The New Student's Reference Work/Thomson, James

Thom'son, James, a British poet, was born in Roxburghshire, Scotland, Sept. 11, 1700. He studied six years at Edinburgh. His fame rests upon his poem, The Seasons. Winter appeared in 1726, followed by Summer (1727), Spring (1728) and Autumn. He wrote several dramas, Agamemnon, Edward and Eleonora, and Tancred and Sigismunda. The Castle of Indolence, next to The Seasons his best-known work, was written in 1748. The song Rule! Britannia is found in a masque, Alfred, written by Thomson in connection with Mallet. He died near Richmond, England, Aug. 27, 1748.