excellence, undertook to superintend his education, and provide him
books. He was taught the common rudiments of learning at the school
of Jedburgh, a place which he delights to recollect in his poem of
"Autumn;" but was not considered by his master as superior to common
boys, though in those early days he amused his patron and his
friends with poetical compositions; with which, however, he so
little pleased himself that on every New Year's Day he threw into
the fire all the productions of the foregoing year.

From the school he was removed to Edinburgh, where he had not
resided two years when his father died, and left all his children to
the care of their mother, who raised upon her little estate what
money a mortgage could afford; and, removing with her family to
Edinburgh, lived to see her son rising into eminence.

The design of Thomson's friends was to breed him a minister. He
lived at Edinburgh, at a school, without distinction or expectation,
till at the usual time he performed a probationary exercise by
explaining a psalm. His diction was so poetically splendid, that
Mr. Hamilton, the professor of divinity, reproved him for speaking
language unintelligible to a popular audience; and he censured one
of his expressions as indecent, if not profane. This rebuke is
reported to have repressed his thoughts of an ecclesiastical
character, and he probably cultivated with new diligence his
blossoms of poetry, which, however, were in some danger of a blast;
for, submitting his productions to some who thought themselves
qualified to criticise, he heard of nothing but faults; but, finding
other judges more favourable, he did not suffer himself to sink into
despondence. He easily discovered that the only stage on which a
poet could appear with any hope of advantage was London; a place too