278 REASONING. 



were not liable to revolution, and it has been deemed 

 that those instances warranted an extension of the 

 same predicate to any and every government which 

 resembles them in the attribute of desiring earnestly 

 the good of its subjects. But does the Prussian 

 government thus resemble them? This may be 

 debated pro and con by many arguments, and must, 

 in any case, be proved by another induction ; for we 

 cannot directly observe the sentiments and desires of 

 the persons who conduct the government of that 

 country. To prove the minor, therefore, we require 

 an argument in this form : Every government which 

 acts in a certain manner, desires the good of its 

 subjects ; the Prussian government acts in that par- 

 ticular manner, therefore it desires the good of its 

 subjects. But is it true that the Prussian government 

 acts in the manner supposed ? This minor also may 

 require proof ; still another induction, as thus : 

 What is asserted by many disinterested witnesses, 

 must be believed to be true ; that the Prussian 

 government acts in this manner, is asserted by many 

 disinterested witnesses, therefore it must be believed 

 to be true. The argument hence consists of three 

 steps. Having the evidence of our senses that the 

 case of the Prussian government resembles a number 

 of former cases, in the circumstance of having some- 

 thing asserted respecting it by many disinterested 

 witnesses, we infer, first, that, as in those former 

 instances, so in this instance the assertion is true. 

 Secondly, what was asserted of the Prussian govern- 

 ment being that it acts in a particular manner, and 

 other governments or persons having been observed 

 to act in the same manner, the Prussian government 

 is brought into known resemblance with those other 

 governments or persons ; and since they were known 



