Christianae_, Father Paul
Sarpi's _History of the Council of Trent_, and Ruchat's _Histoire de
la Reformation de la Suisse_ belong as much to history; and except
these the only representatives of theology on Smith's shelves were the
English Bible, Watson's edition, 1722--probably his parents' family
Bible--a French translation of the Koran, and Van Maestricht's
_Theologia_. The only sermons, except those of Massillon in French,
are the _Sermons of Mr. Yorick_. Those sermons, however, were the only
representative of Sterne. Goldsmith was represented by his poems, but
not by his fiction; and Defoe, Fielding, Richardson, and Smollett were
not represented at all. One or two French novels were there, but
except Gulliver, which came in with the complete edition of Swift's
works in 1784, the only English novel Smith seems to have possessed
was the _Man of the World_, by his friend Henry Mackenzie. It is
perhaps stranger that he ignored the novel than that he ignored
theology, for the novel was then a very rising and popular literary
form, and Smith began life as a professed literary critic. His mind
seems to have been too positive to care much for tales. On the other
hand, of the Greek and Latin classics he not unfrequently had several
different editions. He had eight, for example, of _Horace_, who seems
to have been an especial favourite.

Like most men who are fond of books, he seems to have bound them well,
and often elegantly. Smellie, the printer, says that the first time he
happened to be in Smith's library he was "looking at the books with
some degree of curiosity, and perhaps surprise, for most of the
volumes were elegantly, and some of them superbly bound," when Smith,
observing him, said, "You must have remarked that I am a beau in
nothing but my books."[286] M'Culloch, however, who had seen the
books, doubts whether their condition warranted the account given of
them by Smellie, and says that while they were neatly, and in some
cases even elegantly bound, he saw few or none of which the binding
could with propriety be called superb.

The Custom House was on the upper floors of the Royal Exchange, in
Exchange Square, off the High Street; and Kay, standing in his shop
over at the corner of the Parliament Close, must often have seen Smith
walk past from his house to his office in the morning exactly as he
has depicted him in one of his portraits,--in a light-coloured coat,
probably linen; knee-breeches, white silk s