Henry Francis Cary

Henry Francis Cary was an English clergyman, librarian, poet, critic, and translator best remembered for his blank-verse version of Dante's Divine Comedy. The Early French Poets collects notices and translations of writers from medieval and Renaissance France, accompanied by an introductory account of French poetic history. Published after Cary's death, the volume was prepared with an introductory sketch by his son Henry Cary and preserved work originally connected to Cary's broader critical activity. He also translated Pindar and Aristophanes and wrote Lives of the English Poets from Johnson to Kirke White, continuing the biographical tradition associated with Samuel Johnson. Cary worked at the British Museum as an assistant keeper of printed books, a role compatible with his sustained attention to literary history and textual transmission. Critics have particularly valued his ability to carry rhythm as well as meaning across languages. The Early French Poets demonstrates that range through criticism, biography, and verse translation within a single historical survey.