BROO M E. WILLIAM ILLIAM BROOME was born in Cheshire, as is faid, of very mean parents. Of the place of his birth, or the first part of his life, I have not been able to gain any intelligence. He was educated upon the foundation at Eaton, and was captain of the school a whole year, without any vacancy, by which he might have obtained a scholarship at King's College. Being by this delay, fuch as is faid to have happened very rarely, fuperannua ted, he was fent to St. John's College by the contributions of his friends, where he obtained a small exhibition. At his College, he lived for fome time in the fame chamber with the wellknown Ford, by whom I have formerly heard him defcribed as a contracted fcholar and a mere verfifyer, unacquainted with life, and unskilful in converfation. His addiction to metre was then fuch, that his companions familiarly called him Poet. When he had opportunities of mingling with mankind, he cleared himself, as Ford likewife owned, from great part of his fcholaftick ruft. He appeared early in the world as a tranflator of the Iliads into prose, in con conjunction with Ozel and Oldifworth. How their several parts were diftributed is not known. This is the tranflation of which Ozel boafted as fuperior, in Toland's opinion, to that of Pope: it has long fince vanifhed, and is now in no danger from the criticks. He was introduced to Mr. Pope, who was then vifiting Sir John Cotton at Madingly near Cambridge, and gained fo much of his efteem that he was enployed, 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 picces were inferted. Pope and Broome were to be yet more clofely connected. When the fuccefs of the Iliad gave encouragement to a verfion of the Odyjey, Pope, weary of the toil, called Fenton and Broome to his affiftance; and, taking only half the work upon himfelf, 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 efta |