author
Thomas D'Urfey
1653–1723
A lively voice from Restoration England, he wrote plays, songs, and sharp-edged comic verse that entertained London audiences for decades. His work also helped shape the rise of ballad opera.
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About the author
Thomas d'Urfey, often known as Tom d'Urfey, was an English writer, playwright, satirist, and songwriter born around 1653 and died on February 26, 1723. He became a familiar figure in Restoration and early 18th-century literary life, known for a huge output of comedies, songs, poems, and stage works that mixed humor, topical wit, and a keen ear for popular taste.
His plays were widely performed in his lifetime, and he is often remembered as an important contributor to the development of ballad opera. He also had a lasting musical legacy through Wit and Mirth; or, Pills to Purge Melancholy, a large song collection associated with his name and popular in its day.
Although not every detail of his early life is certain, major reference sources agree that he was born in Devon, probably Exeter, and built his career in London. What stands out most is his range: he could move between theater, satire, and song with unusual ease, leaving behind a body of work that captures the energy and irreverence of Restoration culture.