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fixed habits, and regard to their immediate interefls. A tefti- 

 mony oppofed by fuch obl^acles will certainly never be received 

 through a mere love of the marvellous. The inftances our 

 author adduces of wonderful tales believed on the credit of 

 travellers, or various hiftorians, prove nothing more than the 

 exiflence of a love of the marvellous in the human breaft, which 

 I readily admit. But the circumftances attending fuch loofe 

 tales, and thofe that have attended the teftimony of real miracles, 

 are fo ftrikingly different, that none but the moft ignorant can 

 require a detailed comparifon. 



The next circumftance, which, according to Mr. Hume, pro- 

 motes the credit of fupernatural and miraculous relations, " but 

 " in reality forms a very ftrong prefumption againft them, is, 

 " that they are obferved chiefly to abound among ignorant and 

 " barbarous nations ; or, if a civilized people has ever given 

 " admiflion to any of them, that people will be found to have 

 " received them from ignorant and barbarous anceftors, who 

 " tranfmitted them with that inviolable fandion and authority, 

 " which always attend antient and received opinions." Pre- 

 fumptions are certainly of weight, where proofs from the nature 

 of the cafe cannot be expeded. Stabit pra/timptio donee probetur 

 contrarium, is the rule of law ; but where proofs can be reforted 

 to, prefumptions are of little weight. Prodigies, omens, and 

 oracles are, it is true, frequently mentioned by pagan hiflorians, 

 as having occured in ages of barbarifm and ignorance ; but fo 

 far are they from having been tranfmitted with that inviolable 



fandion 



