1803.] 
late Dr. John Fothergill, as phyfician to the 
Friends’ fchool and workhoufe, Iflington- 
road, in the year 4365. Dr. Thompfon was 
fecretary to that moit refpe€table Society of 
Phyficians* in London,’ which publifhed the 
** Medical Obfervations and Inquiries,’ in 
fix volumes. The arrangement, revifion, 
and correction, of the papers compofing that 
valuable work principally refted with him, 
After the death of Dr. Fothergill, the fe- 
cretary, at the requeft of the fociety, drew 
up a fhort account of the life and writings of 
their deceafed member, which was publifhed 
in 1782.—-When Miller, who was both an 
engraver and a botanift, publifhed, under the 
Patrynage of Dr. Fothergill, his magnificent 
** Illuftration of the Sexual Syftem of Lin- 
neus,”? in 1777, Dr. Thompfon was engaged 
to write the Latin explanation of the plates: 
this he performed in a very mafterly man- 
ner, and added a preface entirely of his own 
compofition. Linnzus was fo much pleafed 
with the work, particularly'with the en- 
Sravings, that, in one of his Jetters, he 
days ** Figure funt et pulchriores, et accura- 
tiores, quam ullz quas vidit mundus a con- 
dito orbe.”——Dr. Thompfon had a minute 
and critical knowledge of the ancient Greek 
and Roman languages. In early life he oc- 
cupied himfelf night and day in ftudious at- 
tention to the pureft of the claflic authors 5 
and had transfufed into his own mind their 
fentiments and modes of expreflion. The 
pocts he had moftly committed to memory, 
fo that whoever in company began to repeat 
a line or fentence of Homer, &c. without 
being able to conclude, Dr. Thompfon could 
inftantly fupply the ret. His favourite in- 
deed was the poet of Afia Minor. Pope’s 
Iliad he ‘confidered as a fine poem, but as 
not affording any {pecimen of Homeric verfi- 
fication. He wifhed torub off tke elegant 
uniform varnifh with which Pope had foftened 
the frequent ruggednefs of the original, and 
partly concealed, the antiquated, but inte- 
refting, fimplicity of manners and addrefs 
among the Greeks, before their age of re- 
finement.—More than forty years ago, Dr. 
‘Thompfon formed the defign of publifhing 
the Iliad in Englifh blank verfe. He com- 
pleted the ninth book, and tranflated the 
fimilies throughout, with other beautiful 
* Among the members of this fociety were 
Dr. Fothergill, Dr. W. Hunter, Dr. W. Pit- 
cairn, Dr. Wilbraham, Dr. Brocklefby, Dr, 
Armftrong, Dr. Morris, Dr. R. H. Saunders, 
Sir William Watfon, Dr. Thompfon, Dr. 
Dickfon, and Dr. Solander. Dr. Morris, who 
has retired into the country, is now the only 
furviving member.—The fociety met every 
fortnight at the Mitre Tavern, Ficet-ftreet. 
A prefident was elected from the body an- 
nually. : 
aA ” 
Dr. Gilbert Thomp/or. 
~~ 
85 
paflages ; moft of which appear in a volume 
of Poems, printed by Phillips, 1802, Thefe 
imitations are thought by critics to exprets 
Homer’s manner more correétly than any 
other verfion of him in our language. Dr. 
Thompfon’s own poems, annexed to his imi. 
tations of the Claflics, have likewife confi- 
derable merit; yet his diffidence refpedling 
them prevented their being committed to 
the prefs till after his 74th year. The fiu- 
dious retiring difpofition, the fimplicity of 
appearance, and the modeft deportment of 
Dr. Thompfon did not immediately recom- 
mend him, as a phyfician, among the bufy 
inhabitants of an immenfe commercial city, 
However, from the year 1770, till the ac- 
cumulating maladies of age began to opprefs 
him, he was extenfively employed in the 
profeflion; his learning flcill, folicitude, and 
undeviating integrity having produced their 
right effeét, through the medium of one 
who took time to afcertain that merit, of 
which the poffeffor himfelf made no difplay. 
As he was ever attentive tothe cry of the, 
poor, they alfo found eafy accefs to him, fo 
as to enjoy the advantages both of his fkili 
and benevolence. While the phyfician thus 
devoted his day to profeffional and focial du- 
ties, who could retufe the man of letters, 
the poet, his hour ef evening converfe with 
Hefioc, Homer, Mufzus, Virgil, Horace,Ovid, 
and Juvenal? Happily for Dr. Thompfon, 
thefe delights of his youth became the. fo- 
lace of his declining years, nor lof their 
charm ‘* while memory held its feat.” Dr. 
Thompfor obferved in company a ftri& de- 
corum of behaviour, and was never forward 
in delivering his opinion. He purfued the 
ftrieft line of moral condu& ; not, however, 
adopting the morality recommended from its 
tnefs,by his eloquent friends of the Academic 
Grove. Neither did he, like fome other an- 
cient philofophers, cultivate virtue for ite 
own fake. His correétnefs of morals imme- 
diately refulted from the principles of pure 
apoftolic Chriftianity, with which his infane 
mind had been carefully imbued; and which 
were fixed there, at 2 maturer age, in ful- 
nefs of faith. Few men, perhaps, have bet. 
ter put in practice, or with lefs oftentation, 
than Dr. Thompfon, the precepts of the 
Gofpel. Kind, compaffionate, friendly, una{- 
fuming, and fearful of giving offence even to 
a child, he acquired the friendthip and efteem 
of all good men who had communication with 
him; and found no enemies, but thofe who 
were confcious of having injured or ill-, 
treated him without a caufe. Dr. Thomo- 
fon fteadily adhered to the religious commu- 
nity in which he was born. He likewife 
affifted in conduéting its internal economy ; 
the efte&s of which are well known and ad- 
mired even ty thofe who have not learned 
how thofe effets are produced, 
PRO- 
