Richard Hooker (1554?—1600), theologian and political theorist, wrote Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. The book is noted for the gorgeousness of its prose style. The young Ruskin fell under Hooker's influence, and the prose of Modern Painters II was strongly affected by him. In later life, Ruskin disapproved of the self-consciously fine writing in his early books.
George Herbert (1593-1633), the metaphysical poet and author of the prose work 'A Priest to the Temple', was, like Hooker, a country clergyman. Ruskin was a passionate admirer of Herbert's verse and frequently quoted it from memory in his writings.
Both Herbert and Hooker are commonly thought of as founders and pillars of the Anglican cultural tradition.