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Essays by David Hume

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Essays by David Hume I Eljc TQotlb’s Glnsslcs xxxni THE WORKS or DAVID HUiAIE— ESSATS JiOIlAI., roUTlCAlj AKD LTrcnAHY ESSAYS xron^u;, roLraau. and LrrERAuy BV DAVID HUME HENRY FROWDE LONDON, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW NEW YORK AND TORONTO ‘ Tht Et^avs Moral, Political and Li'rrary of Hand Hume acre Jtrst puldithed in the ytart J7U end 17 i2 Ju ‘ t in Tht n'orldj Clautet ' they vere first ; Uuhrd U- 01 end reprinted in 1904 IniSTtD BT TTIIilVSt GLOBES A\P EO S, LIMITED, tOVDON ^ND DECCLIS CONTENTS I'AIIT I tSSAT 1. Of the Delicacy of Tftste ftnJ PfiMion . • 3 2, Of the Liberty of the I’rcM .... 8 3. That Politic# may bo reduced to a Sciroco . 13 . 23 I 4. Of the First Principle# of Oovemment . 35 '*6. Of Iho Origin of Government . ... C. Of tho Independency of ParliamcDt . 40 7. Wiclher tho British Ooremment inelines more to Absolute Monarchy or to nBciiuLlle 4S 8. Of Parties in Qcncml 51 0. Of tho Parties of Great DriL-iin ... 03 10. Of Superstition and Dothusi.ism . .75 ^1. Of tho Dignity or Mcanocssof Unman Nature 81 .12. Of Civil Liberty 80 13. OfEloqucnco OS 14. Of tho Biso ond Progress of tho Arts nnd Sciences 112 15. Tho Epicurean . ...... ISO 1C. Tho Bloio. 147 17. Tho Piatonist ir»7 18. Tho Sceptic . | . ICl 19. Of Polygamy and Divorces .... 185 VI CONTENIS rssvT r\.Gr 20 Of Simplicity and Kefincmcnt in Writing 196 21 Of National Cliaractcrs 202 22 Of Tragedy 221 » 23 Of tlie Standard of Taste 231 PART II 1 Of Commerce 259 2 Of Befinement in tlie Arts 275 3 Of Money 289 4 Of Interest 303 5 Of the Balance of Trade 316 6 Of the Jealousy of Trade 334 7 Of the Balance of Power 339 8 Of Taxes 349 9 Of Public Credit 355 10 Of some Bemarkable Customs 372 11 Of the Populousness of Ancient Nations 381 12 Of the Original Contiact 452 13 Of Passive Obedience 474 |•'-^4 Of the Coalition of Parties 478 15 Of the Protestant Succession 487 < 16 Idea of a Perfect Commonviealth 499 The Essay on Miracles 517 ADDITIONAL ESSAYS '' 1 Of Impudence and Modesty 547 2 Of Love and Slarriage 552 3 Of the Studj of History 553 c()Nn^«Ts v;i t»«tT 4, or Arutif*' ....*-. 5. Of lV«y WriJirc 5«n (I Of MmU*rrJ«Si««^ ..... 7. Of(L'’MM.Il«'Fu«r'nff Uf# . 3M P. On tl-t linai*»tAlItf cf tI)C Sotil . W? (X’5 Ijrr i t "tut Annw: bt IIiK«rtr . rART I HUMFS ESSAYS i:5SAY I or Tin: DKLICACY OK TASTK AND PASSION SoMK pcoiil<* nro subject to a certain r/f/Jmrr/ nf ptutiou, >Oiich mak<s tlicm extremely M*n«n»lc to all tlic accidents of life, a«*l gix'cs tltetn a lively loy upon ever)* pronperonx cx'ent, as well ns a jiii-rcinjf prjcf when they meet with mlffortune ntnl ailier- iilty. Kavonre and pood oflTccs easily enf^n-ro therr friendslilp, wliilo llic smallest injur)' jirovohes llicir resentment. Any Iioimnr or mark nf diiiinetion elevates tliem above measure, liut lliey are pcnsibly touched with contempt. People nf this clmracter have, no doubt, more lively cnjnymentB, «<« well as more pungent sorrows, tiian men of cool anil pedate tempers. Ihit, I lieHcve, when evorj' thing is balanced, tlicre is no one who would not rather he _ nf the latter character, were he entirely niaster of his O'vn disposition. Goo<l or ill fortune is very little at our disposal ; and when a iicrson that lias this sensibility ot temper meets w'itli any misfortune, his sorrow or resentment takes entire possession of * him, and deprives him of all relish in the common occurrences nf life, the right enjoyment of wliich forms the chief part of our happiness. Great * 3 « 2 4 HUME’S ESSAYS pleasures aie mucli less frequent tlian gieat pains^ <=0 that a sensible temper must meet ivith feiver trials in the former rray than in the latter Not to mention, that men of such lively passions are apt to he transported beyond all bounds of prudence and discretion, and to take false steps in the conduct of life, rvliich are often irretrievable There is a deltcacy of ia-ste observable m some men, nhich very much resembles this dehcaci) of passion, and produces the same sensibility to beauty and deformity of every kind, as that does to prosperity and adieisity, obligations and injuries MUieii you present a poem or a picture to a man possessed of this talent, the delicacy of his feeling makes him be «ensiblj touched v, ith every part of it , nor are the mastcily strokes perceived with more exquisite lelish ind satisfaction, than the negligences oi absurdities nith disgust and uneasiness A polite and judicious conveisation affords liim the highest is entertainment , i udeness or impertinence as great punishment to him In short, delicacy of taste has the same effect as delicacy of passion It enlarges the spheie both of our happiness and misery, and makes us sensible to pains as well as pleasures which escape the rest of mankind I belieie, houever, eveiy one mil agree with me, that notmthstanding this resemblance, delicacy of taste IS as much to be desired and cultivated, as delicacy of passion is to be lamented, and to be lemedied, if possible Tlie good oi ill accidents of life are very little at our disposal , but we are pi etty much masters uliat books ive shall lead, what diieisions ue shall partake of, and ivhat company lie shall keep Philosophers hare endeavoured to leiidci happiness entirely independent of every tiling external 'Ihis degree of perfection is im- possible to be attained, but every wise man mil endeavour to place his happiness on such objects chieflj .IS depend upon himself, and t/irti is not to ; HUME’S ESSAYS 5 te attained so toqcIi by any other means as by this delicacy of sentiment. When a man is possessed of that talent, he is more happy by what pleases bis taste, than by what gratifies his appetites, and receives more enjoyment from a poem, or a piece of reasoning, than the most expensive luxury can afford. tVhatcvcr connection there may be originally between these bvo species of delicacy, 1 am per- suaded tliat nothing is so proper to cure us of this delicacy of passion, as the cultivating of that higher and more refined taste, which enables us to judge of the characters of men, of the compositions of genius, and of the productions of the nobler arts. A greater or less relish for those obvious beauties which strike the senses, depends entirely upon tlic greater or less sensibility of the temper ; out with regard to the sciences and liberal arts, a fine taste is, in some measure, the same with strong sense, or at least depends so much upon it that they arc insurable. In order to judge aright of a composition of genius, there are so many views to he taken in, so many circumstances to uo compared, and such a Icnow- ledge of human nature requisite, that no man, who is not possessed of the soundest judgment, wll ever makb a tolerable critic in such performances. And this' is a new reason for cultivating a relish in the liberal aits. Our judgment will strengthen by this exercise. M^e shall form juster notions of life. Many things which please or afflict others, will appear to us too frivolous to engage our attention and we shall lose by degrees that sensibility and delicacy of passiou wliich is so incommodious. But perhaps I have gone too far, in saying that a cultivated taste for the polite arts extinguishes the passions, and renders us indifferent to those objects which are so fondly pursued by the rest of mankind. On further reflection, I find, ftat it rather improves our -sensibility for all the tender and agreeable G HUMh’S I>SA^s time tint it render’ the mnul pa=‘;ioU' , at the imc incipablc of tlio rougher .nid more boi’tcrous emotions Iiinonins ilulinsie (irlclitfr nrfes, I mollit more 'll nee unit c>-»c ftro- For tins, I tliink, tlicie nm be assigned luo \cr\ mtuial icasons In the fnst place, nntimig n so impioiing to the temper is tlic stiidj of tiic licautie-- oitbei of poctn eloquence, music, or painting They gne .i certain elegance of sentiment to ylm li the rest of mnikind are stranger^ Jhe emotions ivhich they e\citc are soft and tender Hie} diaw off the mind from the hum of business and mtcicst, cliciish icflcctiou , dispose to tianquillitv , and produce an igrccable mcLincboU ulucb, of ill dispositions ot tbe mind, is the best suited to lo\ e and fiiondslnp In tbe second place, a delicac\ of taste is fiiour- able to love and fueudship, by confining our choice to few people, and making us indifferent to the company and couicrsatiou of the greater part of men You r\ill seldom find that mere men of the uoild, M hater or stromr sense the\ may he endou cd with iie r ci y nice in distinguishing clnrac- teis, or in maiking those insensible differences and gradations, ulucli make one man piefcrablc to anotbei Any one that has competent sense is sufficient for tlicii entertainment lliey talk to him of then pleasures and aftaiis, with the same frankness that they n ould to .mother , and finding many rrho arc fit to suppU Ins place, they ncrer feel any vac.ancy or uaut lu his absence But to make use of the allusion of a celebrated riench^ author, the judgment may he compared to a clock or watch, rrheie the most ordinary michiiic is sufficient to tell the hours , but the most ekahorate alone can point out the minutes .and seconds, and ^ 'Mods ronteucllc, Pluralitc ties blondes, Soir 0 ESSAY II OF THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESS Nothing is more apt to surprise a foieigner, than the e\treme liheity which ue enjoy in this country^ of communicating whatevei we please to the public, and of openly censuring every measure entered into by the king or his mnnsteis If the administration resolve upon wai, it is affirmed, that, either wilfuUy or ignoiantly, they mistake the interests of the peace, in present situation of nation , and that the affairs, is infinitely prefer ible If the passion of the ministers lietowaids peace, our pohtical writers breathe nothing but war and devastation, and repre- sent the specific conduct of the government as mean and pusillanimous As this hberty is not indulged in any other go'’’ernment, either republican or monaichical , in Holland and Venice, moie than in France or Spain , it may very naturally gne occasion to the question.
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