Robert Herrick  (1591–1674) LINKS Robert Herrick http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/herrick/ In a professionally designed and attractive site, Anniina Jokinen presents Robert Herrick enthusiasts with selections of his work, critical essays about his work, a biography of his life, and links to other Herrick sites. Selected Poetry of Robert Herrick (1591–1674) http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/rp/authors/herrick.html Representative Poetry On-line and the library at the University of Toronto provide twenty-three Herrick poems for their visitors’ delight. BIOGRAPHY Born in London, Herrick was apprenticed to his uncle, a goldsmith, for ten years until, at age twenty-two, he was sent to Cambridge University in recognition of his academic talents. Little is known of the decade following his graduation from Cambridge, although it seems certain that he associated with a circle of literary artists. In 1629, he was appointed vicar at Dean Prior, Devonshire—a rural parish that the sophisticated and cosmopolitan Herrick looked upon as a kind of exile. Yet, he was fascinated by the pagan elements of local songs and dances, and often drew upon pre-Christian writers for inspiration. His chief work, Hesperides (1648), is a collection of some twelve hundred poems—mostly written in Devonshire—about local scenery, customs, and people.