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

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Update: While visiting a library I examined a volume of "The Reader's
Digest" and determined that the quip which has implausibly been
attributed to Lord Rochester was present in the June 1947 issue in a
short section called "Quotable Quotes". I still have not yet verified
the 1946 citations.

[ref] 1947 June, Reader's Digest, Volume 50, Quotable Quotes, Quote
Page 90, The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (Verified on
paper)[/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children.
Now I have six children -- and no theories. --Lord Rochester
[End excerpt]

Garson


On Fri, Apr 10, 2015 at 5:57 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> I found three matches with GB dates in 1946. That was the earliest
> year I could find in a preliminary search. Two of the matches
> mentioned "Lord Rochester" and one match mentioned "a veteran in the
> marriage game". None of these 1946 matches has been verified on paper.
>
> There is a blind match in 1947 in "Reader's Digest". The match is in
> HathiTrust and no text is visible (that is why I am calling it a blind
> match).
>
> I can verify matches starting in 1949.
>
> The Dictionary of Humorous Quotations (1949) compiled by Evan Esar
> included the joke with an ascription to "ROCHESTER, Lord, 1647-1680,
> English poet." This was the first cite I saw that particularized "Lord
> Rochester". I do not know if there were any other candidates. Robin
> pointed to another "John Wilton". Was he addressed as "Lord
> Rochester"?
>
> Nigel Rees included an instance of the quip in "Cassell's Humorous
> Quotations" with a 1951 citation.
>
> Here are selected citations in chronological order. This first
> citation is a thematic precursor from 1904.
>

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