About James Mabbe
Lived 1572 – 1642 (aged 69–70). James Mabbe was a linguist, translator and poet.
James Mabbe or Mab (1572–1642) was an English scholar, translator, and poet, and a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. He was involved in translations from Spanish, notably of the Picaresque novel by Mateo Alemán, Guzmán de Alfarache, in 1622. He also translated some of the Novelas ejemplares of Miguel de Cervantes and, in 1631, La Celestina, a 300-page play, or "novel in dialogue," by Fernando de Rojas, under the title The Spanish Bawd.
James Mabbe may also be the "I. M." who wrote the fourth commendatory verse to the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays (1623), given that his friend and colleague Leonard Digges wrote the third.
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Important facts
People in James Mabbe's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped James Mabbe's
Frequently asked questions
Who was James Mabbe?
British writer and scholar
When was James Mabbe born?
James Mabbe was born in 1572.
When did James Mabbe die?
James Mabbe died in 1642.
What was James Mabbe's occupation?
James Mabbe was a linguist, translator and poet.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). James Mabbe. https://biography.guide/james-mabbe/
MLA: "James Mabbe." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/james-mabbe/.
Chicago: "James Mabbe." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/james-mabbe/.
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