Bartholomew Young facts for kids

Bartholomew Young (active around 1577–1598) was an English translator. He is best known for translating a famous Spanish pastoral romance called Diana by Jorge de Montemayor into English. A pastoral romance is a type of story that takes place in the countryside, often featuring shepherds and their love stories.

Young's Translation Journey

Bartholomew Young came from Yorkshire. He studied at the Middle Temple, which was a place in London where people trained to become lawyers. He even gave a speech in French at a public event there.

Around 1577, Young spent two years living in Spain. This trip helped him learn Spanish very well. When he returned home, he spent almost three years focusing on other studies and tasks. During this time, he didn't use his Spanish much.

Then, he met a good friend named Edward Banister. Banister gave Young the first two parts of Montemayor's Diana to translate. He wanted Young to keep his Spanish skills sharp. Young finished the translation, but he didn't publish it right away. It took him sixteen years to share his work with the public. In the meantime, another person named Thomas Wilson also completed a translation of the same book.

Who Was Bartholomew Young?

Historians have tried to find out more about Bartholomew Young. One historian, Anthony Wood, thought he might be the same person who lived in Ashhurst, Kent, and passed away in 1621. Another historian, Joseph Hunter, believed he was a Bartholomew Young who was buried in London in 1612.

Young dedicated his translation of Diana to a woman named Lady Rich. He wrote this dedication from High Ongar in Essex. This detail helped historians try to connect him to other families in that area. However, his exact life story remains a bit of a mystery.

Young's Published Works

Bartholomew Young translated several important books into English. Here are some of his main works:

• The Civile Conversation of M. Stephen Guazzo (published in 1586). This book was originally written in Italian. It teaches people how to behave politely and have good conversations in society. Young translated the fourth part of this book.
• Amorous Fiammetta (published in 1587). This book was written by the famous Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio. It tells the story of a young woman's feelings of love and jealousy. It also warns young women about misleading love.
• Diana of George of Montemayor (published in 1598). This is his most famous translation. Young translated the first part by George of Montemayor. He also translated a second part by Alonzo Perez and a third part by Gaspar Gil Polo. These books contain many poems and songs, which Young also translated into English verse.

Interestingly, the famous playwright William Shakespeare used a story from Young's translation of Diana for his play, Two Gentlemen of Verona. This shows how important Young's work was in sharing popular European stories with English readers of his time.