The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21). Volume X. The Age of Johnson. XIV. Philosophers. § 4. His disclaimer of his earliest and greatest work, A Treatise of Human Nature. This disclaimer of his earliest and greatest work is interesting as a revelation of Hume’s character, but cannot affect philosophical values. If he had written nothing else, and this book alone had been read, the influence of his ideas on general literature would have been less marked; but his claim to rank as the greatest of English philosophers would not be seriously affected: it would be recognised that he had carried out a line of thought to its final issue, and the effect upon subsequent speculation would have been, in essentials, what it has been.   6