Ellis Wynne

Ellis Wynne (born March 7, 1671, Y Lasynys, Merioneth, Wales—died July 13, 1734, Llanfair, Merioneth) was a clergyman and author whose Gweledigaetheu y Bardd Cwsc (1703; “Visions of the Sleeping Bard”) is generally considered the greatest Welsh prose classic. An adaptation of Sir Roger L’Estrange’s translation of the Spanish satirist Quevedo’s Sueños (1627; “Visions”), savage pictures of contemporary evils, it followed its original closely. Wynne, however, used colloquial language and transmuted the characters and the scenery of the Spanish work into Welsh characters and scenery of the later 17th century. More than 30 Welsh editions and several English translations of the text exist.

Educated at the University of Oxford, he practiced law before becoming a rector (Llandanwg, 1704, and Llanfair-juxta-Harlech, 1711, both in Merioneth). Other major works include Rheol Buchedd Sanctaidd (1701, a translation of The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living by Jeremy Taylor) and several hymns and carols.