John Walton (translator) facts for kids

John Walton, also known as John Capellanus, was an English writer and poet. He lived around the year 1410. He was a special kind of priest called an Augustinian canon. He is best known for translating a very old and famous book into English poetry.

What John Walton Wrote

John Walton was a canon at Osney Abbey. This was a type of monastery. In 1410, he finished a big project. He translated a famous book called De Consolatione Philosophiæ by Boethius. This book is about how to find comfort and wisdom when times are tough.

He did this translation for a lady named Elizabeth Berkeley. She might have been connected to a powerful family. Another famous English writer, Geoffrey Chaucer, had already translated this book into English prose. Walton used Chaucer's work to help him. He even called Chaucer "the floure of rethoryk," meaning a master of language. He also mentioned another poet, John Gower.

Many copies of Walton's translation still exist today. There are ten handwritten copies, called manuscripts. His book was also printed in 1525. This was a long time ago, when printing was still quite new!

Who Was John Walton?

Sometimes, it can be tricky to figure out who someone was from history. A historian named Thomas Tanner sometimes confused John Walton with other people. These were people who had similar names.