Lewes Lewknor

Lewes Lewknor
The Commonwealth and Government of Venice "translated out of Italian into English by Lewes Lewkenor Esquire"
Bornc.1560
Selsey, Sussex
Died11 March 1627
EducationCambridge University
Middle Temple
Occupation(s)soldier, lawyer, courtier, Member of Parliament, author, Master of the ceremonies, judge.
Known forThe Estate of English Fugitives
The Commonwealth and Government of Venice

Sir Lewes Lewknor (c.1560–1627) was an English courtier, M.P., writer, soldier, and Judge[1][2] who served as Master of the Ceremonies to King James I of England. M.P. for Midhurst in 1597 and for Bridgnorth 1604–10.[3] His career has been described as a "tortuous trajectory rich in false starts, byways and rather nebulous interludes...[with] slippery religious and political allegiances".[4]

He was noted for his translations of courtly European literature. Particularly important was the translation of Gasparo Contarini's account of the Venetian republic, The Commonwealth and Government of Venice, which influenced contemporary writers including Shakespeare.

He was also the author of an original work, The Estate of English Fugitives, a polemic attacking the Spanish and the machinations of Catholic clergy, while also defending the rights of English Catholics.

  1. ^ "Middlesex Sessions Rolls: 1622 - British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  2. ^ Middlesex (England); John Cordy Jeaffreson; A. T. Watson; Basil Woodd Smith (1886). Indictments, recognizances, coroners' inquisitions. Middlesex County records society. p. 129.
  3. ^ Davidson, Alan (2010). Thrush, Andrew; Ferris, John P. (eds.). Lewknor, Sir Lewis (c.1560-1627), of Selsey, Suss. and Red Cross Street, London; later of Drury Lane, Mdx. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-1070-0225-8. Retrieved 10 October 2015. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference cat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).