stone he treats the same disappointment in a more jocose manner, indicating what he conceives to be the taste of the public, and their fondness for worthless writings.

"EDINBURGH, 25th September, 1757.

"I am engaged in writing a new volume of history from the beginning of Henry VII. till the accession of James I. It will probably be published in the winter after next. I believe I shall write no more history, but proceed directly to attack the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, and the Single Catechism, and to recommend suicide and adultery, and persist until it shall please the Lord to take me to himself. "Yours ever,

TO ANDREW MILLAR, the Bookseller.

"D. H."

"12th April, 1755.

"The second volume of my 'History' I can easily find a way of conveying to you, when finished, and corrected, and fairly copied. Perhaps I may be in London myself about that time. I have always said to all my acquaintance, that if the first volume bore a little of a Tory aspect, the second would probably be as grateful to the opposite party. The two first princes of the House of Stuart were certainly more excusable than the two second. The constitution was in their time very ambiguous and undetermined, and their parliaments were in many respects refractory and obdurate. But Charles the Second knew that he had succeeded to a very limited monarchy. His Long Parliament was indulgent to him, and even consisted almost entirely of Royalists, yet he could not be quiet nor contented with a legal authority. I need not mention the oppressions in Scotland, nor the absurd conduct of King James the Second: these are obvious and glaring points. Upon the whole, I wish the two volumes had been published together; neither one party nor the other would in that case have had the least pretext for reproaching me with partiality.

"I shall give no further umbrage to the godly; though I am far from thinking that my liberties on that head have been the real cause of checking the sale of the first volume:

they might afford a pretence for decrying it to those who were resolved, on other accounts, to lay hold of pretexts.

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'Pray tell Dr. Birch, if you have occasion to see him, that his story of the warrant for Lord Loudon's execution, though at first I thought it highly improbable, appears to me at present a great deal more likely. I find the same story in Scotstarvet's 'Staggering State,' which was published here a few months ago. The same story, coming from different channels, without any dependence on each other, bears a strong air of probability. I have spoke to Duke Hamilton, who says I shall be very welcome to peruse all his papers. I shall take the first opportunity of going to the bottom of that affair; and if I find any confirmation of the suspicion, will be sure to inform Dr. Birch. I own it is the strongest instance of any which history affords of King Charles's arbitrary principles.

"I have made a trial of 'Plutarch,' and find that I take pleasure in it, but cannot yet form so just a notion of the time and pains which it will require, as to tell you what sum of money I would think an equivalent. But I shall be sure to inform you as soon as I come to a resolution. The notes requisite will not be numerous, nor so many as in the former edition. I think so bulky a book ought to be swelled as little as possible, and nothing added but what is absolutely requisite. The little trial I have made convinces me that the undertaking will require time. My manner of composing is slow, and I have great difficulty to satisfy myself."

The conclusion of this letter is extremely interesting, as proving the truth of the assertion in the 'Life' respecting his careful and deliberate manner of composing. This Appendix gives further proofs from the MS. of his Works.

TO ANDREW MILLAR.

"EDINBURGH, 22nd September, 1756. "Mr. Strachan in a few days will have finished the printing this volume; and I hope you will find leisure before the hurry of winter to peruse it, and to write me your remarks

on it. I fancy you will publish about the middle of November. I must desire you to take the trouble of distri buting a few copies to my friends in London, and of sending me a few copies here; the whole will be fifteen copies.

"Notwithstanding Mr. Mallet's impertinence in not ans wering my letter (for it deserves no better a name), if you can engage him, from yourself, to mark, on the perusal, such slips of language as he thinks I have fallen into in this volume, it will be a great obligation to me: I mean that I shall lie under an obligation to you; for I would not will. ingly owe any to him.

"I am, dear Sir,

"Your most humble Servant,

"DAVID HUME."

"DEAR SIR,

TO ANDREW MILLAR.

1758 or 1759.

"I am very glad that Mr. Robertson is entering on terms with you. It was, indeed, my advice to him, when he set out for London, that he should think of no other body; and I ventured to assure him that he would find your way of dealing frank, and open, and generous. He read me part of his History;' and I had an opportunity of reading another part of it in manuscript about a twelvemonth ago. Upon the whole, my expectations, both from what I saw, and from my knowledge of the author, are very much raised, and I consider it as a work of uncommon merit. I know that he has employed himself with great diligence and care in collecting the facts. His style is lively and entertaining, and he judges with temper and candour. He is a man generally known and esteemed in this country; and we look upon him very deservedly as inferior to nobody in capacity and learning. Hamilton and Balfour have offered him a very unusual price,-no less than five hundred pounds for an edition of two thousand; but I own that I should be better pleased to see him in your hands. I only inform you of the fact, that you may see how high the general expectations are of Mr. Robertson's performance. It will have a quick sale in this country, from the character of the author; and in England, from the merit of the work, as soon as it is known.

"Some part of the subject is common with mine; but as his work is a History of Scotland, mine of England, we do not interfere; and it will rather be an amusement to the reader to compare our method of treating the same subject. I give you thanks, however, for your attention in asking my opinion."

It is not without some reluctance that I add the following letter, because it is likely to give an unfavourable and also an unfair impression of the writer's principles. But let it be remembered that he sincerely believed in the unhappy dogmas of infidelity, and consequently held the whole subject of religious opinions cheap. To have done so in public would have been exceedingly blameable; in private, it seemed to his mind a necessary consequence of his indifference or contempt, that he should fall into the lax morality of the ancients on this point, and give an exoterical conformity to what he esoterically disbelieved. In my very clear opinion this course is wholly repugnant to sound morals; and is to be reprobated, whether in the excess to which Mr. Hume carried it, or in the lesser degree to which such reasoners as Dr. Paley have adopted it. The suppression of such a letter would have appeared inconsistent with the plan of writing Mr. Hume's life historically, and not merely composing a panegyric upon him.

TO COLONEL EDMONSTONE.

"DEAR EDMONSTONE,

Not dated, but supposed, 1764.

"I was just projecting to write a long letter to you, and another to Mr. V., when your last obliging epistle came to hand. I immediately put pen to paper to assure you that the report is entirely groundless, and that I have not lost, nor ever could have lost, a shilling by Fairholm's bankruptcy. Poor John Adams is very deeply engaged with him; but I had a letter last post from Dr. Blair which informs me that he will yet be able to save fifteen or sixteen thousand pounds. I am glad to give you also this piece of intelligence.

"What do you know that Lord Bute is again allpowerful?-or rather that he was always so, but is now acknowledged for such by all the world? Let this be a

1

new motive for Mr. V. to adhere to the ecclesiastical profession, in which he may have so good a patron, for civil employments for men of letters can scarcely be found. All is occupied by men of business, or by Parliamentary interest. It is putting too great a respect on the vulgar, and on their superstitions, to pique oneself on sincerity with regard to them. Did ever one make it a point of honour to speak truth to children or madmen? If the thing were worthy being treated gravely, I should tell him that the Pythian oracle, with the approbation of Xenophon, advised every one to worship the Gods voμ oλews. I wish it were still in my power to be a hypocrite in this particular. The common duties of society usually require it; and the ecclesiastical profession only adds a little more to an innocent dissimulation, or rather simulation, without which it is impossible to pass through the world. Am I a liar because I order my servant to say I am not at home when I do not desire to see company ?

"How could you imagine that I was under-secretary to Lord Hertford, or that I would ever be prevailed on to accept such a character? I am not secretary at all, but do the business of secretary to the embassy without any character. Bunbury has the commission and appointment-a young man of three or four and twenty, somewhat vain and ignorant, whom Lord Hertford refused to accept of, as thinking he would be of no use to him. The King gave me a pension of £200 a-year for life to engage me to attend his Lordship. My Lord is very impatient to have me secretary to the embassy, and writes very earnest letters to that purpose to the ministers-and among the rest to Lord Bute. He engaged me somewhat against my will to write also to such of my friends as had credit with that favourite, Oswald, Elliot, Sir Harry Erskine, and John Hume of Douglas. The King has promised that my Lord Hertford shall soon be satisfied in this particular; and yet I know not how, I suspect that some obstacle will yet interpose, though nothing can be more scandalous than for a man to enjoy the revenue of an office which is exercised by another. Mr. Bunbury has great interest, being married to a sister of the Duke of Richmond, and sister-in-law to Lord Holland. The appointments of this office are above £1000 a-year, and the

expense