James Thomson (September 11, 1700 – August 27, 1748) was a Scottish poet. September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... Events January 1 - Russia accepts Julian calendar. ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... Events April 24 - A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession - at October 18 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh Building of... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the UK Languages with Official Status1 English Scottish Gaelic Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Poets are authors of poems, or of other forms of poetry such as dramatic verse. ...

He was born at Ednam in Roxburghshire, and educated at the University of Edinburgh. It was while a student there that he first published some of his poems, their subject matter mainly being the Jed Valley where he had been brought up. He had been intended for a career in the church, but gave up his divinity course because his sermons were criticised as being too flowery. Roxburghshire (Siorrachd Rosbroig in Gaelic) is a traditional county of Scotland. ... The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... Divinity has a number of related uses in the field of religious belief and study. ...

In 1725 he went to London, where he met other literary figures including a fellow-Scotsman, David Mallet. He quickly became successful, and won favour with Frederick, Prince of Wales, whom he supported politically. His collected poetry was published as The Seasons in 1730, addressed to George Lyttelton, and he became tutor to the son of Sir Charles Talbot, then Solicitor-General. Lytttelton arranged for him to become a secretary in chancery, and his next major work, Liberty (1734) was dedicated to the Tory-leaning Prince of Wales. He also wrote several plays, including The Tragedy of Sophonisba (1734) and collaborated with Mallet on the masque, Alfred, which contained the song, Rule Britannia, and was first performed at Cliveden, the country home of the Prince and Princess of Wales. After Talbot's death, however, Thomson fell out of favour with the prince, and his career ended with The Castle of Indolence, his best-known work, which was published just before his own death. Events February 8 - Catherine I became empress of Russia February 20 - The first reported case of white men scalping Native Americans takes place in New Hampshire colony. ... The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... David Mallet (or Malloch) (~1705-1765) was a Scottish dramatist. ... His Royal Highness The Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis) (February 1, 1707 - March 31, 1751) was the only man of that name ever to hold the title Prince of Wales, and is best remembered as the father of King George III of the United Kingdom and as the... Events Pope Clement XII elected September 17 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed III (1703-1730) to Mahmud I (1730-1754) Anna Ivanova (Anna I of Russia) became czarina Births May 13 - Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. ... George Lyttelton (1709—1773), created first Baron Lyttelton, was a British politician and statesman and a patron of the arts. ... Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot of Hensol (1685 - February 14, 1737) Great Britain, was the eldest son of William Talbot, bishop of Durham, a descendant of the 1st earl of Shrewsbury. ... The Solicitor General or Solicitor-General is a government position in several countries, dealing with legal affairs. ... Court of Chancery, London, late 18th century The Court of Chancery was one of the courts of equity in England and Wales. ... Events January 8 - Premiere of George Frideric Handels opera Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. ... The term Tory applied to the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Events January 8 - Premiere of George Frideric Handels opera Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. ... The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy. ... Rule Britannia is a patriotic British national song, originating from the poem Rule Britannia by James Thomson, and put to music by Thomas Arne in 1740. ... Cliveden is a mansion in Berkshire (though until the county borders changed in 1974 it was in Buckinghamshire) with an intriguing history. ...

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. Millar v. ... Donaldson v. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...