Henry William Tytler facts for kids

Henry William Tytler was a Scottish doctor and translator who lived from about 1752 to 1808. He was known for translating old poems and for his writings.

His Life Story

Henry William Tytler was born in a place called Fern in Scotland. His father, George Tytler, was a minister (a type of religious leader) there. Henry also had an older brother named James Tytler. Henry was one of the first members of a science club in Edinburgh called the Physical Society.

Henry first worked as a doctor in a town called Brechin. Later, he traveled to other countries. Around 1797, he went to Guernsey with his family. After that, they moved to the Cape of Good Hope (which is now in South Africa). There, Henry worked as a pharmacist for the army. In 1802, he returned to the United Kingdom when the Cape of Good Hope became a Dutch colony again. After spending a few months in London, his family settled in Edinburgh.

Henry Tytler also wrote for popular magazines like the Gentleman's Magazine. In 1803, another magazine, The Scots Magazine, published a letter he wrote. In this letter, he shared his thoughts about the famous poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey.

Henry Tytler passed away in Edinburgh on July 22, 1808.

His Works and Translations

Henry William Tytler published several interesting books:

• Translations of Greek Poems: In 1793, he published Works of Callimachus translated into English Verse. This book included poems from an ancient Greek writer named Callimachus. It was believed to be the first time a Scottish person had translated a Greek poem. This translation was later reprinted in a collection called Bohn's Classical Library.
• A Poem on Raising Children: He also translated a Latin poem called Pædotrophia, or the Art of Nursing and Rearing Children. This poem was originally written by Scévole de Sainte-Marthe. Henry added his own notes about medicine and history to the translation.
• Travel Poems: In 1804, he published Voyage Home from the Cape of Good Hope. This book included a long poem about his journey home from South Africa, along with other poems. A reviewer at the time said the main poem was easy to read but not very fancy.

Henry's son, John Tytler, later published some of his father's other poems in 1828. This collection was called Miscellanies in Verse. It also included Henry's translation of a long Latin poem called the Punica by Silius Italicus.

His Family

Henry Tytler married Christiana Gillies, who was the sister of the historian John Gillies. They had several children. Their sons included Robert Tytler, who became a surgeon in Bengal, and John Tytler (1790–1837). John was born in Brechin and also became a doctor. He was an expert in Eastern cultures and taught mathematics at the Hindu College from 1831 to 1835. They also had at least one daughter named Margaret.