TOOKE- TOPAZ. 



641 



with a view to study for the bar : and it was by 

 affording legal advice to Mr Tooke of Purley, in 

 his opposition to an enclosure bill, and defeating 

 the same by a boldness of stratagem peculiarly in 

 character, that he acquired the good will, and ulti- 

 mately shared in the fortune of that gentleman. He 

 was a warm opponent of the American war, and was 

 prosecuted for sedition, for the wording of a resolu- 

 tion, by which the Constitutional Society voted 

 100 to the widows and children of the Americans 

 who fell in the battle of Lexington. For this ob- 

 noxious paragraph he was tried at Guildhall, in 1777, 

 on which occasion he defended himself with his 

 characteristic spirit and acuteness, but was sen- 

 tenced to a year's imprisonment and a fine of 200. 

 In 1779, after having fully prepared for the bar, he 

 applied for admission to the society of the Inner 

 Temple, and was refused, on the ground that he 

 was still a priest, and ineligible a decision which 

 destroyed all his future views in this profession. 

 In 1780, he published a keen review of lord North's 

 administration, in a pamphlet entitled Facts, and in 

 1782, a Letter on Parliamentary Reform, with a 

 Sketch of a Plan, which did not embrace the prin- 

 ciple of universal suffrage. About this time he be- 

 came the avowed friend of Mr Pitt, then also 

 favourable to parliamentary reform, and a vehement 

 opponent to Mr Fox, for his coalition with lord 

 North. In 1786, he appeared in a character more 

 important to his lasting reputation than that of a 

 subordinate politician, by the publication of an oc- 

 tavo volume, entitled Epea Pteroenta, or the Diver- 

 sions of Purley, which he afterwards extended to 

 two volumes quarto. This celebrated work con- 

 tains those ideas concerning grammar, and the for- 

 mations of words, of which the germ had appeared 

 in a letter to Mr Dunning some years before. Of 

 these, one of the most prominent was the derivation 

 of prepositions and conjunctions from verbs and 

 nouns, and, in consequence, assigning them a deter- 

 minate meaning, often different from that which had 

 been arbitrarily given to them. The knowledge of 

 language and logical acuteness which he displayed 

 in this performance, raised him to a high rank as a 

 philologist. In 1788, he published Two Pair of 

 Portraits, the figures in which were the two Pitts 

 and the two Foxes, of the past and present genera- 

 tion, the preference being given to the Pitts. In 

 1790, he offered himself as a candidate for West- 

 minster, in opposition to Mr Fox and lord Hood, 

 when he distinguished himself by a strong vein of 

 humour, in his daily addresses to the populace; and, 

 although he failed, he received 1700 votes, without 

 solicitation or corruption. In the year 1794, he 

 was apprehended and committed to the Tower on a 

 charge of high treason, founded on the presumed 

 objects of the corresponding societies to overthrow 

 the constitution. His trial, with that of the other 

 parties accused at the same time, holds a conspicu- 

 ous place in the historical annals of a period ren- 

 dered so remarkable by the excitement produced by 

 the French revolution. The trial of Mr Tooke, al- 

 though made interesting by the ease, self-possession 

 and acuteness displayed by the accused, was de- 

 prived of much political importance by the previous 

 acquittal of Hardy insuring his own. From this 

 time, however, he was more cautious in his com- 

 pany, and seems to have declined the visits of per- 

 sons of violent characters and principles at Wimble- 

 don. After the death of Mr Tooke of Purley, he 

 had taken his name, in consequence of inheriting a 

 portion of his fortune. In 1796, he again offered 



himself for Westminster, and failed; and in 1801, 

 he accepted a seat for Old Sarum, on the nomina- 

 tion of lord Camelford. His parliamentary career 

 was neither long nor distinguished; but an attempt 

 to exclude him on the ground of ordination, was 

 turned aside by the minister, Mr Addington, who 

 ' substituting a bill to determine the future ineligibi- 

 lity of persons in that predicament, the political life 

 of Mr Tooke closed with the dissolution of parlia- 

 ment in 1802. In 1805, he published a second part 

 of the Diversions of Purley, which is chiefly dedi- 

 cated to etymology, and adjectives and participles, 

 and their formation; but also abounding, like the 

 former, with various satirical strictures on literary 

 characters of note. He died at Wimbledon, in 1812, 

 in his seventy-seventh year. His latter days were 

 cheered by easy circumstances, and the attention of 

 numerous visitors, whom he treated with great hos- 

 pitality, and amused with his conversation, which 

 was singularly pleasant and lively, although at the 

 same time, he would often make his guests objects 

 of his satire, which he would cover with the most 

 imperturbable countenance. At the same time his 

 manners were polished. He manifested a libertin- 

 ism, in his manners and discourse, very unbecoming 

 his profession. As a scholar, he possessed consi- 

 derable learning; but his knowledge of modern lan- 

 guages was more considerable than of Greek and 

 Latin ; his acquaintance with the Gothic was very 

 extensive. He was never married, but left natural 

 children, to whom he bequeathed his property. 

 TOOTH. See Teeth. 



TOP ; a sort of platform surrounding the lower 

 mast head, from which it projects on all sides like 

 a scaffold. The principal intention of the top is to 

 extend the top-mast shrouds so as to form a greater 

 angle with the mast, and thereby give additional 

 support to the latter. The top is also very conve- 

 nient to contain the materials necessary for extend- 

 ing the small sails, and for fixing and repairing the 

 rigging and machinery with greater expedition. In 

 ships of war, the tops are furnished with swivels, 

 musketry, and other fire-arms, and are guarded with 

 a fence of hammocks in time of action. Finally, 

 the top is employed as a place for looking out either 

 in the day or night. 



TOP-MAST ; the second division of a mast, or 

 that part next above the lower mast Top-gallant 

 mast ; the mast next above the top-mast, and is 

 generally the uppermost mast. Top-sails; large 

 sails extending across the top-masts Top-gallant- 

 sails are extended above the top-sail yards, in the 

 same manner as the top-sails are extended above the 

 lower yards. See the article Ship. 



TOPAZ ; a gem in jewelry, and one of the most 

 interesting species in mineralogy. Its crystals are 

 short prisms, terminated at one or both extremities 

 by a great number of facets, the primary form being 

 a right rhombic prism of 124 22'. It cleaves with 

 readiness at right angles to the prismatic axis, but 

 with considerable difficulty parallel to the lateral 

 faces of the primary form ; fracture more or less per- 

 fectly small conchoidal, or uneven ; the lateral faces 

 are deeply striated vertically, while the terminal 

 planes are smooth and brilliant ; lustre vitreous ; 

 colour white, yellow, green, blue ; the shades are 

 generally pale ; transparent to translucent ; hard- 

 ness intermediate between quartz and corundum ; 

 specific gravity 3-49. It also occurs massive, the 

 composition being granular, and the individuals va- 

 rying much in size. There occurs, also, a colum- 

 nar composition, in which the individuals are thin, 

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