Shortly after Hume’s death, it appears that Hume’s housekeeper – probably Margaret Irvine – was riding in a stagecoach with three other passengers – including the father-in-law of Hume’s friend James Edmonstone. The subject of Hume’s death arose, and the passengers were commenting on the philosopher’s peaceful state of mind. Irvine then volunteered her firsthand experience. Hume indeed appeared tranquil in the presence of visitors, Irvine related, but it was all a show. In private, he was gripped with anguish to the point that his bed shook and he did not want to be left alone; he stated that he had been in search of light all his life but was now in greater darkness than ever. Five items discuss this story from what seems to be three independent sources. The most detailed narrative of Irvine’s account is “On the Death-Bed of Hume the Historian” in the Christian Observer (1831) which reprints an article that “appeared many years ago in an Edinburgh newspaper.” The most convincing authentication of the story is in Alexander Haldane’s Memoirs (1852), which traces it from Hume’s housekeeper, to Mr. Abercromby of Tullibody (Edmonstone’s father-in-law) who was on the coach, to Abercromby’s neighbours, the Haldane family. What can we say about the authenticity of this story? First, it is reasonable to believe that Margaret Irvine was on a stagecoach with Abercromby and others, and that she indeed discussed Hume’s dying days – though probably not in the exact words that the narrators ascribe to her. Second, it is reasonable to believe that she witnessed Hume in anguish, especially in his final weeks, and that Hume’s mannerisms changed when his guests left. Third, it is not clear, however, whether the anguish she perceived was the result of Hume’s reflections on an afterlife, his possible declining mental state, or his suffering from a terminal illness. In any event, we must conclude that the reports of Hume’s thoroughly tranquil decline by Boswell, Cullen, and Smith are not as accurate as history has assumed.
