BROTHERS 897
BROWN
Brothers of Christian Instruction. See School Brothers, Congregations of.
Brothers of St. Joseph. See Joseph, St., Brothers of.
Brothers of the Society of Mary. See Mary, Brothers of the Society of.
Brothers of the Christian Doctrine. See School Brothers, Congregations of.
Brothers of the Christian Schools. See School Brothers, Congregations of.
Brothers of the Holy Family. See Holy Family, Brothers of the.
Brothers, Richard, an enthusiast and pretended prophet, was a lieutenant in the British navy, which he quitted in 1789. Declining to take the oath re- quired on receipt of half pay, he was very near dying of hunger, and was ultimately taken to a workhouse. From the year 1790 Brothers dates his first call. On May 12, 1792, he sent letters to the king, ministers of state, and speaker of the House of Commons, stating that he was commanded hy God to go to the Parlia- ment-house on the 17th of that month, and inform the members for their safety that the time was come for the fulfilment of the 7th chapter of Daniel. Accord- ingly, on the day named, he presented himself at the door of the House of Commons, and, according to his own account, met with a very scurvy reception. Hav- ing some time after prophesied the death of the king, the destruction of the monarchy, and that the crown should be delivered up to him, he was committed to Newgate, where, if his statement be true, he was treat- ed with great cruelty. On his liberation, he continued what he denominated his ministry with renewed ener- gy, and obtained many followers. While the more rational part of the community were laughing at the prophet, there were some persons of liberal education and of good ability who maintained the divinity of his mission. Among these, Nathaniel Brassey Ilalhed, Esq., M. P. for Lymington, and Mr. Sharp, an emi- nent engraver, were the most zealous: they published numerous pamphlets and testimonials in his favor, and others to the same effect appeared by Bryan, Wright, Mr. Weatherall, an apothecary, and a Mrs. Green. Among other things, Halhed bore testimony to his prophesj'ing correctly the death of the three emperors of Germany. Among several strange letters which Brothers published was one entitled "A Letter from Mr. Brothers to Miss Cott, the recorded Daughter of King David, and future Queen of the Hebrews, with an Address to the Members of his Britannic Majesty's Council" (1798). Such an effect had these and other similar writings on people of weak understanding, that many persons sold their goods and prepared them- selves to accompany the prophet to his New Jerusa- lem, which was to be built on both sides of the River Jordan, and where he was to arrive in the year 1795. Jerusalem was then to become the capital of the world ; and in the year 1798, when the complete restoration of the Jews was to take place, he was to be revealed as the prince and ruler of the Jews, and the governor of all nations, for which office he appears to have had a greater predilection than for that of president of the council or chancellor of the exchequer, which he said God offered for his acceptance. Taken altogether, the writings of Brothers are a curious jumble of reason and insanity, with no small number of contradictions. He was placed in a lunatic asylum, from which be was re- leased in 1800, and died in 1824. < me of his disciples, Finlayson, published in 1849 a book called The Ln.it Trumpet, more fanciful, if possible, than Brothers' s own book. There are still a i'rw of his disciples left in England. — English Cyclop, s. v.
Brother's Wife (r~2^, yehtfmeth, Dent, xxv, 7;
41 sister-in-law," Ruth, i, 15). See Affinity. Lll
Broughton, Hugh, was born at Oldbury, Shrop- shire, 1549, and educated at Cambridge, where he be- came conspicuous for his knowledge of Hebrew, lie afterward proceeded to London, where he became a popular preacher. In 1588 he published his Concent of Scripture, a kind of Scripture chronology and gen- ealogies. Broughton was desirous of translating the New Testament into Hebrew, but received no encour- agement. Lightfoot pronounces a high eulogium on his rabbinical learning. lie was certainly one of the best Hebrew scholars of his time, and had trans- lated the Apocrypha into Hebrew; but his pride and ill temper hindered his advancement in the Church. He died in London, Aug. 4, 1612. Most of his works were collected under the title, The Works of the great A Ibionean Divine, renowned in many Lands for rare SHU in Sali m's and Athens1 Tongues, etc. (Lond. 1662, fol.). — New Gen. Bibg. Dirt, v, 97 ; Allibone, i, 255 ; Darling, Cyclopaedia BibliograpJiica, i, 447.
Broughton, Richard, a Romanist, born at Stuke- ley, Huntingdonshire, and educated at Rheims. He took priest's orders in 1593 ; was sent into England as a missionary, and died in 1G34. His principal works are, An Ecclesiastical History of Great Britain, from the Nativity to the Conversion of the Saxons (Douay, 1G33, fol.): — .1 true Memorial of the ancient religious State of Great Britain in the Time of the Britons (1C50, 8vo) : — Monasticon Britannienm (1655, 8vo). — New Gen. Biog. Diet, v, 97 ; Landon, Eccl. Diet, ii, 418.
Broughton, Thomas, a learned divine, born in London July 5, 1704, and educated at Eton and Cam- bridge, received orders in 1727. After various pref- erments he became vicar of Bedminster, 1744, and prebendary of Salisbury. He died December 21, 1774. Among his works is Christianity distinct from the /.'<- ligion of Nature, a reply to the infidel work "Chris- tianity as old as the Creation" (Lond. 1732, 8vo) ; va- rious lives in the Biographia J'ritonnica, and the liibli- otheca Historico-Sacra, a historical dictionary of all re- ligions (Lond. 1737-39, 2 vols, fol.).— New Gen. Biog. Diet, v, 97 ; Landon, Led. Diet, ii, 418.