HABINGTON

habington, william (1605-1654), english poet, was born at hendlip hall, worcestershire, on the 4th of november 1605. he belonged to a well-known catholic family. his father, thomas habington (1560-1647), an antiquary and historical scholar, had been implicated in the plots on behalf of mary queen of scots; his uncle, edward habington, was hanged in 1586 on the charge of conspiring against elizabeth in connexion with anthony babington; while to his mother, mary habington, was attributed the revelation of the gunpowder plot. the poet was sent to the college at st omer, but, pressure being brought to bear on him to induce him to become a jesuit, he removed to paris. he married about 1632 lucy, second daughter of sir william herbert, first baron powys. this lady he had addressed in the volume of lyrical poems arranged in two parts and entitled _castara_, published anonymously in 1634. in 1635 appeared a second edition enlarged by three prose characters, fourteen new lyrics and eight touching elegies on his friend and kinsman, george talbot. the third edition (1640) contains a third part consisting of a prose character of "a holy man" and twenty-two devotional poems. habington's lyrics are full of the far-fetched "conceits" which were fashionable at court, but his verse is quite free from the prevailing looseness of morals. indeed his reiterated praises of castara's virtue grow wearisome. he is at his best in his reflective poems on the uncertainty of human life and kindred topics. he also wrote a _historie of edward the fourth_ (1640), based on notes provided by his father; a tragi-comedy, _the queene of arragon_ (1640), published without his consent by his kinsman, the earl of pembroke, and revived at the restoration; and six essays on events in modern history, _observations upon history_ (1641). anthony a wood insinuated that during the commonwealth the poet "did run with the times, and was not unknown to oliver the usurper." he died on the 30th of november 1654. the works of habington have not been collected. _the queene of arragon_ was reprinted in dodsley's "old plays," vol. ix. (1825); _castara_ was edited by charles elton (1812), and by e. arber with a compact and comprehensive introduction (1870) for his "english reprints." habit (through the french from lat. _habitus_, from _habere_, to have, hold, or, in a reflective sense, to be in a certain condition; in many of the english senses the french use _habitude_, not _habit_), condition of body or mind, especially one that has become permanent or settled by custom or persistent repetition, hence custom, usage. in botany and zoology the term is used both in the above sense of instinctive action of animals and tendencies of plants, and also of the manner of growth or external appearance of a plant or animal. from the use of the word for external appearances comes its use for fashion in dress, and hence as a term for a lady's riding dress and for the particular form of garment adopted by the members of a religious order, like "cowl" applied as the mark of a monk or nun. habitat (a french word derived from _habiter_, lat. _habitare_, to dwell), in botany and zoology, the term for the locality in which a particular species of plants or animals thrives.