202 ESSAY upon the PRINCIPLES 



AN and Sive agree in fuggefting ignorance in the fpeaker in 

 refpedl to the fuitablenefs of an affirmation, applicable to one of 

 two or more alternatives, to the exclufion of the reft. But An 

 fuppofes, that fomething, though not enough, is known with 

 regard to each of the whole. Thus, they who doubted whe- 

 ther SYLLA owed moft to his valour or his good fortune, pof- 

 feffed facls that tended to eftablifh both opinions, though nei- 

 ther preponderated. The mind is thus exhibited as balancing 

 circumftances, and terminating in doubt from the fcantinefs of 

 that information which An, as an interrogative, ferves original- 

 ly to furnifh. Sive, again, fuppofes complete ignorance as to 

 all the alternatives dated, fo as to preclude that doubt, of which 

 the ac"l of balancing probabilities is the fign. In the cafe of 

 An, (we have found), fomething is known with refpecl to all of 

 them ; in the cafe of Sive, nothing is known in refpec"l to any 

 one ; and the whole fubjecl: is held forth as either, in its na- 

 ture, infcrutable, or as induftrioufly and effectually concealed. 

 Thus TIBULLUS fays; 



Vivite f dices , memores et vivite noflri 

 Sive erimus, feu nos fata fu't/Je velint *. 



TERENCE alfo fays ; 



Sive ijla uxor, feu arnica ejl,gravida ^PAMPHILO ejl j\ 



In the firft of thefe inflances (it is clear) that heaven only could 

 know which of the alternatives was to take place ; and, of 

 courfe, the matter was infcrutable. In the fecond, DAVUS vir- 

 tually acknowledges, that he was not fo much in the young 

 man's confidence as to know whether he was married or not ; 

 and, of courfe, that matter, though perhaps known to others, 

 was effectually concealed from him. 



IF the account given of An and Sive be juft, TACITUS is fin- 

 gular, either in taking them as fynonymous particles, or in em- 



ploying 



* Lib. 3. el. 5. 31. f AND. aft. I. fc. 3. n. 



