John Beaumont (he acquired the "Sir" only about ten weeks before his death) wrote poetry across a quarter-century, nearly all of it serious work and much of it religious in theme. His earliest published work appeared in 1602 when he was eighteen or nineteen, and he was writing occasional verse--an elegy and a devotional poem--in late March 1627 during the last few weeks of his life. From the beginning his work displayed a wide-ranging intellect, critical acumen, and a firm grasp of the poetic craft, especially that of the heroic couplet.

Beaumont was born circa 1583 into a family long and firmly connected to the legal profession and to the Catholic faith. His was the third generation in which the sons were educated at the Inns of Court. His father, Judge Francis Beaumont, conformed to the Church of England and indeed was known for his severity in dealing with recusants; he...