*44) 
sometimes at present, you will seein 
the Critical Review a letter upon 
that poem ; and I desire you to em- 
ploy your conjectures in finding out 
the author. Let me see a sample of 
your skill in knowing hands by your 
guessing at the person. I am afraid 
of lord Kaime’s Law Tracts. A 
man might as well think of making 
a fine sauce by a mixture of worm. 
wood and aloes, as an agreeable 
composition by joining metaphysics 
and Scotch law. However, the 
book, I believe, has merit ; though 
few people will take the pains of 
diving into it. But, to return to 
your “book, and its success in this 
town, I must tell you. A plague of 
interruption! I ordered myself | to be 
denied; and yet here js one that has 
broke in upon me again, He isa 
man of letters, and we have had a 
good deal of literary conversation. 
You told me that you was curious 
of literary anecdotes, and therefore 
T shall inform you of a few that have 
come tomy knowledge. I believe 
1 have mentioned to you already 
Helvetius’s book De l’Esprit. It ts 
worth your reading, not for its phi- 
losophy, which Ido not highty va- 
lue; but for its agreeable composi- 
tion. I bad a letter from bim a few 
days ago, wherein he tells me that 
my name was much oftener in the 
manuscript, but that the censor of 
books at Paris obliged him to strike 
it out. Voltaire has lately pub- 
lished a small work called Candide, 
ou VOptimisme. I shall give you a 
detail of it; but what is all this to 
my book? say yous My dear Mr. 
Smith, have patience: compose your- 
selt to ‘tranquillity : shew yourself a 
philosopher in practice as well as 
profession: think on the emptiness, 
and rashness, and futility of the com- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
‘tude ; 
1795. 
mon judgments of men: how little. 
they are regulated by reason in any 
subject, much more in philosophicat 
subjects, which so far exceed the 
compteliension of the vulgar. 
Non si quid turbida Roma 
Elevet, accedas: examenve improbum in 
illa 
Castiges trutina: nec te quesiveris extra, 
A wise man’s kingdom is his own 
breast ; or, if he ever looks farther, 
it will only be to the judgment of a 
select few, who are free from preju- 
dices, and capable of examining his 
work. Nothing indeed can be a 
stronger presumption of falsehood 
than the approbation of the multi- 
and Phocion, you know, al- 
ways hae himself of some blun- 
der, whenghe was attended with the 
applauses of the populace. 
** Supposing, therefore, that you 
have duly prepared yourself for the. 
worst by all these reflections,: I pro- 
ceed to tell you the melancholy news 
that your book has been very unfor- 
tunate; for the public seem disposed 
to applaud it extremely. It was 
looked for by the foolish people with 
some impatience; and the mob of 
literati are beginning already to be 
very loud in its praisese ‘Three Bi- 
shops called yesterday at Millar’s: 
shop in order to buy copies, and to 
ask questions about the author. Tbe 
bishop of Peterborough said he had 
passed the evening in a company ~ 
where he heard it extolled above all 
books in the world.» The duke® of 
Argyle is more decisive than he 
uses to be in its favour. I suppose 
he either considers it as an exotic, 
or thinks the author will be ser- 
viceable to him in the Glasgow 
elections. Lord Lyttleton says, 
that Robertson, and Smith, and 
Bower, are tlie glories of English 
literature. 
