[Ads-l] [C18-L] Rochester, children, and theories

[Robin Hamilton]

Perhaps another "John Wilton, Member of Parliament"?  This seems to be 
hinted at in one of the google-books hits for the quotation.

Wiki has this about him, and the dates fit the tone of the quotation better:

"John Charles Wilmot, 1st Baron Wilmot of Selmeston PC (2 April 1893 – 22 
July 1964) was a British Labour Party politician. He served under Clement 
Attlee as Minister of Aircraft Production from 1945 to 1946 and as Minister 
of Supply from 1945 to 1947."

Not that I have anything against 18C-L, but years ago, when I was vaguely 
thinking about internet discussion groups considered in terms of primate 
territoriality (rather than a downhill bicycle race), that particular list 
struck me as an extreme example of the noyeau social grouping most commonly 
associated with the silverbacked gorilla.

Deference and territoriality rule, ya bass!

Robin Hamilton

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-----Original Message----- 
From: Joel Berson
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2015 1:07 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Fw: [C18-L] Rochester, children, and theories

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       Joel Berson <berson at ATT.NET>
Subject:      Fw: [C18-L] Rochester, children, and theories
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If anyone is interested in following this up, reply directly to 
C18-L at LISTS.PSU.EDU
Joel
    ----- Forwarded Message -----
  From: Russ Hunt <hunt at STU.CA>
To: C18-L at LISTS.PSU.EDU
Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2015 6:42 PM
Subject: [C18-L] Rochester, children, and theories

I should be able to find the answer to this, but it occurs to me
that someone on this wonderful list may already know it, more
quickly than I can find it.

I just receive a posting in which Rochester is quoted as saying:

"Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up
children; now I have six children and no theories."

I did a quick Google search, and found many attributions of this
to Rochester, but none I trust. This sounds just flat wrong: my
ear says nobody in the Restoration would speak, or write, this
way. "Got married"? "six theories"? "Bringing up" children?

And, well, Lord Rochester as a humbled domestic pater familias?

Does anyone know immediately whether this is actually a quote -- 
or, better, when or how it came to be attributed to Rochester?

-- Russ

-- 
Russ Hunt
Professor Emeritus
Saint Thomas University
http://www.stu.ca/~hunt

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