1. Coterie Poems (c. 1610 - 1660) John Donne writes in 1624 that Life “is like a Sentence, so much as may be uttered in a breathing: and such a difference as is in Styles, is in our lives, contracted and dilated. And as in some Styles, there are open Parentheses, Sentences within Sentences; so there are lives, within our lives.”

2. John Donne (1572 - 1631) accepted to legal school in 1591 travels to Italy and Spain in 1590s spends much of inheritance on women and literature marries Anne More in 1601 against wishes of her father; briefly stays in prison but released when union proven valid, although it ruins his aspirations to be diplomat Anne bears him 12 children in 16 years of marriage; dies in 1617; he never remarries relies on rich friends in 1610s; receives Doctor of Divinity degree in 1618 from Cambridge; ordained Dean of St. Paul’s in 1621 (well- paying position) Portrait (c. 1595, artist unknown)

3. Andrew Marvell (1621- 1678) receives BA at Cambridge; travels through Europe in 1640s during English Civil Wars works as tutor to notable Puritans in 1650s; appointed to Parliament in 1659; publishes anonymous prose satires about monarchists after 1660 Restoration political views ambiguous; flirted with Catholicism while young; not a Puritan although works for them; described while on trip to France in 1650s as “a notable English Italo-Machiavellian” poems found by housekeeper Mary Palmer and published posthumously in 1681 Portrait (c. 1655, artist unknown)

4. Some history of the flea fleas are wingless; can spread plague (e.g., Bubonic [swelling of lymph nodes]; also pneumonic, septicemic) bacterium discovered 1894 during epidemic in China big European plagues are Black Death of c. 1348 and London Plague of 1665 “…cloistered in these living walls of jet.” (“Flea,” l. 15) “…hast thou since / Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?” (“Flea,” ll. 19-20)

5. Flea circus (c. 1830s) fleas can pull items 700x their own weight; strong hind legs; good jumpers flea circuses popular by 19 th cent. (e.g., fleas pulling tiny chariots, walking a tightrope, playing music in miniature orchestras) Victorian Flea Circus, cartoon Newer example 1 (Homer’s Iliad flea) Newer example 2 (Tightrope flea)

6. History of gardens medieval knot gardens still prevalent during Renaissance (formally designed; consist of squarish frames in which aromatic plants and culinary herbs grown) French parterre (“on the ground,” same level) gardens developed by Claude Mollet in early 17 th cent.; more elaborate and contain hedges, dominate properties of aristocracy for most of later 17 th and much of 18 th cent. English landscape garden emerges in 1720s and slowly displaces elaborate, geometrical, parterre structure by later 18 th cent. parterre and knot gardens repopularized in later 19 th cent. during Victorian Age Knot Garden, Bristol Left Side of Symmetrical Parterre, Waddesdon Manor Stowe Landscape Park, Buckinghamshire

7. Older possibilities Garden of Eden; Biblical motifs Epicurus’ garden; in which he lectured to students Garden of Eden, by Jacob de Backer (c. late 16 th cent.) Agricultural University of Athens; possible location of Epicurus’ garden