John Stewart of Baldynneis Roland Furious: A Scots Poem in its European Context

The poetry of John Stewart of Baldynneis, one of James VI’s soi disant Castalian Band, is a relatively unknown phenomenon of the Renaissance period. This book is a critical edition of his epic poem Roland Furious, supposedly a translation of Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso into Scots but actually a brilliantly original poem which directly follows guidelines given by James VI for the creation of such literature in the Scottish vernacular. A fully annotated version of the text is given, along with a critical induction discussing the main European influences on Stewart’s work, notes to the text, an appendix of proper and personal names, and a full glossary. This book provides an important link in the history of Scottish poetry.

Brill’s Texts and Sources in Intellectual History, vol. 4