WRITINGS O V DR. SMITH,

CVII

The death of his mother in 1784, which wasfollowed by that ofMifsDouGlAS in 1788, con-tributed, it is probable, to fruftrate these projefls.They had been the objets of his affe&ion for morethan sixty years, and in their society he had en-joyed, from his infancy, all that he ever knew ofthe endearments of a family. He was now alone,and helpless; and, though he bore his lofs withequanimity, and regained apparently his formercheerfulness, yet his health and strength graduallydeclined till the period of his death , which hap-pened in July 1790, about two years after that ofhis coufin , and (ix after that of his mother. Hislaft illness, which arofe from a chronic obftruflionin his bowels, was lingering and painful; but hadevery consolation to sooth it which he could de-rive from the tendereft sympathy of his friends, andfrom the complete resignation of his own mind.

A few days before his death, finding his end ap-proach rapidly, he gave orders to destroy all hismanuscripts , excepting some detached efiays ,which he intrusted to the care of his executors ;and they were accordingly committed to theflames. What were the particular contents of these

up and down his apartment, di&ating to a fecretary. All Mr.Hume’s works (I hawe been affured) were written with hisown hand. A critical reader may, I think, perceive in the dif-ferent ftyles of thefe two claflical writers, the effefts of their dif-ferent modes of ftudy.