matter up, and said, Consider, Sir, the
Gentleman is not to argue out of Littleton, Plowden, or Coke, authors
to him well known; but he must have his authorities from Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John; and a fortnight is time little enough of all
conscience to gain a familiarity with a new acquaintance: and, turning
to the Gentleman, he said, I'll call upon you before the fortnight is out,
to see how reverend an appearance you make behind Hammond on the
New Testament, a concordance on one hand, and a folio Bible with
references on the other. You shall be welcome, Sir, replied the
Gentleman; and perhaps you may find some company more to your
own taste. He is but a poor council who studies on one side of the
question only; and therefore I will have your friend Woolston, T-----l,
and C----s, to entertain you when you do me the favor of the visit.
Upon this we parted in good humour, and all pleased with the
appointment made, except the two Gentlemen who were to provide the
entertainment.
The Second Day
The company met at the time appointed: but as it happened in this, as in
like cases it often does, that some friends to some of the company, who
were not of the party the first day, had got notice of the meeting; and
the Gentlemen who were to debate the question, found they had a more
numerous audience than they expected or desired. He especially who
was to maintain the evidence for the resurrection, began to excuse the
necessity he was under of disappointing their expectation, alledging
that he was not prepared; and he had persisted in excusing himself, but
that the strangers who perceived what the case was, offered to
withdraw; which the Gentleman would by no means consent to: they
insisting to go, he said, he would much rather submit himself to their
candour, unprepared as he was, than be guilty of such rudeness, as to
force them to leave the company. Upon which one of the company,
smiling, said, It happens luckily that our number is increased: when we
were last together, we appointed a judge, but we quite forgot a jury: and
now, I think, we are good men and true, sufficient to make one. This
thought was pursued in several allusions to legal proceedings; which
created some mirth, and had this good effect, that it dispersed the
solemn air, which the mutual compliments upon the difficulty before
mentioned had introduced, and restored the ease and good humour
natural to the conversation of Gentlemen.
The judge perceiving the disposition of the company, thought it a
proper time to begin, and called out, Gentlemen of the jury, take your
places; and immediately seated himself at the upper end of the table.
The company sat round him, and the judge called upon the council for
Woolston to begin.
Mr. A. Council for Woolston, addressing himself to the judge, said,
May it please your Lordship, I conceive the Gentleman on the other
side ought to begin, and lay his evidence, which he intends to maintain,
before the court; till that is done, it is to no purpose for me to object. I
amy perhaps object to something which he will not admit to be any part
of his evidence; and therefore I apprehend, the evidence ought in the
first place to be distinctly stated.
Judge. Mr. B What say you to that?
Mr. B. Council on the other side:
My Lord, If the evidence I am to maintain, were to suppose any new
claim; if I were to gain any thing which I am not already possessed of,
the Gentleman would be in the right: but the evidence is old, and is
matter of record; and I have been long in possession of all that I claim
under it. If the Gentleman has anything to say to dispossess me, let him
produce it; otherwise I have no reason to bring my own title into
question. And this I take to be the known method of proceeding in such
cases: no man is obliged to produce his title to his possession; it is
sufficient if he maintain it when it is called in question.
Mr A. Surely, my Lord, the Gentleman mistakes the case. I can never
admit myself to be out of possession of my understanding and reason;
and since he would put me out of this possession, and compel me to
admit things incredible, in virtue of the evidence he maintains, he ought
to set forth his claim, or leave the world to be directed by common
sense.
Judge. Sir, you say right, upon supposition that the truth of the
Christian religion were the point in question. In that case it would be
necessary to produce the evidence
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