mankind, he cleared himself, as Ford likewife owned, from great part of his fcholaftick ruft.

He appeared early in the world as a tranflaror of the Iliads into profe, in conjunction with Ozell and Oldifworth. How their several parts were distributed is not known. This is the tranflation of which Ozell boafted as fuperior, in Toland's opinion, to that of Pope: it has long fince vanished, and is now in no danger from the criticks.

He was introduced to Mr. Pope, who was then vifiting Sir John Cotton at Madingley near Cambridge, and gained fo much of his esteem, that he was employed, I believe, to make extracts from Euftathius for the notes to the tranflation of the Iliad; and in the volumes of poetry published by Lintot, commonly called Pope's Mifcellanies, many of his early pieces were

inferted.

Pope and Broome were to be yet more closely connected. When the fuccefs of the Iliad gave encouragement to a version of the Odysey, Pope, weary of the toil, called Fenton and Broome to his affiftance; and, taking only half the work upon himself, divided the other half between his partners, giving four books to Fenton, and eight to Broome. Fenton's books I have enumerated in his Life; to the lot of Broome fell the fecond, fixth, eighth, eleventh, twelfth, fixteenth, eighteenth, and twenty-third, together with the burthen of writing all the notes.

As this tranflation is a very important event in poetical history, the reader has a right to know upon what grounds I establish my narration. That the verfion was not wholly Pope's, was always known: he had mentioned the affiftance of two friends in his pro

pofals, and at the end of the work fome account is given by Broome of their different parts, which however mentions only five books as written by the coadjutors; the fourth and twentieth by Fenton; the fixth, the eleventh, and the eighteenth by himself; though Pope, in an advertisement prefixed afterwards to a new volume of his works, claimed only twelve. A natural curiofity, after the real conduct of fo great an undertaking, incited me once to enquire of Dr. Warburton, who told me, in his warm language, that he thought the relation given in the note a lie; but that he was not able to afcertain the several shares. The intelligence which Dr. Warburton could not af ford me, I obtained from Mr. Langton, to whom Mr. Spence had imparted it.

The price at which Pope purchased this affiftance was three hundred pounds paid to Fenton, and five hundred to Broome, with as many copies as he wanted for his friends, which amounted to one hundred more. The payment made to Fenton I know not but by hearfay; Broome's is very diftinctly told by Pope, in the notes to the Dunciad.

It is evident, that, according to Pope's own estimate, Broome was unkindly treated. If four books could merit three hundred pounds, eight and all the notes, equivalent at least to four, had certainly a right to more than fix.

Broome probably confidered himself as injured, and there was for fome time more than coldness between him and his employer. He always fpoke of Pope as too much a lover of money, and Pope purfued him with avowed hoftility; for he not only named him difrefpectfully in the Dunciad, but quoted him more

6.

than

than once in the Bathos, as a proficient in the Art of Sinking; and in his enumeration of the different kinds of poets diftinguished for the profound, he reckons Broome among the Parrots who repeat another's words in fuch a boarfe odd tone as makes them feem their own. I have been told that they were afterwards reconciled; but I am afraid their peace was without friendship.

He afterwards published a Mifcellany of Poems, which is inferted, with corrections, in the late compilation.

He never rose to very high dignity in the church. He was fome time rector of Sturfton in Suffolk, where he married a wealthy widow; and afterwards, when the King visited Cambridge (1728), became Doctor of Laws. He was (1733) prefented by the Crown to the rectory of Pulham in Norfolk, which he held with Oakley Magna in Suffolk, given him by the Lord Cornwallis, to whom he was chaplain, and who added the vicarage of Eye in Suffolk; he then refigned Pulham, and retained the other two.

Towards the clofe of his life he grew again poetical, and amused himself with tranflating Odes of Anacreon, which he published in the Gentleman's Magazine, under the name of Chefter.

He died at Bath, November 16, 1745, and was buried in the Abbey Church.

Of Broome, though it cannot be faid that he was a great poet, it would be unjust to deny that he was an excellent verfifyer; his lines are fmooth and fonorous, and his diction is felect and elegant. His rhymes are fometimes unfuitable; in his Melancholy he makes breath rhyme to birth in one place, and to earth in another. Thofe faults occur but feldom; and he had VOL. III.

Ee

fuch

fuch power of words and numbers as fitted him for tranflation; but, in his original works, recollection feems to have been his business more than invention. His imitations are fo apparent, that it is part of his reader's employment to recall the verfes of fome former poet. Sometimes he copies the most popular writers, for he feems fcarcely to endeavour at concealment ; and fometimes he picks up fragments in obfcure corners. His lines to Fenton,

Serene, the fting of pain thy thoughts beguile,

And make afflictions objects of a smile;

brought to my mind fome lines on the death of Queen Mary, written by Barnes, of whom I should not have expected to find an imitator;

But thou, O Mufe, whofe fweet nepenthean tongue
Can charm the pangs of death with deathlefs fong;
Canft jinging plagues with eafy thoughts beguile,

Make pains and tortures objects of a fmile.

To detect his imitations were tedious and useless. What he takes he feldom makes worfe; and he cannot be justly thought a mean man whom Pope chofe for an affociate, and whofe co-operation was confidered by Pope's enemies as fo important, that he was attacked by Henley with this ludicrous diftich:

Pope came off clean with Homer; but they fay
Broome went before, and kindly fwept the way.

END OF THE THIRD VOLUME.