LAWS OF NATURE. 389 



blished law in which it is now found to be included. 

 We may have inferred, from historical evidence, that 

 the uncontrolled government of a monarchy, of an 

 aristocracy, or of the majority, will commonly be a 

 tyranny : but we are entitled to rely upon this gene- 

 ralization with much greater assurance when it is 

 shown to be a corollary from still better established 

 truths; the infirmity of human nature, and the impos- 

 sibity of maintaining the predominance of reason and 

 conscience over the selfish propensities by any means 

 except such as the supposition of absolute power neces- 

 sarily excludes. It is at the same time obvious that 

 even these great facts in human nature derive an acces- 

 sion of evidence from the testimony which history 

 bears to the effects of despotism. The strong induc- 

 tion becomes still stronger when a weaker one has 

 been bound up with it. 



On the other hand, if an induction conflicts with 

 stronger inductions, or with conclusions capable of 

 being correctly deduced from them, then, unless upon 

 re-consideration it should appear that some of the 

 stronger inductions have been stretched too far, the 

 weaker one must give way. The opinion so long pre- 

 valent that a comet, or any other unusual appearance 

 in the heavenly regions, was the precursor of cala- 

 mities to mankind, or to those at least who witnessed 

 it ; the belief in the veracity of the oracles of Delphi 

 or Dodona ; the reliance on astrology, or on the 

 weather-prophecies in almanacs ; were doubtless induc- 

 tions supposed to be grounded on experience : and 

 faith in such delusions seems quite capable of holding 

 out against a great multitude of failures, provided it 

 be nourished by a reasonable number of casual coinci- 

 dences between the prediction and the event. What 

 has really put an end to these insufficient inductions, 



