Philosophical Works, v. 1 (of 4): Including All the Essays, and Exhibiting the More Important Alterations and Corrections in the Successive Editions Published by the Author — David Hume — John Shaqi
Philosophical Works, v. 1 (of 4): Including All the Essays, and Exhibiting the More Important Alterations and Corrections in the Successive Editions Published by the Author
David Hume · en
impartiality, together with your amazing penetration and
genius, would lift you far above the rest of mankind,
if you were less attached to them by the goodness of
your heart. My Lord Marshal, in acquainting me that the
amiableness of your disposition was still greater than the
sublimity of your genius, rendered a correspondence with
you every day more desirable, and cherished in me those
wishes which he inspired, of ending my days near you. Oh,
Sir, that a better state of health, and more convenient
circumstances, would but enable me to take such a journey
in the manner I could like! Could I but hope to see you and
my Lord Marshal one day settled in your own country, which
should for ever after be mine, I should be thankful, in
such a society, for the very misfortunes that led me into
it, and should account the day of its commencement as the
first of my life. Would to Heaven I might live to see that
happy day, though now more to be desired than expected!
With what transports should I not exclaim, on setting foot
in that happy country which gave birth to David Hume and
the Lord Marshal of Scotland!
Salve, facis mihi debita tellus!
Hæc domus, hæc patria est.
J.J.R.
This letter is not published from a motive of vanity; as will be seen
presently, when I give the reader a recantation of all the eulogies it
contains; but only to complete the course of our correspondence, and to
show that I have been long since disposed to Mr Rousseau's service.
From this time our correspondence entirely ceased, till about the
middle of last autumn (1765), when it was renewed by the following
accident. A certain lady of Mr Rousseau's acquaintance, being on a
journey to one of the French provinces, bordering on Switzerland, had
taken that opportunity of paying a visit to our solitary philosopher,
in his retreat at Motiers-Travers. To this lady he complained, that
his situation in Neufchâtel was become extremely disagreeable, as well
on account of the superstition of the people, as the resentment of the
clergy; and that he was afraid he should shortly be under the necessity
of seeking an asylum elsewhere; in which case, England appeared to
him, from the nature of its laws and government, to be the only place
to which he could retire with perfect security; adding, that my Lord
Marshal, his former protector, had advised him to put himself under my
protection, (that was the term he was pleased, to make use of), and
that he would accordingly address himself to me, if he thought it would
not be giving me too much trouble.