Thomas Babington Macaulay

Macaulay, Thomas Babington (1800–59), historian and essayist. Babington was elected to Parliament in 1830, became a brilliant speaker, and served on the Supreme Council governing India before undertaking his History of England from the Accession of James II (5 vol, 1849–61). The clarity and readability of this work made it a success. Like the History, his Essays display great range and brilliance, together with supreme confidence of judgment. While continuing as a leading orator in Parliament and holding several government jobs, Babington also wrote Lays of Ancient Rome (1842), a popular collection of poems.