John Wilmot, 2nd count de Rochester

Biography

Rochester was born with Ditchley, in the Oxfordshire, and made studies in Wadham College of Oxford. The mother of Rochester was a partisane members of Parliament during the First revolution English, and inclined with some Puritanisme. His/her father Henry Wilmot, royalist of Irish origin anglo- and alcoholic notorious, had been made count de Rochester in 1652 in reward of the accomplished military services in the name of Charles II during the exile of this last, under Oliver Cromwell. Henry Wilmot died in 1658, two years before the English Restauration.

After having carried out its Large Turn in Europe like very good British aristocrat, Rochester became a character impossible to circumvent of the royal court under the English Restauration and a guard of the Art S. It married a heiress called Elizabeth Malet, but had many mistresses, of which the actress Elizabeth Barry. Little before succumbing to the Syphilis, the count would have been reconciled with the religious faith, in particular thanks to the efforts of the bishop Gilbert Burnet.

Work

The most famous worms of Rochester concern his/her large friend Charles II. He had for example this flash of wit assassin in connection with his monarch:

“ Jamais it does not say insane things, not more than it did not make the wise ones. ”

Charles II would then have retorted:

“ That is true - because my words are of me, whereas my acts are those of my ministers. ”

The writings of Rochester all were at the same time décriés and admired. Posthumous publication of its part Sodome, or the quintessence of the vice involved many lawsuits for obscenity, and the found specimens were destroyed. The December 16th 2004, a specimen of Sodome (regarded as the first printed work pornographic in the world) was sold with Sotheby' S for 45.600 pounds sterling.

Criticisms

Rochester did not miss prestigious admirors. Daniel Defoe, in particular, often quoted it and in abundance. Voltaire appreciated as for him the satires of the count for the “ energy and the fire ” which are released some, and some extracts of them into French for “ translated to show the brilliant imagination whose only its seigniory could enorgueillir ”. Goethe quoted sometimes Rochester, in English in the text. William Hazlitt estimates finally that “ its worms cross and scintillate like diamond ”, and that “ its contempt for all that the others respect holds of sublime the ”.

Quotations

Before being married, I had six theories on the way of raising the children. Now, I have six children and any theory.

See too

Literature of the English Restoration
Rochester, the last of the libertines, cinematographic work recalling the life of John Wilmot, incarnated by Johnny Depp.

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