Thomas Drant
Thomas Drant was a sixteenth-century English poet and translator, born in Hagworthingam, England, to a farming family. He pursued higher education at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he earned his M.A. degree in 1564 and later became a fellow in 1571. Drant transitioned from academia to ecclesiastical roles, accepting a position as the reader in divinity at St. Paul's Cathedral in 1569, and he was admitted to the archdeaconry of Lewes in 1570. While Drant held significant influence in political, literary, and religious circles, he remains a relatively obscure figure of the English Renaissance. His most notable work is "A Medicinable Moral," published in 1566, which is recognized as the first English translation of the satires of the Roman poet Horace. In addition to translation, Drant contributed to the development of quantitative verse in English and published sermons. In the latter part of his life, he shifted his focus from classical studies to the teachings of Christ, and he is believed to have died around 1577 or 1578.
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Thomas Drant
Writer
- Born: c. 1540
- Birthplace: Hagworthingam, Lincolnshire, England
- Died: 1577 or 1578
- Place of death: England
Biography
Thomas Drant, a sixteenth century poet and translator, was born in Hagworthingam, England, the son of a farmer. He received his education at St. John’s College in Cambridge, England, graduating with a M.A. degree in 1564. Seven years later, Drant was elected a fellow at St. John’s College. In 1569, Drant left Cambridge to assume the readership in divinity at St. Paul’s Cathedral. He was admitted to the archdeaconry of Lewes, England in 1570.
Throughout his life, Drant held a well-respected place within political, literary, and ecclesiastical circles which enabled him to write assertively about his humanist beliefs. However, Drant is not a well-recognized figure in the English Renaissance. He is mostly known for his work A Medicinable Moral, That Is, the Two Books of Horace, His Satires, Englished According to the Prescription of Saint Jerome, published in 1566. This work was credited as being the first English translation of the Roman poet Horace’s satirical works.
Drant translated other classical works and published his sermons. He is also noted for participating in the formulation of rules for writing quantitative verse in English. Towards the end of his life, Drant stopped studying the classics and devoted himself to the teachings of Christ. It is believed that Drant died around 1577 or 1578.