Life and Correspondence of David Hume: From the Papers Bequeathed by His Nephew to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and Other Original Sources, Volume 2 |
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able acquaintance affair affection agreeable answer appears believe called cause certainly character circumstances conduct continue conversation copy correspondence court David dear dear sir desire doubt Edinburgh edition England English expect expressed favour France French give hand hear heard History Home honour hope Hume Hume's imagine interest John kind king known lady language late learning least leave less letter live London Lord Madame manner matter means mentioned mind nature never object obliged occasion opinion Paris particular party passed perhaps person philosopher political present probably published reason received regard remarkable Rousseau says seems sent sincerely Smith soon speak spirit suppose sure tell thing thought tion told volume whole wish write wrote young
Popular passages
Page 228 - I have begun to write a book in order to pass away the time: you may believe I have very little to do.
Page 442 - Upon the whole, I have always considered him, both in his lifetime and since his death, as approaching as nearly to the idea of a perfectly wise and virtuous man as perhaps the nature of human frailty will permit.
Page 157 - ... formerly known in England; I was become not only independent, but opulent. I retired to my native country of Scotland, determined never more to set my foot out of it; and retaining the satisfaction of never having preferred a request to one great man, or even making advances of friendship to any of them.
Page 188 - I wish it were still in my power to be a hypocrite in this particular. 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.
Page 65 - I was now callous against the impressions of public folly, and continued very peaceably and contentedly in my retreat at Edinburgh, to finish, in two volumes, the more early part of the English History, which I gave to the public in 1761, with tolerable', and but tolerable success.
Page 57 - I had a letter from him a few days ago, wherein he tells me that my name was much oftener in the manuscript, but that the Censor of books at Paris obliged him to strike it out. • Voltaire has lately published a small work called Candide, ou VOptimisme.
Page 331 - My dear Sir, you don't call Rousseau bad company. Do you really think him a bad man?" JOHNSON. "Sir, if you are talking jestingly of this, I don't talk with you. If you mean to be serious, I think him one of the worst of men; a rascal who ought to be hunted out of society, as he has been. Three or four nations have expelled him; and it is a shame that he is protected in this country.
Page 177 - Do you ask me about my course of life? I can only say, that I eat nothing but ambrosia, drink nothing but nectar, breathe nothing but incense, and tread on nothing but flowers. Every man I meet, and still more every lady, would think they were wanting in the most indispensable duty, if they did not make to me a long and elaborate harangue in my praise.
Page 506 - I leave to my friend, Mr John Home, of Kilduff, ten dozen of my old claret, at his choice ; and one single bottle of that other liquor called port, I also leave to him six dozen of port, provided that he attests under his hand, signed John Hume, that he has himself alone finished that bottle at two sittings. By this concession, he will at once terminate the only two differences that ever arose between us concerning temporal matters.
Page 56 - Jenyns, and Burke, an Irish gentleman, who wrote lately a very pretty treatise on the Sublime. Millar desired my permission to send one in your name to Dr. Warburton. I have delayed writing to you till I could tell you something of the success of the book, and could prognosticate with some probability, whether it should be finally damned to oblivion, or should be registered in the temple of immortality.