BROME, RICHARD (d. 1652), English dramatist, was orig inally a servant of Ben Jonson, and owed much to his master. The development of his plots, the strongly marked characters, and the amount of curious information to be found in his work, all show Jonson's influence. The relation of master and servant developed into friendship, and our knowledge of Brome's per sonal character is chiefly drawn from Ben Jonson's sonnet to "my old faithful servant and by his continued virtue my loving friend, Mr. Richard Brome," prefixed to The Northern Lasse (1632), the play which made Brome's reputation. The relation of master and servant did not necessarily imply lack of education on Brome's part; since Jonson expected his servant (see Epigram CI.) to read "a piece of Virgil, Tacitus, Livy or some better book to his friends at supper." Brome's genius lay entirely in comedy. He has left 15 pieces. Five New Playes (ed. by Alex. Brome, 1653) contained Madd Couple Well Matcht (acted 1639?) ; Novella (acted 1632); Court Begger (acted 1632); City IVitt; The Damoiselle or the New Ordinary. Five New Playes (1659) included The English Moor, or The Mock Marriage; The Love-Sick Court, or The Ambitious Politique; Covent Garden Weeded; The New Academy, or The New Exchange; and The Queen and Concubine. The Antipodes (acted 1638, pr. 1640) ; The Sparagus Garden (acted 1635, pr. 1640) ; A Joviall Crew, or the Merry Beggars (acted 1641, pr. 1652, revised in 1731 as an "opera"), and The Queenes Exchange (pr. 1657), were published separately. He collaborated with Thomas Heywood in The late Lancashire Witches (pr. 1634). A Joviall Crew is generally con sidered the best of these. Brome's beggars have the true vagabond touch and the love of the road. It was the last play to be acted before the theatres were closed down in 1642 by order of the parliament.
See A. W. Ward, History of English Dramatic Literature, vol. iii. pp. 125-131 (1809) , the article by Rev. Ronald Bayne in Cambridge History of English Literature, vol. vi., where there is an admirable account of Brome's work ; and E. K. R. Faust, Richard Brome (Halle, 1887) . The Dramatic Works of Richard Brome . . . were reprinted in