1817 Sept. 8

Not Paul

Ch Paul’s success its causes

Look to the nonsense which has obtained credence among the Hindoos. no need of inspiration to account for it.

Ch. Paul’s success―its causes.

Paulist. But if as according to you for the production of the effects so indisputably produced by him Paul had no means but in the way / shape / of acts instead of miracles false reports of miracles and in the way / shape / of sayings, nonsense and absurdity in a variety of forms, by what means then were accomplished / according to you were produced / by him those effects which now according to you were actually produced?

I answer appearance of sincerity accompanied with boldness: the outward and visible signs though deceptions of intense persuasion: boldness, viz. / i.e. / what the French would call force de caractere.

To a vast extent for the grounds they act on the wisest and most knowing of mankind find themselves under the obligation / reduced to the necessity / of being determined by the authority of others: taking from others not only evidence, but the judgments themselves of which the appropriate / correspondent / evidence are / is / or ought to be the grounds.

Such being the yoke imposed by necessity on even the strongest minds―on those which have most time as well as most other means of all sorts for forming / the formation of / self formed judgments how much heavier must not be the yoke to / under / which those have to labour of whom the bulk of mankind is composed.

In so far as concerns art and science in any of its / their / branches is / are / concerned the less the proficiency / advance / which at the time in question has by man in general, and by the furthest advanced in particular, been made in the branch in question, the more implicit will naturally be the confidence of any uninstructed person in what appears to be / wears the appearance of being / the opinion of one who is supposed to be better instructed: in a word, the greater the ignorance, the greater the credulity.