d the tragedy of _Sophonisba_, which, after
promising some success, was killed by the unfortunate line, "Oh!
Sophonisba, Sophonisba, oh!" being parodied as "Oh! Jemmy Thomson, Jemmy
Thomson, oh!" In 1731 T. accompanied Charles Talbot, _s._ of the Lord
Chancellor, to the Continent, as tutor, and on his return received the
sinecure Secretaryship of Briefs which, however, he lost in 1737, through
omitting to apply for its continuance to Talbot's successor. He then
returned to the drama and produced _Agamemnon_ in 1738, and _Edward and
Eleanora_ in 1739. The same year he received from the Prince of Wales a
pension of L100, and was made Surveyor-General of the Leeward Islands
which, after providing for a deputy to discharge the duties, left him
L300 a year. He was now in comfortable circumstances and settled in a
villa near Richmond, where he amused himself with gardening and seeing
his friends. In conjunction with Mallet he wrote, in 1740, the masque of
_Alfred_, in which appeared _Rule Britannia_, which M. afterwards
claimed, or allowed to be claimed, for him, but which there is every
reason to believe was contributed by T. In 1745 appeared _Tancred and
Sigismunda_, the most successful of his dramas, and in 1748 _Coriolanus_.
In May of the latter year he _pub._ _The Castle of Indolence_, an
allegorical poem in the Spenserian stanza, generally considered to be his
masterpiece. In August following he caught a chill which developed into a
fever, and carried him off in his 48th year. Though T. was undoubtedly a
poet by nature, his art was developed by constant and fastidious
polishing. To _The Seasons_, originally containing about 4000 lines, he
added about 1400 in his various revisions. He was the first to give the
description of nature the leading place, and in his treatment of his
theme he showed much judgment in the selection of the details to be dwelt
upon. His blank verse, though not equal to that of a few other English
poets, is musical and wielded in a manner suitable to his subject. In all
his poems he displays the genial temper and kindly sympathies by which he
was characterised as a man. He was never _m._, and lived an easy,
indolent life, beloved by his many friends. (_See also_ Lyttelton, Lord)

THOMSON, JAMES (1834-1882).--Poet, _b._ at Port Glasgow and brought up in
the Royal Caledonian Asylum, was for some years an army teacher, but was
dismissed for a breach of discipline. He became associated with Charles
Br