What was the first Buddhist text to be translated into English? What was the first Buddhist text to be translated into English? When was it translated and by whom? Was it reasonably available to those interested and did it have much of an impact within academic circles and perhaps to the wider culture?
UPDATE:
These seem to be the first Buddhist texts ever translated into English, published in 1693:

THE LIFE OF THEVETAT, Translated from the Balie (i.e. Pāli)
An Explication of the Patimouc, or Text of the Vinac

More information can be found in A philological approach to Buddhism by K. R. Norman, p. 4:

Simon de La Loubère [...] in 1687-88 went to Siam as an envoy of
the king of France (King Louis), and on his return wrote a book about the
Kingdom of Siam, which was published in France in 1691. Two years later an
English translation was published in England. La Loubère gave a fascinating
account of many aspects of Siam and Siamese culture, and he also included an
account of the Siamese religion — Buddhism — and the sacred language of the
Siamese. He noted the differences between that language, which he called Balie,
and the Siamese language, and noted, correctly, the relationship between the
former and Sanskrit. He also gave French translations of a few Buddhist texts.

Here is the English edition of Loubère's whole book, which contains the above-mentioned texts:

A new historical relation of the kingdom of Siam by Monsieur De La Loubere ...; done out of French, by A.P. Gen. R.S.S. London: Printed by F.L for Tho. Horne ... Francis Saunders ... and Tho. Bennet ..., 1693.

Some other translations that can be regarded as quite early, include:

The History and Doctrine of Budhism: Popularly Illustrated: with Notices of the Kappooism, Or Demon Worship, and of the Bali, Or Planetary Incantations, of Ceylon by Edward Upham (London, 1829): contains translations of some Jātakas

The Catechism of the Shamans (London, 1831) by Charles Fried. Neumann: contains translation of portions of a Mahāyāna Vinaya from Chinese

Fragment of the Lotus Sutra translated from French by Elizabeth Peabody in 1844 (Wikipedia incorrectly calls that the first English translation of a Buddhist text)


None of these publications seem to have made a big impact.

In 1844 the magazine published Peabody's translation of a portion of the Lotus Sutra from French [...]. The publication ceased shortly thereafter in April 1844.