Sir Philip Sidney, poet, courtier and soldier, is fatally wounded in the Netherlands at the attack on Zutphen, and dies on 17th October. His conduct on the battlefield was to become famous as an example of gentlemanly humility and selflessness: reaching out in thirst for his water-bottle, he is said to have noticed another though more lowly wounded soldier, and given it to him, with the words thy necessity is yet greater than mine. His iconic status was cemented after his death in Edmund Spenser's elegy, 'Astrophel'.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Sir Philip Sidney is fatally wounded". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 February 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=15336, accessed 19 March 2024.]