Ariosto in Scotland by Way of France. John Stewart of Baldynneis’ Roland Furious

This contribution discusses John Stewart of Baldynneis’ version of Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso. Written between 1585 and 1589, this work precedes John Harington’s English translation, and was composed at the court of James VI of Scotland. The young king had promoted a vernacular revival through a group of poets, translators and musicians; he himself translated a number of works from Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas, such as L’Uranie, while Thomas Hudson translated another work by Du Bartas, La Judith. In this perspective, a translation of an Italian epic poem might seem to run counter to the prevailing fashion at court; but this much abridged translation owes much to intermediary translations: Philippe Desportes’ Roland Furieux and Angelique, as well as (possibly) other French versions, such as the prose translations of Jean Martin (1543) and Gabriele Chappuys (1576). My analysis proceeds through the examination of individual passages that reveal the interplay of original text, intermediary translations, and final version.