Alabaster, William

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William Alabaster (ăl´əbăs´tər, ăl´əbăs´tər), 1567–1640, English theologian and poet. Although he wrote two epic poems in Latin, he is remembered for his theological studies, including Spiraculum Tubarum (1633). Alabaster converted to Roman Catholicism in Spain in 1597 and was imprisoned on his return to England in 1598. He reconverted to Protestantism and was chaplain to James I.