of her majesty's warrant unto me’ (Lansd. MS. 73, f. 37). Oldys reports in his ‘Diary’ that Dyer would never ‘fawn and cringe’ at court. He soon came into favour with the queen again, for on the death of Sir John Wolley in 1596 he was appointed to the chancellorship of the order of the Garter, and was knighted. After this date little is heard of him. John Davies of Hereford, in the ‘Preface’ to ‘Microcosmos,’ 1603, addresses him as
Thou virgin knight, that dost thy selfe obscure
From world's unequal eyes;
