BROOKE, HENRY, an ingenious author, though of eccentric and irregular talents, was born in Ireland, in the year 1706. In the earlier period of his life, he be came a pupil of the celebrated Dr Sheridan, and after wards prosecuted his studies at Dublin college, whence lie removed to the Temple.
Having returned to Ireland, be there privately mar tied his cousin, an amiable young woman, to whom he had been appointed guardian. With her he lived, for some time, in domestic retirement, until the increase of his family compelled him to have recourse to his literary talents, in order to make his income adequate to their maintenance. With this view he repaired to London, and, in 1735, wrote his philosophical poem, entitled, Universal Beauty. Thereafter, he again return ed to his native country, and engaged in the practice of the law ; but his inclination carrying him to literary pursuits, he revisited the metropolis, and offered his tragedy of Gustavus Vasa to the stage. The strong sentiments of liberty with which this play abounded, excited the attention of government, and its public representation at the theatres was authoritativly pro hibited. But the author was more than indemnified for any pecuniary loss which he might have suffered, in consequence of this proceeding. His private friends, and the political party attached to Frederick, Prince of Wales, encouraged him to publish the play by subscrip tion, in 1739 ; and this measure succeeded so well, that Brooke derived from it more emolument than he pro bably would have done, had the piece been exhibited on the stage. Finding his expellees, however, still too great, when compared with his limited income, he was reduced to the necessity of quitting the house he had taken at Twickenham, dismissing his servants, and again retiring to his native country.
In 1745, he produced his tragedy, entitled, The Earl of iVeetmoreland, which was represented on the Dublin theatre ; and, in the same year, he published his Far mer's Letters. About this time, too, he obtained the
appointment of barrack-master from the Earl of Ches terfield, then lord-lieutenant of Ireland. In 1747, he contributed three pieces to Moore's Fables for the Female Sex, of which The Female Seducers has been peculiarly admired. His tragedy of The Earl of Essex was acted at Dublin in 1749, and at Drury-lane in 1760. it does not appear certain whether any of his other dramatic pieces were ever publicly performed at any theatre.
Brooke now lived in rural retirement, having united his family with that of an only brother ; both residing together in the most perfect harmony. His mind, which had always been strongly impressed with devotional feelings, became, at length, a prey to the gloomy and withering influence of methodism, which gradually de pressed his spirits, and deranged his intellects. The embarrased state of his pecuniary circumstances, com bined with the loss of his wife, after a happy and affec tionate union of nearly 50 years, and the death of a favourite child, must have contributed, in no slight degree, to promote his disposition to melancholy and depression. In 1762, he published a treatise, entitled, The Trial of the Roman Catholics ; and, in 1766, his novel, The Fool of Quality,—a work which attracted considerable attention, and of which the last volumes displayed the prevailing bias of the author's mind. The decay of his faculties, however, was still more sensibly indicated by his Juliet Cr; nville, a novel which he pub lished in 1774. He died in the month of October 1783. His works, exclusive of the novels, were printed together in four volumes octavo, 1780, but are now little read. Sec the life of the author prefixed to his works.