248 HUME. 



hand. I immediately put pen to paper to assure you that the 

 report is entirely groundless, and that I have not lost, nor 

 ever could have lost, a shilling by Fairholm's bankruptcy. 

 Poor John Adams is very deeply engaged with him ; but I 

 had a letter last post from Dr. Blair which informs me that 

 he will yet be able to save fifteen or sixteen thousand pounds. 

 I am glad to give you also this piece of intelligence. 



" What do you know that Lord Bute is again all-powerful? 

 or rather that he was always so, but is now acknowledged 

 for such by all the world ? Let this be a new motive for Mr. 

 V. to adhere to the ecclesiastical profession, in which he may 

 have so good a patron, for civil employments for men of letters 

 can scarcely be found. All is occupied by men of business, 

 or by Parliamentary interest. It is putting too great a respect 

 on the vulgar, and on their superstitions, to pique oneself on 

 sincerity with regard to them. Did ever one make it a point 

 of honour to speak truth to children or madmen ? If the 

 thing were worthy being treated gravely, I should tell him 

 that the Pythian oracle, with the approbation of Xenophon, 

 advised every one to worship the Gods vo/txo; 9roXews-. I wish it 

 were still in my power to be a hypocrite in this parti- 

 cular. The common duties of society usually require it; 

 and the ecclesiastical profession only adds a little more to an 

 innocent dissimulation, or rather simulation, without which it 

 is impossible to pass through the world. Am I a liar because 

 I order my servant to say I am not at home when I do not 

 desire to see company ? 



" How could you imagine that I was under- secretary to 

 Lord Hertford, or that I would ever be prevailed on to accept 

 such a character ? I am not secretary at all, but do the busi- 

 ness of secretary to the embassy without any character. Bun- 

 ^>ury has the commission and appointment a young man of 

 three or four and twenty, somewhat vain and ignorant, whom 

 Lord Hertford refused to accept of, as thinking he would be 

 of no use to him. The King gave me a pension of 200/. 

 a-year for life to engage me to attend his Lordship. My Lord 

 is very impatient to have me secretary to the embassy, and 

 writes very earnest letters to that purpose to the ministers 

 and among the rest to Lord Bute. He engaged me somewhat 



