dit is dus in zijn stuk over publiek krediet, maar ook in Sur le luxe valt Humes naam onmiddellijk

hieronder de brieven:
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Hume: TLDH Vol 1 Ltr 229 To: Neville [64] p 423
† * 229. To RICHARD ALDWORTH NEVILLE† 3

Paris, March 14, 1764.

Manifold have been the persecutions, dear Sir, which the unhappy Jews, in several ages, have suffered from the misguided zeal of the Christians, but there has at last arisen a Jew capable of avenging his injured nation, and striking terror into their proud oppressors; this formidable Jew is Monsr. de PINTOo, and the unhappy Christian, who is chiefly exposed to all the effects of his cruelty, is your humble servant. He says, that you promised to mention him to me; I do not remember that you did: he says, that he has done the most signal services to England, while the Duke of Bedford was Ambassador here; I do not question it, but they are unknown to me: he says, that he is poor, and must have a pension for his reward; I wish he may obtain it, but I cannot assist him: he sends me letters, which I transmit to you, but I cannot oblige you to answer them: he says, that Lord Hertford must get justice done him, if the Duke of Bedford neglects him; I do not believe that the Duke of Bedford neglects anybody that has done him service: he grows angry; I exhort him to patience.

424

This, dear Sir, is a very abridged account of the dialogue which passes every day between M. PINTO and me, that is, every day when he can break in upon me, and lay hold of me: when he catches Lord Hertford, he is very copious on the same subject; but when he seizes poor Lord Beauchamp, his Lordship has good reason to curse the day he was born mild and gentle, and made incapable of doing or saying a harsh thing.

But to be serious with regard to the man, I imagine, from what he tells me, and from a letter of yours which he showed me, that he had endeavoured to be useful to the Duke of Bedford and you during the negotiations of the peace: perhaps he was useful in some particulars, but to what extent you best know, and I am certain, that you neither forget nor neglect him, tho you have not answered his multiplied letters. I should not think, that it at all lay upon me to solicit you in his behalf, or even to write to you about him, had I not been forced by his constant teazing, which I could no otherwise get rid of. If the Duke of Bedford thinks him entitled to no reward, you would do this family a great service by telling him so at once: if the Duke intends to do him service, he would be very happy to have the encouragement of some hint in his favour. I only beg of you to excuse my meddling at all in this affair; which, I am sensible, does not belong to me, and which I should have avoided, had it not been in this manner extorted from me.† 1

I am, &c.

DAVID HUME

† * Bedford Corr., iii. 257 f.

† 3 See note 1 on p. 409 above.

† 1 ‘The information with which M. de PINTO furnished the Duke [of Bedford] consisted chiefly of extracts from the papers of the celebrated Dupleix, who after having ruled the Carnatic with absolute sway was living in abject poverty in Paris, by which it appeared that territories of the annual value of £70,000 had been ceded to the French East India Company on the 1st of July 1749 (or about a fortnight before the commencement of hostilities), on such terms as left no doubt of the connexion between the session and the hostilities. These territories, of which the Company had long been dispossessed, would of course have been restored to it under the words of the Treaty. Such a result was obviously a gross injustice on the English Company, and the scruples of the Duke to press their case further being at once removed, he renewed his application to the duc de Choiseul for the alteration of the epoch. Finding the French ministers obstinate in their refusal, he frankly told them that he would return home in twelve hours, and lay the whole affair before Parliament, unless he gained his point.’ They then agreed (Bedford Corr., iii. 184 n.). On the representations of the Duke, de PINTO subsequently received a pension of £500 per annum from the East India Company (ibid., iii. 258 n.). See also Letter 250 below.

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