John+Donne

John Donne was born in 1572 in London, England to an ironmonger (father) and a devout catholic (mother). He attended [|Oxford University] in London, England without declaring a degree path. If he had declared a degree, he would have been required to swear an oath recognizing that the Head of the Church was the English Monarch, something Donne did not believe. After attending Oxford, in 1595 Donne traveled with an expedition to the Azores. On his way back to England, he became the secretary of the lord keeper of the Great Seal, Sir Thomas Egerton. After his secret marriage to Sir Egerton's 17 year old daughter was brought to light, Donne was dismissed from his duties and the marriage cause a multitude of issues for years after the incident making it impossible for him to acquire offices and patrons. Finally in 1615 Donne took orders in the Church of England. In 1617 his wife died causing depression and other emotional problems for Donne that plagued him for the rest of his life. In 1621 he became dean of St. Paul's cathedral, one of the highest positions in the Angelical hierarchy, and finally he was welcomed by the people giving sermons that were very well attended. In the later years of his life his poems were circulated all over through manuscript, but the different copies of his poems varied causing questions about the textual consistency of his work. Just a few weeks prior to his death, Donne posed in a shroud, which was later used for his effigy at his tomb located in St. Paul's cathedral. On March 31, 1631 John Donne died in London and was buried in St Paul's Cathedral. In 1666 there was a great fire at St. Paul's cathedral and the only thing to survive was Donne's effigy and tomb which can still be seen today.