mously; and this work soon reached a sixth edition. A year or two after she published the 'Memoirs of the Marquis de St. Forlaix,' 4 vols. 12mo, translated into French in 1770 (Nouvelle Biographie Générale vii. 498), which is mentioned by Mrs. Barbauld (British Novelists) and is advertised in the 1780 edition of 'Lady Catesby.' In 1769 she published 'Emily Montague,' in 4 vols., with her name affixed, dedicated to Guy Carleton, governor of Quebec. In 1771 she issued, in 4 vols., a translation of the Abbé Milot's French 'History of England,' with explanatory notes of her own; in 1777 she published the 'Excursion,' a novel, 2 vols., in which Garrick is attacked (book v. pp. 20–36). Mrs. Brooke had meanwhile formed a friendship with Mrs. Yates, the actress, and having a share, it was thought, with that lady in the Opera House, produced in 1781 a tragedy, 'The Siege of Sinope,' at Covent Garden Theatre, in which Mrs. Yates acted, and which ran ten nights (Biog. Dram. iii. 273). In 1783 Mrs. Brooke made her chief success by 'Rosina,' a musical entertainment in two acts, with Shield's setting, the opening number of which, a trio, 'When the rosy morn appearing,' has not yet disappeared from concert programmes. Mr. and Mrs. Bannister took the chief parts in 'Rosina,' which, Mrs. Brooke said (Preface), was based on the story of Ruth, aided by that of Lavinia and Palemon in Thomson's 'Seasons,' but which, Genest says (Hist. of the Stage, vi. 266), was taken, with alterations, from a French opera, 'The Reapers,' published some thirteen years previously. The run of 'Rosina' was extraordinary. There were two editions called for in its first year, 1783 (it was sold for 6d., being used probably as 'a book of the words'); by 1786 there were eleven editions; others followed in 1788 and 1796 (after Mrs. Brooke's death); and the work was reproduced in numberless forms, notably in the 'Modern British Drama,' 1811, the 'British Drama illustrated,' 1864, and in vol. xii. of Dicks's 'British Drama,' 1872. In 1788 Mrs. Brooke, again with Shield's music, produced 'Marian' at Covent Garden Theatre, Mrs. Billington taking the heroine (Biog. Dram. vol. iii.); it was acted with success (ib.), and kept the stage till 1800, when Incledon was the tenor, but it never attained the popularity of 'Rosina.' Mrs. Brooke's last productions were 'an affectionate eulogium on Mrs. Yates' (Nichols, Lit. Anecd. ii. 347) appearing in the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' lvii. 585; and a two-volume tale called by the 'Nouvelle Biog. Gén.' (vii. 498) 'Louisa et Maria, ou les Illusions de la Jeunesse,' and said to have been translated into French in 1820.
Mrs. Brooke died at Sleaford, Lincolnshire, in 1789, on 23 Jan., according to the 'Gentleman's Magazine' (lix. 90), or on 26 Jan. according to the 'European Magazine' (supra) and the 'Biog. Dram.' (i. 71, 72). She was buried at Sleaford, but there does not appear to have been an epitaph to her (Nichols, Lit. Anecd. 1815, ix. 497). The following entry is in the parish register: ‘Mrs. Frances Brooke, a most ingenious authoriss, æt. 05’ (private letter from incumbent, 1884). Dr. Brooke died a few days before his wife, 21 Jan. 1789. A son, the Rev. John Moore Brooke, M.A., fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, obtained the living of Helperingham, Lincolnshire, in 1784 (Gent. Mag. vol. liv. part ii.)
[Reed's Biog. Dram.; Genest's History of the Stage; Gent. Mag.; European Mag.; Nichols's Literary Anecdotes, ii. 346; Blomefield's Hist. of Norfolk, vol. iv. under 'Brooks, John;' Preface to Mrs. Brooke's novels, in Mrs. Barbauld's British Novelists, where she is said (p. ii) to have been 'about the first who wrote in a polished style.']
BROOKE, FULKE GREVILLE, Lord. [See Greville.]
BROOKE, GEORGE (1568–1603), conspirator, the fourth and youngest son of William Brooke, lord Cobham, by Frances, daughter of Sir John Newton, was born at Cobham, Kent, on 17 April 1568. He matriculated at King's College, Cambridge, in 1580, and took his M.A. degree in 1586. He obtained a prebend in the church of York, and was later promised the mastership of the hospital of St. Cross, near Winchester, by Queen Elizabeth. The queen, however, died before the vacancy was filled up, and James gave it instead to an agent of his own, James Hudson. This caused Brooke to become disaffected. He and Sir Griffin Markham persuaded themselves that if they could get possession of the royal person they would have it in their power to remove the present members of the council, compel the king to tolerate the Roman catholics, and secure for themselves the chief employments of the state. As part of their arrangements Brooke was to have been lord treasurer. From this scheme sprang the ‘Bye’ plot, also known as the ‘treason of the priests.’ To Brooke's connection with the Bye may be ultimately traced the discovery of a second plot, known as the ‘Main,’ in which Sir Walter Raleigh and Lord Cobham [see Brooke, Henry (d. 1619)] were implicated. Brooke being the brother of Cobham, Cecil suspected that Cobham and Raleigh might be concerned in the first treason, and by acting at once
