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Rochester (JOHN WILMOT EARL OF a witty)

JOHN WILMOT, EARL OF, a witty English nobleman of the court of Charles II.; born in Ditchley, Oxfordshire, April 10, 1647, and was educated at Wadham College. He succeeded to the title and estates in 1659. He served in the fleet under Lord Sandwich, and distinguished himself at the attack on Bergen. On his return to England he became the personal friend and favorite of the king. His constitution gave way under his habits of drunkenness and debauchery. His poetical works consist of satires, love songs, and drinking songs, many of them gems of wit and fancy, and many of them daringly immoral. He died July 26, 1680.