SECT. 23.] Fallacies. 355 



The number of letters, and therefore of words, at our disposal 

 is limited ; whatever therefore we may desire to express 

 in language necessarily becomes subject to corresponding 

 limitation. The possible variations of thought are literally 

 infinite, so are those of spoken language (by intonation of 

 the voice, &c.) ; but when we come to words there is a limit 

 ation, the nature of which is distinctly conceivable by the 

 mind, though the restriction is one that in practice will 

 never be appreciable, owing to the fact that the number of 

 combinations which may be produced is so enormous as to 

 surpass all power of the imagination to realize 1 . The answer 

 therefore is plain, and it is one that will apply to many other 

 cases as well, that to put a finite limit upon the number of 

 ways in which a thing can be done, is to determine that any 

 one who is able and willing to try long enough shall succeed 

 in doing it. If a great genius condescends to perform it 

 under these circumstances, he must submit to the possibility 

 of having his claims rivalled or disputed by the chance-man 

 and idiot. If Shakespeare were limited to the use of eight 

 or nine assigned words, the time within which the latter 

 agents might claim equality with him would not be very 

 great. As it is, having had the range of the English lan 

 guage at his disposal, his reputation is not in danger of being 

 assailed by any such methods. 



23. The case of the possible production of the world 

 by chance leads us into an altogether different region of dis 

 cussion. We are not here dealing with figures the nature 

 and use of which are within the fair powers of the under 

 standing, however the imagination may break down in at 

 tempting to realize the smallest fraction of their full signi- 



1 The longest life which could utter insignificance in the face of 

 reasonably be attributed to any Ian- such periods of time as are being 

 guage would of course dwindle into here arithmetically contemplated. 



232 



