LONDON, 3rd May 1776.

MY DEAR FRIEND—­I send you enclosed a new ostensible letter, conformably to your desire.  I think, however, your scruples groundless.  Was Mallet anywise hurt by his publication of Lord Bolingbroke?  He received an office afterwards from the present king and Lord Bute, the most prudent men in the world, and he always justified himself by his sacred regard to the will of a dead friend.  At the same time I own that your scruples have a specious appearance, but my opinion is that if upon my death you determine never to publish these papers, you should leave them sealed up with my brother and family, with some inscription that you reserve to yourself the power of reclaiming them whenever you think proper.  If I live a few years longer I shall publish them myself.  I consider an observation of Rochefoucault that the wind, though it extinguishes a candle, blows up a fire.

You may be surprised to hear me talk of living years, considering the state you saw me in and the sentiments both I and all my friends at Edinburgh entertained on that subject.  But though I cannot come up entirely to the sanguine notions of our friend John, I find myself very much recovered on the road, and I hope Bath waters and further journies may effect my cure.

By the little company I have seen I find the town very full of your book, which meets with general approbation.  Many people think particular parts disputable, but this you certainly expected.  I am glad that I am one of the number, as these parts will be the subject of future conversation between us.  I set out for Bath, I believe, on Monday, by Sir John Pringle’s directions.  He says that he sees nothing to be apprehended in my case.  If you write to me (hem! hem!)—­I say if you write to me, send your letter under cover to Mr. Strahan, who will have my direction.[255]

The ostensible letter which accompanied the other is—­

     LONDON, 3rd May 1776.

MY DEAR SIR—­After reflecting more maturely on that article of my will by which I leave you the disposal of all my papers, with a request that you should publish my Dialogues concerning Natural Religion, I have become sensible that both on account of the nature of the work and of your situation it may be improper to hurry on that publication.  I therefore take the present opportunity of qualifying that friendly request.  I am content to leave it entirely to your discretion at what time you will publish that piece, or whether you will publish it at all.

You will find among my papers a very inoffensive piece called “My Own Life,” which I composed a few days before I left Edinburgh, when I thought, as did all my friends, that my life was despaired of.  There can be no objection that the small piece should be sent to Messrs. Strahan and Cadell and the proprietors of my other works, to be prefixed to any future edition