pursued him with avowed hostility; for he not only named him disrespectfully 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 distinguished for the profound, he reckons Broome among "the parrots who repeat another's words in such a hoarse odd voice as makes them seem their Own." 16 I have been told that they were afterwards reconciled but I am afraid their peace was without friendship." 14 Johnson should have said in the early editions of 'The Dunciad.' Hibernian politics, O Swift, thy doom; And Pope's, translating three whole years with Broome. d; Where also this note occurs: "He concludes his irony with a stroke upon himself; for whoever imagines this a sarcasm on the other ingenious person is surely mistaken." Broome, however, was not satisfied, and in the edition 12mo., 1786, we read: Hibernian politics, O Swift, thy fate; And Pope's, whole years to comment and translatė, Subsequently altered to ten. The leaf of the edition of 1786 in which the alteration occurs was sent by Pope to Broome in a letter, dated 12th Jan. 1735-6, and is now in Mr. Croker's possession. 15 But the passage in 'The Art of Sinking' which occasioned the greatest annoyance to Broome is that in Chapter VII.: "Another author [there are no initials], describing a poet that shines forth amidst a circle of critics Thus Phoebus through the Zodiac takes his way, What a peculiarity is here of invention !" &c. This couplet is by Broome, and Broome wrote to Fenton and to Pope himself about it. Pope, in his reply, says that it was neither his doing nor Dr. Arbuthnot's, but was inserted by a friend.—(Unpublished Letters in Mr. Croker's possession.) An Epigram, occasioned by P―s abuse of Mr. Broome, Author of the Dissertation and By Pope's applause, Broome gain'd a Critic's fame, (Thus does the moon in feeble radiance bright So Rome's fam'd Capitol, devoid of aid, A Goose once sav'd, a strumpet once betray'd. The Daily Journal, Oct. 2, 1728. 16 Their reconciliation took place in 1785, on Broome's transmitting to Pope a letter of the 22nd July, 1785, from Curll, applying for any letter he might wish to publish, addressed to him by Pope. Broome did not even answer Curll's letter.-(Unpublished Letters in Mr. Croker's possession.) He afterwards [1739] published a Miscellany of Poems, which is inserted, with corrections," in the late compilation. He never rose to a very high dignity in the church. He was some time rector of Sturston in Suffolk, where he married [1716] " a wealthy widow; and afterwards, when the King" visited Cambridge (1728), became Dr. of Laws. He was (1733) presented 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 resigned Pulham, and retained the other two.20 Towards the close of his life he grew again poetical; and amused himself with translating Odes of Anacreon, which he published [1739-40] in 'The Gentleman's Magazine,' under the name of Chester. 21 He died at Bath, November 16, 1745, and was buried in the Abbey Church.22 Of Broome, though it cannot be said that he was a great poet, it would be unjust to deny that he was an excellent versifier; his lines are smooth and sonorous, and his diction is select and elegant." 23 His rhymes are sometimes unsuitable in his 'Melancholy,' he makes breath rhyme to birth in one place, and to earth in another. Those faults occur but seldom; and he had such power of words and numbers as fitted him for translation; but, in his original works, recollection seems to have been his business more than invention. His 17 "The second Edition, with large alterations and additions," was published in 8vo., 1750, "for Henry Lintot." In Bernard Lintot's Book of Accounts, under the name Broome, is the following entry : Feb. 22, 1726-7... Misc. Poems, £85. 18 1716. William Broome, clerk and rector of this parish, and Mrs. Elizabeth Clarke, widow, were married with license July ye 22nd, by me, James Oldfield, rector of Brome.-Parish Register of Sturston (Barlow's Broome, p. 11). 19 George II. 20 This is not the case. He died rector of Pulham, and so describes himself in his will, dated a month before he died. 21 That is, Charles Chester, M.D. 22 Dr. Gooch, Bishop of Norwich, read the service. His grave is not marked, and the date of his burial in the register is the date of his death. He left an only son, Charles John Broome, who died 1747, an under-graduate of St. John's College, Cambridge. The poet's widow died in 1750. 23 Christopher Pitt, the poet, who has a right to be heard on a poetical question, praises particularly "the charming translation of the Eleventh Book of the 'Odyssey.'"-MS. Letter to Broome, imitations are so apparent, that it is part of his reader's employment to recall the verses of some former poet. Sometimes he copies the most popular writers, for he seems scarcely to endeavour at concealment; and sometimes he picks up fragments in obscure corners. His lines to Fenton, "Serene, the sting of pain thy thoughts beguile, And make affections objects of a smile," brought to my mind some lines on the death of Queen Mary, written by Barnes, of whom I should not have expected to find an imitator : "But thou, O Muse, whose sweet nepenthean tongue To detect his imitations were tedious and useless. What he takes he seldom makes worse; and he cannot be justly thought a mean man whom Pope chose for an associate, and whose co-operation was considered by Pope's enemies as so important, that he was attacked by Henley with this ludicrous distich : Pope came, off clean with Homer; but they say 24 A couplet like this had been applied before to Richard Brome, the dramatic poet and servant of Ben Jonson: Sent by Ben Jonson, as some authors say, Broom went before, and kindly swept the way. Choyce Drollery: Songs and Sonnets, 12mo., London, 1656. APPENDIX. BROOME'S WILL. [From Barlow's ' Broome,' 12mo. 1854.] "In the name of the most High and Adorable God, Amen. I, William Broome, Rector of Pulham, in ye County of Norfolk, make my Will and Testament, in ya manner following: First, I give to Elizabeth Broome, my Wife, all my Lands and Tenements whatsoever lying in Mindlesham, Brockford, Thwaite, or any other Parish adjoining, as also ye Marshes in Sudborne, the House in Dickleburgh, and likewise all that Estate, now in ye occupation of Samuel Weavers, ye younger, rented at forty-four pounds yearly, whether y° premises ly in Sturston, Thrandiston, Brome, in Suffolk, or any Parish adjoining; and my Will is, that she hold and enjoy ye same during ye term of her natural life, upon this express condition, that she contracts no future marriage, but continues a Widow during life. Also I give unto ye said Elizabeth Broome, my Wife, all my Bills, Bonds, Notes, Plate, Household Goods, and all Furniture within doors and without, during ye term of her natural life, if she shall continue unmarried to ye day of her death; but if she shall marry again, then my Will is, that all ye aforesaid premises, personal or real, of what kind soever, immediately descend to my only Son, Charles John Broome, as if ye said Eliza beth were naturally extinct. Item I give to ye said Charles John Broome, all my Estates lying in Mindlesham, Brockford, Thwaite, or any Parish adjoining, as also ye Marshes in Sudborne, all lying in Suffolk, to him and his heirs, lawfully begotten, for ever, as also all my Plate, Moneys, Furniture, Stock and Household Goods of all kinds, after ye decease of his Mother. Item I give to ye said Charles John Broome, all that Estate in ye occupation of Samuel Weavers, ye younger, rented of me at forty-four pounds yearly, during ye term of his natural life, whether ye premises ly in Sturston, Thrandiston, or any other Parish adjoining, but if ye said Charles John Broome shall have Heir or Heirs, lawfully begotten, then I give ye said premises to him and his Heirs for ever; but my Will and intent is, that if ye said Charles John Broome shall decease without Heirs or Heir, lawfully begotten, that then all ye said Estate, now occupied by Samuel Weavers, shall descend to ye Right Honourable Charles Lord Cornwallis, my patron and constant friend, and to his Heirs for ever, as a testimony of my gratitude to my great Benefactor, and to be possessed by him or them in full right of any of the Estates of theirs, in Brome or Culford. And whereas, my Brother, Richard Broome, of Dagenham, in Essex, stands indebted to me, in a note of twenty pounds, bearing date October ye 5th, 1737, or thereabouts; as also in a Bond of £240, bearing date March ye 25th, 1737, or thereabouts; as also in another Bond of four-score pounds, bearing date June ye 25th, or thereabouts. And Whereas all ye interest of both ye Bonds, remaining entirely unpaid, I give and bequeath to my four Sisters, Elizabeth Cook, of Bank Hall, Lancashire; and to my three other Sisters, Margaret, Anne, and Sarah, the sum of one hundred pounds, to be paid by ye said Richard Broome, within ye space of one year after my decease, to be equally divided amongst them, and if he, ye said Richard Broome, shall fail of discharging this my Legacy, within ye time mention'd, I give to my said four Sisters ye above named note and bonds for their own proper use and property; but if ye said Richard Broome shall perform this my intent and will, I hereby discharge him of ye above debt and give it him as a Legacy. Lastly I nominate and appoint Elizabeth Broome my wife sole Executrix of this my last Will and Testament. And now, O my God, Thou Father of all comforts and fountain of all mercies, I recommend my soul to thy infinite goodness for pardon and forgiveness of all my sins, trusting entirely in thy infinite mercies and ye infinite merits of Christ Jesus my Saviour. Amen. Amen. (SEAL.) · "WILLIAM BROOME. แ Signed, sealed, and delivered as my last Will and Testament in ye presence of us the underwritten, Octr. 22, 1745, the words ' personal or real' being first interlined. "Proved 31st December, 1745, by the Oath of the Sole Executrix within named." "JOHN COLLET. "BENJ. MARTIN. "MARY MARTIN. |