John Florio’s apology of translation

by Enrico Terrinoni

John Florio (1553-1625) was a great figure in English literature, and a contemporary of Shakespeare. Son of an Italian Protestant exiled in England, he introduced and diffused the great Italian literature in England. He translated Montaigne’s Essais into English and wrote an important introduction that is presented here in the original English together with the very first translation into Italian.