prefent of twenty guineas, of which he gives this account to Mr. Hill:

"I hinted to you in my laft, that on Saturday "morning I was with Sir Spencer Compton. A cer"tain gentleman, without my defire, fpoke to him "concerning me: his anfwer was, that I had never "come near him. Then the gentleman put the

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question, If he defired that I fhould wait on him? "he returned, he did. On this, the gentleman gave "me an introductory Letter to him. He received "me in what they commonly call a civil manner; "afked me fome common-place queftions; and made

me a prefent of twenty guineas. I am very ready "to own that the prefent was larger than my per"formance deserved; and fhall afcribe it to his ge. "nerofity, 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 speedily 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 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

custom,

cuftom, left out in the collected works, the reader may enquire.

The next year (1727) he distinguished himself by three publications; of "Summer," in pursuance of his plan; of "A Poem on the Death of Sir Ifaac "Newton," which he was enabled to perform as an exact philosopher 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 first disposed lord Binning to encourage him, determined him to refuse 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 dedi cation to the Countess of Hertford; whofe practice it was to invite every fummer fome poet into the country, to hear her verses and affift her ftudies. This honour was one fummer conferred on Thomson, who took more delight in caroufing with lord Hertford and his friends than affifting her ladyfhip's poetical operations, and therefore never received another fummons.

"Autumn," the feafon to which the "Spring" and "Summer" are preparatory, ftill remained unfung, VOL. XI.

and

and was delayed till he published (1730) his works collected.

He produced in 1727 the tragedy of "Sophonisba," which raised fuch expectation, that every rehearsal was dignified with a fplendid audience, collected to anticipate the delight that was preparing for the publick. It was obferved, however, that nobody was much affected, and that the company rofe as from a moral lecture.

It had upon the stage no unufual degree of fuccefs. Slight accidents will operate upon the taste of pleafure. There is a feeble line in the play:

O Sophonisba, Sophonifba, O!

This gave occafion to a waggifh 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" Sophonisba," 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 fuppofed to have wanted that curiofity which is infeparable from an active and comprehenfive mind. He may therefore now be supposed to have reveled 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 establish

ment.

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. Thomson, in his travels on the Continent, found or fancied fo many evils arifing from the tyranny of other governments, that he refolved to write a very long poem, in five parts, upon Liberty.

While he was bufy on the first book, Mr. Talbot died; and Thomfon, who had been rewarded for his attendance by the place of fecretary of the Briefs, pays in the initial lines a decent tribute to his memory.

Upon this great poem two years were fpent, and the author congratulated himself upon it as his nobleft work; but an author and his reader are not always of a mind. Liberty called in vain upon her votaries to read her praifes, and reward her encomiaft: her praises were condemned to harbour fpiders, and to gather duft: none of Thomson's performances were fo little regarded.

The judgement of the publick was not erroneous; the recurrence of the fame images muft tire in time; an enumeration of examples to prove a pofition which nobody denied, as it was from the beginning fuperfluous, muft quickly grow difgufting.

The poem of "Liberty" does not now appear in its original state; but, when the author's works were collected after his death, was fhortened by Sir George Lyttelton, with a liberty which, as it has a manifeft tendency to leffen the confidence of fociety, and to confound the characters of authors, by making one

man write by the judgement of another, cannot be justified by any fuppofed propriety of the alteration, or kindness of the friend.-I wish to fee it exhibited as its author left it.

Thomson now lived in ease and plenty, and seems for a while to have fufpended his poetry; but he was foon called back to labour by the death of the Chancellor, for his place then became vacant; and though the lord Hardwicke delayed for fome time to give it away, Thomfon's bafhfulness or pride, or some other motive perhaps not more laudable, withheld him from foliciting; and the new Chancellor would not give him what he would not ask.

He now relapsed to his former indigence; but the Prince of Wales was at that time ftruggling for popularity, and by the influence of Mr. Lyttelton profeffed himself the patron of wit; to him Thomfon was introduced, and being gaily interrogated about the state of his affairs, faid, "that they were "in a more poetical pofture than formerly;" and had a penfion allowed him of one hundred pounds a year.

Being now obliged to write, he produced (1738) the tragedy of Agamemnon, which was much fhortened in the representation. It had the fate which most commonly attends mythological stories, and was only endured, but not favoured. It ftruggled with fuch difficulty through the first night, that Thomfon, coming late to his friends with whom he was to fup, excufed his delay by telling them how the fweat of his diftrefs had fo difordered his wig, that he could not come till he had been refitted by a barber.

He