John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
Had his most obscene poem, 'A Satyr Against Reason and Mankind,' read aloud in his defense during a 1679 trial for blasphemy.
1647–1680 (age 33)·English poet and courtier·Birthday: April 1
Biography
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, authored 'A Satyr Against Reason and Mankind' around 1675, a 220-line polemic that questioned the very premise of human intellect. King Charles II alternately exiled him from court and summoned him for entertainment between 1664 and 1680. Rochester kidnapped his future wife, Elizabeth Malet, in 1665, for which he served six weeks in the Tower of London. He fought as a naval officer in the Second Anglo-Dutch War, receiving a wound that may have contributed to his syphilis. At age 33, dying and possibly repentant, Rochester summoned theologian Gilbert Burnet to his bedside; Burnet later published 'Some Passages of the Life and Death of John Earl of Rochester' in 1680, creating the myth of the rake's deathbed conversion. His collected poems saw continuous, often pirated, publication for a century after his death. The 1995 film 'The Libertine', based on a 1994 play, revived his notoriety for a modern audience.
#1 When John Was Born
The biggest hits of 1647
John's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1647Born
1652Started school
1660Became a teenager
1663Could drive
1665Could vote
1668Turned 21
1677Turned 30
1680Died at 33
Key Achievements
- His poem 'A Satyr Against Reason and Mankind' (c. 1675) remains a central text of Restoration literature.
- Served in the House of Lords and carried the King's scepter at Charles II's coronation in 1661.
- His posthumous 'Poems on Several Occasions' (1680) went through over 20 editions in the 18th century.
Did You Know?
He disguised himself as a German physician named 'Dr. Bendo' to practice quack medicine in London.
Rochester gave his friend, the poet John Dryden, a beating in Covent Garden in 1679 over a literary slight.
He once smashed a priceless glass sundial belonging to King Charles II in a fit of drunkenness.
“Before I got sick, I never repented of any sin. Why should I repent now I am sick?”
