Chapter 10

THE NEGATIVE INTERNAL CRITICISM OF THE GOOD FAITH AND ACCURACY OF AUTHORS

Natural tendency to trust documents--Criticism originally due to contradictions--The rule of methodical doubt--Defective modes of criticism 155

Documents to be analysed, and the irreducible elements criticised separately 159

The "accent of sincerity"--No trust to be placed in impressions produced by the form of statements 161

Criticism examines the conditions affecting (1) the composition of the document as a whole; (2) the making of each particular statement--In both cases using a previously made list of possible reasons for distrust or confidence 162

Reasons for doubting good faith: (1) the author's interest; (2) the force of circumstances, official reports; (3) sympathy and antipathy; (4) vanity; (5) deference to public opinion; (6) literary distortion 166

Reasons for doubting accuracy: (1) the author a bad observer, hallucinations, illusions, prejudices; (2) the author not well situated for observing; (3) negligence and indifference; (4) fact not of nature to be directly observed 172

Cases where the author is not the original observer of the fact--Tradition, written and oral--Legend--Anecdotes--Anonymous statements 177

Special reasons without which anonymous statements are not to be accepted: (1) falsehood improbable because (_a_) the fact is opposed to interest or vanity of author, (_b_) the fact was generally known, (_c_) the fact was indifferent to the author; (2) error improbable because the fact was too big to mistake; (3) the fact seemed improbable or unintelligible to the author 185

How critical operations are shortened in practice 189