He did actually recover from the illness, but his death a few years later leads one to believe that it left him significantly weakened and it is speculated that this in turn led to his untimely demise. He died at the age of 58.

This, the only recording on Donne's Meditations upon our Human Condition is a fascinating study of Man's infinite frailty and mortality. These 23 essays - each charting a particular stage of the disease - provide an astonishing insight into 17th century life and attitudes. Donne's wonderfully subtle mind seamlessly weaves the mundane, the religious, the secular, the study of 17th century life, together with his own often idiosyncratic, but deeply moral philosophy to create one of the most beautiful and elegant documents in the English language. The listener learns about what it was like to have lived during the period, the medieval applications that were employed in treating the disease, the whole philosophical process a human being goes through when afflicted with a life threatening condition.

Best rememberd today as the greatest of the metaphysical poets, John Donne is often considered too complex for the general reader, however, these essays belie that myth.

The Music that the listener hears was specially commissioned to work with the text. It weaves throughout the piece reinforcing the moods of the man.

James Fox has lent credence to the recording in his masterful and sometimes poignant rendition of Donne's work and takes the listener on an emotional journey.