Of his contemporaries, the nearest perhaps in spirit are Turgot and the younger Burke, the Burke of the American Revolution and of Free Trade and Economical Reform. But Burke and even Turgot were in a certain sense men of the past. Though their radiance can never fade, their influence wanes. But Smith has issued from the seclusion of a professorship of morals, from the drudgery of a commissionership of customs, to sit in the council-chamber of princes. His word has rung through the study to the platform. It has been proclaimed by the agitator, conned by the statesman, and printed in a thousand statutes. FOOTNOTES [1]Dugald Stewart wrongly describes him as a Writer to the Signet, confusing him with a contemporary of the same name. [2]See W. R. Scott’s _Hutcheson_ (1900). [3]Even in 1763 there was but one stage-coach in Scotland “which set out [from Edinburgh] once a month for London, and was from twelve to fourteen days on the journey.”—George Robertson’s _Rural Recollections_, p. 4. [4]See the _Wealth of Nations_, Book V. ch. i. art. 2. [5]See the _Wealth of Nations_, Book I. chap. ii. [6]The advertisement goes on to say: “It is long since he found it necessary to abandon that plan as far too extensive; and these parts of it lay beside him neglected till he was dead.” [7]First, Dugald Stewart declares that the _History of Astronomy_ “was one of Mr. Smith’s earliest compositions.” Second, in a letter constituting Hume his literary executor, Smith describes it as a fragment of an intended juvenile work. Thirdly, Stewart heard him say more than once “that he had projected in the earlier part of his life a history of the other sciences on the same plan.” Fourthly, the work exactly fits in with all that we hear of his youthful bent for the Greek geometry and natural philosophy. Fifthly, it must have been written long before 1758, for he mentions a prediction that a certain comet will appear in that year. [8]“The author at the end of his essay,” says the advertisement, “left some notes and memorandums from which it appears he considered this last part of his _History of Astronomy_ as imperfect and needing several additions.” It consists of 135 pages, and the imperfections are not obvious to the reader. [9]_Moral Sentiments_, Part III. chap. ii. p. 210 of the second, third, and fourth editions; chap. iii. of the sixth edition. [10]Mr. Rae, usually the most accurate of authorities, states that the first edition appeared “in two volumes 8vo.”