his children, which, from seventeen, were now reduced to two, together with his pecuniary embarrassments, was followed by such a state of mental imbecility as to leave little hope of recovery. However, religion had early been planted in his mind; and though the blossoms for a time appeared to wither, the root lived; and, as he approached his last days, it revived, and like a medicinal balm shed its healing balsam on his wounded heart. He died, Oct. 10, 1788, leaving a son, since dead; and a daughter, the child of his old age. He was in possession of the place of barrack-master of Mullingar at his death.

His poetical works were collected in 1778, in four vols. octavo, but printed very incorrectly, and with the addition of some pieces which were not his. In 1792 another edition was published, in Dublin, by his daughter; who procured some memoirs of her father, and prefixed them to the first volume. In this she observes, she found many difficulties, as the greater part of his friends and contemporaries had departed before him. It is to be regretted Miss Brooke could not obtain more correct information, since the narrative is in many points confused and contradictory; yet from all it is apparent that Brooke was a man of most amiable character, endowed with the kindest and best feelings of our nature; and, perhaps, few men have produced writings of equal variety, the tendency of all being so uniformly in favour of religious and moral principles; yet truth must admit that there are in these many inconsistencies, which it would be difficult to explain. We cannot reconcile it to our feelings, and it is certainly repugnant to taste and propriety, the bringing together, as it were in the same page, the most awful doctrines of religion and the lighter incidents and humorous sketches of vulgar or fashionable life; yet this is frequently exhibited in his novels, and remains a sad memorial of the weakness and frailty of the best minds. As a poet he delights his reader by occasional flights of a vivid imagination; and his first production, "Universal

Beauty," has a charming display of fancy in many parts. It has been insinuated that Pope, to whom he submitted it, gave some assistance; but this may admit of doubt, from the absence of that regularity and smoothness so universal in the writings of the latter.

During a great part of the life of Brooke, his religious opinions approached to what is termed methodistical, yet he uniformly supported the stage; and we find even trifling farces among his works. Whether the importunity of injudicious friends, or the pressing occasions of embarrassed circumstances, pointed to the stage as a profitable resource, cannot now be known; but, it is certain he lived more consistently than he wrote. No day passed in which he did not collect his family to prayer; and he not only read, but expounded the Scriptures to them, with a clearness and fervency edifying and interesting. The following anecdote will more immediately illustrate his ability on this head :

One Sunday, while the congregation were assembled in the rural church of the parish in which he lived, they waited a long time the arrival of their clergyman. At last, finding he was not likely to come that day, they judged that some accident had detained him; and, being loth to depart entirely without their errand, they, with one accord, requested that Mr. Brooke would perform the service for them, and expound a part of the Scriptures. He consented, and the previous prayers being over, he opened the Bible, and preached extempore on the first text that struck his eye. In the middle of his discourse the clergyman entered, and found the whole congregation in tears. He entreated Mr. Brooke to proceed; but this he modestly refused; and the other as modestly declared, that, after the testimony of superior abilities, which he perceived in the moist eyes of all present, he would think it presumption and folly to hazard any thing of his own. Accordingly, the concluding prayers alone were said, and the congregation dismissed for the day.

Among his tenants and humble friends, he was the benevolent and generous character he had been accustomed to depict in his works; and it may be truly said, whilst he had the means,-he relieved the poor, comforted the afflicted, converted the weak, and literally went about doing good.

CHARLOTTE BROOKE

WAS daughter of the above, and was one of the brightest literary ornaments of her country. It is to be regretted of a lady so celebrated, so little is known. Her first publication was a translation of a Song, and Monody by Carolan, in "Walker's Irish Bards;" to neither of these translations did she affix her name. Her translation of the Monody is thus prefaced by Walker: "For the benefit of the English reader, I shall here give an elegant Paraphrase of this Monody by a young lady, whose name I am enjoined to conceal-with the modesty ever attendant on true merit, and with the sweet timidity natural to her sex, she shrinks from the public eye." She was, however, at length prevailed on by Mr. Walker, and others of her literary friends, to conquer her timidity, and to engage in a work for which she seemed admirably calculated. Accordingly, in the year 1787, she undertook a translation of such productions of merit of the ancient and modern Irish Bards, as she could collect amongst her friends, and in the year following appeared her "Reliques of Irish Poetry;" a work universally and justly admired, as affording gratification, both to the antiquary and lover of poesy.

In the year 1791, she once more presented herself before the public eye, as in the early part of that year, she published "The School for Christians, in Dialogues, for the use of Children." In the preface to this little work, she informs us, that "her only object in this publication is, the happiness of seeing it become useful to her species, and the pleasure of bestowing the profits of the book on

the enlargement of a little plan she has formed, for the charitable education of children, whose parents are too poor to afford them the means of instruction." But her praise-worthy literary labours did not close here: anxious to do honour to the memory of her father, she re-published all his works, to which she prefixed a well-written sketch of his life. There her exertions in the fields of literature terminated; for shortly after (on the 29th March, 1793) a malignant fever put an end to her valuable life.

It is said, she wrote a tragedy entitled "Belisarius," which was spoken very highly of by those who had read it; but the manuscript of which is supposed to be lost.

JOHN BROOKS, OR BROOKES,

AN ingenious mezzotinto engraver, was a native of Ireland, and it is to his instruction the world is indebted for two very celebrated mezzotinto engravers, M'Ardell, and Houston, who were both apprenticed to him.

The year that Brooks left Ireland is unknown; but on his arrival in England, he produced a specimen of an art which has since been applied and extended to a very considerable manufacture at Liverpool and several other places in England-which was printing in enamel colours to burn on china, which having been shewn to that general patriot and worthy character, Sir Theodore Jansen, he conceived it might prove a national advantage, and readily embarked in it, taking York-house, at Battersea, and fitting it up at a considerable expense. One Gynn, a native of Ireland, a very ingenious designer and engraver, was employed, with the celebrated John Hall, who at that time was very young. The subjects they chose, consisted for the most part of stories from Ovid and Homer, and were greatly admired, not only for their beauty of design and engraving, but for the novelty of execution, and were indefatigably sought after by the curious, for pendents in cabinets, or covers to toilet boxes. This manufacture

might have been highly advantageous to all parties, but owing to the bad management and dissipated conduct of Brooks, it became the principal cause of the ruin of Jansen, who was lord mayor of London at that time; but the commission of bankruptcy was withheld until his office was expired, on account of his not wishing to receive the usual annual stipend for his support, which is customary under such circumstances, and the city manifested their respect for him, by choosing him afterwards into the office of chamberlain, which he held until his decease.

At the breaking up of this manufactory, Brooks took up his residence in a place more congenial to his nature,' namely, a public-house, situated in Westminster, and kept by one Rose, and so attached was he either to his host, or the "bosom of his family," that he stirred not out of his apartments for several years. On Rose's quitting this house, Brooks manifested his regard for him by following him to the "White Hart," Bloomsbury, where he remained in the same happy state of seclusion for years, and was at last compelled to leave the house by an event which he, no doubt, feelingly regretted-the decease of his landlord; thus were separated two congenial souls, which nothing in all probability could have separated, except death, or a bailiff. After this unhappy occurrence, his old friend Hall (who was then very eminent) took him home "from whose house," says his biographer, with an elegant archness," he never moved until turned out by the undertakers."

Although in his latter days he was systematically dissipated, yet it is recorded of him, that he was possessed of a great share of industry in the early part of his life, and made a copy from the print of Hogarth's Richard III. in pen and ink, which was esteemed a miracle; for when it was shewn to Hogarth, who was desired to view it with attention, he was so far deceived, as to reply, he saw nothing in it remarkable, but that it was a very fine impression; and was not convinced until the original was