73 



In times of great agitation and alarm, when the public mind is roufed, 

 and forcibly poffefl by the violent emotions, of religious enthufiafm, or 

 party rage, or afted upon by the calamitous progrefs of foreign or in- 

 teftine war; public opinion is afloat; and men with eagernefs catch at 

 every novelty. Invention will then be perpetually on the ftretch, to 

 ferve the purpofes of defigning men ; then is the reign of prejudice and" 

 paffion in all its glory ; and, therefore, every rumour of good or ill fuc- 

 cefs, of praife or vituperation comes in a mofl queftionable {hape. Con- 

 tending parties, then, brand each other, with the mofl reproachful epi- 

 thets, they impute to each other the word motives ; and reprobate, as 

 an unpardonable fin, all incredulity with refpeft to the rumours fabricated, 

 or received by the faftion. 



With refpeft to the number of reporters, it has already been obferved ; 

 that the mere number of thofe, who report, or believe a popular rumour, 

 will not give it credibility. If it bears on its front the ftamp of intereft, 

 of prejudice, and of faftion, it will be received with fufpicion, whether 

 it is in a dozen or an hundred mouths. The number of reporters, in fuch 

 a cafe, will ferve only to fliew the zeal and credulity of a party ; and in 

 times of paflion and prejudice ought to raife little or no prefumption in fa- 

 vour of the intrinfic probability, of the matter related, or of the inte- 

 grity of the firll reporter. During the reign of party a fort of fafcination 

 prevails. Men are no longer mafters of themfelves ; they do not think, or 

 ufe their organs and faculties, like other people ; their underflandings, 

 their voices, all their fenfes are at the difpofal of the ruling fpirit, the 

 prefiding genius, that rides in the whirlwind, and direUs the Jiorm. 

 The number of witnefles therefore mufl ftill be refolved into the firft.repor- 

 ter, the accumulation of credulity is no proof of intrinfic credibility. 



Let it not appear a chimerical or far-fetched notion ; if I aflert, that 

 there is reafonable ground, for receiving a rumour with fufpicion, at leaft, 

 with diffidence, to be found in the very circumllance of its having originated 

 with the party, which is prevalent in the government of the community ; whe- 

 ther, for the time being, that party is the mafs of the populace — the few 

 — or the fingle potentate. My reafon for making the aflertion is, that 



Vol. IX. ( K ) fuch 



