John Donne is now recognized as one of the great originals in the history of English poetry and as an equally accomplished master of English prose. The twentieth century has restored him, in fact, to a place in the literary pantheon much like the one he held in his own time. The enigmatic life of the "Black prince of witts" and his quirky, passionate sensibility have proved as fascinating to men and women today as in his own age. The well-annotated editions of his works produced in the late twentieth century, moreover, have made his writings accessible to a wider readership than ever before.

Donne's prose writings extend over most of his life and, like his poetry, exhibit well-marked phases of development. Yet, had Donne succeeded in his quest for a secular career his status as a poet of the first order might remain unchallenged, but he would...