Life and Correspondence of David Hume, Volume 2

CHAPTER X.. 1756-1759. æt. 45-48.

1756-1759. ÆT. 45-48.

The second volume of the History of the Stuarts--His Apologies for his Treatment of Religion--The Four Dissertations--The Two Suppressed Dissertations--Resigns his Office of Librarian-- Home's Douglas--Commences the History of the Tudors-- Wilkie's Epigoniad--Hume's Nationalism--Warburton--Colonel Edmondstoune--Dr. Robertson--Negotiations as to Ferguson's Chair--Hume goes to London--Writes Letters of Fictitious and Extravagant News--Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments-- Publication of the History of the House of Tudor--General View of the Constitutional Principles of the History. 1

CHAPTER XI.. 1760-1762. æt. 49-51.

1760-1762. ÆT. 49-51.

Alterations of the History in the direction of despotic Principles--Specimens--Alterations in Style--Specimens--His Elaboration--Ossian's Poems--Labours at the early part of the History--Ferguson's "Sister Peg"--Acquaintance with Madame de Boufflers--Account of that lady--First intercourse with Rousseau--Rousseau's position--The exiled Earl Marischal-- Campbell and his Dissertation on Miracles. 73

CHAPTER XII.. 1762-1763. æt. 51-52.

1762-1763. ÆT. 51-52.

The Publication of the History anterior to the Accession of the Tudors--Completion of the History--Inquiry how far it is a complete History--Hume's Intention to write an Ecclesiastical History--Opinions of Townsend and others on his History-- Appreciation of the Fine Arts--Hume's House in James's Court-- Its subsequent occupation by Boswell and Johnson--Conduct of David Mallet--Hume's Projects--The Douglas Cause-- Correspondence with Reid. 120

CHAPTER XIII.. 1763-1764. æt. 52-53.

1763-1764. ÆT. 52-53.

Lord Hertford's appointment to the French Embassy, and invitation to Hume to accompany him--Correspondence on the occasion--Residence in London, and remarks on the Political Movements of 1763--State of his reputation in France--His Arrival--Letters to friends at home about his flattering reception--The young French princes--Observations on eminent French people--His recommendations to a Clergyman-- Introductions of Fellow Countrymen. 156

CHAPTER XIV.. 1764-1765. æt. 53-54.

1764-1765. ÆT. 53-54.

The French and English Society of Hume's day--Reasons of his warm reception in France--Society in which he moved--Mixture of lettered men with the Aristocracy--Madame Geoffrin--Madame Du Page de Boccage--Madame Du Deffand--Mademoiselle De L'Espinasse--D'Alembert--Turgot--The Prince of Conti--Notices of Hume among the Parisians--Walpole in Paris--Resumption of the Correspondence--Hume undertakes the management of Elliot's sons--Reminiscences of home--Mrs. Cockburn--Adam Smith--Madame De Boufflers and the Prince of Conti--Correspondence with Lord Elibank. 207

Chapter Xiv.[vi:a]

1765-1766. ÆT. 54-55.

Hume's Sentiments as to the Popularity of his works--A letter to the Scottish Clergy--Correspondence with Elliot continued-- Sir Robert Liston--Mallet--Hume appointed Secretary of Legation--Chargé d' Affaires at Paris--Proposal to appoint him Secretary for Ireland--Reasons of the Failure of the Project-- Lord Hertford--Resumption of Communication with Rousseau-- Rousseau in Paris--Notices of his History and Character-- Hume's Solicitude for his welfare--Return to Britain--Disposal of Rousseau--Death of Jardine. 263

CHAPTER XV.. 1766-1767. æt. 55-56.

1766-1767. ÆT. 55-56.

Rousseau at Wooton--Mr. Davenport--Negotiations as to Rousseau's pension--Origin and rise of his excitement against Hume--Proper method of viewing the dispute--Incidents illustrative of Rousseau's state of mind--His charges against Hume--Smith's opinion--Opinion of the French friends--Hume's conduct in the publication of the papers--Voltaire--Rousseau's flight and wanderings--Hume's subsequent conduct to him. 319

CHAPTER XVI.. 1766-1770. æt. 55-59.

1766-1770. ÆT. 55-59.

Hume Under Secretary of State--Church Politics--Official abilities--Conduct as to Ferguson's book--Quarrel with Oswald--Baron Mure's sons--Project of continuing the History-- Ministerial convulsions--Hume's conduct to his Family--His Brother--His Nephews--Baron Hume--Blacklock--Smollett--Church Patronage--Gibbon--Robertson--Elliot--Gilbert Stuart--The Douglas Cause--Andrew Stewart--Morellet--Return to Scotland. 382

CHAPTER XVII.. 1771-1776. æt. 60-65.

1771-1776. ÆT. 60-65.

Hume's social character--His conversation--His disposition-- Traditional anecdotes regarding him--Correspondence--Letter about the Pretender--Gilbert Stuart's quarrel with Dr. Henry-- Commercial State of Scotland--Letter to his nephew on Republicanism--Smith's "Wealth of Nations"--Hume's illness-- His Will--Smith appointed Literary Executor--Strahan substituted--His journey to England with Home--Prospects of Death--Communications with his Friends and Relations--His Death--General view of his influence on Thought and Action. 437

INDEX. 523

FOOTNOTES:

THE LIFE

DAVID HUME.

CHAPTER X.. 1756-1759. æt. 45-48.

1756-1759. ÆT. 45-48.

The second volume of the History of the Stuarts--His Apologies for his Treatment of Religion--The Four Dissertations--The Two Suppressed Dissertations--Resigns his Office of Librarian-- Home's Douglas--Commences the History of the Tudors--Wilkie's Epigoniad--Hume's Nationalism--Warburton--Colonel Edmondstoune-- Dr. Robertson--Negotiations as to Ferguson's Chair--Hume goes to London--Writes letters of Fictitious and Extravagant News-- Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments--Publication of the History of the House of Tudor--General View of the Constitutional Principles of the History.

We have now followed the personal history of David Hume through nearly twenty years of authorship. We have seen him approach the tribunal of public opinion with the strongest internal assurance of success, and in a form so different from that of his predecessors, as a high reliance on his own powers could alone have prompted. Baffled in the first, and in the second, and in the third attempt, he still persevered; and while the coldness of each reception showed him that his last effort had proved a failure, it never extinguished the fire of literary ardour which he felt burning within him, or quenched the hope, that it would one day blaze forth before the world. It is only towards the termination of this long period of laborious authorship that we find the philosopher's early visions of intellectual greatness beginning to be fulfilled. At the period at which we have now arrived, his name was famous over Europe. It was a fame that, once spread abroad, was not soon to die; for those to whom his name was first made known in his new popular work, speedily discovered that, in his earliest neglected effort, he had laid the foundation of a still surer claim on their admiration, and justified the sagacity with which, in the pride and strength of youthful genius, he had thrown its first fruits before the world unaided and unadvised.

The year 1756 seems to have been in a great measure devoted by Hume to the printing of the second volume of his History, to which the following letters to Millar refer. A great part of the correspondence with this sagacious publisher relates to minute business arrangements. It is presumed, that the reader may wish to see some specimens of the manner in which Hume transacted such matters, but that he will not care to have the whole of the arrangements between the author and publisher laid before him. A few specimens of the business part of the letters are accordingly selected, while those portions which have any general interest, literary, philosophical, or political, are given in full. The reader will see, perhaps, with some surprise, that he was very anxious to subject his style to the critical eye of Mallet. We shall hereafter have to disclose some curious features of his literary intercourse with this extraordinary person.

HUME to ANDREW MILLAR.

"Edinburgh, 22d September, 1756.

"Mr. Strahan, 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 distributing 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 answering 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 willingly owe any to him. I am, dear sir, your most humble servant."[3:1]

"Edinburgh, 4th December, 1756.

"DEAR SIR,--I have two of yours before me, and should have answered them sooner, had not Mr. Dalrymple told me that he would come to a resolution, in a few days, about the method of printing his volume. As soon as he does so, I shall write you.

"I am certainly very well satisfied with your sale, which I hope continues. Lord Lyttelton's objection is not well grounded; I have not contradicted that story betwixt Shaftesbury and Clifford: I have only omitted it. It stands only on Burnet's authority, who is very careless and inaccurate. I believe I could convince both you and him that it was without foundation. I am very glad that Mr. Mallet has marked those expressions which appeared Scotticisms. You could not do me a greater pleasure than to procure me a list of them. I beg of you to employ all your interest with him to that purpose. I am very anxious to see them soon, that I may examine them at leisure, and correct them in all my writings. A very little time would suffice for him to take down the page and the line and the expression. If counting the line were too troublesome, he would oblige me by only marking the page and the expression; I would easily find it.

"I had a conversation, yesterday, with Messrs. Kincaid and Donaldson, when I made them a proposal, which, I hope, will be for both your advantage. They told me that you had only about four hundred complete sets of my philosophical writings. I am extremely desirous to have these four volumes, with that which you will publish this winter, brought into a quarto volume. They said that the small size was rather more proper for their sale; and, therefore, they would gladly take, at present, two hundred sets of the four volumes, to be paid for by so many of their shares in the quarto edition as would be an equivalent; that is, if the quarto volume were sold at the same price with the four volumes, then set for set: if at more, then such allowance to be made as, upon calculation, would appear to be an equivalent. If the History meet with success, it will certainly quicken the sale of the philosophical writings; and the taking two hundred sets from you, leaves you so small a number on hand, as gives you a certain prospect of coming soon to a new edition. Though some odd copies of particular volumes remain on hand, there is no great matter, as they may be disposed of with a small discount. If you agree to this proposal, they empowered me to desire you to put the two hundred copies on board a ship with the first occasion, and to write them a letter, by which they may be sure that there is no mistake in the conditions. The bringing these scattered pieces into one volume will, of itself, quicken the sale; and every new edition has naturally that effect.

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