14 HUME I 



It must be confessed that, on this occasion, no 

 less than on that of his other publications, Hume 

 exhibits no small share of the craving after mere 

 notoriety and vulgar success, as distinct from the 

 pardonable, if not honourable, ambition for solid 

 and enduring fame, which would have harmonised 

 better with his philosophy. Indeed, it appears to 

 be by no means improbable that this peculiarity 

 of Hume's moral constitution was the cause of his 

 gradually forsaking philosophical studies, after the 

 publication of the third part (" On Morals ") of the 

 " Treatise," in 1740, and turning to those political 

 and historical topics which were likely to yield, 

 and did in fact yield, a much better return of that 

 sort of success which his soul loved. The 

 " Philosophical Essays Concerning the Human 

 Understanding," which afterwards became the 

 "Inquiry," is not much more than an abridgment 

 and recast, for popular use, of parts of the 

 "Treatise," with the addition of the essays on 

 " Miracles " and on " Necessity." In style, it exhibits 

 a great improvement on the " Treatise " ; but the 

 substance, if not deteriorated, is certainly not 

 improved. Hume does not really bring his ma- 

 ture powers to bear upon his early speculations, 

 in the later work. The crude fruits have not 

 been ripened, but they have been ruthlessly 

 pruned away, along with the branches which bore 

 them. The result is a pretty shrub enough ; but 

 not the tree of knowledge, with its roots firmly 



