author

active 1575-1595 Angel Day

Best known for The English Secretary, this Elizabethan writer helped shape how English letters were taught and composed. His work turned practical correspondence into a lively guide to rhetoric, style, and social manners.

1 Audiobook

The English Secretary; or, Methode of Writing Epistles and Letters (1599) With, a Declaration of Such Tropes, Figures, and Schemes, as Either Usually or for Ornament Sake Are Therein Required

The English Secretary; or, Methode of Writing Epistles and Letters (1599) With, a Declaration of Such Tropes, Figures, and Schemes, as Either Usually or for Ornament Sake Are Therein Required

by active 1575-1595 Angel Day

About the author

Angel Day was an English writer and rhetorician active in the late 16th century. He is chiefly remembered for The English Secretary (first published in 1586 and later expanded), a widely known manual on letter writing that offered models for many kinds of correspondence.

Rather than relying mainly on classical examples, his book helped bring formal letter-writing instruction into everyday English use. It mixed practical advice with rhetorical training, showing readers how to write with clarity, tact, and an awareness of social rank and situation.

Little seems to be firmly documented about his life compared with the influence of his work. What remains clear is that his writing became an important part of Elizabethan prose culture and left a lasting mark on the history of English composition.