160 Mr Babbage on the Account of the Creation 



might probably, if their history were known, be traced up through 

 a few transcripts to the original author ; but no part of this is 

 revelation ; it is testimony. Although the matter which the 

 book contains was revealed to Moses, the fact, that what we 

 now receive as revelation is the same with that originally 

 communicated, is entirely dependent on testimony. Admit- 

 ting, however, the full weight of that evidence, corroborated as 

 it is by the Samaritan version ; nay, even supposing that we 

 now possessed the identical autograph of the book of Genesis 

 by the hand of its author, a most important question remains, — 

 what means do we possess of translating it .'* 



In similar cases we avail ourselves of the works of the imme- 

 diate predecessors and of the contemporaries of the winter ; but 

 here we are acquainted with no work of any predecessor, — of 

 no writing of any contemporary ; and we do not possess the 

 works of. any writers in the same language, even during several 

 succeeding centuries, if we except some few of the sacred books. 

 How, then, is it possible to satisfy our minds of the minute 

 shades of meaning of words, perhaps employed popularly ; oi-, 

 if they were employed in a stricter and more philosophical 

 sense, where are the contemporary philosophical writings from 

 which their accurate interpretation may be gained .'' 



The extreme difficulty of such an inquiry will be made ap- 

 parent by imagining a parallel case. Let us suppose all writings 

 in the English, and, indeed, in all other languages previous to 

 the time of Shakspeare, to have been destroyed, — let us ima- 

 gine one manuscript of his plays to remain, but not a vestige of 

 the works of any of his contemporaries ; and, further, suppose 

 the whole of the succeeding works of English literatui-e to be 

 annihilated nearly up to the present time. Under such circum- 

 stances, what would be our knowledge of Shakspeare ? We 

 should undoubtedly understand the general tenor and the plots 

 of his plays. We should r^arf the language of all his charac- 

 ters ; and, viewing it generally, we might even be said to un- 

 derstand it. But how many words connected with the customs, 

 habits, and manners of the time must, under such circumstan- 

 ces, necessarily remain unknown to us ! Still further, if any 

 question arose, requiring for its solution a knowledge of the mi- 

 nuter shades of meaning of words now long obsolete, or of terms 



