Thomas Park › Recommendations

Park, Thomas, F.S.A., was born in 1760 and died in 1835. He was an engraver, but found more congenial work in literary pursuits. In addition to publishing Nugæ Modernæ, an original work of prose and poetry, in 1818, he also edited several works, including the Works of J. Hammond, 1805; Works of John Dryden, 1806; the Works of the British Poets, in 42 small volumes, 1808; Poetical Works of Isaac Watts, 1807, and others.

His hymn:—
My soul, praise the Lord, speak good of His Name, His mercies record, &c, Ps. civ., or Universal Praise, appeared in Psalms & Hymns. Selected from Various Authors, with Occasional Alterations, for Use of a Parochial Church. By a Country Clergyman. London: Bulmer 1807, p. 556, in 5 st. of 8 1. There is appended thereto the following note:—

"At the moment of closing this little collection I am favoured with the above hymn from my obliging friend. This almost extemporaneous effusion of his peculiarly neat and poetic pen was excited by my expressing (in a letter soliciting some psalmodic information) regret that I had only one set of words for Handel's simple, sublime tune for the 104th Psalm."

For these details we are indebted to Miller's Singers and Songs of the Church, 1869, p. 329. The opening line of this hymn is composed of the first two lines of W. Kethe's version of Ps. civ. in the Old Version, 1561.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)