1615–1632

Abstract

When John Donne was ordained deacon and priest in January 1615, he adopted perhaps his most clearly defined role and began the most public phase of his life. Role-playing had been strong in Donne as far back as we can trace his life in any detail, and he seems always to have been aware of an audience, but the short period as one of Egerton’s secretaries was, in our terms, the only time before 1615 when Donne was in full-time employment, if we exclude short engagements with such as Drury. Moreover, the role of priest defined a public function of preaching, taking services and living to a high standard of expected behaviour, while ordination into the Anglican Church also meant a formal statement of adherence to its doctrines. Thus the role is one which Donne chose to adopt, rather than one he had shaped for himself.