John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, English poet and courtier (died 1680)

John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester

English poet and courtier (1647–1680)

John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester was an English poet and courtier of King Charles II's Restoration court, who reacted against the "spiritual authoritarianism" of the Puritan era. Rochester embodied this new era, and he became as well known for his rakish lifestyle as for his…