rous
facts, by a multitude of miracles, by resurrections of the dead, by
rivers dried up, by mountains removed--"

"And we also have numberless miracles," cried all the others, and each
began to recount the most incredible things.

"THEIR miracles," said the first standard, "are imaginary, or the
fictions of the evil spirit, who has deluded them."

"They are yours," said the others, "that are imaginary;" and each group,
speaking of itself, cried out:

"None but ours are true, all the others are false."

The legislator then asked: "Have you living witnesses of the facts?"

"No," replied they all; "the facts are ancient, the witnesses are dead,
but their writings remain."

"Be it so," replied the legislator; "but if they contradict each other,
who shall reconcile them?"

"Just judge!" cried one of the standards, "the proof that our witnesses
have seen the truth is, that they died to confirm it; and our faith is
sealed by the blood of martyrs."

"And ours too," said the other standards; "we have thousands of martyrs
who have died in the most excruciating torments, without ever denying
the truth."

Then the Christians of every sect, the Mussulmans, the Indians, the
Japanese, recited endless legends of confessors, martyrs, penitents,
etc.

And one of these parties, having denied the martyrology of the others:
"Well," said they, "we will then die ourselves to prove the truth of our
belief."

And instantly a crowd of men, of every religion and of every sect,
presented themselves to suffer the torments of death. Many even began
to tear their arms, and to beat their heads and breasts, without
discovering any symptom of pain.

But the legislator, preventing them--"O men!" said he, "hear my words
with patience. If you die to prove that two and two make four, will your
death add any thing to this truth?"

"No!" answered all.

"And if you die to prove that they make five, will that make them five?"

Again they all answered, "No."

"What, then, is your persuasion to prove, if it changes not the
existence of things? Truth is one--your persuasions are various; many of
you, therefore, are in error. Now, if man, as is evident, can persuade
himself of error, what is the persuasion of man to prove?

"If error has its martyrs, what is the sure criterion of truth?

"If the evil spirit works miracles, what is the distinctive character of
God?

"Besides, why resort forever to incomplete and insufficient miracles?
In