ving got into a
scrape by a very indecorous alteration of a word in Scripture. A young
divine, on his first public appearance, had to read the solemn passage
in 1st Corinthians, "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump." Thomson scratched the letter _c_ out of the
word changed. The effect of the passage so mutilated can easily be
tested. The person who could play such tricks was ill suited for his
profession, and being relieved of its restraints, he found a more
congenial sphere of life among the unsettled crew of men of letters in
London, over whom Smollett had just ceased to reign. He did a deal of
hard work, and the world owes him at least one good turn in his
translation of Cunningham's Latin History of Britain from the Revolution
to the Hanover Succession. The value of this work, in the minute light
thrown by it on one of the most memorable periods of British history, is
too little known. The following extract may give some notion of the
curious and instructive nature of this neglected book. It describes the
influences which were in favour of the French alliance, and against the
Whigs, during Marlborough's campaign. "And now I shall take this
opportunity to speak of the French wine-drinkers as truly and briefly as
I can. On the first breaking out of the Confederate war, the merchants
in England were prohibited from all commerce with France, and a heavy
duty was laid upon French wine. This caused a grievous complaint among
the topers, who have great interest in the Parliament, as if they had
been poisoned by port wines. Mr Portman Seymour, who was a jovial
companion, and indulged his appetites, but otherwise a good man; General
Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough's brother, a man of courage, but a
lover of wine; Mr Pereira, a Jew and smell-feast, and other hard
drinkers, declared, that the want of French wine was not to be endured,
and that they could hardly bear up under so great a calamity. These were
joined by Dr Aldridge, who, though nicknamed the priest of Bacchus, was
otherwise an excellent man, and adorned with all kinds of learning. Dr
Ratcliffe, a physician of great reputation, who ascribed the cause of
all diseases to the want of French wines, though he was very rich, and
much addicted to wine, yet, being extremely covetous, bought the cheaper
wines; but at the same time he imputed the badness of his wine to