Biography William Mickle

Poet Biography

William Mickle's father was the minister of Langholm, Dumfries-shire. Mickle was educated in Edinburgh.

When he was fifteen he entered the brewery business. His father bought the business and when he passed away Mickle inherited it. His devotion to literature though kept him away from business matters leading him to bankruptcy.

In 1763 he went to London. Two years later he published a poem called The Concubine

He joined the Clarendon Press as a corrector.

Mickle translated The Lusiad of Camoens into couplets. The whole work was published in 1775. His reputation and fame grew with this translation.
He was appointed secretary to Commodore Johnstone and visited Lisbon in 1779, where he was feted and the king of Portugal gave a public reception for him

When he returned to London he was employed as an agent responsible for distributing prize money. The amount he received for this along with the earnings from his translations assured him of a comfortable income.

William Julius Mickle died in 1788.