U KOR^ PAULINiE. 



history adds nothing to the evidence already afforded by the 

 letters : or, 



2. The letters may have been fabricated out of the his- 

 tory ; a species of imposture which is certainly practicable, 

 and which, without any accession of proof or authority, 

 would necessarily produce the appearance of consistency and 

 agreement : or, 



3. The history and letters may have been founded upon 

 some authority common to both ; as upon reports and tradi- 

 tions which prevailed in the age in which they were com- 

 posed, or upon some ancient record now lost, which both 

 writers consulted : in v/hich case also, the letters, without 

 being genuine, may exliibit marks of conformity with the 

 history ; and the history, without being true, may agree 

 with the letters. 



AgTcement, therefore, or conformity, is only to be relied 

 upon so far as we can exclude these several suppositions. 

 Now the point to be noticed is, that in the three cases 

 above enumerated, conformity must be the effect of clesig7i. 

 Where the history is compiled from the letters, which is the 

 first case, the design and composition of the work are in 

 general so confessed, or made so evident by comparison, as 

 to leave us in no danger of confounding the production with 

 original history, or of mistaking it for an independent au- 

 thority. The agreement, it is probable, will be close and 

 uniform, and will easily be perceived to result from the 

 intention of the author, and from the plan and conluct oi 

 his work. Where the letters are fabricated from the history., 

 which is the second case, it is always for the purpose of im- 

 posing a forgery upon the public ; and in order to give color 

 and probability to the fraud, names, places, and circum- 

 stances, found in the history, may be studiously introduced 

 into the letters, as well as a general consistency be endeav- 

 ored to be maintained. But here it is manifest, that what- 

 ever congruity appears is the consequence of meditation, 

 artifice, and design. The third case is that wherein tho 



