Henry Vaughan

Henry Vaughan (1621-95) was born of Welsh parents at Newton-by-Usk in Breconshire, and may, like his twin brother Thomas, have spoken Welsh as his earliest language. After attending Oxford he went to London for the study of law, but this plan was broken off by the outbreak of civil war in 1642. Returning to his home in Wales, he seems to have joined the King's army there in 1645, and may have participated in the battle of Rowton Heath. He deeply resented the overthrow of the monarchy and the established Church in the late 1640s, years which also saw the death of a much-loved younger brother. These events coincided with the development of Vaughan's intense admiration for the poetry of George Herbert, demonstrated in Silex Scintillans (1650), where Vaughan transcends his earlier secular poems by creating religious poetry in a manner strongly influenced by Herbert. After the second edition of Silex Scintillans (1655) he wrote little poetry, but pursued for his remaining forty years a successful career as a country physician in Breconshire. This book is intended for students of English literature from A-level up. Poetry-readers looking for an annotated eiditon of Vaughan's best verse.