He was educated at Cambridge, where he attracted attention by his ability and was given a special scholarship by Henry VIII. In 1531 Smith was made a Fellow of his College, and shortly afterwards University Orator. In 1544 he was made Regius Professor of Civil Law. He was Provost of Eton and Dean of Carlisle. Although in Orders, Smith presently came to Court and became Clerk of the Privy Council, and in 1548 he was made one of the Secretaries to the King, and shortly afterwards received the honour of Knighthood. He went as Ambassador to the Emperor Charles V., and with an Embassy to France in 1551. On the accession of Queen Mary, Smith changed his crest, and adopted that of a salamander living in the midst of flames, alluding perhaps to the fact that he escaped free from the dangers of the time, he being a strong Protestant. The Smith crest before this had been an eagle holding a pen in his claw. Queen Elizabeth in turn favoured Sir Thomas, and made him Chancellor of the Order of the Garter, and soon afterwards Secretary of State. Sir Thomas Smith had a large library of books, which he bequeathed to one or other of the Colleges at Cambridge, or among private friends. He wrote several works, mostly political. [Illustration] SMYTHE, THOMAS, VISCOUNT STRANGFORD _Arms._--Quartered. 1. Az., a chevron engrailed between 3 lions passant or. _Smythe._ 2. Gu., a fess raguly between 3 boars' heads couped arg. _Judd._ 3. Az., 3 lions rampant within a bordure arg. _Chiche._ 4. Arg., 2 chevrons az., a canton gu. _Dexter._ 5. Arg., a cross voided gu. _Pilkington._ 6. Arg., 5 chevrons sa. _Sutton._ 7. Or, a chevron between 3 cinquefoils gu. _Chichele._ 8. Arg., a cross voided sa. _Duckenfield._ 9. Or, on a chevron sa., a mullet arg., a crescent for difference. _Mirfin._ _Crest._--An ounce's head erased arg., collared and chained sa. _Note._--Used before 1628. [MOULIN. _Anatomie of Melancholy._ London, 1620.] Thomas Smythe (born c. 1599, died 30th June 1635) was the son of Sir John Smythe of Ostenhanger and Ashford, High Sheriff of Kent in 1600. Thomas Smythe inherited a considerable fortune from his father, who was a son of Thomas Smythe, Farmer of the Customs to Queen Elizabeth, his mother being Alice Judd, daughter of Sir Andrew Judd, Lord Mayor of London and founder of Tunbridge School. In 1625, at the coronation of Charles I., Thomas Smythe was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, and three years later he was created Viscount of Strangford. [Illustration] SOMERS, JOHN, BARON SOMERS _Arms._--Quarterly. 1st and 4th; vert, a fess dancetty erm. _Somers._ 2nd and 3rd; quarterly, vert and gu., a fess dancetty erm., in chief a lion passant between 2 hawks arg. _Somers of Worcestershire._