Johnson, Thomas

, an excellent classical scholar and editor, was born at Stadhampton, in Oxfordshire, and educated at KingVcollege, Cambridge, as Mr. Cole says, but according to others, at Magdalen -college, of which he was afterwards a fellow. He took his bachelor’s degree in 1688, and that of M. A. in 1692, after which he left the university, and married. He had also an Eton fellowship, and was assistant at the school. He was likewise usher of Ipswich school, and taught school once at Brentford, and in other places. Little else is known of his history, nor have we been able to ascertain the time of his death. Cole says his character is represented as having been dissolute, but he was an excellent scholar. He is best known as the editor of “Sophocles,” Oxon. and London, 1705, and 1746, 3 vols. He published also “Gratius, de Venatione, cum notis,” Lond. 1699, 8vi “Cebetis Tabula,” Lond. 1720, 8vi; “Novum Graecorum Epigrammatum delectus,” for the use of Eton school, repeatedly printed from 1699, &c. “The Iliad of Homer made English from the French version of Madame Dacier; revised and compared with the Greek” “Questiones Philosophic^ in usum juventiitis academics,” 173.5, 8vi, at that time a most useful manual and an edition of “PuffendoriF de Officio hominis et civis,” 4to. To these may be added, “An Essay on Moral Obligation, with a view towards settling the controversy concerning moral and positive duties,” Cambridge, 1731; “A letter to Mr. Chandler, in vindication of a passage in the bishop of London’s second Pastoral Letter,” 1734, p 8vo. In this last-mentioned year appeared the new edition of Stephens’s “Thesaurus Linguae Latinae,” of which our author was one of the editors. ²