Born in 1572 into a family of recusant Catholics, Donne would have grown up with knowledge of the dangers such a background could attract. As an adult, he converted to Anglicanism and never returned to the Catholic faith. After leaving Oxford University, Donne briefly studied law then sailed as a gentleman adventurer. Later he took holy orders and was eventually appointed dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, a position he held until his death in 1631.