KEATS, JOHN, an English poet; born in London, England, October 29, 1795; was apprenticed to a surgeon, but gave way to the ambition of becoming a poet. His first poems published in 1817 made no impression. "Endymion" (1818) and "Lamia" (1820) brought fame, though savagely treated by Clifford in the "Quarterly Review." Keats, already attacked by tuberculosis, sought to regain strength in Italy and died in Rome, Feb. 23, 1821.