William Alabaster (also Alablaster, Arblastier) (27 February 1567buried 28 April 1640) was an English poet, playwright, and religious writer. Alabaster became a Roman Catholic convert in Spain when on a diplomatic mission as chaplain. His religious beliefs led him to be imprisoned several times; eventually he gave up Catholicism, and was favoured by James I. He received a prebend in St Paul's Cathedral, London, and the living of Therfield, Hertfordshire. He died at Little Shelford, Cambridgeshire. Biography Alabaster was born at Hadleigh, Suffolk, the son of Roger Alabaster of the cloth merchant family long settled there, and Bridget Winthrop of Groton, Suffolk. According to Fr. John Gerard, an underground Roman Catholic priest of the Society of Jesus who briefly served as Alabaster's spiritual director, Alabaster was, "raised in Calvin's bosom," and, "was used to having his own way over other people." He was educated at Westminster School, and Trinity College, Cambridge from 1583. He became a fellow of Trinity, and in 1592 was incorporated of the university of Oxford. In June 1596 Alabaster sailed with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, on the expedition to Cadiz in the capacity of Anglican military chaplain, and, while accompanying a subsequent diplomatic mission to Spain, Alabaster converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism. An account of his conversion is given in an obscurely worded sonnet contained in a manuscript copy of Divine Meditations, by Mr Alabaster. Alabaster defended his new Faith in a pamphlet, Seven Motives, of which no copy is extant. After his conversion and in about 1597, Alabaster wrote his Latin tragedy of Roxana, which Samuel Johnson later called, "a tragedy against the Church of England. It appears that Alabaster was imprisoned for his change of faith in the Tower of London and in The Clink in 1597 and 1598. According to historian Robert Caraman, during his incarceration, Alabaster adapted the sonnet form from love poetry into Christian poetry. Alabaster's 85-long sonnet sequence, which "portray some profound spiritual experiences", were mainly, "written in 1597 while he was in The Clink prison and was conscious (as he himself says) of unwonted inspiration." According to Fr. Gerard, "He was a learned man and spoke several languages. In order to become a Catholic he had declined many offers of high preferment in his church. Already he had had a taste of prison, and when he was offered the chance of escaping, I told him he could