Haddon was a leading jurist of Tudor England. (Haddon’s life is documented. His biography is available on the World Wide Web. This work briefly discusses his life and offers two short literary selections, Haddon’s line count of 30 to Buchanan’s 35. Two sums for a Latinist as yourself the opportunity to discern the quantity of the quality of these oeuvres.)

Haddon came from Worcestershire. He was educated at Eton College and in 1533, went to King’s College, Cambridge. He was a diligent student, and to the point, swiftly completed studies to graduate with a Doctor of Laws. He came to the notice of Thomas Cranmer and worked on legislation regarding the reform of ecclesiastical laws. The boy-king Edward VI, died due to contracting tuberculosis. (Haddon’s report was finally published in 1571, Reformatio Legum Ecclesiasticarum.)

When Queen Mary ascended to the throne in 1553, he sent congratulatory Latin verses to her. Haddon continued working in the law, and was admitted to Gray’s Inn in 1557 and, elected Member of Parliament in 1558 (the first of four times). But and, there is always a but, politics and position are always pursuits, for the Tudor era, they are passions. Princess Elizabeth had been ill, accordingly; Haddon sent a consolatory poem

Elizabeth, on her accession in 1558; Haddon was age 42. His sympathy to Protestantism was appreciated. During his final 14 years, to a natural death; he enjoyed professional and private success

Haddon’s letters, Lucubrationes and poetry, Poemata were published in 1567 by Thomas Hatcher, a classmate and friend from Cambridge. A second posthumous edition was published in 1576