Andrew Marvell (1621–1678) was an English poet and politician who wrote on a broad range of subjects. In addition to poems about love, philosophy, and religion, he also authored political satires and polemical tracts. Marvell was born to a Protestant clergyman in Hull, Yorkshire. He completed his primary education at the local grammar school, then began a promising academic career at Trinity College, Cambridge. Marvell completed his degree and continued as a scholar-in-residence until 1641, just as England was descending into civil war. A faction known as the Parliamentarians, who supported democratic government and the Puritan Church, gained momentum and eventually defeated the Royalists, who supported monarchy and the Anglican Church. Marvell’s allegiances lay with the Parliamentarians, and in 1659 even became a Member of Parliament. The restoration of the English monarchy in 1660 introduced turbulence into Marvell’s political career. Though he outwardly accepted the monarchy, he published anonymous polemical writings and made other public gestures in support of revolutionary politics. Although he wrote throughout his life, most of Marvell’s poetry was not published during his lifetime. For this reason, scholars cannot precisely date the composition of many of his major works, including “To His Coy Mistress.”