Henry Bennet (fl. 1561), said to be of Calais, was an English translator of Protestant literature.[1]
Bennet published in 1561, at the press of John Awdelay, a volume of translations from the German and Swiss Protestant reformers, A Famous and Godly History. The book is divided into two parts, which were published together.[1][2]
The first part was dedicated to Thomas Wentworth, 2nd Baron Wentworth, with a date of 18 November 1561. It contains Philip Melanchthon's life of Martin Luther; Luther's declaration of his doctrine before the Emperor Charles V at Worms; and the oration of Melanchthon at Wittenberg, given in place of his usual exposition of the Epistle to the Romans, after the news of Luther's death.[1] Some of this part was adapted for Actes and Monuments (1563) by John Foxe.[3]
The second part has a similar dedication to James Blount, 6th Baron Mountjoy, dated 30 November 1561. It consists of:[1]
The last two are in the form of letters. The translations are in idiomatic English, and the quotations of Œcolampadius from Homer and Euripides are turned into English verse.[1] The authors in the second part had first been brought together by Theodore Bibliander, though Bennet probably used the anonymous French compilation : Histoire des vies et faits de trois excellents personnages, premiers restaurateurs de l’évangile (1555).[4]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1885). "Bennet, Henry (fl.1561)". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 4. London: Smith, Elder & Co.