John Alday
John Alday (
Works
The book by which Alday is chiefly known is an English version of two French pamphlets, published in 1558, and it bears the title: ‘Theatrum Mundi, the Theatre or rule of the worlde, wherein may be sene the running race and course of every mans life, as touching miserie and felicity, wherein be contained wonderful examples and learned deuises to the ouerthrowe of vice and exalting of vertue. Whereunto is added a learned and maruellous worke of the excellencie of mankinde. Written in the French and Latin tongues by Peter Boaystuau (i.e.,
An English version of a French summary of Pliny's ‘History,’ which was licensed in July 1566 (Arber's Stationers' Register, i.314), is also ascribed to Alday. Its full title runs: ‘A summarie of the Antiquities and wonders of the worlde, abstracted out of the sixtene first bookes of the excellente Historiographer Plinie, wherein may be sene the wonderfull workes of God in his creatures, translated out of French into English by I. A. Imprinted at London by Henry Denham for Thomas Hacket.’ 8vo. A copy of this rare work is in the Grenville Library. A translation of another French treatise from Alday's pen was printed by Thomas East for William Ponsonby in 1579; it bears the title, ‘Praise and Dispraise of Women: Gathered out of sundrye Authors, as well Sacred as Prophane, with plentee of wonderfull examples, whereoff some are rare and not heard off before, as by the principall notes in the Margent may appeare. Written in the French tongue, and brought into our vulgar by John Allday,’ London, 1579, 8vo.
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1885). "Alday, John". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
