ABSTRACT
Steeped in religious language, the ‘convert’ was a figure of intrigue and fear in the early modern era. The related verb ‘to convert’ applied this idea of change to a range of contexts at a time that saw drastic changes in medicine and natural philosophy. ‘Convert’ and ‘conversion’ related to transformation and alteration, but the confessional split caused by the Reformation, and more frequent English encounters with peoples and polities beyond Europe, meant the ‘convert’ became an important figure in English definitions of their own identities. 1 For the English, encountering other people was a double-edged sword. On one side, these exchanges provided the opportunity for many to fulfil what they saw as their biblically ordained evangelical responsibility to convert peoples and environments for both the Protestant faith and English state. On the other hand, cross-cultural encounters also placed the English at risk of conversion to other faiths and cultures.
