HUME I 



spring, which breaks out on the slope in front of 

 the house, and falls into the Whitadder. 



Both mother and father came of good Scottish 

 families the paternal line running back to Lord 

 Home of Douglas, who went over to France with 

 the Douglas during the French wars of Henry V. 

 and VI. and was killed at the battle of Verneuil. 

 Joseph Hume died when David was an infant, 

 leaving himself and two elder children, a brother 

 and a sister, to the care of their mother, who is 

 described by David Hume in " My Own Life " as 

 " a woman of singular merit, who though young 

 and handsome devoted herself entirely to the 

 rearing and education of her children." Mr. 

 Burton says : " Her portrait, which I have seen, 

 represents a thin but pleasing countenance, ex- 

 pressive of great intellectual acuteness ; " and as 

 Hume told Dr. Black that she had " precisely the 

 same constitution with himself" and died of the 

 disorder which proved fatal to him, it is probable 

 that the qualities inherited from his mother had 

 much to do with the future philosopher's eminence. 

 It is curious, however, that her estimate of her 

 son in her only recorded, and perhaps slightly 

 apocryphal utterance, is of a somewhat unexpected 

 character. " Our Davie's a fine good-natured 

 crater, but uncommon wake-minded." The first 

 part of the judgment was indeed verified by 

 " Davie's " whole life ; but one might seek in vain 

 for signs of what is commonly understood as 



