James Thomson

James Thomson (c. 11 September 1700 – 27 August 1748) was a Scottish poet and playwright, known for his poems The Seasons and The Castle of Indolence, and for the lyrics of "Rule, Britannia!"

Scotland, 1700–1725 James Thomson was born in Ednam in Roxburghshire around 11 September 1700 and baptised on 15 September. Beatrix Thomson was born in Fogo, Berwickshire and was a distant relation of the house of Hume. Thomas Thomson was the Presbyterian minister of Ednam until eight weeks after Thomson's birth, when he was admitted as minister of Southdean, where Thomson spent most of his early years. He was, however, encouraged to write poetry by Robert Riccaltoun (1691–1769), a farmer, poet and Presbyterian minister; and Sir William Bennet (d. 1729), a whig laird who was a patron of Allan Ramsay. While some early poems by Thomson survive, he burned most of them on New Year's Day each year.

Thomson entered the College of Edinburgh in autumn 1715, destined for the Presbyterian ministry. At Edinburgh he studied metaphysics, Logic, Ethics, Greek, Latin and Natural Philosophy. He completed his arts course in 1719 but chose not to graduate, instead entering Divinity Hall to become a minister. In 1716 Thomas Thomson died, with local legend saying that he was killed while performing an exorcism.

In 1730, he became tutor to the son of Sir Charles Talbot, then Solicitor-General, and spent nearly two years in the company of the young man on a tour of Europe. On his return Talbot arranged for him to become a secretary in chancery, which gave him financial security until Talbot's death in 1737. Meanwhile, there appeared his next major work, Liberty (1734). This is a lengthy monologue by the "Goddess of Liberty", describing her travels through the ancient world, and then English and British history, before the resolution of the Glorious Revolution of 1688. In 1738 his tragedy Agamemnon was played at Drury Lane and the following year he wrote a prologue when Mallet's Mustapha was performed there.

In 1740, he collaborated with Mallet on the masque Alfred which was first performed at Cliveden, the country home of Frederick, Prince of Wales. Thomson's words for "Rule, Britannia!", written as part of that masque and set to music by Thomas Arne, became one of the best-known British patriotic songs – quite distinct from the masque which is now virtually forgotten. The Prince gave him a pension of £100 per annum. He had also introduced him to George Lyttelton, who became his friend and patron.

In later years, Thomson lived in Richmond upon Thames, and it was there that he wrote his final work The Castle of Indolence, which was published just before his untimely death on 27 August 1748. Johnson writes about Thomson's death, "by taking cold on the water between London and Kew, he caught a disorder, which, with some careless exasperation, ended in a fever that put end to his life". Thomson died indebted and intestate. To discharge his debts an auction of his goods was held.

A dispute over the publishing rights to one of his works, The Seasons, gave rise to two important legal decisions (Millar v. Taylor; Donaldson v. Beckett) in the history of copyright.

Thomson's The Seasons was translated into German by Barthold Heinrich Brockes (1745). This translation formed the basis for a work with the same title by Gottfried van Swieten, which became the libretto for Haydn's oratorio The Seasons. Some recordings of Haydn’s oratorio use Thomson’s original lyrics as well.

Memorials

Thomson is one of the sixteen Scottish poets and writers appearing on the Scott Monument on Princes Street in Edinburgh. He appears on the right side of the east face.

Thomson has a large memorial in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner, next to William Shakespeare and underneath Thomson's countryman, Robert Burns.

Thomson is the poet memorialised at Poets' Corner in Richmond Park's Pembroke Lodge Gardens. A bench sculpted by Richard Farrington, and known as "Poet's seat", is inscribed with lines by Thomson, who was living in Richmond at the time of his death. A wooden memorial plaque with an ode to Thomson by the writer and historian John Heneage Jesse was installed in 1851. The plaque was replaced by the Selborne Society in 1895

King Henry's Mound, which is also in Richmond Park, has a seat inscribed with a few lines from The Seasons.

Sophonisba, A Tragedy (1730), written largely in blank verse. Based on the Carthaginian noblewoman of the same name. Sophonisba has also been represented in Giovanni Giorgio Trissino's Italian Sophonisba (1515-1524) which inspired The Wonder of Women by John Marston (1606), Sophonisba, or Hannibal's Overthrow by Nathaniel Lee (1675), and Thomson's play Agamemnon, A Tragedy (1738), written largely in blank verse, starring the reigning tragedian of the time, James Quin Alfred, A Masque (1740), written largely in blank verse with some rhyming song lyrics, co-written with David Mallet. Later reworked into an oratorio (1745) and then an opera (1753) with additional libretto by David Mallet and music by Thomas Arne. Best known for the patriotic song, "Rule, Britannia!" Edward and Eleonora, A Tragedy (1739), written largely in blank verse. Although it was originally scheduled to be performed at Covent Garden in 1739, it was banned by the censor under the Licensing Act. It finally premiered in 1775, after Thomson's death. Tancred and Sigismunda, A Tragedy (1745), written largely in blank verse, originally starring David Garrick as Tancred and Thomas Sheridan as Siffredi. Inspired by a story from Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron. Coriolanus, A Tragedy (1747-1749), written largely in blank verse. Thomson finished the play in 1747, but the play was not staged in Covent Garden until 1749, due to Garrick's refusal to play a supporting role this rival, James Quin

Thomson’s Coriolanus—following Livy rather than Plutarch, William Shakespeare’s source—is no more an adaptation of Shakespeare’s than Thomson’s Sophonisba is of Lee’s or his Agamemnon is of Aeschylus’s. Pared down to a simple action, in a more Racinian than Shakespearean manner [...]