to no consequences, does not interest the publick," but
still he expressed that opinion, he said, with diffidence, and
thought the piece would perhaps best stand as it was. He says, too,
that instead of the words, "as my worst enemies could wish" in the
remark to Dr. Dundas, he was told that the words his brother actually
used were, "as my enemies, if I have any, could wish"--a correction
which was adopted by Smith. And he repeats that by his interpretation
of his brother's will he considers the legacy to belong to Smith both
in law and in equity.

Meanwhile Smith had also written Strahan from Dalkeith:--

MY DEAR STRAHAN--By a codicil to the will of our late most
valuable friend Mr. Hume, the care of his manuscripts is
left to you. Both from his will and from his conversation I
understand that there are only two which he meant should be
published--an account of his life and _Dialogues concerning
Natural Religion_. The latter, tho' finely written, I could
have wished had remained in manuscript to be communicated
only to a few people. When you read the work you will see my
reasons without my giving you the trouble of reading them in
a letter. But he has ordered it otherwise. In case of their
not being published within three years after his decease, he
has left the property of them to his nephew. Upon my
objecting to this clause as unnecessary and improper, he
wrote to me by his nephew's hand in the following terms:
"There is no man in whom I have a greater confidence than
Mr. Strahan, yet have I left the property of that manuscript
to my nephew David, in case by any accident they should not
be published within three years after my decease. The only
accident I could foresee was one to Mr. Strahan's life, and
without this clause my nephew would have had no right to
publish it. Be so good as inform Mr. Strahan of this
circumstance." Thus far this letter, which was dated on the
23rd of August. He dyed on the 25th at 4 o'clock afternoon.
I once had persuaded him to leave it entirely to my
discretion either to publish them at what time I thought
proper, or not to publish them at all. Had he continued of
this mind the manuscript should have been most carefully
preserved, and upon my decease restored to his family; but
it never should have been published in my lifetime. When you