A catalogue of notable Middle Templars, with brief biographical notices/Brooke, Henry
Admitted 27 October, 1725.
Son and heir of the Rev. William Brooke, of Mullagh, co. Cavan. In 1735 he published a poem entitled Universal Beauty, which is said to have been revised by Pope, by whom, as well as by Swift and Lyttelton, his talents were recognised. This was followed by a translation of Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered, and by a number of Plays, the best known of which are his Gustavus Vasa, produced in 1739; and The Earl of Essex, 1749. The latter is now chiefly remembered for the line—
"Who rules o'er free men should himself be free,"
which gave rise to Johnson's parody —
"Who drives fat oxen should himself be fat."
He also produced some Novels, amongst which The Fool of Quality and Juliet Grenville are the best known. His "works" were collected in 1778 in 4 vols. He died in Dublin, 10 Oct. 1783.