The works of Mr. Thomas Brown, serious and comical : in prose and verse, with his remains in four volumes compleat

In Short

Thomas Brown’s volume is a satirical mosaic centered on fictional epistles exchanged between dead historical figures and living contemporaries, alongside dialogues set in the underworld. Through letters from rogue actors, discredited astrologers, deposed monarchs, and fallen poets, Brown exposes the vanities of Restoration and Augustan society. Kings, courtiers, and coffee-house wits drop their public pretenses to trade petty insults and expose financial, political, and sexual Hypocrisies. Enduring due to its relentless energy, earthy colloquialism, and low-life street perspective, the work provides an unvarnished mirror to early modern London's popular culture, literary feuds, and institutional absurdities.

The Story

The volume moves through a sprawling series of imaginary epistolary exchanges that bridge earth and the underworld, gradually unfolding a vast satirical survey of contemporary society. It opens with Jo. Haines, a deceased comic actor and High-German astrologer, writing from the underworld town of Brandinopolis back to his living cronies at Will’s Coffee-House in Covent-Garden. Haines describes his cozy subterranean existence, where he tutors young infernal royals and profits from fortune-telling, while requesting news of the upper world. The gentlemen at Will’s reply with local gossip, establishing a narrative frame where death does not reform human nature, but merely shifts the setting for ambition and vanity.

From this opening, the text branches into a succession of sharp exchanges between famous political and cultural figures. Deposed monarch James II writes to Louis XIV concerning his claims to the English throne and the dubious miracles attributed to his corpse, only to receive cynical reflections on statecraft. Cardinal Mazarin berates a state minister for clumsy assassination plots, advising that when disposing of kings, one must always employ fanatical zealots rather than bungling amateurs. Satirists and ancient figures offer biting critiques of contemporary courtiers; Juvenal writes to Boileau, while the ghost of Queen Christina of Sweden lectures society ladies.

As the epistolary network expands, the focus shifts to London's sordid urban reality. Rabelais and royal physicians debate treatments for venereal disease and courtly hypocrisies. In another sector of hell, the recently deceased John Dryden arrives, immediately picking quarrels with ancient Grecians like Homer over his dramatic theories, only to be mocked by Sir Charles Sedley and Nat Lee for his pompous literary claims. Meanwhile, dead admirals like the Duke of Medina Sidonia reflect bitterly on defeat by English privateers like Drake and Raleigh, lamenting that English heretics show no respect for religious relics.

The middle and later sections dive into the low-life trades of the city. A reformed merchant confesses his attempts to curb his wife’s lavish contributions to her dissenting preacher by cutting off her allowance, only for her to sneak a piece of fine black cloth to the chaplain anyway. A brothel matron details the elaborate piety she maintained in her bawdy-house—keeping Bibles on display and hiring chaplains—to ensure her illicit business flourished with the quiet protection of city magistrates. In the final underworld dialogues, deceased London citizens, pompous aldermen, and ruined beaus appear before Lucian-style infernal judges. A former sheriff and alderman laments how he cheated thousands to enrich a second wife who ultimately disinherited his own children in favor of Alsatian bullies. The volume ends in a cacophony of bickering beaus and foolish town officers arguing over their ruined reputations, cementing a vision of human society where vice, foolishness, and self-delusion reign uninterrupted from life into the grave.

How It Unfolds

The view from Brandinopolis Jo. Haines writes from the underworld to his companions at Will's Coffee-House, detailing his comfortable new practice as an astrologer and dancing master to hell's royalty. The coffee-house wits reply with gratitude, offering an exchange of London news for infernal observations.

Royal and political intrigues Exiled and deceased monarchs trade letters with European rulers, exposing the tawdry calculations behind divine right and international alliances. James II frets over rumors of fake miracles, while Cardinal Mazarin scolds a minister for executing a political plot with incompetent tools rather than devoted fanatics.

Medical and literary squabbles Francis Rabelais exchanges barbs with court physicians over quack cures, venereal distempers, and the danger of offending royal favorites. In the underworld, John Dryden gets into absurd arguments with Homer and Horace, only to be humiliated when he fails to recognize the actual Petronius Arbiter in conversation.

Rascals, brothels, and city hypocrites Through candid confessions, London tradesmen, Quakers, and notorious bawds reveal the financial mechanics of urban vice. A pious brothel-keeper explains how keeping Bibles on tables and chaplains on retainer guaranteed immunity from local aldermen, while an astrologer boasts of curing citizens of strange delusions.

The court of Pluto Beaus, aldermen, and town fools appear before infernal judges to justify their lives, only to quarrel among themselves. Two dead dandy ghosts trade insults over their failed attempts at rhetoric, while a deceased Lord Mayor discovers that his wealth has been left to spendthrift bullies.

The People

• Jo. Haines — A deceased actor, rogue, and fake astrologer who establishes himself in the underworld as a fortune-teller and dance instructor to Pluto's family. He wants to maintain his comfortable lifestyle and reputation across both worlds, using his charm and wit to maintain his standing despite his evident rascality.
• James II — The late, deposed Catholic king of England, writing from beyond the grave to maintain his claim to the throne. He wants his line restored and his reputation protected, but is hampered by his own credulity and the awkward reality of his failed political strategies.
• John Dryden — The famous English poet laureate newly arrived in hell. Driven by literary pride and a desire to dominate artistic debates, he constantly attempts to justify his dramatic works against classical rivals like Homer, only to be exposed as an arrogant, out-of-touch pedant by fellow wits.
• Cardinal Mazarin — The ghost of the cunning French statesman who offers ruthless advice on intrigue and power. He seeks to maintain political efficacy and scorns amateurish, embarrassing plots that tarnish royal reputations.
• The Pious Matron / Brothel Keeper — An unscrupulous businesswoman who manages a house of prostitution while maintaining an meticulous veneer of religious devotion. She desires profit and legal protection, achieving both by bribing city magistrates and decorating her brothel with religious texts to fool her gullible clients.
• The London Aldermen and Beaus — A collection of vain citizens and dandy ghosts who appear before infernal judges. They desire status, luxury, and female admiration, but end up ruined by their own foolishness, second marriages, and relentless vanity.

In Its Own Voice

"At present, thanks to my kind stars, I live very comfortably; I keep my brace of geldings, and half a dozen servants; my house is as well furnish’d as most in this populous city..."

— Jo. Haines describes his comfortable new establishment as a subterranean fortune-teller in Brandinopolis.

"The English are hereticks, man, they value none of these evangelical charms of a rush; their bullets have no consideration in the world for a relique, nor their small-shot for a chaplet."

— Don Alphonso Perez de Gusman, Duke of Medina Sidonia, explains the harsh practicalities of naval warfare against English ships.

"I had a church-bible always lay open upon my hall-table, and had every room in my house furnish’d with the Practice of Piety, and other good books for the edification of my family..."

— A London brothel matron details the pious facade she maintained to protect her business from city magistrates.

What It's Really About

Beneath its bawdy humor and lively broadside style, the book is a searching critique of institutional hypocrisy across religion, politics, and social rank. Brown uses the boundary-crossing format of letters between the living and the dead to level all human hierarchies. Kings, cardinals, famous authors, and street-level criminals share the exact same baseness of motive—greed, lust, vanity, and self-preservation. By pairing high-status figures like Louis XIV or Dryden with low-status cheats, astrologers, and brothel owners, the text argues that public morality is largely a performative fraud. Religion is frequently presented as a convenient cloak for financial gain or sexual indulgence, while political devotion is reduced to self-interest and bluster.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers interested in the coarse, vibrant atmosphere of late 17th- and early 18th-century London will find this volume a rich resource. It reads like a guided tour through the back alleys, coffee-houses, and taverns of Augustan England, brimming with period slang, theatrical gossip, and sharp satire.

The primary difficulty for contemporary readers lies in the density of forgotten topical references, obscure historical figures, and Latin quotations. A reader must navigate a flood of specific political controversies, Jacobite plots, and long-forgotten literary feuds that require patience or familiarity with the Restoration era. The language is uninhibited and frequently crude, reflecting period attitudes toward gender, religion, and social class that can be jarring. However, those who enjoy the satirical edge of Jonathan Swift, the street-level detail of Daniel Defoe, or the theatrical comedy of the Restoration will appreciate Brown’s infectious energy, relentless skepticism, and remarkably inventive prose.

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