They must not flatter themselves, that they have ever been able as yet to give me a moment's uneasiness, notwithstanding the zeal with which they have spoken against me. good, that he, who espouses it,

My cause is so

can never have

I know my

occasion to be afraid of any man. own talents, and I am not ignorant of theirs; I do not (God knows) think highly of the former, indeed I have no reason; but I am under no sort of apprehension in regard to the latter; and as to the esteem of others, I have no fear of losing it, so long as I do nothing to render me unworthy of it. But I am so great a lover of peace, and so willing to think well of all my neighbours, that I do not wish to be connected even with one person who dislikes me.

"Had I ever injured the persons whom I allude to, I might have hoped to regain their favour by submission, (which, in that case, would have become me,) and by a change of conduct, But, as they are singular enough to hate me for having done my duty, and for what, I trust, (with God's help) I shall never cease to do, (I mean, for endeavouring to vindicate the cause of truth, with that zeal which so important a cause requires,) I could never hope that they would

live with me on those agreeable terms, on which I desire to live with all good men, and on which, by the blessing of Providence, I have the honour and the happiness to live with so great a number of the most respectable persons of this age.

"I must therefore, my dear friend, make it my request to you, that you would, in better terms than any I can suggest, in terms of the most ardent gratitude, and most zealous attachment, return my best thanks to the gentlemen of your council, for the very great honour they have been pleased to confer upon me; and tell them, that the city and university of Edinburgh shall ever have my sincerest good wishes, and that it will be the study of my life, to act such a part, as may, in some measure, justify their good opinion; but that I must, for several weighty reasons, decline appearing as a candidate for the present vacant professorship,"

In consequence of this reply from Dr Beattie, which, of course, I communicated to the gentle

man who had addressed himself to me on the subject, I laid aside all thoughts of the matter.

Some months afterwards, Dr Beattie informed me, that some person, no doubt with a friendly intention, without his knowledge, had told Lord Dartmouth, that he was a candidate for the professorship; on which his Lordship had written to Sir Adolphus Oughton, offering his services to promote Dr Beattie's views. In consequence of this communication, he wrote to me, expressing his regret that his friends should have had so much trouble on his account; that he had in part communicated to Sir Adolphus his reasons for declining to be a candidate, but had referred him to me for further particulars, and desired me to shew to Sir Adolphus Oughton his letter to me of the 22d October, which I accordingly did. When Sir Adolphus sent it back to me, he accompanied it with the following note: "Re"turns to him Dr Beattie's very judicious letter. "Sir A. imagines it was a view of serving the "worthy Doctor, and rendering him more dif"fusively useful to his fellow subjects, not any solicitations from hence, that induced his Ma"jesty's confidential servants to wish he might "fill the moral philosophy-chair at Edinburgh,"

When I sent him this communication from our mutual friend, I wrote to him at the same time, to the following effect: "Since that time, "I have had occasion to hear the sentiments of many of our warmest friends, as well as of

many persons of respectable character, who, "like numberless others, have attached them"selves to you, without a personal acquaintance, " and all join, with one voice, in expressing their "wishes, that you could be prevailed on to think

tr

more favourably of changing your present si"tuation. But what induces me to resume this subject particularly at present, is a conversa"tion which I had yesterday at New Hailes. I "chanced to have your two letters in my pock

et, which I gave to Lord Hailes to read:*

* Sir David Dalrymple, Bart. one of the judges of the supreme courts of civil and criminal law of Scotland, by the title of Lord Hailes; very eminent as a scholar, and particularly as an antiquarian. His "Annals of Scotland" is a masterly performance; in which, and in some detached pieces of historical research, he was the first to elucidate properly the early part of the history of our country; and it is only to be regretted that he has not brought his work down to a later period, as it stops at a time when the history was becoming more and more interesting, and his materials more copious. "The Case of the Sutherland-peerage," although originally a law-paper, written professionally when he was at the bar, at the time when the

'knowing how highly he esteems you, and how "excellent a judge he is of every point like that "in question. His Lordship expressed the great"est concern at the reluctance you show against

title of the young Countess, to the honours of her ancestors, was called in question, is one of the most profound disquisitions on the ancient peerages of Scotland any where to be met with.

In his other publications, which were numerous, he chiefly appears in the character of an editor. Among these, he translated and printed some favourite passages from the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius, and other writers, respecting the early history of the Christian church. In those publications, he never omitted any opportunity of exposing the mistakes and misrepresentations of Gibbon; in professed opposition to whom, Lord Hailes wrote "An Inquiry into the secondary Causes which Mr Gibbon has assigned for the rapid growth of Christianity," which is justly considered as one of the ablest replies that have appeared in opposition to the sneers against Christianity, so frequently to be met with in the works of that popular, but artful and dangerous writer. As a proof of his attention to every thing that concerned religion and good morals, the following incident should not be omitted: Two vessels, bound from London to Leith, were cast away on the coast between Dunbar and North Berwick, and two-and-twenty persons drowned; the wrecks having been shamefully pillaged by the country-people, Lord Hailes immediately wrote a pamphlet, with the title of "A Sermon which might have been preached in East Lothian upon the 25th day of October, 1761, on Acts, xxvii. 1, 2. The barbarous people showed us no little kindness.” This he caused to be printed, and dispersed among the country people in the neighbourhood, where the fatal disaster had happened. It is a most affecting discourse, admirably calculated to convince the offenders; and the effect of it is said to have