Today Luke and myself will be talking about the life of George Herbert. He was born on 3 April in 1593. He was born in Montgomery Wales, he was the fifth son of Richard and Magdalen Herbert. George’s father died in 1596 and left behind a wife, seven boys and three daughters. George’s mother died in 1627. George married his step-father’s cousin, Jane Danvers, in 1629. George Herbert first attended Westminster school in 1605. In 1609 George was except to Trinity College in Cambridge. After receiving his degrees with distinctions George was elected a major fellow of Trinity. In 1618 he was appointed Reader in Rhetoric at Cambridge, and in 1620 he was elected public orator until 1628. In 1624 and 1625 George was elected to represent Montgomery in Parliament. George could of used his Post Of Orator to reach a high political status but instead he decided to follow his Christian ambitions. George took holy orders in the Church of England in 1630 and spent the rest of his life as a priest in Bemerton near Salisbury. George Herbert’s first two sonnets were dedicated towards his mother which explained that the love of god is more important than the love of another women. George mostly writes poems about his personal experiences and god. Because he was mostly a religious poet most would not of expected him to be as popular as he is today. On his deathbed he sent the manuscript of The Temple to Nicholas Ferrar asking him to publish the poem if he thought it was good. It was first published in 1633 and by 1680 there were 13 copies made. George Herbert died on March 1st 1630 by consumption. He was very sick well before his death. Many say that George Herbert has replaced Donne as the supreme Metaphysical poet of time.
