and a thousand odd reasons, or capricios, men’s minds are acted by, (impossible to be discovered,) may make one man quote another man’s words or meaning wrong.  He that has but ever so little examined the citations of writers, cannot doubt how little credit the quotations deserve, where the originals are wanting; and consequently how much less quotations of quotations can be relied on.  This is certain, that what in one age was affirmed upon slight grounds, can never after come to be more valid in future ages by being often repeated.  But the further still it is from the original, the less valid it is, and has always less force in the mouth or writing of him that last made use of it than in his from whom he received it.

12.  Secondly, In things which Sense cannot discover, Analogy is the great Rule of Probability.

[Secondly], The probabilities we have hitherto mentioned are only such as concern matter of fact, and such things as are capable of observation and testimony.  There remains that other sort, concerning which men entertain opinions with variety of assent, though the things be such, that falling not under the reach of our senses, they are not capable of testimony.  Such are, 1.  The existence, nature and operations of finite immaterial beings without us; as spirits, angels, devils, &c.  Or the existence of material beings which, either for their smallness in themselves or remoteness from us, our senses cannot take notice of—­as, whether there be any plants, animals, and intelligent inhabitants in the planets, and other mansions of the vast universe. 2.  Concerning the manner of operation in most parts of the works of nature:  wherein, though we see the sensible effects, yet their causes are unknown, and we perceive not the ways and manner how they are produced.  We see animals are generated, nourished, and move; the loadstone draws iron; and the parts of a candle, successively melting, turn into flame, and give us both light and heat.  These and the like effects we see and know:  but the causes that operate, and the manner they are produced in, we can only guess and probably conjecture.  For these and the like, coming not within the scrutiny of human senses, cannot be examined by them, or be attested by anybody; and therefore can appear more or less probable, only as they more or less agree to truths that are established in our minds, and as they hold proportion to other parts of our knowledge and observation.  Analogy in these matters is the only help we have, and it is from that alone we draw all our grounds of probability.  Thus, observing that the bare rubbing of two bodies violently one upon another, produces heat, and very often fire itself, we have reason to think, that what we call heat and fire consists in a violent agitation of the imperceptible minute parts of the burning matter.