nius, and made a prodigious progress in polite literature; but his father dying when he was very young, he was taken from literary pursuits, and placed with an apothecary at Amsterdam, with whom he lived some years. Not liking this, he went into the army, where his behaviour raised him to the rank of lieutenant-captain; and, in 1674, was sent with his regiment to America in the fleet under admiral de Ruyter, but returned to Holland the same year. In 1678 he was sent to the garrison at Utrecht, where he contracted a friendship with the celebrated Grævius; and here, though a person of an excellent temper, he had the misfortune to be so deeply engaged in a duel, that, according to the laws of Holland, his life was forfeited: but Grævius wrote immediately to Nicholas Heinsius, who obtained his pardon from the stadtholder. Not long after, he became a captain of one of the companies then at Amsterdam; which post placed him in an easy situation, and gave him leisure to pursue his studies. His company being disbanded in 1697, a pension was granted him; upon which he retired to a country-house near Amsterdam, where he saw but little company, and spent his time among his books. He died Dec. 15, 1707, and was interred at -Amsterween, near Amsterdam; a monument was afterwards erected to his memory, with an inscription, the letters of which are arranged so as to form the date of the year, which we presume was considered as a great effort of genius:

prInCeps poetarVM DeCessIt.

His works are, 1. his "Carmina," Utrecht, 1684, 12mo, and afterwards more splendidly by Hoogstraaten, at Amst. 1711, 4to, under the title of "Jani Broukhusii poematum libri sedecim." 2. " Actii Sinceri Sannazarii, &c. Opera Latina; accedunt notæ, &c." Amst. 1680, 12mo, without his name, which was added to the best edition, Amst. 1727. 3. "Aonii Palearii Verulani opera," ibid. 1696,8vo, without his name, and by some mistaken for one of Grævius's editions. 4. "S. Aurelii Propertii Elegiarum libri IV." ibid. 1702, 4to; ibid. 1727, 4to. 5. "Albii Tibulli quæ extant, &c." ibid. 1708, 4to. His "Dutch poems" were published by Hoogstraaten, Amst. 1712, 8vo, with the author's life. Modern critics seem agreed in the value of his editions of the classics, although he has been sometimes censured for bold freedoms.1

BROKES. See BROOKES.

BROKESBY (FRANCIS), was born at Stoke Golding, in Leicestershire, Sept. 29, 1637, and educated at Trinity college, Cambridge, and was afterwards rector of Rowley, in the East riding of Yorkshire. He wrote a "Life of Jesus Christ;" and was a principal assistant to Mr. Nelson in compiling his "Feasts and Fasts of the Church of England." He was also author of " An History of the government of the primitive Church, for the three first centuries, and the beginning of the fourth," printed by W. B. 1712, 8vo. In a dedication to Mr. Francis Cherry, dated Shottesbroke, Aug. 13, 1711, the author says, "The following treatise challenges you for its patron, and demands its dedication to yourself, in that I wrote it under your roof, was encouraged in my studies by that respectful treatment I there found, and still meet with; and withal, as I was assisted in my work by your readiness to supply me, out of your well-replenished library, with such books as I stood in need of in collecting this history. I esteem myself, therefore, in gratitude obliged to make this public acknowledgement of your favours, and to tell the world, that when I was by God's good providence reduced to straits (in part occasioned by my care lest I should make shipwreck of a good conscience), I then found a safe retreat and kind reception in your family, and there both leisure and encouragement to write this following treatise." As Mr. Brokesby's straits arose from his principles as a nonjuror, he was, of course, patronised by the most eminent persons of that persuasion. The house of the benevolent Mr. Cherry, however, was his asylum; and there he formed an intimacy with Mr. Dodwell, whose "Life" he afterwards wrote, and with Mr. Nelson, to whom the Life of Dodwell is dedicated. He died suddenly soon after that publication, in 1715. Mr. Brokesby was intimately acquainted with the famous Oxford antiquary, Hearne, who printed a valuable letter of his in the first volume of Leland's Itinerary; and was said to be the author of a tract, entitled "Of Education, with respect to grammar-schools and universities," 1710, 8vo. 1

BROM (ADAM DE), almoner to king Edward II. is allowed to have shared the honour of founding Oriel college, Oxford, with that monarch. The only accounts we have of De Brom state, that he was rector of Hanworth in Middlesex, in 1313; the year following, chancellor of the diocese of Durham; in 1319, archdeacon of Stow; and a few months after was promoted to the living of St. Mary, Oxford. In 1324 he requested of his sovereign to be empowered to purchase a messuage in Oxford, where he might found, to the honour of the Virgin Mary, a college of scholars, governed by a rector of their own choosing, "sub nomine Rectoris Domus Scholarium Beatæ Mariæ." With this the king readily complied, and De Brom immediately commenced his undertaking by purchasing a tenement in St. Mary's parish; and, by virtue of the charter granted by the king, dated 1324, founded a college of scholars for the study of divinity and logic. He then resigned the whole into the hands of the king, of whose liberality he appears to have made a just estimate, and from whose power he expected advantages to the society, which he was himself incapable of conferring. Nor was he disappointed in the issue of this well-timed policy. The king took the college under his own care, and the next year granted a new charter, appointing it to be a college for divinity and the canon-law, to be governed by a provost, and for their better maintenance, besides some tenements in St. Mary's parish, he gave them the advowson of St. Mary's church, &c. Adam de Brom, who was deservedly appointed the first provost, drew up a body of statutes in 1326, and gave his college the church of Aberforth in Yorkshire; and in 1327, Edward III. bestowed upon them a large messuage, situated partly in the parish of St. John Baptist, called La Oriole, to which the scholars soon removed, and from which the college took its name. De Brom procured other advantages for the college, the last of which was the advowson of Coleby in Lincolnshire. He died June 16, 1332, and was buried in St. Mary's church, in a chapel still called after his name. It is said to have been built by him, and his tomb, now decayed, was visible in Antony Wood's time. In this chapel the heads of houses assemble on Sundays, &c. previous to their taking their seats in the church.1

BROME (ALEXANDER), an English poet, has the reputation of ably assisting the royal party in the time of Charles I. and of even having no inconsiderable hand in promoting the restoration. Of his personal history, we

have only a few notices in the Biographia Dramatica. He was born in 1620, and died June 30, 1666. He was an attorney in the lord mayor's court, and through the whole of the protectorship, maintained his loyalty, and cheered his party by the songs and poems in his printed works, most of which must have been sung, if not composed, at much personal risk. How far they are calculated to excite resentment, or to promote the cause which the author espoused, the reader must judge. His songs are in measures, varied with considerable ease and harmony, and have many sprightly turns, and satirical strokes, which the Roundheads must have felt. Baker informs us that he was the author of much the greater part of those songs and epigrams which were published against the rump. Phillips styles him the "English Anacreon." Walton has drawn a very favourable character of him in the eclogue prefixed to his works, the only one of the commendatory poems which seems worthy of a republication. Mr. Ellis enumerates three editions of these poems, the first in 1660, the second in 1664, and the third in 1668. That, however, used in the late edition of the English Poets is dated 1661. In 1660 he published "A Congratulatory Poem on the miraculous and glorious Return of Charles II." which we have not seen. Besides these poems he published a "Translation of Horace," by himself, Fanshaw, Holliday, Hawkins, Cowley, Ben Jonson, &c. and had once an intention to translate Lucretius. In 1654 he published a comedy entitled "The Cunning Lovers," which was acted in 1651 at the private house in Drury Lane. He was also editor of the plays of Richard Brome, who, however, is not mentioned as being related to him. 1

BROME (RICHARD) lived also in the reign of Charles I. and was contemporary with Decker, Ford, Shirley, &c. His extraction was mean; for he was originally no better than a menial servant of Ben Jonson. He wrote himself, however, into high repute; and is addressed in some lines by his quondam master, on account of his comedy called the "Northern Lass." His genius was entirely turned to comedy, and we have fifteen of his productions in this way remaining. They were acted in their day with great applause, and have been often revived since. Even in our

English Poets, Edit. 21 vols. 1810. Biog. Dram.-Kennett's Register, p. 216.-Ellis's Specimens, vol. III.

own time, one of them, called the "Jovial Crew," has, with little alteration, been revived, and exhibited at Covent-garden with great and repeated success. He died in

1652.1

BROMFIELD (SIR WILLIAM), an eminent English surgeon, was born in London, in 1712, and studied surgery under the celebrated Ranby, by whose instructions he was soon enabled to practise on his own account. In 1741, he began to give lectures on anatomy and surgery, and soon found his theatre crowded with pupils. Some years after, in conjunction with the rev. Mr. Madan, he formed the plan of the Lock hospital, into which patients were first received Jan. 3, 1747, and was made first surgeon to that establishment, an office he filled with advantage to the patients and credit to himself for many years. With a view of contributing to its success, he altered an old comedy, "The City Match," written in 1639, by Jaspar Maine, and procured it to be acted at Drury-lane theatre, in 1755, for the benefit of the hospital. He was also, very early after its being instituted, elected one of the surgeons to St. George's hospital. In 1761, he was appointed in the suite of the noble persons, who were sent to bring over the princess of Mecklenburgh, our present queen, and was soon after appointed surgeon to her majesty's household. In 1751, he sent to the royal society a case of a woman who had a fœtus in her abdomen nine years, which is printed in their Transactions for the same year. In 1757, he published an account of the English night shades, the internal use of which had been recommended in scrophulous cases; but they had failed in producing the expected benefit with him. In 1759, he gave "A Narrative of a Physical Transaction with Mr. Aylet, surgeon, at Windsor." This is a controversial piece of no consequence now, but the author clears himself from the imputation of having treated his antagonist improperly. In 1767, he published "Thoughts concerning the present peculiar method of treating persons inoculated for the Small-pox." This relates to the Suttons, who were now in the zenith of their reputation. He thinks their practice of exposing their patients to the open air in the midst of winter, of repelling the eruption, and checking or preventing the suppurative process, too bold, and hazardous.