SEVENTEENTH CENTURY (1600-1660), EXCLUDING MILTON

1. John Bunyan (1628-88): Bunyan, like many other people from the lower classes (he was a tinsmith or "tinker"), became politically significant during his service in Cromwell's army. Bunyan was one of the few Englishmen who refused to accept the Restoration's religious settlement. The dissenter spent the next twelve years in the Bedford jail, where he wrote, among other works, the start of The Pilgrim's Progress. This religious allegory was especially popular among "unliterary" readers for the next 200 years.

2. Dr. John Donne (1572-1631): Ruined courtier, celebrated preacher, influential poet who circulated his poetry in manuscript rather than publishing it.

3. Robert Herrick (1591-1674): A "son of Ben" and Anglican clergyman.

4. George Herbert (1593-1633): "Holy Mr. Herbert" gave up a court career to become a humbly working Anglican priest. His poems were published after his early death.

5. Richard Lovelace (1618-1658): Tragic cavalier figure who wrote two of the most well-known English poems, "To Althea, from Prison" and "To Lucasta, Going to the Wars."

6. Andrew Marvell (1621-78): poet, satirist, politician, friend of Milton.

7. The House of Commons: where the rebellion began (1640).

8. Abraham Cowley (1618-67): metaphysical poet, one of the most popular of his time. Dr. Johnson's famous remarks on metaphysical poetry (ca. 1780) are in his preface to Cowley's poetry.

 9. William D'Avenant (1606-68): royalist playwright and poet (unofficial poet laureate), narrowly escapes execution by the Puritans (supposedly, he was helped out by Milton). In order to evade the Saints' ban on plays, he wrote one of the earliest English operas, The Siege of Rhodes (1656). He also wrote the romance epic, Gondibert (1651).

10. Thomas Middleton (1580-1627): writer of revenge tragedies (Women Beware Women; The Changeling) and comedies (It’s a Mad World My Masters; The Roaring Girl). His best known play is perhaps the political satire, A Game at Chess).

11. Sir John Suckling (1609-41): Cavalier poet and dramatist.

12. William Prynne: Another vivid character from the Civil War period

13. Edmund Waller (1606-87): Poet and political figure; influential in promoting neo-classical standards.