February 26

Thomas d’Urfey died on the 26th in 1723. One brief biography of him lists him as an ‘English writer and wit who composed plays, songs, poetry and jokes’. I know what a writer is but I am uncertain of the job description for a ‘wit’, though I suppose it’s a respectable position because most people referred to as wits are generally o.k. Otherwise, they would be called wise-asses. One quote from d’Urfey that I particularly like is "All animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.”