HUME. 235 



lieved to be spurious. The ' Dialogues' were so con- 

 stantly corrected in liis own hand, that they appear as 

 if wholly re-written : a specimen of this is given in 

 the Appendix. His nephew, afterwards Mr. Baron 

 Hume, published them in 1779. 



Having spoken of his writings at large, it remains to 

 add that, though respecting these men may form various 

 opinions, and especially respecting his philosophical 

 works, of his character as a man there never was, nor 

 could there be, but one. His great capacity all admit ; 

 his genius for metaphysical inquiries, those who most 

 differ with him, even those who most lament the use 

 to which he directed it, confess to have been of the 

 highest order at once bold, penetrating, original. 

 His talents for political speculation were of as brilliant 

 a description, and were so admirably and so usefully 

 applied, that his works are as yet unrivalled in that 

 most important department of practical science ; and 

 he may justly be deemed the father of the liberal, 

 enlightened, and rational system of national polity 

 which has the general approval of statesmen, and 

 would be everywhere adopted but for conflicting 

 interests, and popular ignorance. 



But universal as is the assent to these positions, the 

 judgment is no less unanimous which must be pro- 

 nounced upon his character as a member of society, 

 unless we reject all the testimony of all his contem- 

 poraries, supported as it is by the tone and spirit of 

 all his correspondence which has come down to us. 

 He was a man of perfectly honest and single heart, 

 of the kindest nature, of unequalled good-humour in 

 the intercourse of society, carrying the same placid 



