[094-348v]

18 Dec r 1805

Evidence

Securities

The qualities desirable on the part of an aggregate mass of testimony in the character of securities, internal securities for its trustworthiness, may be comprehended /well be found/, it is supposed in the following catalogue.

1. Of these internal qualities the one that presents itself as the first upon the list, is that it be as particular as possible: particularly, including speciality[?] circumstances, two distinct properties, the difference between which thereof not unobvious will be explained in its place: specialty, incapable[?] of an indefinite number of degrees, till[?] it undo[?] in individuality /lands as it were in the ground of individualisation/.

Testimony conceived in any terms compleatly general, a statement is rather matter of inference from testimony that might have been delivered, than testimony itself. I have been or have not, or he has been guilty of murder, homicide, theft, and so forth. No natural /and [...?] intentioned/ person in[?] should have thought would content himself with testimony in any such vague shape, where from the same source he could have it in any more particular shape. Yet with testimony in this untrustworthy shape, the sages of the law, as will be seen more particularly further on , have been habitually contorted[?].