Born at Kelston near bath, from Eton passed in 1578 to Christ’s College, Cambridge, and thence to the court of his god-mother, Queen Elizabeth. His wit brought him into much favour, which he endangered by the freedom of his satires. In 1599 he served under Essex in Ireland, and was knighted by him on the field, much to the queen’s displeasure. To fortify his amazing application to King James for the office of chancellor and archbishop of Ireland he composed in 1605 “A Short View of the State of Ireland,” an interesting and singularly modern essay (ed. by Macray, 1880). He is remembered as the metrical translater of Ariosto’s “Orlando Furioso” (1591); his other writings include Rabelaisian pamphlets, epigrams, and a “Tract on the Succession to the Crown” (ed. by Clements Markham, with Memoir, Roxb. Club, 1880).

  That (Sir) John Harington’s Ariosto, under all translations, was the worst. That when Sir John Harrington desyred him to tell the truth of his Epigrames, he answered him, that he loved not the truth, for they were Narrations, and not Epigrames.

  Sir John Harrington, no less noted for his book of witty epigrams, than his judicious translation of Ariosto’s “Orlando Furioso.”

  Sir John appears to be a gentleman of great Pleasantry, and Humour; his Fortune was easy, the Court his Element, and Wit not his Business, but Diversion.—’Tis not to be doubted, but his Translation of Ariosto, was publish’d after Spencer’s Fairy Queen; and yet, both in Language, and Numbers, is greatly Inferior.—Indeed, if I may be forgiven, for daring to meddle with Studies so much beyond me, the whole Poem of Orlando is a tedious Medley of unnatural Characters, and improbable Events; and the Author’s Patron, Cardinal Hippolito De Este, had some Reason for that severe Question,—Where the Devil, Signor Ludovico, did you pick up all these damn’d Lies?

  ’Tis not to be doubted, but his translation of Ariosto was published after Spenser’s Fairy Queen, and yet both in language and numbers it is much inferior, as much as it is reasonable to suppose the genius of Harrington was below that of Spenser.

  Exhibited an English version of Ariosto’s “Orlando Furioso:” which, although executed without spirit or accuracy, unanimated and incorrect, enriched our poetry by a communication of new stores of fiction and imagination, both of the romantic and comic species, of Gothic machinery and familiar manners.

  If the poem here selected be rightly attributed to him by the Harington papers, he cannot be denied the singular merit of having united an elegance of taste with an artifice of style which far exceeded his contemporaries.

  Sir John Harington’s translation of the “Orlando Furioso” first appeared in 1591, when the author was in his thirtieth year. It does not convey all the glow and poetry of Ariosto; but it is, nevertheless, a performance of great ingenuity and talent.

  Harington’s letters owe their value to the character of their author, which strongly resembles that of an Italian humorist attached to a court. Harington considered himself a privileged person who might jest at will. He had a quick power of observation, and was entirely destitute of restraint. Though desirous of pushing his fortunes, he had none of the qualities necessary for success; Elizabeth spoke of him as “that saucy poet, my godson,” and he was generally regarded as an amusing gossip. He wrote easily, and certainly was not a hero to himself. The most intimate facts of his domestic life afforded him materials for an epigram, and his frankness was entire. Hence he gives a living picture of life and society in his times, and abounds in incidental stories which throw great light upon many prominent persons. A detailed life of Harington would present an interesting sketch of Elizabethan times. As a poet he has received scanty justice from posterity. His translation of the “Orlando Furioso” has been superseded, and his epigrams, disfigured by coarseness, are forgotten.

  Without being a great poet, Harington rhymed easily, and had a ready pen. His version of “Orlando” attempts no subtleties of skill in the exact rendering of lines and stanzas; but as a reproduction of the whole poem for English readers it was, and is, a very pleasant book. It pleased Elizabeth.