This volume presents the texts of three Englishwomen remarkable both for writing and publishing their work during the first half of the 16th century. They also proved themselves nimble survivors of political and religious turmoil: Beaufort suffered for her Lancastrian connections and Roper and Basset for their Catholic allegiance. Significantly, these women turned to translation and to religious texts for their writing and publishing. The choice of devotional treatises authored by men not only mitigated the threat of the female pen, but more importantly to these writers, enabled them to perform spiritual and material work. Translation was considered to be the fruit of faith, contributing to the writer's own salvation and that of others, notably women. Margaret Beaufort was Countess of Richmond and Derby and mother of Henry VII. Lady Margaret's translation of the fourth book of Thomas a Kempis' "De imitatione Christi" was the first in English and was published in 1504 with Books 1-3 tranlated by William Atkinson. Pynson's 1517 edition is reprinted here, notable for the clarity of its texts and woodcuts.
Lady Margaret's translation from a French version of the anonymous text, "Speculum aureum animae peccatricis" was published by Pynson in about 1506. Reprinted three times after her death, twice in 1522 and once in 1526, the 1526 edition held by the British Library is reprinted here. Margaret More Roper was the eldest child of Sir Thomas More and was said to have been an outstanding scholar and writer. Her only published work is the translation reproduced here - "Erasmus: A devout treatise upon the Pater noster" - published around 1526 by T. Berthelet. Mary Roper Clarke Basset was the daughter of Margaret Roper. She was a layd-in-waiting to Queen Mary and an expert in Latin and Greek. Reprinted here is a copy of her translation of her grandfather's final Tower work, "Of the sorrowe...of Christ before hys taking", from the 1557 edition of "The English Works of Sir Thomas More".