George Herbert

George Herbert was born in the town of Montgomery, England, in the year of 1593. He was raised in the Anglican faith, and developed a strong disdain for Puritans and Calvinists. As an adult, Herbert worked in public oratory and politics for a decade, until his three main supporters died and he was forced to end his political career. At this time, Herbert became a parish priest and served as the rector of a parish until his death at the age of forty. During his work as a priest, he wrote "The Temple," a copy of which the Dickinsons had in their family library. It is apparent that Emily read this work, as there are notes in the margins in her handwriting. Furthermore, one of Herbert's poems, "Matins," was rewritten by Dickinson and published by Millicent Todd Bingham in 1945 as an original Dickinson poem. "The New Yorker" magazine had the last laugh when they revealed on June 16, 1945, that the author of "Matins" was George Herbert and not Emily Dickinson.

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