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doubted integrity, as to place them beyond all fufpicion of any defign to deceive others; of such credit and reputation in the eyes of mankind, as to have a great deal to lofe in cafe of being detected in any falfhood; and at the fame time attefting facts, performed in fuch a public manner, and in fo celebrated a part of the world, as to render the detection unavoidable: All which circumftances are requifite to give us a full affurance in the testimony of men.

Secondly. We may obferve in human nature a principle, which, if ftrictly examined, will be found to diminish extremely the affurance which we might have, from human teftimony, in any kind of prodigy. The maxim, by which we commonly conduct ourselves in our reasonings, is, that the objects of which we have no experience, refemble those, of which we have: that what we have found to be moft ufual is always moft probable; and that where there is an oppofition of arguments, we ought to give the preference to fuch of them as are founded on the greatest number of past observations. But tho' in proceeding by this rule, we readily reject any fact which is unusual and incredible in an ordinary degree; yet in advancing farther, the mind observes not always the fame rule; but when any thing is affirmed utterly abfurd and miraculous, it rather the more readily admits fuch a fact, upon account of that very circumftance which ought to destroy all its authority. The paffion of surprize and wonder, arifing from miracles, being an agreeable emotion, gives a fenfible tendency towards the belief of those events from which it is derived. And this goes so far, that even those who cannot enjoy this pleasure immediately, nor can believe thofe miraculous events, of which they are informed, yet love to partake of the fatisfaction at fecondhand, or by rebound, and place a pride and delight in exciting the admiration of others.

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"With what greedinefs are the miraculous accounts of travellers received, their defcriptions of fea and land monfters, their relations of wonderful adventures, ftrange men, and uncouth manners? But if the spirit of religion join itself to the love of wonder, there is an end of common sense; and human testimony, in these circumstances, lofes all pretenfions to authority. A religionist may be an enthusiast, and imagine he sees what has no reality: He may know his narration to be falfe, and yet perfevere in it, with the best intentions in the world, for the fake of promoting fo holy a caufe: Or even where this delufion has no place, vanity, excited by fo ftrong a temptation, operates on him more powerfully than on the rest of mankind in any other circumftances; and self-interest with equal force. His auditors may not have, and commonly have not fufficient judgment to canvas his evidence: What judgment they have, they renounce by principle, in these fublime and mysterious fubjects: Or if they were ever fo willing to employ it, paffion and a heated imagination disturb the regularity of its operations. Their credulity increases his impudence: And his impudence over-powers their credulity.

Eloquence, when in its highest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection; but addreffing itself intirely to the fancy or the affections, captivates the willing hearers, and fubdues their understanding. Happily, this pitch it feldom attains. But what a CICERO or a DEMOSTHENES could fcarcely operate over a ROMAN or ATHENIAN, audience, every Capuchin, every itinerant or stationary teacher can perform over the generality of mankind, and in a higher degree, by touching such grofs and vulgar paffions*.

Thirdly.

The many inftances of forged miracles, and prophecies, and fupernatural events, which, in all ages, have either been detected by contrary evidence, er which detect themfelves by their abfurdity, mark fufficiently the ftrong propensity

Thirdly. It forms a very strong presumption against all fupernatural and miraculous relations, that they are observed chiefly to abound among ignorant and barbarous nations; or if a civilized people has ever given admiffion to any of them, that people will be found to have received them from ignorant and barbarous ancestors, who tranfmitted them with that inviolable fanction and authority, which always attend received opinions. When we perufe the first hiftories of all nations, we are apt to imagine ourselves transported into fome new world, where the whole frame of nature is disjointed, and every element performs its operations in a different manner, from what it does at prefent, Battles, revolutions, peftilences, famines, and death, are never the effects of those natural causes, which we experience. Prodigies, omens, oracles, judgments, quite obfcure the few natural events, that are intermingled with them. But as the former grow thinner every page, in proportion as we advance nearer the enlightened ages of science and knowlege, we foon learn, that there is nothing myfterious or fupernatural in the cafe, but that all proceeds from the ufual propensity of mankind towards the marvellous, and that tho' this inclination may at intervals receive a check from sense and

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propenfity of mankind to the extraordinary and the marvellous, and ought reasonably to beget a suspicion against all relations of this kind. This is our natural way of thinking, even with regard to the most common and most credible events. For inftance: There is no kind of report, which rifes fo eafily, and spreads fo quickly, efpecially in country places and provincial towns, as those concerning marriages; infomuch that two young perfons of equal condition never fee each other twice, but the whole neighbourhood immediately join them together. The pleasure of telling a piece of news fo interefting, of propagating it, and of being the first reporters of it, spreads the intelligence. And this is fo well known, that no man of sense gives attention to these reports, till he finds them confirmed by fome greater evidence. Do not the fame paffions, and others ftill ftronger, incline the generality of mankind to the believing and reporting, with the greateft vehemence and affurance, all religious miracles?

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learning, it can never thoroughly be extirpated from hu

man nature.

'Tis ftrange, a judicious reader is apt to fay, upon the perusal of these wonderful hiftorians, that such prodigious events never happen in our days. But 'tis nothing strange, I hope, that men should lie in all ages. You must furely have feen inftances enow of that frailty.

You have your

self heard many fuch marvellous relations ftarted, which being treated with fcorn by all the wife and judicious, have at last been abandoned even by the vulgar. Be affured, that those renowned lies, which have spread and flourished to such a monftrous height, arose from like beginnings; but being sown in a more proper foil, fhot up at laft into prodigies almost equal to those which they relate.

'Twas a wife policy in that cunning impoftor, ALexANDER, who, tho' now forgotten, was once fo famous, to lay the first scene of his impoftures in PAPHLAGONIA, where, as LUCIAN tells us, the people were extremely ignorant and stupid, and ready to swallow even the groffest delufion. People at a distance, who are weak enough to think the matter at all worthy inquiry, have no opportunity of receiving better information. The ftories come magnified to them by a hundred circumstances. Fools are induftrious to propagate the delufion; while the wife and learned are contented, in general, to deride its absurdity, without informing themselves of the particular facts by which it may be diftin&tly refuted. And thus the impoftor above-mentioned was enabled to proceed, from his ignorant PAPHLAGONIANS, to the inlifting of votaries, even among the GRECIAN philofophers, and men of the most eminent rank and distinction in ROME: Nay, could engage the attention of that fage emperor MARCUS AURELIUS; fo far as to make him trust the fuccefs of a military expedition to his delufive prophecies.

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The advantages are fo great of starting an imposture among an ignorant people, that even tho' the delufion fhould be too grofs to impofe on the generality of them (which, tho' feldom, is fometimes the cafe) it has a much better chance of fucceeding in remote countries, than if the first scene had been laid in a city renowned for arts and knowlege. The most ignorant and barbarous of these barbarians carry the report abroad. None of their countrymen have large enough correspondence, or fufficient credit and authority to contradict and beat down the delufion. Mens inclination to the marvellous has full opportunity to difplay itself. And thus a ftory, which is univerfally exploded in the place where it was first started, shall pass for certain at a thousand miles diftance. But had ALEX

ANDER fixed his refidence at ATHENS, the philofophers of that renowned mart of learning had immediately fpread, thro' the whole ROMAN empire, their fenfe of the matter, which, being fupported by fo great authority, and displayed by all the force of reason and eloquence, had intirely opened the eyes of mankind. 'Tis true; LUCIAN paffing by chance thro' PAPHLAGONIA, had an opportunity of performing this good office. But, tho' much to be wifhed, it does not always happen, that every ALEXANDER meets with a LUCIAN, ready to expose and detect his impostures*.

I may add as a fourth reafon, which diminishes the au thority of prodigies, that there is no teftimony for any, even those which have not been expressly detected, that is

It may here, perhaps, be objected, that I proceed rafhly, and form my notions of ALEXANDER merely from the account given of him by LUCIAN, a profeffed enemy. It were, indeed, to be wifhed, that fome of the accounts published by his followers and accomplices had remained. The oppofition and contrast between the character and conduct of the fame man, as drawn by a friend or an enemy, is as ftrong, even in common life, much more in these religious matters, as that betwixt any two men in the world, betwixt ALEXANDER and St. PAUL, for inftance. See a letter to GILBERT WEST, Efq; on the converfion and apostleship of St. PAUL.

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