On his arrival in London, our author found his health fo much improved by exercife and the change of air, that he was able to continue his journey to Bath, where he derived fo much benefit from the waters, that even he himself began to entertain a flight hope of his recovery. But the fymptoms returning with their accustomed violence, and his malady increasing, he found it necessary to fet out for Scotland. His cheerfulness, however, never forfook him. He wrote letters to his literary friends, informing them of his intention to be at Edinburgh on a certain day, and inviting them to dine with him on the day following. It was a kind of farewell dinner, and among thofe who caine to partake of the hofpitality of the dying hiftorian, were Lord Elibank, Dr. Smith, Dr. Blair, Dr. Black, Profeffor Ferguson, and John Home.

After his return to Edinburgh, Mr. Hume, though extremely debilitated by disease, went abroad at times in a fedan chair, and called on his friends; but his ghaftly looks indicated the rapid approach of death. He diverted himself with correcting his works for a new edition, with reading books of amusement, with the converfation of his friends, and fometimes in the evening with a party at his favourite game of whift. His facetioufnefs led him to indulge occafionally in the bagatelle. Among other verbal legacies, in making which he amused himfelf, the following whimfical one has been related. The author of Douglas is faid to have a mortal averfion to port wine, and to have had fre

quent

quent difputes with the hiftorian about the manner of spelling his name. Both these circumstances were often the fubject of Mr. Hume's raillery; and he verbally bequeathed to the poet a quantity of port wine, on condition that he should always drink a bottle at a fitting, and give a receipt for it under the signature of John Hume.

Dr. Smith has recorded an inftance of Mr. Hume's fportive difpofition, and it also fhews the placidity of his mind, notwithstanding the profpect of speedy diffolution. Colonel Edmondstone came to take leave of him; and on his way home, he could not forbear writing Hume a letter, bidding him once more an eternal adieu, and applying to him the French verfes in which the Abbé Chaulieu, in expectation of his own death, laments his approaching feparation from his friend the Marquis de la Fare. Dr. Smith happened to enter the room while Mr. Hume was reading the letter; and in the course of the converfation it gave rife to, Hume expreffed the fatisfaction he had of leaving his friends, and his brother's family in particular, in profperous circumftances. This, he faid, he felt fo fenfibly, that when he was reading, a few days before, Lucian's Dialogues of the Dead, he could not, among all the excufes which are alleged to Charon for not entering readily into his boat, find one that fitted him. He had no house to finish; he had no daughter to provide for; he had no enemies upon whom he wished to revenge himself. "I could not well imagine," faid he, "what ex

cufe

cufe I could make to Charon, in order to obtain a little delay. I have done every thing of confequence which I ever meant to do, and I could at no time expect to leave my relations and friends in a better fituation than that in which I am now likely to leave them: I therefore have all reafon to die contented."

66

He then diverted himfelf, continues Dr. Smith, with inventing feveral jocular excufes which he fupposed he might make to Charon, and with imagining the very furly anfwers which it might fuit the character of Charon to return to them. " Upon further confideration," faid he, "I thought I might fay to him, good Charon, I have been correcting my works for a new edition. Allow me a little time, that I may fee how the public receives the alterations." But Charon would answer, "When you fee the effect of thefe, you will be for making other alterations. There will be no end of fuch excufes; fo, honest friend, please step into the boat." But I might ftill urge, “Have a little patience, good Charon, I have been endeavouring to open the eyes of the public. If I live a few years longer, I may have the fatisfaction of feeing the downfall of fome of the prevailing fyftems of fuperftition." But Charon would then lofe all temper and decency: "You loitering rogue, that will not happen thefe many hundred years. Do you fancy I will grant you a leafe for fo long a term? Get into the boat this instant, you lazy loitering rogue."

The

The hour of his departure had now arrived. His decline being gradual, he was, in his last moments, perfectly fenfible, and free from pain. He fhewed not the flightest indication of impatience or fretfulnefs, but converfed with the people around him in a tone of mildnefs and affection; and his whole conduct evinced a happy composure of mind. On Sunday, the 25th of Auguft 1776, about four o'clock in the afternoon, this great and amiable man expired. He was buried in a rocky spot, which he had purchafed in the Calton burying ground; and, agreeably to his will, a plain monument was afterwards erected on the place of his interment.

After Mr. Hume's death, his Dialogues concerning Natural Religion were, according to the direcions he had left, publifhed under the fuperintendence of Dr. Adam Smith, and now form part of his collected Effays. Two tracts, afcribed to him, were afterwards published at London; the one On Suicide, and the other On the Immortality of the Soul. Thefe effays, though the mode of writing and of reafoning might induce one to suppose them genuine, have never been acknowledged by his friends, and are believed to be fpurious.

The private character of Mr. Hume is univerfally acknowledged to have been unexceptionable: but notwithstanding the culogium he fometimes beftows on the equanimity of his own temper, it is known, that he felt the attacks on his literary reputation with exquifite fenfibility; and although he perlevered

perfevered in the refolution of writing no anfwers to his antagonists, except in the fingle cafe of the quarrel with Rouffeau, he did not always receive the criticisms of others with the apathy he profeffes. The fevere animadverfions of Mr. Gray, in his Letters published by Mason, are faid to have given him much concern; and his behaviour to Mr. Tytler, the vindicator of Queen Mary, had fomething like illiberality in it. Such, indeed, was the antipathy which fubfifted between him and the laft named gentleman, that they would not fit in company together, and the appearance of the one. caufed the immediate departure of the other.

There is a vein of fportive humour and a playfulness of fancy in the epiftolary correfpondence of our author. Dr. Robertfon ufed frequently to fay, that in Mr. Hume's gaiety there was fomething which approached to infantine, and that he had found the fame thing fo often exemplified in the circle of his other friends, that he was almoft difpofed to confider it as characteristical of genius *. But the best and justest account of Mr. Hume is that given by himself in the conclufion of his biographic narrative, so often alluded to in the courfe of this work. "To conclude hiftorically," fays he, "with my own character, I am, or rather was (for that is the style I must now ufe in fpeaking of myself, which emboldens me the more to fpeak my fentiments,) I

*Profeffor Stewart's Life of Dr. Robertfon; a work to which I am indebted for feveral letters by Mr. Hume.

was,