A printer, Brice ran into various legal troubles from 1717-1730, including an expensive lawsuit by Thomas Glanville, the keeper of St Thomas's prison, after which Brice was confined to his house to avoid arrest for debt. During this time, he composed his first poem, Freedom (1730). A few other poems are attributed to him, but his largest work was The Grand Gazetteer. He was also a strong supporter of the theatre, writing several prologues for plays performed in Exeter.