Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary - Faculty of Social Sciences

14 LETTER FROM DR. ADAM SMI'I'H.meaning of his raillery to mortify; and therefore, far fromoffending, it seldom failed to please and delight, even thosewho were the objects of it. To his friends, wllo were frequentlythe objects of it, there was not perhaps any one of allhis great and amiable qualities, which contributed more toendear his coaversation. And that gaiety of temper, soagreeable in society, but which is so often accompanied withfrivolous and superficial qualities, was in him certainly attendedwit'h the xilost severe application, the most extensivelearning, the greatest depth of thought., and a capacity inevery respect the most comprehensive. Upon the whole, Ihave always considered him, both in his lifetime and sincehis death, as approaching as nearly to the idea of a perfectlywise and virtuous Inan, as perhaps the nature of humanfrailty will permit.I ever am, dear Sir,Moat affectionately your's,ADAM SMITH.HISTORY OF THE EIIITIONS.HUME has told us in his autobiography, that very early inlife he was seized with a passion for literature : an exprgssionwhich, strong as it is, does not err on the side of exaggeration.From the time of leaving school, he seems to havebeen absorbed in literary pursuits and ambitions. He wasincessantly engaged in working at questions suggested bythe writings of Locke and Berkeley. He came to believethat he had discovered new truths ; and he dreamed of ageneral recognition of his genius. Mingling with theseambitious aspirations, there was a set purpose to curb alrirritable, excited temper, and to realize the calm elev a t' 1011of the philosopher.In the hope of achieving these results, he declined to trainhimself for the law or for business. His income, thoughsmall, was sufficient for the time ; and he expected that hiswritings would bring wealtli as well as fame.The following letter1 to his friend Michael Ramsay, writtenshortly after his seventeenth birthday, is the earliest recordwhich we possess, and it gives a picture, equally graphic andastonishing, of his boyhood.'July 4, 1727.' DR 11.-I received all the books you writ of, and yourMilton among the rest. When I saw it, I perceived therevr7as a difference betwixt preaching and practising ; youaccuse me of niceness, and yet practise it most egregiouslyyourself. What was tlie necessity of sending your Nilton,which I knew you mere so fond of P Why, I lent your's andcan't get it. But would you not, in the same manner, have1 Life and Correspondence of D;tvicl Hume. Sy John Hill Burton, EY~., Advo.cate. Vol. i., p. 12.