John Donne (1572–1631), born into an old Roman Catholic family, attended Oxford and Cambridge and studied law at Lincoln's Inn. Strong anti-Catholic feelings in England prohibited Donne from following many of the usual paths toward success. In his twenties, Donne survived on a small inheritance from his father and on charm, intelligence, and courtly favor. Donne's prospects for advancement seemed secure when, at the age of twenty-six, he was appointed secretary to a high official in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1601, however, after Donne secretly married Anne More, a marriage opposed by her powerful father, he was fired from his position and imprisoned. In 1614, he converted to Anglicanism. The next year, he entered the ministry and became an Anglican priest. With his deep learning, dramatic wit, and metaphorical style, Donne at once established himself as a great preacher. Appointed dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in 1621, Donne became one of the most influential ministers in England. His private devotions were published in 1624, but his collected poems were not published until 1633, two years after his death. Donne's poetic style influenced other writers, including Herbert, Crashaw, and Marvell. That style, which came to be known as "Metaphysical," also greatly influenced a number of important twentieth-century poets.