He appeared early in the world as a tranflator of the "Iliads" into profe, in conjunction with Ozell and Oldifworth. How their several parts were diftributed is not known. This is the translation 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 verfion of the "Odyffey," 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 hiftory, the reader has a right to know upon what grounds I eftablish my narration. That the verfion was not wholly Pope's, was always known; he had mentioned the affiftance of two friends in his proposals, and at the end of the work fome ac count 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 feveral fhares. The intelligence which Dr. Warburton could not afford 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 hearsay; Broome's is very distinctly told by Pope, in the notes to the Dunciad.

It is evident, that, according to Pope's own eftimate, Broome was unkindly treated. If four books. could merit three hundred pounds, eight and all the notes, equivalent at leaft 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 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 "hoarfe 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 a 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 vifited Cambridge (1728) became Doctor of Laws. He was (in Auguft, 1721) 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, who added the vicarage of Eye in Suffolk; he then refigned Pulham, and retained the otlier two.

Towards the close of his life he grew again poetical, and amufed 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 canrot be faid that he was a great poet, it would be unjust to deny that he was an excellent verfifier; his lines are smooth 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

and he had fuch power of words and numbers as fitted him for translation; but, in his original works, recollection feems to have been his business more than invention. His imitations are fo apparent, that it is a 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 fimile,

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 deathless song,
Can't flinging plagues with easy 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.

POPE.

ALEXANDER POPE was born in London May 22, 1688, of parents whofe rank or station was never afcertained: we are informed that they were of "gentle blood;" that his father was of a family of which the Earl of Downe was the head; and that his mother was the daughter of William Turner, Efquire, of York, who had likewife three fons, one of whom had the honour of being killed, and the other of dying, in the service of Charles the Firft; the third was made a general officer in Spain, from whom the fifter inherited what fequeftrations and forfeitures had left in the family.

This, and this only, is told by Pope who is more willing, as I have heard obferved, to fhew what his father was not, than what he was. It is allowed that he grew rich by trade; but whether in a fhop or on the Exchange was never difcovered till Mr. Tyers told, on the authority of Mrs. Racket, that he was a linen-draper in the Strand. Both parents were papists.

In Lombard-ftreet, according to Dr. Warton. C.

Pope