188 EDITOR. 



sectarian bigotry, so genial and tolerant in its habits of 

 thought and feeling, as the Scottish Moderates. Under 

 their influence the rugged face of old Scottish Presby- 

 terianism mantled with a smile of calm and bright 

 intelligence which drew upon Scotland the astonished 

 gaze of Europe. Robertson was in his own day known 

 in Paris almost as well as in Edinburgh ; his books had 

 an honoured place in the library of Voltaire ; and there 

 is no University in Europe at this hour in which his 

 name is not held in esteem. He was the friend and 

 historical rival of Hume, who, except in his specu- 

 lative philosophy, was a true Moderate. If it is to be 

 held a disgrace to the party that its chiefs were in 

 friendly intercourse with the prince of iconoclasts, we 

 ought to remember that there went out also from the 

 Moderate camp those champions who, both in the field 

 of pure philosophy and in that of apologetic divinity, 

 challenged Hume to the combat, and, in the judgment 

 of a world certainly not prejudiced in favour of parsons 

 and against philosophers, put Plume to his mettle. I 

 allude of course to Principal Campbell and Dr Reid. 

 The philosophy of Reid assaulted Hume along his whole 

 line of battle. Interpreted as Hamilton interprets it, 

 that philosophy is one in fundamentals with every great 

 constructive system of spiritual thought from that of Plato 

 to that of Kant. It consists, in one word, of an intelligent 

 and critical appeal to the common spiritual nature call 

 it the communis sensus, call it reason, call it intuition, 

 call it what you will, of the human race. This re- 

 mains and must remain, whatever the dialect in which 

 you express it, the sole philosophical refuge from 

 universal scepticism. It is characteristic of the noble 

 tolerance and candour and high intellectual serenity of 

 those old Moderates, that Reid forwarded to Hume in 



