I was born in London early in 1572 in St. Olave parish. My father is John Donne and was a successful merchant. My mother was the daughter of a well known epigrammatist named John Heywood, and the niece of the martyred Thomas More. At the time of my birth there was much religious tension between the Catholics and the Anglicans. Two of my uncles who were Jesuits, were arrested and imprisoned. Eventually one would be executed, and the other exiled. My brother was also arrested for harboring a priest. He died of plague during his imprisonment.
I was well a well educated individual. When I was 11 years old I attended Hart Hall in Oxford and later I attended Cambridge University. However, my religious preference (Catholic) prevented me from receiving a degree, mainly because I would not take the Oath of Supremacy and acknowledge the king to be the head of the church. In 1591 I became a member of Thavies Inn and Lincoln's Inn in 1592, where I was able to study law. Around this time, one might say I was a typical youth. I had inherited a considerable fortune from my father and I put it to use watching plays and all sorts of other fun stuff. However my education led me to begin observing what was happening around me. I then began to write satires. In 1596-97, I sailed on an English expedition to Cadiz and the Azores under Robert Deveraux, Earl of Essex, and Sir Walter Raleigh. During this voyage I befriended the son of Lord Egerton. When the voyage ended, I became his secretary. By this time I had converted to the Church of England. It was difficult to find work as a Catholic, and this was a particularly big opportunity. It was the first step in which I would be able to gain a reputable position in the government. However, I would soon lose this opportunity when I fell in love with Ann More, Egerton's niece. When I first met her, she was fourteen years old. Two years later, we married in secret. We didn't tell her father of this union for two months. To marry a minor without the permission of her father was a serious crime, and I would go to prison for it, along with a few friends who helped with the endeavor. Life was difficult after we were released. This "scandal" made it nearly impossible for me to find work. Providing for the family my wife and I built would prove to be very difficult. We lived in poverty. After several years, I made ammends with Ann's father, and we received a much need inheritance. It would not be until 1615 that I would finally become a priest at St. Pauls. However, two years later, my wife died giving birth to a stillborn child. In total I had twelve children, five of which died at an early age. Little time went by and I began to gain more responsiblities with work. I traveled everywhere preaching mostly to nobility. In 1621 I became a dean to St. Pauls. In the years to follow I would present cases at the courts, and even serve as Justice of the Peace. I also served as the governor of Charter house. However at the same time, my age was catching up to me, and I began to fall ill. I wrote the "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions" during this period. After a while I even began preaching sermons on death, and funerals. After my last sermon, I posed for a portrait. It was my final testament to mankind, proof that I lived. Then, on March 31, 1631, I died, leaving behind a legacy of spiritual enlightenment. Many have called me the founder of religous and metaphysical poetry. I never saw that coming.The Sun Rising
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