De Profundis (letter) De Profundis (letter) De Profundis (Latin: "from the depths") is a letter written by Oscar Wilde during his imprisonment in Reading Gaol, to "Bosie" (Lord Alfred Douglas). In its first half Wilde recounts their previous relationship and extravagant lifestyle which eventually led to Wilde's conviction and imprisonment for gross indecency. He indicts both Lord Alfred's vanity and his own weakness in acceding to those wishes. In the second half, Wilde charts his spiritual development in prison and identification with Jesus Christ, whom he characterises as a romantic, individualist artist. The letter began "Dear Bosie" and ended "Your Affectionate Friend". Wilde
Lord Alfred Spencer-Churchill Lord Alfred Spencer-Churchill Lord Alfred Spencer-Churchill DL (24 April 1824 – 21 September 1893) was a British Conservative politician. Spencer-Churchill was the son of George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough and Lady Jane Stewart, daughter of George Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway. He served as an officer in the Oxfordshire Yeomanry, eventually becoming a lieutenant-colonel. He served as the Member of Parliament for Woodstock between 1845 and 1847, and again from 1857 to 1865. He also served as a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant for Oxfordshire. He married Hon. Harriet Louisa Hester Gough-Calthorpe, daughter of Frederick Gough, 4th