Omniana/Volume 2/Sir Thomas Overbury
222. Sir Thomas Overbury.
The rare book from which the last extract is taken, contains a curious account of the manner in which Overbury was murdered. They poisoned him with aqua fortis, white arsenic, mercury, powder of diamonds, lapis costitus, great spiders, and cantharides, whatever was or was believed to be most deadly, "to be sure to hit his complexion." The murder was perpetrated with devilish perseverance. It appeared upon the trials that arsenic was always mixed with his salt; once he desired pig for dinner, and Mrs. Turner put into it lapis costitus; at another time he had two partridges sent him from the court, and water and onions being the sauce, Mrs. Turner put in cantharides instead of pepper, so that whatever he took was poisoned.
Overbury made his brags that he had won for Somerset the love of his Lady, by his letters and industry. . .To speak plainly, says Bacon in arraigning Somerset, Overbury had little that was solid for religion or moral virtue, but was wholly possest with ambition and vain glory,.. he was naught and corrupt,.. a man of unbounded and impudent spirit.
Mrs. Turner's execution affected the fashions.
"Were there now, (says Michaell Sparke the stationer,) in these times such sentence and execution performed, as the then learned Lord Cook gave on that formentor of lust, Mistris Anne Turner, whose sentence was to be hang'd at Tiburn in her yellow Tiffiny Ruff and Cuffs, being she was the first inventer and wearer of that horrid garb; were there now in these daies the like upon such notorious black-spotted faces, naked hrests and backs, no doubt but that ugly fashion would soon there end in shame and detestation, which now is too vainly followed; for never since the execution of her in that yellow ruff and cuffs, there hanged with her, was ever any seen to wear the like."
"Sir Jervas Yelvis also was executed in full dress, hee being arrayed in a black suit, and black jerkin with hanging sleeves (aptly worn on the occasion), having on his head a crimson sattin cap, laced from the top downward and round about, under that a while linnen night cap with a border, and over that a black hat with a broad rybon and ruffe-band, thick couched with a lace, and a pair of skie-coloured silk stockings, and a paire of three soaled shoes." Do. 150.