44 HUME II 



and easily. In October, 1769, he writes to 

 Elliot : 



" I have been settled here two months, and am here body and 

 soul, without casting the least thought of regret to London, or 

 even to Paris ... I live still, and must for a twelvemonth, in 

 my old house in James's Court, which is very cheerful and even 

 elegant, but too small to display my great talent for cookery, 

 the science to which I intend to addict the remaining years of 

 my life. I have just now lying on the table before me a receipt 

 for making soupe a la reine, copied with my own hand ; for 

 beef and cabbage (a charming dish) and old mutton and old 

 claret nobody excels me. I make also sheep's-head broth in 

 a manner that Mr. Keith speaks of for eight days after ; and 

 the Due de Nivernois would bind himself apprentice to my lass 

 to learn it. I have already sent a challenge to David Moncrieff : 

 you will see that in a twelvemonth he will take to the writing 

 of history, the field I have deserted ; for as to the giving of 

 dinners, he can now have no further pretensions. I should 

 have made a very bad use of my abode in Paris if I could not 

 get the better of a mere provincial like him. All my friends 

 encourage me in this ambition ; as thinking it will redound 

 veiy much to my honour." 



In 1770, Hume built himself a house in the 

 new town of Edinburgh, which was then springing 

 up. It was the first house in the street, and a 

 frolicsome young lady chalked upon the wall " St. 

 David's Street." Hume's servant complained to 

 her master, who replied, " Never mind, lassie, 

 many a better man has been made a saint of 

 before," and the street retains its title to this 

 day. 



In the following six years, the house in St. 

 David's Street was the centre of the accomplished 



