256 THE SCIENCE OF LOGIC 



have to consider, for instance, (a) whether these were consciously 

 prejudiced by apologetic purpose, or personal views or motives, 

 to such a degree that they may have misstated or misrepresented 

 the facts ; () whether the facts and circumstances were such that 

 the writers could have deceived their contemporaries and posterity 

 had they tried to do so ; (c) whether the character of the writers, 

 as known from all available sources, was truthful and upright, or 

 dishonest and unreliable. 



It will be plain that some considerations render testimony 

 suspect without enabling us to trace its unreliability definitely 

 to the ignorance, or definitely to the untruthfulness, of its source. 

 Such, for instance, is the inference we may sometimes be forced 

 to draw from the silence of all other witnesses in regard to an 

 alleged fact recorded by one or a few, the argumentum ex 

 silentio, as it is called. When can we argue that some allegation 

 of fact is untrue, because, though the alleged fact is vouched for 

 by one or a few writers, it is not mentioned by any other contem 

 porary writer? Manifestly, not always; but only when the 

 alleged fact is such that had it really happened it would certainly 

 not have been left unrecorded by all other writers of the time. 

 But of this it is for the most part very difficult to be sure. There 

 are many instances in which such &quot; arguments from silence,&quot; 

 after being held for ages as conclusive, have been themselves 

 discredited by subsequent authentication of the supposed dis 

 credited facts. This should make us cautious and moderate in 

 the use of such inference. 1 



Sources of historical science. The human records or remains 

 from which we derive our knowledge of the past, may be divided 

 conveniently into three great classes : (a} monuments of every 

 kind ; (&) documents written or printed ; (c) oral tradition. By 

 monuments we understand works of art constructed to commem 

 orate an event coins, statues, columns, temples, etc. Their 

 significance and value, as evidences of historical facts, belong to 

 the science of archeology. 



Written or printed documents are our most valuable source of 

 information about the past. The interpretation of ancient 

 written documents (manuscripts] belongs to the science and art 

 of palceography. Before an ancient book or manuscript can be 

 used as a reliable source, we must be sure that it is authentic or 

 genuine. This implies (i) that it really comes from the author 



J RlCKABY, Op. (it., pp. 386-7. 



