As soon as I arrive at Edinburgh, I intend to print a small
Edition of 500, of which I may give away about 100 in
Presents; and shall make you a Present of the Remainder,
together with the literary Property of the whole, provided
you have no Scruple, in your present Situation, of being the
Editor: It is not necessary you shoud prefix your Name to
the Title Page. I seriously declare, that after Mr Millar
and You and Mr Cadell have publickly avowed your Publication
of the Enquiry concerning human Understanding, I know no
Reason why you shoud have the least Scruple with regard to
these Dialogues. They will be much less obnoxious to the
Law, and not more exposed to popular Clamour. Whatever your
Resolution be, I beg you wou'd keep an entire Silence on
this Subject. If I leave them to you by Will, your executing
the Desire of a dead Friend, will render the publication
still more excusable. Mallet never sufferd any thing by
being the Editor of Bolingbroke's Works. [June 8, 1776]
In the above, Hume acknowledges that the publication of the
Dialogues might cause some clamor because of the severity of
Philo's arguments. Again, though, he attempts to diffuse the
issue by commenting that his Dialogues are less extreme than his
Enquiry, presumably meaning his essay on miracles.
Unfortunately, Hume's illness progressed to the point that
he would not live to see this modest printing of the Dialogues.
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