A Poem by Sir Julius Caesar, Judge of the Admiralty, 1589

A courtier of Elizabeth I and later James I, Sir Julius Caesar (Giulio Cesare Adelmare, 1558–1636) is remembered today chiefly for his place in the history of the English legal system. His role as a lover and writer of poetry, however, has been almost entirely ignored by historians and literary scholars alike, even though a poem of his was found and published as early as the nineteenth century. A manuscript collection containing many of Caesar’s business and family papers confirms his authorship of these verses, and provides a date, a new context, and a far superior (and longer) text. Surrounded by documents relating to the literary exchanges of the Adelmare family, original letters by members of the Elizabethan élite, and presenting some disquieting references to treason, this apparently naive composition proves to be deeply connected with both Caesar’s life and the politics of his time.