Until the early 1960s John Lyly's reputation as playwright and prose writer rested largely upon the influence his plays were thought to have exerted upon the work of later dramatists (notably Shakespeare) and upon his creation of a unique prose style (euphuism) that enjoyed a brief period of popularity and rapidly fell into disrepute. Only in the last twenty years has it been recognized that Lyly's dramatic works are significant in their own right, and that the style their creator evolved is inseparable from his vision of life.

Lyly was born into a family with close connections with the humanist movement. His grandfather was William Lily, the famous grammarian and High Master of St. Paul's School, while his uncle, George Lily, was secretary to the learned Reginald Pole, kinsman of Henry VIII. His father, Peter, a minor ecclesiastical official in the Archbishopric of York, had married Jane Burgh...