William Temple

From Epicurus Wiki

Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet (April 25, 1628 – January 27, 1699), statesman and essayist, son of Sir John Temple (1600-1677).

Born in London, and educated at Cambridge, he travelled across Europe, and was for some time a member of the Irish Parliament, employed on various diplomatic missions.

In his essay Upon the Gardens of Epicurus, written in 1685, Temple gives an agreeable account of his garden at Sheen, renowned for its fruit trees, and of the practical benefit that gardening provides to divert one's attention away from the lure of fruitless passions.

Temple eventually left Sheen and purchased Moor Park Mansion, where Jonathan Swift was for a time his secretary.