VII ORDER OF NATURE: MIRACLES 163 



integrity and acuteness : would all this constitute 

 even presumptive evidence that C.D. had worked 

 a miracle ? Unquestionably not. For the most 

 important link in the whole chain of evidence is 

 wanting, and that is the proof that A.B. was really 

 dead. The evidence of ordinary observers on such 

 a point as this is absolutely worthless. And, even 

 medical evidence, unless the physician is a person 

 of unusual knowledge and skill, may have little 

 more value. Unless careful thermometric observa- 

 tion proves that the temperature has sunk below 

 a certain point ; unless the cadaveric stiffening of 

 the muscles has become well established ; all the 

 ordinary signs of death may be fallacious, and the 

 intervention of C.D. may have had no more to do 

 with A.B.'s restoration to life than any other fortuit- 

 ously coincident event. 



It may be said that such a coincidence would 

 be more wonderful than the miracle itself. Never- 

 theless history acquaints us with coincidences as 

 marvellous. 



On the 19th of February, 1842, Sir Eobert Sale 

 held Jellalabad with a small English force and, 

 daily expecting attack from an overwhelming 

 force of Afghans, had spent three months in in- 

 cessantly labouring to improve the fortifications of 

 the town. Akbar Khan had approached within 

 a few miles, and an onslaught of his army was 

 supposed to be imminent. That morning an 

 earthquake 



M 2 



