6a 



affent, every man, whofe natural biafs has not been flrongly counterafted 

 by education, finds thofe grounds within himfelf. He finds them, in his 

 own temper, in his paffions, and prejudices. He finds them, in the na- 

 tural predifpofing irapulfe of the moment. It is not requilit*, here, then, 

 nay, it would not,' perhaps, be prafticable, with refpe£l to a fiibjeft fo 

 fluftuating and variable, to fuggeft grounds of aflent. The mind is, of 

 itfelf, but too prone to belief. Much more ufeful would it be, to ftay the 

 headlong current of credulity, and fuggeft principles of doubt, — the mo- 

 tives of falutary diffent. It will be found, that, when we confider popu- 

 lar rumours, and the ufual objefts of credulity, Lock's grounds of pro- 

 bability do not always furnifli an efFeftual touchftone, by which we may 

 bring them to the teft. In popular rumours, it is not always the con- 

 gruity of the matter related with the courfe of our own experience, or 

 the intrinfic probability of the ftory, that fliould render us the more ready 

 to receive and adopt it as truth. The very probability that any certain 

 event (of great political moment and influence, for inftance) may happen, 

 will be a ground and motive for inventing a rumour,* which may realize 

 expeftation and conjefture, by announcing that it has aftually happened. 

 It is not commonly to be prefumed, that the inventors of a delufive tale 

 will perform their tafks fo awkwardly or unikilfully, as to neglcft the 

 drefs and circumftances of probability. A man of knowledge and addrefs, 

 who undertakes to impofe a fiftion on the public, will pay a juft attention 

 to chronology and geography. He will fo far arrange the incidents in 

 time and place, and introduce the aftors of the Drama fo plaufibly, that 

 he will meet and obviate the hicredulus odi, the dipofition to doubt and 

 examine of the acute and experienced obferver. Such a condu<fi is fo na- 

 tural and obvious, that, not unfrequently, too much care and follicitude, 

 on this head, defeat the purpofes of the deceiver, and become the means 

 of detecting falftiood. I have feen it happen, on trials in the courts of 

 juftice, jhat different witneffes depofing to the fame faft, by too nice and 



elaborate 



• As of an important viflory or defeat according to the wiflies or intereft of the repor- 

 ter when hcflile armaments are on foot; — of the rupture or concluCon of a treaty, when ne- 

 gotiations are pending. 



