I

cvm account of the life and

papers, is not known even to his moft intimatefriends; but there can be no doubt that they con-fitted, in part, of the leisures on rhetoric, whicfftlie read at Edinburgh in the year 1748, aric ^ ofthe leftures on natural religion and on jurifpru-dence, which formed part of his courfe at Glafgow.That this irreparable injury to letters proceeded,in fome degree, from an excellive folicitude inthe author about his pofthurnous reputation, mayperhaps be true; but with refpeft to fome of hismanulcripts, may we not fuppofe, that he wasinfluenced by higher motives? It is but feldomthat a philofopher, who has been occupied fromhis youth with moral or with political inquiries,fucceeds completely to his willi in ftating to others,the grounds upon which his own opinions arefounded; and hence it is, that the known prin-ciples of an individual, who has approved to thepublic his candor, 1 is liberality, and his judge-ment, are entitled to a weight and an authority,independent of the evidence which he is able uponany particular occafion , to produce in their fup-port. A fecret confcioufnefs of this circumftance,and an apprehentton, that by not doing juftice toan important argument, theprogrefs of truth maybe rather retarded than advanced, have probablyinduced many authors to with-hold from the worldthe unfiniihed refults of their moft valuable labors;and to content tbemfelves with giving the general