author
George Ellis
1753–1815
Best known for helping revive interest in medieval English poetry, this witty man of letters moved easily between satire, scholarship, and politics. His anthologies opened older verse and romance to a much wider readership.
1 Audiobook
The Rolliad, in Two Parts Probationary Odes for the Laureatship & Political Eclogues
by Richard Tickell, George Ellis, French Laurence, Joseph Richardson
About the author
Born in 1753 and active in Britain’s literary world during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, George Ellis was an antiquary, satirical poet, and politician. He is most often remembered for Specimens of the Early English Poets and Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances, books that helped introduce general readers to earlier English literature.
Ellis was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, and he also served as a Member of Parliament. Alongside his scholarly interests, he wrote lighter and political verse, showing the mix of humor and learning that made him a recognizable figure in his circle.
He became a valued friend and correspondent of leading writers of his day, including Walter Scott. Today, his reputation rests less on original poetry than on his gift for presenting older texts in a lively, approachable way for new readers.