George Herbert, a metaphysical and religious poet, was one of 10 children belonging to Richard and Magdalen Newport Herbert. He was born on April 3rd, 1593 in Montgomery, Wales. After the death of his father in 1596, his mother moved her seven sons and three daughters first to Oxford and then five years later to London in order to educate and raise them as loyal Anglicans. In Oxford, Magdalen Herbert became a patron for John Donne, a famed poet and preacher, who dedicated his Holy Sonnets to her. Herbert was tutored at home until the age of twelve, then sent to Westminister School. In 1596, George Herbert's mother, Madgalen Herbert, married Sir John Danvers. In 1610, George Herbert sent his first two sonnets to his mother, maintaining in them that the love of God is a worthier subject for verse than the love of a woman. After earning distinction as a Westminister King's Scholar, Herbert studied at Trinity College in Cambridge. In 1613 he earned his B.A. and his M.A. came in 1616. In 1618, he became a Reader in Rhetoric and was elected Public Orator (official spokesperson) for the University from 1620-1628. He also served as a member of Parliament for Montgomery in 1624 and 1625. In 1626, George Herbert chose to become a deacon because it was more along the lines of poety and the path he wanted to go down. On March 5th, 1629, after a brief courtship, he married Jane Danvers, his step-father's cousin.
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