9 Aug 1815

Jug. True

D +  [?]

I Prolego

Ch. Time of penning

1

§.1. Length of time

 N.B. the question to the time of penning is subservient to that of the trustworthiness of the penman. It goes not to probity but to intelligence viz. in respect of [...?] of information.

Causes of diminution of trustworthiness by time 1. Author known, 2. Author unknown.

When the [...?] i.e. Reporting author is known—viz. more or less perfectly 1) The supposed percipient witness mentioned by the author 2) The supposed percipient witness not mentioned

II. When the Author is unknown

§. Interval between the fact and the penning of the history—how by the length of it trustworthiness is diminished.

The greater the distance between the times at which the events and states of things reported as having had place, and the times at which the reports made of them were respectively penned the less trustworthy is the report: and this for several reasons.

For that diminution—in the degree of trustworthiness several causes may be assigned.

Note in margin at this point: ‘ Go on and assign them.’

1. The most favourable case—the case in which the loss of trustworthiness produced by the length of the interval between the time of the supposed action and the time of committing to paper the statement made of it is at its minimum—is that when the supposed percipient witness is himself the reporter or reporting witness by whom the account of what passed or is supposed to have passed is penned. In this case the sources from which misrepresentation is liable to flow are MS alt. ‘reducible’. no more than three viz: 1. Diminution of the retentive power of the memory, thence want of correctness or compleatness, or both in the appropriate pictures which had been [made] in and by the memory: pictures of the events and states of things of which in and by the narrator, a description is undertaken to be given.

2. In the first instance supposing the intention of maintaining these quantities [of] the correctness and compleatness, chance which there may be, that by some change in the state and condition of the narrator in respect of his connection with the events or states of things in question in the way of interests. Note in margin at this point: ‘ Oct 1815 Go on.’

1.

By length of interval between the fact and the penning of the narrating witness’s history trustworthiness is diminished.

2.

Causes of diminution.

1. In the most favourable case loss by length of interval a minimum. Supposed percipient witness, the reporting witness. Sources of diminution here, three 1. Diminution of retentive power, thence want of correctness or compleatness in the picture retained. 2. Chance of a supervening mendacity-prompting interest or interests begotten prejudice.