Roscoe, William

Roscoe, William, 1753–1831, English historian and author. He was called to the bar in 1774, and later, as a member of Parliament, fought against the slave trade (1806). The Life of Lorenzo de' Medici (1795), his principal historical work, received praise, but his Life of Leo X (4 vol., 1805) was severely criticized. In 1806 he contributed a children's classic, The Butterfly's Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast, to the Gentleman's Magazine.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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