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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 359, page id 778263916:0375
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Chap. ZIZ.
Wrons Assent or Lrror.
Summ on both sides, may in most Cases corie to achrom ledse, upon th
irtole Matter, on which side the Probabilier rests: Wrhierein sormc
Prooss in Matters of Reason, trich are suxpositious uxon univertal Expe-
rience, arc so cogent and elear; and some Festimonies in Macters oP Fact
(0 universal, That he cannor retuse his A(eHE. So ChaL, L FhinHE, We may
conclude, that in Propolitions, Wrhere thouoh che Proots in view are ot
MOSZNIOIenE, ret there are suHcierit grounds, to suspest thai there is
cithier Fallaer in WVores, or certain Proots, es considerable, eo be produ-
ced on the contrary side, chere Allent, Suspense, or Dilsent, are oHten
voluncary Actions: But mhere the Prooss are, sucl, as matce it tiotly
probable, and there is not sufficient ground to suspect, char chere is cither
Fallacr oF Words, (rhich Lober and lerious Consideration may discover,
nor equall validProols vet undiscovered latent on the acter side, (Whieli
also the Nature oF the thins, may, in lome Cases, makee plain to 2 Con(i-
derate NIan,) there, PthinkE, a Man, Who has eishedthem, can scarce
refuse his sssent cothe side, on hich the greater Probabiliti appearo.
Whecher it De probable, that a proiniseuous jumble of printine LecterS
Thouldolten fall into a Method and Order, irhich Mould Aamp in Paper
a CoherenE Discourse; or that a blind Fortuirous concourse ot AFOmS, nOL
suided by an understandins Asent, Mould Frequeney constiture the B0.
dies oF anv Species oF Animals; in these and che litre Cases, Tthin, n0
Body that considers them, can be one jor at a Ctand wtich side to take,
nOx at all aver in his ANent. LastIY, Wrhen there can be no Supposition,
(the thing in is omn Nacure indisterent, and Wholly dependins upon che
Testimour ot Witnesses,) chat chere is astair Testimony against; a5 FOK
the Mateer ot Fact attelted; Which by Enguier, is to be learned, v. c. rvhe-
Cher Fhere WaS F700 vears acone Tuch a Man at Rome 25 Fulius Caesar: TN
aII such Cases, I CaY, I think ie is noc in any rational Nans Pover toretuse
his ANenE; but chat it necessarils follows, and closes rich fuch Probabili-
ties. In Ocher lesselear Cases, Ithink, it is in a Nan S Porver to suspend
his ARenE; and, perhaps, content nimselF WitH the PrOOSS He haS, is thev
farour the Opinion that suirs ith his Inclination, or Interest, and (0 Rop
From tarther scarch. But that aMan Mould aftord his ANent 10 that side
on rhich the less Probabilier appears to him, scems to me utterly impra:
Eticable, and as impossible, as it is to believe the Carrie chins probable
and improbable at the same tie.
6. 26. AS Tnowledoe, is no more arbitrary than Perception; (0, 
thinte, Assent is no more in our, Power than Rnomledso. WVhen thC AOrCC.
ment oF any erro Ideas appear eo our Minds, Whether immediately, or
by the Aistence of Reason, Pean no more retuleto perceire, no more
avoid knowine it, than P ean avoid secing those Objects, Whieh I Curr
MY Fyes to, and look on in dar-light: And Whar uxon suIl Examina-
tion Pfind themost probable, Pcannor deny my ASenE tO. BuE chousII
We cannor hinder oux RnoW ledee, Where the Agreement is once percci-
vedby ourMinds; nor our Altent, where the Probabiliey manitestlr ape
pears upon due Consideration oF alI ihe Mcasures oFit: Z et ve can hin-
der both Rnooledee and Assent, Bystopping our Finguiry, and noc imploy.
ins our Faculties in the carch OF any Pruth: iF iF WerO nOL (O, TZNOTANCO,
Frror, Or Inficlelity conld not in any Case be a Fault. Thus in lome Cales;
IVE CAN DTCVCNE Or uspend our ARenE: But ean a Pan, versed in modern
Or ancient FTistory, doube Whether there beluch a Place as Rome, or Whe-
ther eliere ras luch a Ptan a5 Fulius Caesar: Indeed there are millions ot
TrVEHS, EHAEa BSan is HOC, Ox may not thinte himselE concerned to KnoW;
as Wrhecher Richard ehe Third ras erook. bacld, or ro; or Whether Roger
Bacon