Daniel Foe was born in the formative moment of capitalist Britain and into the class that would do the most to bring it about – the merchant class of the City of London who were leading and profiting from the expansion of internal and colonial trade and whose wealth would soon force a potentially revolutionary confrontation with the power of the Crown. Foe’s father, James, was a Presbyterian who had come to London, served an apprenticeship as a tallow chandler and become a successful merchant and freeman of the City of London. It is believed Daniel was destined for the Presbyterian ministry since he attended one of its noted training establishments, the Reverend James Fisher’s school in Dorking, Surrey, but at 14 he moved

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First published 28 October 2000

Citation: Clark, Robert. "Daniel Defoe". The Literary Encyclopedia. 28 October 2000.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5210, accessed 9 February 2010.]