ADAM SMITH. 219 



Another letter, dated a week later, gives what is evidently 

 the beginning of his speculations on the price of silver, and 

 adds as to the Douglas Cause 



" If the rejoicings which I read of in the public papers in 

 different places on account of the Douglas Cause had no 

 more foundation than those which were said to have been in 

 this place, there has been very little joy upon the occasion. 

 There was here no sort of rejoicing of any kind, unless four 

 schoolboys having set up three candles upon the trone, by 

 way of an illumination, is to be considered as such." 



In one of his letters to Mr. Hume, from Toulouse, he 

 complains much of the dull life he led from not having 

 brought introductions to society. " The life (he says) which 

 I led at Glasgow was a pleasurable dissipated life in com- 

 parison of that which I lead here. I have begun to write a 

 book in order to pass away the time: you may believe I have 

 very little to do." This letter is dated 5th July, 1764, and 

 the work was plainly the ' Wealth of Nations. 3 The men- 

 tion of it is interesting, as being the first we have of his great 

 undertaking. I need hardly add, that from his habitual aver- 

 sion to write letters, very few remain of his compared with 

 the correspondence of most distinguished men. Afterwards 

 he lived in all the society of Toulouse. Here is another letter 

 of a later date on Mr. Hume's quarrel with Rousseau: 



" MY DEAR FRIEND, Paris, July 6th, 1766. 



" I am thoroughly convinced that Rousseau is as great a 

 rascal as you and as every man here believes him to be; yet 

 let me beg of you not to think of publishing any thing to the 

 world upon the very great impertinence which he has been 

 guilty of to you. By refusing the pension which you had 

 the goodness to solicit for him with his own consent, he may 

 have thrown, by the baseness of his proceedings, some little 

 ridicule upon you in the eyes of the Court and the Ministry. 

 Stand this ridicule; expose his brutal letter, but without giv- 

 ing it out of your own hand, so that it may never be printed, 

 and if you can, laugh at yourself, and I shall pawn my life 

 that before three weeks are at an end, this little affair, which 



