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Rochester, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of 1647-80
English courtier and poet

Born in Ditchley, Oxfordshire, he was educated at Burford School and Wadham College, Oxford. He travelled in France and Italy, and then returned to the court of Charles II, where he was a prominent figure. He is said to have been a patron of the actress Elizabeth Barry, and of several poets. He led a life of debauchery, yet wrote letters, satires (particularly 'A Satyr against Mankind', 1675), and bacchanalian and amatory songs and verses. Among the best of his poems are imitations of Horace and Nicolas Boileau, Verses to Lord Mulgrave, and Verses upon Nothing.

Bibliography: V de Sola Pinto, Rochester, Portrait of a Restoration Poet (1935)