John Donne was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's Cat
Portrait by Isaac Oliver, 1616
Part of the house where Donne lived in Pyrford
The memorial to John Donne, St Paul's Cathedral
John Donne Memorial by Nigel Boonham, 2012, St Paul's Cathedral Churchyard
The term Metaphysical poets was coined by the critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of 17th-century English poets whose work was characterised by the inventive use of conceits, and by a grea
John Donne
…England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London (1621–1631). He is considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His poetical works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams…
The poet Abraham Cowley, in whose biography Samuel Johnson first named and described Metaphysical poetry
The title page of Henry Vaughan's Silex Scintillans, 1650
"Europe supported by Africa and America", William Blake, 1796