occurrence of an exceedingly unusual combination, would be in much doubt if he considered that he had actually seen it himself.[7] On the other hand, few men of any really scientific turn would readily accept a miracle even if it appeared to happen under their very eyes. They might be staggered at the time, but they would probably soon come to discredit it afterwards, or so explain it as to evacuate it of all that is meant by miraculous.
§ 18. It appears to me therefore, on the whole, that very little can be made of these problems of testimony in the way in which it is generally intended that they should be treated; that is, in obtaining specific rules for the estimation of the testimony under any given circumstances. Assuming that the veracity of the witness can be measured, we encounter the real difficulty in the utter impossibility of determining the limits within which the failures of the event in question are to be considered to lie, and the degree of explicitness with which the witness is supposed to answer the enquiry addressed to him; both of these being characteristics of which it is necessary to have a numerical estimate before we can consider ourselves in possession of the requisite data.
Since therefore the practical resource of most persons, viz.[** TN: space] that of putting a direct and immediate correction, of course of a somewhat conjectural nature, upon the general trustworthiness of the witness, by a consideration of the nature of the circumstances under which his statement is made, is essentially unscientific and irreducible to rule; it really seems to me that there is something to be said in favour of the simple plan of trusting in all cases alike to the witness' general veracity.[8] That is, whether his story is ordinary or extraordinary, we may resolve to put it on the same footing of credibility, provided of course that the event is fully recognized as one which does or may occasionally happen. It is true that we shall thus go constantly astray, and may do so to a great extent, so that if there were any rational and precise method of specializing his trustworthiness, according to the nature of his story, we should be on much firmer ground. But at least we