Spence

Spence, JOSEPH (1698-1768), miscellaneous writer, was educated at Oxford, of which he became a fellow and professor of poetry. After his ordination he devoted himself to literature and produced some very creditable works. His chief work was considered to be his Polymetis; or, an Inquiry into the Agreement between the Works of the Roman Poets and the Remains of Ancient Artists, but his acquaintance with the leading men and women of the time resulted in his collection of Anecdotes, a compilation which has proved very useful to literary students and has preserved his name.