LETTER LXXXII.

DR BEATTIE TO LADY MAYNE.

*

Aberdeen, 2d January, 1774.

"Of my worthy and generous friend, Dr Majendie, I know not what to say. I must leave it to your Ladyship to tell him, for no words of mine have energy enough, with what gratitude, affection, and esteem, I do, and ever shall, remember him. The sentiments which his royal mistress has been pleased to express, in regard to my affairs, do me the greatest honour; and I should be unworthy of them, if they did not give me the greatest pleasure. It is peculiarly fortunate, that her M-y should honour the subscription with her approbation. This may exclude, from a certain quarter, those misrepresentations of this affair, which, I have reason to think, are already circulating, very much to the prejudice of my character. I was, indeed, somewhat apprehensive, from the beginning, that my ene

* Vol. I. p. 337.

mies might tax me with avarice and impudence. But your Ladyship and Mrs Montagu concerted the scheme in such a manner, that, if it is rightly understood, it must redound, even in the judgement of my enemies themselves, still more to my honour, than it can to my interest. And of this I lately endeavoured to satisfy a friend of mine in England, a gentleman eminent in the literary world, who, on hearing some imperfect account of a subscription, wrote me a letter, urging me, in the most earnest manner, as I valued my cha-racter, to put a stop to it. I gave him, in return, as plain an account as, without naming names, could be given, of the rise and progress of the affair. I told him, "that it was a thing "of a private nature entirely; projected, not by ແ me, but by some of my friends, who had con"descended to charge themselves with the whole "trouble of it; that it was never meant to be "made public, nor put into the hands of book"sellers, nor carried on by solicitation, but was "to be considered as a voluntary mark of the ap

probation of some persons of rank and fortune, "who wished it to be known, that they patron"ized me on account of what I had written in "defence of truth; and that I was so far from

desiring to put the patience or generosity of 16 my friends to any further trial, that I had re"peatedly protested, and did still protest, that "I was fully satisfied with the provision which,

by his Majesty's bounty, I now enjoy, which "was equal to my wishes, and far superior, in my opinion, to my deservings." I told him, further, that, considering the nature of this subscription, and the high character of the persons who had proposed it, I could not have re"fused my consent, without giving myself airs, "which would have very ill become me:" and I added, "that while the subscription, by remain

'ing in suspense, was liable to be misunder"stood, I trusted to my friends for the vindica"tion of my conduct; but that, if ever the in"tended volume came to be published, I should "take care to do justice, in a preface, both to "them and to myself, by stating the matter fair

ly to the public." This information will, I hope, satisfy the gentleman, that the subscription is not, as he was made to believe, disgraceful to my character, (these are his words,) but, on the contrary, highly creditable to it, and honourable. However, that it may never be in the power, even of malice itself, to lay any thing to my charge

on this score, I would humbly propose, that no entreaty should be used to draw in subscribers, and that they, who make objections, should never be addressed a second time on the subject.”

LETTER LXXXIII.

DR BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ.

Aberdeen, 8th January, 1774.

"Since I left London, Mr Hume's friends have been contriving a new method to blacken my character. I have been written to upon the subject, and desired to vindicate myself; as the utmost industry is used, even by some people of name, to circulate the malicious report.

"The charge against me, as stated in my correspondent's letter, is word for word as follows: I am accused of rancour and ingratitude to Mr. Hume; "for (say they) Mr Hume was very in"strumental in procuring for me the professorship I now hold at Aberdeen, and kept up a friendly correspondence with me for some time; "till at length I sent him a poem of mine (which was never printed :) but Mr Hume not liking

it, and being frank in his nature, sent me word, "it was as insipid as milk and water; upon which, "bent on revenge, I immediately set about my Essay on Truth, which is full of virulence and

"You may believe, that an accusation of this sort, in which, you know, I can prove there is not one single word of truth, cannot give me much pain. But I should be glad, that Mr Hume, for his own sake, would disavow it; and indeed I cannot suppose, that he is so destitute of candour, as to give countenance to a report, which he himself certainly knows to be altogether false."

"I sit down to relieve my mind from great anxiety and uneasiness, and I am very serious when I say, that this proceeds from not answering your letter sooner. . This seems very strange, you will say, since the cause may be so easily removed; but the truth of the matter is, I waited