The squaring of the circle and the discovery of the Beast are the two goals—and gaols also—of many unbalanced intellects, and of a few instances of a better kind. I might have said more of 666, but I am not deep in its bibliography. A work has come to into my hands which contains a large number of noted cases: some of my readers it will be a treat to see the collection; and the sight will perhaps be of some use to those who have read controversy on the few celebrated cases which are of general notoriety. It is written by a learned decipherer, a man who really knew the history of his subject, the Rev. David Thom, of Bold Street Chapel, Liverpool, who died, I am told, a few years ago. Anybody who reads his book will be inclined to parody a criticism which was once made on Paley's Evidences—'Well! if there be anything in Christianity, this man is no fool.' And, if he should chance to remember it, he will be strongly reminded of a sentence in my opening chapter,—'The manner in which a paradoxer will show himself, as to sense or nonsense, will not depend upon what he maintains, but upon whether he has or has not made a sufficient knowledge of what has been done by others, especially as to the mode of doing it, a preliminary to inventing knowledge for himself.' And this is reinforced by the fact that Mr. Thom, though a scholar, was not conspicuous for learning, except in this his great pursuit. He was a paradoxer on other points. He reconciled Calvinism and eternal reprobation with Universalism and final salvation; showing these two doctrines to be all one.
This gentleman must not be confounded with the Rev. John Hamilton Thom (no relation), at or near the same time, and until recently, of Renshaw Street Chapel, Liverpool, who was one of the minority in the Liverpool controversy when, nearly thirty years ago, three heretical Unitarian schooners exchanged shotted sermons with thirteen Orthodox ships of the line, and put up their challengers' dander—an American corruption of dd anger—to such an extent, by quiet and respectful argument, that those opponents actually addressed a printed intercession to the Almighty for the Unitarian triad, as for 'Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics.' So much for the distinction, which both gentlemen would thank me for making very clear: I take it quite for granted that a guesser at 666 would feel horrified at being taken for a Unitarian, and that a Unitarian would feel queerified at being taken for a guesser at 666. Mr. David Thom's book is 'The Number and Names of the Apocalyptic Beasts,' Part I. 1848, 8vo. I think the second part was never published. I give the Greek and Latin solutions, omitting the Hebrew: as usual, all the Greek letters are numeral, but only M D C L X V I of the
