Edward Grimeston (died 1640) was an Englishsergeant-at-arms and one of the most active translators of his day.

He was sworn in as sergeant-at-arms to assist the Speaker in theParliament of England on 17 March 1609/10.^[1] He married a daughter of Armiger Strettly.^[2] He had a son, Edward, and SirHarbottle Grimston was his nephew. He was buried inSt. Margaret's, Westminster, on 14 December 1640.^[1]

Edward Grimestone published several large and influential histories, dedicating them to SirRobert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, andThomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk.George Eld printed and published Grimestone'sA General Inventory of the History of France (1607), and in conjunction with stationers Adam Islip, M. Flesher, andWilliam Stansby, Grimestone'sA General History of the Netherlands (A. Islip and G. Eld, 1609),The General History of Spain (A. Islip and G. Eld, 1612),The General History of the Magnificent State of Venice (G. Eld and W. Stansby, 1612), andA General History of France (G. Eld and M. Flesher, 1624).

Grimestone's histories were used for source material by several well-known seventeenth-century playwrights.The General History of Spain (1612) was likely the source forPhilip Massinger'sBelieve as You List, andA General Inventory of the History of France (1607) was the primary source forGeorge Chapman'sBussy D'Ambois,The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois, andThe Conspiracy and Tragedy of Charles, Duke of Byron.^[2]

Grimestone also publishedThe Honest Man, or The Art to Please in Court (1632), a translation of a French courtly conduct manual by Nicolas Faret,L’Honneste Homme. Ov l’Art de plaire a la court (1630).The Honest Man offers advice to the would-be courtier or gentleman along the lines ofBaldassare Castiglione'sThe Book of the Courtier (Il libro del Cortegiano, 1528).^[3] Grimestone dedicated the book to Richard Hubert, the courtier and groom porter toCharles I of England.^[1]

• A True History of the Memorable Siege of Ostend from anonymous French original (1604)
• The naturall and morall historie of the East and West Indies byJosé de Acosta (1604)
• A General Inventory of the History of France (1607)
• Admirable and Memorable Histories bySimon Goulart (1607)
• A General History of the Netherlands by Jean-François le Petit (1608, 1609)
• The Low-Country Commonwealth by Jean-François le Petit (1609)
• A General History of France – second edition – (1611)
• The Heroic Life and Deplorable Death of the Most Christian King Henry the Fourth by Pierre Mathieu (1611)
• The General History of Spain by Louis de Mayerne Turquet (1612)
• The History of Louis [Lewis by Pierre Mathieu (1614)
• The Estates, Empires, and Principalities of the World by Pierre d'Avity (1615)
• A Table of Humane Passions byNicolas Coeffeteau (1621)
• The Imperial History from the First Foundation of the Roman Monarchy to this Present Time by Pedro Mexia (1623)
• A General History of France – third edition – (1624)
• A General History of the Netherlands – second edition – (1627)
• The Honest Man, or The Art to Please in Court byNicolas Faret (1632)
• The Counsellor of Estate, containing the Greatest and Most Remarkable Considerations serving for the Managing of Public Affairs by Philippe de Béthume (1634)
• The History of Polybius the Megalopolitan by Louis Maigret (1634)
• The History of the Imperial Estate of the Grand Seigneurs byMichel Baudier (1635)
• The History of the Court of the King of China byMichel Baudier (1635)

• F. S. Boas, “Edward Grimeston, Translator and Sergeant-at-Arms,”Modern Philology 3, no. 4 (April 1906), pp. 395–409.
• G. N. Clark, “Edward Grimeston, the Translator,”The English Historical Review 43, no. 172 (October 1928), pp. 585–598.
• Nicolas Faret,The Honest Man: or, the Art to Please in Court, trans. Edward Grimestone (London, 1632). Available atEarly English Books Online (EEBO).
• English Short Title Catalogue entries for Edward Grimestone

• 1640 deaths
• Burials at St Margaret's, Westminster
• Serjeants-at-Arms of the House of Commons of England
• 17th-century English translators
• 17th-century English writers
• 17th-century English male writers
• 17th-century English historians

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from April 2022
• Year of birth unknown