Henry Wotton's Courtlie Controuersie of Cupids Cautels (1578), a translation of Jaques Yver's Le Printemps d'Yver (1572) deserves a place in the history of English prose fiction, of Tudor translations, of Euphuism, and of English poetry. In the late sixteenth century, several writers referred to it, quoted from it, adapted it, including John Lyly, Robert Greene, Thomas Kyd, and possibly Shakespeare. It is then surprising that Wotton's work, contrary to other Elizabethan novella collections, has hitherto largely escaped the attention of scholars. Situating A Courtlie Controuersie in the literary culture of its time, this article presents an introduction to Wotton's collection and argues that it is a work of considerable historical importance that still awaits full appreciation.