however he fo little pleased himself, that on every new◄ year's day he threw into the fire all the productions of the foregoing year.

From the fchool he was removed to Edinburgh, where he had not refided two years when his father died, and left all his children to the care of their mother, who raifed upon her little eftate what money a mortgage could afford, and, removing with her family to Edinburgh, lived to fee her fon rifing into eminence.

The design of Thomson's friends was to breed him a minifter. He lived at Edinburgh, as at fchool, without diflinction or expectation, til, at the ufual time, he performed a probationary exercife by explaining a pfalm. His diction was fo poetically fplendid, that Mr. Hamilton, the profeffor of Divinity, reproved him for fpeaking language unintelligible to a popular audience; and he cenfured one of his expreffions as indecent, if not profane.

This rebuke is reported to have repreffed his thoughts of an ecclefiaftical character, and he probably cultivated with new diligence his bloffoms of poetry, which however were in fome danger of a blast; for submitting his productions to fome who thought themfelves qualified to criticife, he heard of nothing but faults; but, finding other judges more favourable, he did not fuffer himfelf to fink into defpondence.

He eafily defcovered that the only ftage on which a poet could appear, with any hope of advantage, was London; a place too wide for the operation of petty competition and private malignity, where merit might foon become confpicuous, and would find friends as foon as it became reputable to befriend it. A lady, who was acquainted with his mother, advifed him to

the

the journey, and promised fome countenance or affifrance, which at laft he never received; however, he juftified his adventure by her encouragement, and came to feek in London patronage and fame.

At his arrival he found his way to Mr. Mallet, then tutor to the fons of the duke of Montrofe. He had, recommendations to feveral perfons of confequence, which he had tied up carefully in his handkerchief; but as he paffed along the street, with the gaping curiofity of a new-comer, his attention was upon every thing rather than his pocket, and his magazine of credentials was ftolen from him.

His first want was of a pair of fhoes. For the fupply of all his neceffities, his whole fund was his Winter, which for a time could find no purchafer; till, at laft, Mr. Millan was perfuaded to buy it at a low price; and this low price he had for fome time reafon to regret but, by accident, Mr. Whatley, à man not wholly unknown among authors, happening to turn his eye upon it, was fo delighted that he ran from place to place celebrating its excellence. Thomfon obtained likewife the notice of Aaron Hill, whom, being friendless and indigent, and glad of kindness, he courted with every expreffion of fervile adulation.

Winter was dedicated to Sir Spencer Compton, but attracted no regard from him to the author; till Aaron Hill awakened his attention by fome verfes addreffed to Thomson, and publifhed in one of the newfpapers, which cenfured the great for their neglect of ingenious men. Thomson then received a prefent of twenty guineas, of which he gives this account to Mr. Hill:

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"I hinted to you in my laft, that on Saturday morn ing I was with Sir Spencer Compton. A certain "gentleman, without my defire, fpoke to him concerning me: his anfwer was, that I had never come 66 near him. Then the gentleman put the question, "If he defired that I fhould wait on him? he returned, he did. On this, the gentleman gave me 66 an introductory Letter to him. He received me in "what they commonly call a civil manner; asked me "fome common-place queftions; and made me a pre"fent of twenty guineas. I am very ready to own "that the prefent was larger than my performance "deserved; and fhall afcribe it to his generofity,

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or any other caufe, rather than the merit of the "addrefs."

The poem, which, being of a new kind, few would venture at first to like, by degrees gained upon the publick; and one edition was very fpeedily fucceeded by another.

Thomfon's credit was now high, and every day brought him new friends; among others Dr. Rundle, a man afterwards unfortunately famous, fought his acquaintance, and found his qualities fuch, that he recommended him to the lord chancellor Talbot.

Winter was accompanied, in many editions, not only with a preface and a dedication, but with poetical praises by Mr. Hill, Mr. Mallet (then Malloch), and Mira, the fictitious name of a lady once too well known. Why the dedications are, to Winter and the other Seafons, contrarily to cuftom, left out in the collected works, the reader may enquire.

The next year (1727) he diftinguished himself by three publications; of Summer, in purfuance of his

plan;

plan; of a Poem on the Death of Sir Ifaac Newton, which he was enabled to perform as an exact philofopher by the inftruction of Mr. Gray; and of Britannia, a kind of poetical invective against the miniftry, whom the nation then thought not forward enough in refenting the depredations of the Spaniards. By this piece he declared himself an adherent to the oppofition, and had therefore no favour to expect from. the Court.

Thomfon, having been fome time entertained in the family of the lord Binning, was defirous of teftifying his gratitude by making him the patron of his Summer ; but the fame kindness which had firft difpofed lord Binning to encourage him, determined him to refufe the dedication, which was by his advice addreffed to Mr. Dodington, a man who had more power to advance the reputation and fortune of a poet.

Spring was published next year, with a dedication to the countess of Hertford; whofe practice it was to invite every fummer fome poet into the country, to hear her verfes, and affift her ftudies. This honour was one Summer conferred on Thomfon, who took more delight in caroufing with lord Hertford and his friends than affifting her ladyfhip's poetical operations, and therefore never received another funmons.

Autumn, the feafon to which the Spring and Sumpreparatory, ftill remained unfung, and was delayed till he publifhed (1730) his works collected.

He produced in 1727 the tragedy of Soplenifba, which raifed fuch expectation, that every rehearsal was dignified with a fplendid audience, collected to antici pate the delight that was preparing for the publick.

It was obferved, however, that nobody was much af fected, and that the company rofe as from a moral lecture.

It had upon the ftage no unufual degree of fuccefs. Slight accidents will operate upon the taste of pleasure. There was a feeble line in the play;

O Sophonifba, Sophonisba, O!

This gave occafion to a waggish parody;

O, Jemmy Thomson, Jemmy Thomson, O! which for a while was echoed through the town.

I have been told by Savage, that of the Prologue to Sopbonifba the first part was written by Pope, who could not be perfuaded to finish it; and that the concluding lines were added by Mallet.

Thomfon was not long afterwards, by the influence of Dr. Rundle, fent to travel with Mr. Charles Talbot, the eldest fon of the Chancellor. He was yet young enough to receive new impreffions, to have his opinions rectified, and his views enlarged; nor can he be fupposed to have wanted that curiofity which is infeparable from an active and comprehenfive mind. He may therefore now be fuppofed to have revelled in all the joys of intellectual luxury; he was every day feafted with inftructive novelties; he lived fplendidly without expence; and might expect when he returned home a certain eftablishment.

At this time a long courfe of oppofition to Sir Robert Walpole had filled the nation with clamours for liberty, of which no man felt the want, and with care for liberty, which was not in danger. Thomfon, in his travels on the continent, found or fancied fo many evils arifing from the tyranny of other govern

ments,