V WITNESS TO THE MIRACULOUS 185 



document of which a MS. copy exists, probably 

 dating within a century of the author's death, 

 why do you profess to believe in stories of a like 

 character, which are found in documents of the 

 dates and of the authorship of which nothing 

 is certainly determined, and no known copies of 

 which come within two or three centuries of the 

 events they record ? If it be true that the four 

 Gospels and the Acts were written by Matthew, 

 Mark, Luke, and John, all that we know of these 

 persons comes to nothing in comparison with our 

 knowledge of Eginhard ; and not only is there no ' 

 proof that the traditional authors of these works 

 wrote them, but very strong reasons to the contrary 

 may be alleged. If, therefore, you refuse to believe 

 that " Wiggo " was cast out of the possessed girl 

 on Eginhard's authority,, with what justice can you 

 profess to believe that the legion of devils were 

 cast out of the man among the tombs of the 

 Gadarenes ? And if, on the other hand, you accept 

 Eginhard's evidence, why do you laugh at the 

 supposed efficacy of relics and the saint-worship of 

 the modern Romanists ? It cannot be pretended, 

 in the face of all evidence, that the Jews of the 

 year 30 A.D., or thereabouts, were less imbued 

 with the belief in the supernatural than were the 

 Franks of the year 800 A.D. The same influences 

 were at work in each case, and it is only reasonable 

 to suppose that the results were the same. If the 

 evidence of Eginhard is insufficient to lead reason- 



