Earl of Rochester, John Wilmot – författare

John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester (1647-80), was a leading member of the group of 'court wits' surrounding Charles II. One of the wittiest and most sexually explicit poets in English, his poems circulated principally in manuscript, which makes the tracing of their transmissional history a peculiarly difficult task. In this long-awaited edition, Harold Love, one of the leading scholars of seventeenth-century manuscript circulation, presents a scholarly text based on detailed examination of the manuscripts, with full textual and explanatory notes. It will be an important contribution to the study of manuscript publication as well as a vital resource for all students of Rochester.

'If I by miracle can beThis livelong minute true to thee'Tis all that heav'n allows.'The Earl of Rochester was England's first celebrity poet, a byword for the theatricality, licentiousness, and scepticism of the Restoration age. But his scandalous reputation belies the variety and sophistication of his work: his love poems set new standards not only of sexual explicitness but also of psychological acuity and lyric grace, while his satires broke new ground as much by the refinement of their ironies as in the brutality of their invective. A fascinatingly contradictory figure, Rochester emerges more clearly than ever from this new edition, the first selection of his work in modern spelling to take account of recent revolutionary advances in textual scholarship. It includes only poems now securely attributed to the poet, in texts based not on the posthumous and unreliable printed editions but on the most authoritative manuscripts which circulated in his lifetime. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

The County of Lancaster is a sweeping, emotionally charged Spiritist novel dictated by the spirit Count J.W. Rochester to medium Arandi Gomes Texeira. Blending gothic family drama, thrilling international adventure, and profound esoteric philosophy, this novel explores the inescapable laws of cause and effect, the redemptive power of forgiveness, and the eternal survival of the soul.When the young and innocent Constance loses her father, she is forced to seek refuge with her estranged Uncle Edward in Ireland. Unbeknownst to her, Edward harbors a dark, deeply rooted hatred for her family. Constance eventually finds true love and marries Sir Peter George de Lancaster, moving to his magnificent English estate. Their joy is crowned with the birth of a beautiful son and heir, Little Peter.But Edward's thirst for vengeance cannot be quenched. In a treacherous plot, he orchestrates the kidnapping of the infant, handing him over to a ruthless pirate who spirits the child away to the dangerous slums of Istanbul. There, the boy is renamed Kadir and condemned to a life of poverty, abuse, and survival among street urchins.As the years pass, Constance and Peter are plunged into an agonizing abyss of uncertainty. Though Constance's fragile health eventually succumbs to the grief, her spirit continues to guide and comfort Peter from the beyond. Driven by her ethereal presence and a dramatic confession from the now-mad Edward, Peter embarks on a desperate quest to the East.In Istanbul, Peter discovers his son living as a marginalized servant. Yet, miraculously, Kadir's soul remains uncorrupted. He has forged an unlikely brotherhood with the noble Prince Omar and found solace with a kind, elderly couple. Wishing to assess the boy's character after years of hardship, Peter hires Kadir as a servant before revealing the life-altering truth of his noble birth.The County of Lancaster is a breathtaking journey spanning the gloomy castles of Britain to the vibrant, perilous streets of the Orient. It culminates in a profound spiritual revelation that unveils the past-life karmic debts tying these souls together. Rochester masterfully demonstrates that no suffering is in vain, no sin goes unanswered, and that true love—purified by trials and guided by divine justice—will always find its way home.