ABSTRACT
John Donne's birth occurred in London between January 24 and June 19 of 1572. His birth John Donne joined a staunchly Roman Catholic family with a history of members who had served as priests, had gone into exile from England, had suffered fines and loss of privileges enjoyed by Anglicans, and had even been martyrs for their faith. Donne apparently was educated by a private tutor until he entered Hart Hall, Oxford, in 1584. Donne's first biographer, Izaak Walton, contends that Donne then studied for a few years at Cambridge. King James sent Donne in 1619 as chaplain to accompany Viscount Doncaster on an ambassadorial mission to Germany. Even though secular employment continued to elude Donne, financial problems were alleviated by other means during the Mitcham years. The sketch of Donne in his winding-sheet indeed provided the basis for the marble monument sculpted by Nicholas Stone after Donne's death.
