The Works of the Right Honourable John Earl of Rochester

The Works of the Right Honourable John Earl of Rochester gathers the surviving poems, satires, and plays of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647-1680), the English courtier poet and rake of the court of Charles II whose verse remains the sharpest satirical writing of the English Restoration. Rochester wrote a small but brilliant body of lyrics, satires, and dramatic verse including A Satire Against Reason and Mankind, the libertine song lyrics, the Imitation of Horace, and the closet drama Sodom. His poetry circulated in manuscript at court during his lifetime and only appeared in print after his death at thirty-three. The collected Works was issued in successive eighteenth-century editions, often heavily censored. Rochester is a major figure of English satirical verse and a primary source for the literary culture of the Restoration court. Free PDF download available on BDeBooks.