the Christmas holidays; in the meantime I should be glad to know how things stand between us, what copies of my last book are either sold or unsold, and when the balance of our bargain is likely to be due to me.  I beg my most respectful and affectionate compliments to Mr. Cadell; I should have written him, but you know the pain it gives me to write with my own hand, and I look upon writing to him and you as the same thing.  I have been since I came to Scotland most exceedingly idle.  It is partly in order to bring up in some measure my leeway that I propose to stay here two months longer than I once intended.  If my presence, however, was at all necessary in London, I could easily set out immediately.

     I beg the favour of you to send the enclosed to Mr. Home. 
     The purpose of it is to bespeak my lodgings.[267]

The second and third paragraphs of this letter as they stood at first are erased entirely, but their original substance is in no way altered in their corrected form.  One of the original sentences about the clamour he dreaded may perhaps be transcribed.  “I am still,” he says, “uneasy about the clamour which I foresee they will excite.”  It may also be noticed that he does not seem to have dictated his account of Hume’s illness to his amanuensis, but to have written it with his own hand and then got his amanuensis to transcribe it.  The Mr. Home whom he wishes to bespeak lodgings for him must be John Home the poet, in spite of the circumstance that he speaks of John Home the poet as being expected in Edinburgh every day at the time of writing; and in the event Home does not seem to have come to Edinburgh, for in a subsequent letter to Strahan on 13th of November Smith again mentions having written Mr. Home to engage lodgings for him from Christmas.  This letter is as follows:—­

     DEAR SIR—­The enclosed is the small addition which I propose
     to make to the account which our late invaluable friend left
     of his own life.

I have received L300 of the copy money of the first edition of my book.  But as I got a good number of copies to make presents of from Mr. Cadell, I do not exactly know what balance may be due to me.  I should therefore be glad he would send me the account.  I shall write to him upon this subject.

With regard to the next edition, my present opinion is that it should be printed in four vol. octavo; and I would propose that it should be printed at your expense, and that we should divide the profits.  Let me know if this is agreeable to you.

My mother begs to be remembered to Mrs. Strahan and Miss Strahan, and thinks herself much obliged both to you and them for being so good as to remember her.—­I ever am, dear sir, most affectionately yours,

     ADAM SMITH.

     KIRKALDY, FIFESHIRE, 13th November 1776.