Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Companion to the play-house, or, An historical account of all the dramatic writers (and their works) that have appeared in Great Britain and Ireland, from the commencement of our theatrical exhibitions, down to the present year 1764 > Volume 2

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of Charles II. that he married a
near Kinfwoman to Dr. y^mivny.
Archdeacon of Litchfield and Co-
•ventry, and that he wrote one
draraatic Piece, entitledj
The Tivifi;. Com.
Rivers, Mr. — This Author
•was a Jefuit, who lived, I be-
lieve, in the Reign of yames I.
and wrote one Play, entitled,
The Traytor. Trag.
which, I inriagine. was never ac-
ted in its original Form ; but,
failing into the Hands of Mr.
yames Shirley, he, with very con-
siderable Alterations and Improve-
ments of his own, brought it on
the Stage, and publiihed it among
his own Works. -Mr. Rivers
compofed this Piece while he was
In Confinement in Neiagate, on
Account of fome political and re-
ligious Concerns, in which Pri-
fon he died, — It was afterwards,
'viz, in 1692, levived with Suc-
cefs, under the Title oi Amidea 5
and after that again, with fome
A.lterations, but by its old Title,
by Mr. Chriftopher Bullock, the
Comedian.
Rochester, y^bn Wtlwot ,
Barl of, wns Son to the famous
J-lenry Lord Mulmot, (afterwards
larl oiRochefier) who was fo ve-
ry inltrumental in the Preferva-
tion of Charles II. in his Flight
from TVcrceJir, where he was de-
feated by Crormvelh — The memo-
rable ¥/it, who is the Subjefl of
this Article, was born in 1648,
and was educated liifl at Burford
.Free^Echool ; from whence, in
36:9, he v/as admitted a Noble-
man of Wadham College in Ox^
ford. — He afterwards travelled in-
to France and Italy j and;, at his
Return, he frequented the de-
hauched Court of Cka. II. where
his natural Propenfities to Vice
were not likely to be curbed or
cured : Here he was jBrft .mads
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one of the Gentlemen of his
Majefty's Bed-Chamber, and then
Comptroller of TVoodfiork Park.
In the Winter of 1665 he
went to Sea, under the Earl of
Sandivich , who commanded a
Fleet employed in the War with
the Dutch. — Wilmot behaved very
well in the Attack made on the
Enemy in the Port of Bergen in
Norivay, and gained a high Re-
putation for Courage j which he
afterwards loft in an Adventure
with the Earl of Mulgrave, who
called him to an Account, for
fome Words which he was re-
ported to have too freely fpoken
of the Earl, — Wilmot accepted the
Challenge j but when he came
to the Place appointed, he de-
clined coming to Adion ; urging
that he was fo weak with a cer-
tain Diftemper, that he found
himfelf unfit to fight. — This un-
lucky Affair entirely ruined his
Reputation for Courage, and fub-
je6ted him to farther Infults ;
which will ever be the Cafe, when
cnce People know a Man's Weak-
nefs in this Refpeft. — His Repu-
tation for ^7/, however, fi ill kept
him from totally finking in the
Opinion of the World ; but, on
the other Hand, his excefiTive De-
baucheries were every Day more
and more completing the Ruin of
his Conftitution 5 and the natural
Vivacity of his Imagination being
fiill more inflamed with Wine,
made his Company fo eagerly co-
veted by his gay Affociates, that
they were ever contriving to en-
gage him deeper arad deeper in
Extravagance and Intemperance,
in order that they might be the
more diverted by his Humour.—*
All this fo entirely fubdued him,
that, as he afterwards acknow-
ledged, he was for five Years to-
gether continually drunk ; not,
indeed^ ail the while under the
vifible