''Argenis'' is a

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

by John Barclay. It is a work of historical

allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...

which tells the story of the religious conflict in France under

Henry III of France Henry III (; ; ; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575. As the fourth son of King Henry II of France, he ...

and

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

, and also touches on more contemporary English events, such as the

Overbury Overbury is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, midway between Evesham and Tewkesbury south of Bredon Hill. The manor of Overbury was purchased by the banking family of Martin in the 18th century from the Parsons family, mem ...

scandal. The tendency is royalist, anti-aristocratic; it is told from the angle of a king who reduces the landed aristocrats' power in the interest of the "country", the interest of which is identified with that of the king. Jennifer Morrish describes ''Argenis'' as one of "the two most influential

Neo-Latin Neo-LatinSidwell, Keith ''Classical Latin-Medieval Latin-Neo Latin'' in ; others, throughout. (also known as New Latin and Modern Latin) is the style of written Latin used in original literary, scholarly, and scientific works, first in Italy d ...

novels", along with

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VII ...

's ''

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

''.

Some editions

* 1621 - Paris, Nicolas Buon (Latin) * 1622 - London, Eliot's Court Press (Latin) * 1623 - Frankfurt, Danielis & Davidis Aubriorum & Clementis Schleichij (Latin) * 1625 - London, G. Purslowe for Henry Seile (First English edition) * 1626 - Johann Barclaÿens Argenis Deutsch gemacht durch Martin Opitzen. Breslau. (First German edition) * 1627 - Leiden, Elzevir (First printing by Elzevir) * 1629 - Venice, G. Salis, ad instantia di P. Frambotti (Italian translation by Francesco Pona) * 1630 - Elzevir (Second printing by Elzevir) * 1630 - Elzevir (Third printing by Elzevir) * 1636 - London, Syne of the Tygres Head (Second English edition) * 1644 - Amsterdam, J. Janssonius (Second German edition) * 1697 - Warszawa, Drukarnia OO. Pijarów, (Polish translation by

Wacław Potocki Wacław Potocki (; 1621–1696) was a Polish nobleman (''szlachcic''), moralist, poet, and writer. He was the podczaszy of Kraków from 1678 to 1685. He is remembered as one of the most important Polish baroque artists. His most famous works ...

) * 1995 - New York, (Fourth printing by Argenis Jimenez)(English edition) Originally published in Latin in 1621, King James asked for it to be translated into English. The first such translation was undertaken by

Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...

, but his version was lost in a fire which also destroyed many of his other works. Later translations were made by Kingsmill Long (1625), and Robert Le Gruys (1628). Clara Reeve translated it as ''The Phoenix'' (1772).

References

* ''The Cambridge Companion to Writing of the English Revolution'' - Neil Howard Keeble (2001)

External links

''Argenis''
- Edited and translated by Mark Riley & Dorothy Pritchard Huber (2004)
''Argenis''
- Latin text online at Intratext
''Argenida''
- Scans of a Polish poetic translation by

, Warszawa 1697
''Argenis'' in Latin
- 2nd edition. Paris, Nicolas Buon, 1622.
First German edition
Barclay, John (Übers. Martin Opitz): Johann Barclaÿens Argenis Deutsch gemacht durch Martin Opitzen. Breslau, 1626. {{Authority control 1621 books 1620s novels 17th-century books in Latin Novels in Latin Scottish historical novels Allegory