Mr. Hume's Treatise on Human Nature, which ap peared in 1739, had attracted the particular notice of Mr. Reid. From a superficial view of the subject, he was disposed at first to admit the principles of Mr. Hume's reasoning ; but when a more minute inquiry had displayed to him the consequences of these views, he was led to suspect their accuracy, and ultimately to renounce them as unfounded. In this way our author was led to compose 4n Inquiry into the human Mind on the principles of common sense. The object of this work, which appeared in 1764, was to refute the opi nions of Locke and Hardy respecting the connexion which they supposed to exist between the phenomena, powers, and operations of the mind, and to found human knowledge on a system of instinctive principles. The opinion which was entertained of this work was in the highest degree favourable, and even among those who were most inclined to dissent from its canons. His fellow professors favoured him, on the occasion, with the degree of doctor in divinity, and he was invited by the professors of the university of Glasgow to fill the vacant chair of moral philosophy. Mr. Hume, to whom the Inquiry was sent, appears to have entertained, or rather to have expressed, different opinions of its merit. In a letter to the Rev. Dr. Hugh Blair, not written with his usual good taste, he remarks, " I wish that the parsons would confine themselves to their old occupation of worrying one another, and leave philosophers to argue with temper, moderation, and good manners." Whereas, in a letter to Dr. Reid him self, he observes, " By Dr. Blair's means I have been favoured with the pet usal of your performance, which I have read with great pleasure and attention. It is certainly very rare that a piece so deeply philosophical is wrote with so much spirit, and affords so much en tertainment to the reader ; though I must still regret the disadvantages under which I read it, as I never had the whole performance at once before me, and could not be able fully to compare one part with another. To this reason chiefly I ascribe some obscu rities which, in spite of your short analysis or abstract, still seem to hang over ) our system. For I must do you the justice to own, that when I enter into your ideas, no man appears to express himself with greater perspi cuity than you do ; a talent which, above all others, is requisite in that species of literature which you have cultivated. As I was desirous to be of some use to you, 1 kept a watchful eye all along over'your style ; hut it is really so correct, and so good English. that I found not any thing worth the remarking. There is only one passage in this chapter where you make use of the phrase hinder to do, instead of hinder from doing, which is the English one ; but I could not find the passage when I sought for it. You may judge how unexcep tionable the whole appeared to me, when I could re mark so small a blemish." The invitation which our author received from Glas gow was too flattering to be refused. Though much attached to his colleagues in Aberdeen, yet the prospect of enjoying the society of Black, Simson, Leechman, the two \Vilsons, and Millar, and other advantages which a chair in that university presented, induced him to accept of the appointment.
In the year 1773, Dr. Reid published, in the third volume of Lord Karnes' Sketches of the History of Man, in the form of an appendix, "A Brief Account of Aris totle's Logic, with Remarks by Dr. Reid," which has been deemed, by very competent judges, an admirable and perspicuous analysis of the Aristotelian philosophy. " In attempting," he himself remarks, " to give some account of the analytics and of the topics of Aristotle, ingenuity (ingenuousness) obliges me to confess, that though I have often proposed to read the whole with care, and to understand what is intelligible, yet my courage and patience always failed before I had clone. Why should I throw away so much time and painful attention upon a thing of so little use? If I had lived in those ages when a knowledge of Aristotle's Organon entitled a man to the highest rank in philosophy, am bition might have induced me to employ upon it some years of painful study, and less I conceive would not be sufficient. Stich reflections as these always got the bet
ter of my resolution when the ardour first began to cool. All I can say is, that I have read some part of the dif ferent books with care, some slightly, and some per haps not at all. 1 have glanced over the whole often ; and when any thing attracted my attention I have dip ped into it till my appetite was sipsfied." The approach of age and of its attendant infirmities, induced Dr. Reid to withdraw from the duties of a public lecturer in the year 1781, when he had passed his seven tieth year. He was the more inclined to take this step, as he had only a few years to count upon for completing his great work on he Human Mind, in which he had made considerable progress. He accordingly devoted all his time to this task, and, in 1785, he was enabled to publish his Es.says on thr Intellectual Powers of Man, which were followed in 1783, with his Essays on the .4ctzve Powers of Man.
Having thus been permitted to complete his great work, our author now devoted a greater portion of his time to general science. He took a deep interest in the discoveries of modern chemistry, to which the la bours of his Friend and colleague Dr. Black had so es sentially contributed ; and he even diligently studied the new nomenclature of Lavoisier, and the new the ories on which it was founded. Several short essays, on subjects which had interested him, he read from time to time to a philosophical society at Glasgow, of which he was a member ; and the last of these which was written in his 86th year, was communicated to the so ciety only a short time before his death.
In the summer of 1796, he spent some weeks with his friends in Edinburgh ; but about the end of Sep tember, soon after his return to Glasgow, he experien ced a sharp attack of a violent disease, which aggravat ed by repeated strokes of palsy, put an end to his long and venerable life on the 7th October, in the 87th year of his age Along with a sound and vigorous mind, nature had conferred on Dr. Reid a strong and healthy constitution, and a powerful and muscular frame Temperance and regular exercise protected hint against the disorders in cident to a sedentary life, and the serenity of his temper conspired with these bodily qualities to prolong his life beyond the ordinary limits.
In his moral character, Dr. Reid was inflexibly up right, deeply attached to truth, and possessed of a tho rougikmaster) over his passions. In his disposition he was pTculiarly gentle and modest ; and he had acquired that true humility which profound knowledge and Chris tian hope never fail to impress on our nature.
As a lecturer Dr. Reid was in no respect distinguished by any attractions either of elocution or of manner. The simplicity and perspicuity of his style corresponded with the dignity and gra'.ity of his demeanour ; and in his latter days, the proper respect with which his lec tures were always listened to, rose to that high venera• tion which is ever paid to old age, when clothed with the attributes of wisdom and of virtue.
The philosophy of Dr. Reid, though it still flourishes in Scotland, has never yet made its way into the sister kingdom ; and the two countries are as much divided in their metaphysical faith as they formerly were in questions of national policy. The peculiar doctrines of Dr. Ricd have, with some exceptions, been maintain ed by his friend and biographer, Mr. Dugald Stewart, who has illustrated them with his usual ingenuity and eloquence.
For farther information respecting the life and writ ings of Dr. . Reid, we must refer our readers to Mr. Stewart's interesting account of his life and writings.
In our articles LOGIC, METAPHYSICS, and MORAL PHILOSOPHY, our readers will find much information respecting the philosophy of Dr. Reid.