in the Earth or Granary, unlefs it were the moft manifeft •, of the groffefl Principles of Agri- culture, which there's hardly a Child but knows-, what ufe Leaven is of in making Bread; and why Wine mall: ftand fometime in the Fat, before it ferments, and yet has his Mind ftor'd with the Names of the Ancient Philofophers and their Principles; with the Idea's of Plato, Epi c m \ us Atoms, LlCh 2 tne Plenum and Vacuum of Leucippits and Democritus; the Water of Thales, "Anaximander's Infinity of Nature, Diogenes\ Air, the Numbers and Symmetry of Pythagoras, the Infinite of Parmenides j the Vnity of Mufms; the Water and Fire of Apollodorus; the Similar Parts of Anaxagoras; the Difcord and Friendjlnp of Empedocks; the F/W of Heraclitus, &c. A Man that in three or four Pa- ges of his Book, quotes more than /j/ry different Authors, with their Opinions: Who has fill'd his Book with various Hiftorical Pajfages,and many confus'd Apophthegms; who in point of Books, fays, Hiftory and iVj^ were his Excellency: Who contradi&s himfelf every moment, and in the fame Chapter, and even in the fpeaking of things he pretends to be belt acquainted with; I mean the Qualities of his Mind, lhould this Man boalt that His Judgment is better than his Memory t We will confefs that MomtigW was Excellent at Forgetfulnefs, fince Montagne allure u§ of it, and would have us think fo; nor is this altogether contrary to Truth. But let us not believe him on his word,or for the Praifes that hegives himfelf} that he was a Man of great Senfe, and of extra- ordinary Sagacity of Mind: For this might engage us in Error, and give too much Countenance to thofe falfe and dangerous Opinions, he puts off with a prefumptuous and dogmatical Arrogance, which only confounds and blinds the feebler forts of Minds.
The other Encomium they bellow on Montagne, is, that he was perfectly acquainted with the Mind of Man; that he furvey'd it to the bottom,its Nature, and its Properties; that he knew the ffrong and weak fides of it-, and, in a word, all that could be. known of it. Let us fee if he de- fer ve thefe Praifes, and whence it comes to pafs Men are fo liberal on his behalf.
Thofe who have read Montagne, know well enough that he would fain pafs for a Pyrrhoniil, L.uCh.22 and that he takes Pride in doubting of all things. The perfwafion of Certainty in any thing, fays he, is a certain teftimony of Folly, and extream incertainty; and there is not a foolijher and lefs Philofophkal fort of Men, than the Philodox of Plato: On the contrary, he extolls the Pyrrhomfts at that exceffive rate in the fame Chapter, that 'tis not to be doubted but he was of the fame Sea. 'Twas necef- fary in the time he liv'd, to doubt of every thing, to pafs for a Man of Parts and a Gentleman; and the Quality of a Bold Wit, which he pretended to, engag'd him farther in thefe Opinions. Now 'tis but fuppofing him an Academkl, to be able at one ftroke to manifeft him the molt ig- norant of all Men; not only in what relates to the Nature of the Mind, but in every thing elfe. For fince there is an Effential difference between Knowing and Doubting, if the Academkh fay what they think; when they affure us, They know nothing, we may conclude they are the molt Ig- norant Perfons in the World.
But they are not only the molt Ignorant of all others; but alfo the molt Vnreafonable Defenders of their Opinions: For ihey not only rejeft what is molt certain, and univerfally receiv'd, to be thought the Bold Wits; but by the fame Itrength of Imagination, love to talk in a Decifive Magi- iterial ftrain, about the molt uncertain and improbable things in Nature. Montagne affords us a manifeit Inltance of this Diltemper of Mind: And we mult neceffarily fay he was not only ig- norant of the Nature of an Humane Mind, but was in the grofleft Errors upon that Subject, fup- pofing he had faid what he thought of it, as he ought to have done.
For what can we fay of a Man that confounds the Mind with Matter, that reports the molt ex- travagant Opinions of the Philofopbers, about the Nature of the Soul, without defpifing them; and in a way that gives us to underltand he lik'd thofe belt, that were molt, oppofite to Reafon: Who faw no necefiity of the Immortality of our Souls; who thinks it indifcoverable by Humane Reafon; and who looks upon the Arguments that are given for it, as Dreams, which the delire of it breeds in us: Somnia non docentis, fed optantis: Who finds fault with Men for feparating from the Crowd of other Creatures, and diltinguilhing themfelves from Bealts, which he calls our Fel- low Brethren and Companions; who believes they converfe with, and under fl and each other, and ridicule us; as we difcourfe and under ftand one another, and laugh at them; "who makes a greater difference be- twixt Man and Man, than betwixt a Man and a Beaft: Who attributes even to Spiders, Deliberation^ Thought, and Conclufwn. And who after having maintain'd, that the Difpofition of the Humane Body^ had no advantage over that of Bcafts, readily embraces this Opinion. That 'tis not by our Reafony ■ our Difcourfe, our Soul, we have the Afcendant over Beafts; but on the account of our Beauty, the finenefs of our ComplcBion, and the excellent Difpofition of our Members, in comparifon of which we ought to give up our Intelligence, Prudence, and the relt, as trivial Accomplifhments, &c. Can any one fay that a Man who concludes with fuch the molt extravagant Opinions, as that 'Tit not by the Deductions of Reafon, but our Arrogance and Obftinacy, that we give our felves the Preeminence above other Animals, had a very exact Knowledge of the Mind of Man? Or can he think to convince others herein?
But we ihould do all Men Jultice, and impartially declare what was the Character of Mont ange'% Mind. He had indeed but little Memory, and Itill lefs Judgment.-■ But thefe two Qualities put to- gether, make not that accomplilh'd thing which generally goes by the Name of Finenefs and Beau- ty of Wit or Parts. 'Tis the Beauty, the Vivacitys and the Extent of Imagination which are the Ingredients of the Fine Wtt. 'Tis the glittering and not the folid Mind, that pleafes the ge- nerality^ becaufe they love what touches the Senfes above that which inftru&s their Reafon. And thus taking the Finenefs of Imagination for the Finenefs of the Mind, we may fay, that. Mon- tagne had a Mind Fine, and indeed extraordinary: His Idea's are falfe, but handfom. His Expreffions Chap. VI. The Search after Truth.
preffions irregular and bold, but taking: His difcourfes ill-feafon'd, but well imaging. There appears throughout his Book the Character of an Original, that is infinitely pleating. As great a Copyer as he is, the Copyer is not difcern'd; his ftrong and bold Imagination giving always the turn of an Original, even to what was the molt ftol'n. To conclude, he has every thing necef- fary either for pleating us> or impofing on us: And, I think, I have fufficiently Ihewn, that 'tis not by convincing their Reafon he gets into the Favour and Admiration of Men, but by turning th.eir Mind by an ever- victorious Vivacity of his imperious Imagination.
99 CHAP. VI.
I. Of Witches in Imagination, and of Wolf-men. II. The Con- clusion of the two firft Books, THE ftrangeft effect of the force of Imagination, is the immoderate Fear of the Appari- tion of Spirits, Witchcraft, Spells, and Charms, Lycamhropes or Wolf-men, and gene- rally of whatever is fuppos'd to depend on the Power of the Devil.
There is nothing more terrible, or that frightens the Mind more, and makes deeper impref- I. lions in the Brain, than the Idea of an invifible Power,intent upon doing us mifchief, and to which of Imtgi- we can make no refiftance: Whatever Difcourfes raife that Idea, are attended to with dread, "^ and curiofity: Now Men affecting all that's extraordinary, take a whimfical delight in relating Wl£ches° furprizing and prodigious Stories, of the Power and Malice of Witches, both to the fearing others and themfelves. And fo we need not wonder that Sorcerers and Witches are fo common in fome Countries, where the belief of the Witches-Sabbath is deeply rooted in the Mind: Where all the molt extravagant Relations of Witchcrafts art liften'd to as Authentic Hiftories} and where Mad- men and Fifwnislrs, whofe Imagination has been diftemper'd through the recital of thefe Stories and the corruption of their Hearts, are burnt for real Sorcerers and Witches.
I know well enough I lhall incur the blame of a great many, for attributing the molt part of Witchcrafts to the power of Imagination, as knowing Men love to be fcar'd and frightned; that they are angry with fuch as would difabufe them, and are like thofe imaginary fick People, who refpectfully harken to, and punctually execute the orders of Phyficians who prognofticate direful accidents to them: For Superltitions are not eafily either deftroy'd or oppos'd without finding a great number of Patrons and Defenders. And that Inclination to a blind-fold Belief of all the Dreams and Illufions of Demonogr others is produe'd, and upheld by the fame Caufe; which makes the Superfluous ftiffand untra&able, as it were ealie to demonftrate. However, this ought not to difcourage me from fhewing in a few words, how I believe fuch Opinions as thefe take footing.
A Shepherd in his Cottage after Supper, gives his Wife and Children a Narrative of the adven- tures of the Witches-Sabbath. And having his Imagination moderately warm'd by the Vapours of ftrong Liquors, and fancying he has been often an Affiftant at that imaginary Rendezvous, fails not to deliver himfelf in a manner ftrong and lively. His- natural Eloquence, together with the Difpofition his whole Family is in, to hearken to a Subject fo new and terrible, muft doubtlefs produce prodigious Impreffions in weak Imaginations °, nor is it naturally poffible but his Wife and Children muft be difinay'd, muft be affected and convine'd with what they hear him fay. 'Tis an Husband, 'tis a Father that fpeaks of what himfelf has been an Eye-witnefs and Agent: He is belov'd and refpected, and why fhould he not be believ'd? The Shepherd repeats the fame thing one day after another; his Wire's and Children's Imagination receive deeper and deeper Impref- fions of it by degrees, till at laft it grows familiar; their Fears vanifh, but Conviction ftays be- hind; and at length Curiofity invites them to go to it themfelves. They anoint themfelves, and lay them down to fleep: This Difpofition of Heart, gives an additional heat to their Imagination, and the Traces the Shepherd had imprinted on their Brain open, fo as to make them fancy in their lleep all the Motions of the Ceremony he had defcrib'd to them, prefent and real. They wake, and ask each other, and give a mutual Relation of what they fay. And thus they ftreng- then the Traces of their Vifion; and he who has the ftrongeft Imagination, having the beft knack at perfwading the reft, fails not in a few Nights time, to Methodize the Imaginary Hifto- ry of the Sabbath. Here now are your finifh'd Witches of the Shepherd's making; and thefe in their turn will make many others, if having a ftrong and lively Imagination, they be not deterr'd by Fear from telling the like Stories.
There have been known fuch hearty down-right Witches, as made no fcruple to confefs to eve= ry body their going to the Sabbath; aud who were fo throughly cortvine'd of it, that though feve- ral Perfons watch'd them, and aflur'd them they never ftirr'd out of their Bed, yet have with- ftood their Teftimony, and perlifted in their own perfwafion* We all know that when Children hear Tales of Spirits, what frights they are put into, and that they have not courage to ftay without Light arid Company: Becaufe at that time their Brain receiving not the Impreffions of any prefent Object, opens in thofe Traces that are form'd in it by the Story, and that with fo much force, as frequently to fet before their Eyes, the Objects reprefented fented to them •, And yet thefe Stories are not told them as if they were true, nor fpoken in a man- ner denoting the Belief of them in the Speaker } and fometimes coldly and without the leaft con- cern. Which may make it lefs to be admir'd, that a Man who believes he has been prefent at the Witches-Sabbath, and confequently affirms it in a ferious tone, and with a look of affurance, mould eafily convince his refpedful Auditory of all the circumftances he defcribes to them} and thereby tranfmit into' their Imagination, Impreffions, like thofe he was himfelf abus'd with.
Men in fpeaking engrave in our Brain fuch Impreffions as they have themfelves. When they are deep they fpeak in a way that makes a deep Impreffion upon others: For they never fpeak, but they make them like themfelves in fome thing or other. Children in their Mother's Womb, have only the Perceptions of their Mothers } and when brought into the World, imagine little more than what their Parents are the caufe of} even the wifeft Men take their Meafures, rather from the Imagination of others, that is, from Opinion and Cuftom, than from the Rules ofReafon.
Thus in the places where Witches are burnt, we find great numbers of them, it being taken for granted, they are really what they were executed for •, and this Belief is ftrengthened by the Difcourfes that are made of them. Should they ceafe to punifh them, and treat them as Mad-folks, we fhould fee in a little time no more Witches; becaufe thofe that are only imaginarily fo, which certainly make the greateft number, would return to fober Senfe again.
Tis certain that True Witches deferve Death, and that the Imaginary are not to be reputed al- together innocent: For generally they never fancy themfelves to be Witches, without having their Heart difpos'd to go to the Sabbath, and anointing their Bodies with fome Drug, to bring about their wicked Defign: But by punifhing all thefe Criminals without diftindion, the common Per- fwafion gathers flrength, the Imaginary Witches daily multiply, and a great many People deftroy - their Lives and Souls together. Wherefore 'tis not without Reafon, feveral of our Courts have left off punilhing them; lince which, there are found but few that are within their Jurifdidion-} and the Envy, Hatred, and Malice of the Wicked, cannot ufe that pretence to the Deftrudion of the Innocent. of Wolf- ^he Apprehenfion of Wolf-men, or of Men, who imagine themfelves transform'd into Wolves, men. is a Fancy no lefs ridiculous. A Man by an extraordinary Sally of Imagination, falls into a fort of Madnefs, that makes him fancy he grows a Wolf every Night. This Diforder of his Mind, dif- pofes him to the doing all the Ad ions that Wolves either do, or he has heard of tbem. He leaps then out of his Houfe at Midnight, roams along the Streets, falls upon fome Child he meets with, bites, tears, and miferably mifufes it. The Stupid and Superftitious People imagine this Fana- tick is really turn'd Wolf; becaufe the wretch believes it himfelf, and has whifper'd it to fbmePer- fbns, who cannot conceal the Secret.
Were it an eafie thing to form in the Brain fuch Impreffions, as perfwade Men they are tranf- form'd into Wolves; and could they run along the Streets and make all the havock thofe wretched Wolf-men do, without an entire fubveriion of their Brain (as 'tis an eafie matter for a Man to go to the Witches-Sabbath, in his Bed, and without waking ) thefe notable Stories of Men Metamor- phos'd into Wolves, would have no lefs effed than thofe that are told of the Rendezvous of Witches; and we fhould have as many Wolf men as we have Wizards. But the perfwafion of being chang'd into a Wolf, fuppofes a fubverfion of Brain much harder to be efieded, than that Diforder of one, who only thought he went to the Midnight-Sabbath -, that is, of one, who fancy'd he faw in the Night what was not^ and who, when he waked, could not diftinguifh his Dreams from the Thoughts he had in the Day-time.
'Tis a very common thing for fome Men to have fuch lively Dreams, as to remember every particular of them when they wake, though the fubjed of their Dream, has nothing in it very terrible; and fo 'tis no hard matter for Men to perfwade themfelves they have been at the Witches- Sabbath; fince to this no more is requir'd, than that their Brain preferve the footfteps in it, which were made by the Animal Spirits in their Sleep.
The main Reafon way we cannot take our Dreams for Realities, is, the Incoherence we find in our Dreams, with the things we have done, when awake: For hereby we difcover they are only Dreams. Now this is no Rule for the Sorcerer to judge by, that hls-Sabbath is a Dream •, for he never goes to the Sabbath but in the Night-time, and the Occurrences therein are incapable of having any Connedion with the other Adions of the Day; fo that 'tis Morally impoffible he fliould be made fenfible of his Error by this Means. Nor is there any neceffity, that the things fancy'd to be feen by thefe pretended Witches at the Sabbath, fliould have any Natural Order to one ano- ther; fince they feem fo much the more real, as they are the more extravagant and confus'd in Coherence. Wherefore it makes enough for their Deception, that the Idea's of thefe Sabbatic Ceremonies be lively and frightful; as 'tis impoflible they fhould be otherwife, if it be confuler'd, that they reprefent things wholly new and extraordinary.
But the Imagination mult be highly diftemper'd, before a Man can fancy himfelf a Cock, a Coat, a Wolf, or an Ox; which is the reafon the thing is no commoner; though thefe Diforders of Mind fometimes happen either through GOD's punitive Juftice, as in the cafe of Nebuchodo- nofor, related in Scripture, or by a natural overflowing of Melancholy in the Brain, whereof ma- ny Inftances are to be met with in the Books of Phyficians.
Though I am fatisfy'd, that real Witches axe extreamly rare, and that their Sab bath is nothing but a Dream; and that the Courts, which throw out the Indidments of Witchcraft, are themoit . equitable^ yet I doubt not but there may be Sorcerers, Charms, and Witchcraft, and that COD fometimes permits the Devil to exercife his Malice upon Men. But we are taught by holy Scri- pture, Chap. VI. The Search after Truth. ioi pture, that The Kingdom of Satan is deftroy'd; and that an Angel of Heaven has chained up the De- vil, and fhut him in the Abyf; from whence he fhall never efcape till the end of the World: That this is the Strong Man, CHRIST has difarm'd andfpoil'd; and that the time is come, when the Prince of the World is baniih'd out of his Kingdom.
He reigu'd till the Coming' of our SAFJO VR, and he reigns ftill, if any one will have it fo, in thofe places, where the Knowledge of our S AF 10V R is not come. But he has no Right or Power over thofe, who are Regenerated in JESVS CHR 1ST. He cannot fo much as tempt them, unlefsby GOD's Permiflion^ and if he permits it, 'tis that they may overcome him: 'Tis therefore doing the Devil too much honour, tomakje-'fuch Hiftories, as illuftrate his Power, as is done by our new Demonographers; fince thefe Hiftories render him formidable to weaker Minds.
We ought to defpife the Devils, as we defpife Executioners, and tremble before GOD alpne: 'Tis his Power we fhonld only fear, his Judgments and his Wrath, we mould only dread, and never provoke him by the contempt of his Laws and his Gofpel. He deferves to be attended to, when he fpeaks himfelf; and fo do Men when they fpeak of him. But 'tis ridiculous to be fright- ned and troubled when they fpeak of the Power of the Devil; our trouble is too great an honour to our Enemy, who loves to be refpe&ed and fear'd; and we facrifice to his Pride, when we prb- ftrate and abafe our Mind before him.
'Tis now time to put an end to this Second Book, and to remind you, by what has beenfaid II. in this and the Fore-going Book, That all the Thoughts the Soul has through the means of, or ™f Cof wkh dependance on the Body, are wholly for the Body; and are either all falfe, or obfeure: ^"^J That they are only inftrumental in uniting us to fenfible Goods, and to whatever can procure firft Bocks. them, which Union engages us in infinite Errors and exceffive Miferies; though we are not al- ways fenfible of thefe Miferies, no more than we are of the Errors that occafion them. I give here a remarkable Inftance.
The Union that we had with our Mothers in their Womb, which is the ftri&eft poffibleto be had with Mankind, was the Caufe of two of the greateft Evils, namely, Sin and Concupifcence; which are the Original of all our Miferies. And yet for the forming of our Body, it was necef- fary that Union mould be fo clofe and ftrid as it is.
This Union which was broken at our Birth, was fucceeded by. another, whereby Children are con-fociated to their Parents and their Nurfes. This fecond Union was not fo ftriQr as the former, and therefore did us not fo much mifchief; having only inclin'd us to believe and imitate all that our Parents and Nurfes do and fay. 'Tis plain this fecond Union was farther neceflary, not as the firft, for the forming, but the preferving of our Body} that we might know all the things ufeful or advantagious to it, and might accommodate it to fuch Motions as are neceflary to ob- tain them. | Laft'of all, the Union which we have at prefent with all Men, is unavoidably the caufe of a great deal of Evil to us 5 though it be not fo ftrait, as being lefs neceflary to the Prefervation of our Body.
For 'tis upon the fcore of this Union, we live by Opinion, that we efteem and love, what is efteem'd and lov'd in the World, in fpight of the Remorfe of our Confciences and the true Idea's that we have of things. I fpeak not here of the Union we have with the Mind of other Men 5 in behalf of which it may be laid, we receive inftru&ion from it: I fpeak only of the fenfible Union that is between our Imagination, and the Air, and Manner of thofe that fpeak to us. We fee then how all the Thoughts we have by the Dependance on the Body, are falfe, and fo much the more dangerous to the Soul, as they are the more ufeful to the Body.
Which being fo, let us try to rid our felves by degrees of the Delufions of our Senfe, of the Vifion and Chimeras of our Imagination, and of the Impreffion made by other Men's Imaginations on our Mind. Let us carefully rejeft all the confus'd Idea's we have contra&ed through the De- pendance we are in to our Body; and let us only admit the clear and evident Idea's which the Mind receives through its neceflary Union with the Divine Logos, or with Eternal Wifdom and Truth 5 as we fhall explain in the following Book, which treats Of the Vnderfianding or Pure Mind.
D d R MALE- F. MALEBRANCHE'S TREATISE CONCERNING The Search after TRUTH.
BOOK the THIRD, Concerning The Understanding, O R The Pure Intelled.
CHAP. I.
I. Thought is only ejfential to the Mind. Senfation and Imagination are only the Modifications of it. II. We know not all the Modifications our Soul is capable of. III. They are different from our Knowledge and our Love^ nor are they always Confequences of them.
THE Subjed of this Third Book isfomewhat dry and barren: In which we enquire into the Mind confider'd alone, and without any reference to the Body, in order to difcover the Infirmities peculiar to it, and the Errors deriving only from it. The Senfes and Imagination are exuberant and inexhauftible Sources of Error and Decep- tion: But the Mind a&ing by it felf, is not fo fubjeft to flraying and mifcondud. It was a diffi- cult thing to put an end to the two laft Treatifes; and 'tis no lefs difficult to begin this ^ not that there is not enough to befaid on the Nature and Properties of the Mind •>, but becaufe we enquire not here fo much into its Properties, as its WeaknefTes. 'Tis not therefore to be wonder'd, if this Trad is not fo large, nor difcovers fo many Errors as the two fore-going; nor ought it to be complain'd of for being fomewhat Dry, Abftrad, and Applicative. For 'tis impoffible in all Difcourfes to move the Senfes and Imaginations of others •, nor ought it always to be done: A Subjed of an abftrad Nature, in becoming fenfible, commonly grows obfcure, and 'tis enough to be made intelligible: So that nothing is moreunjuft, than the ufual Complaints of thofe, who would know every thing, and yet take pains for nothing; who take pet, if you deiire them to be attentive: who would ever be touch'd and mov'd, and have their Senfes and their Paffions eternally gratify'd: But, we confefs our felves unable to give them Satisfaction.- Writers of Comedies; and Romance s^xz oblig'd to pleafe, and to procure Attention; but for us, it's fufficient if we can inftrud, even thofe that labour to make themfelves attentive.
The Errors of the Senfes and Imagination, proceed from the Nature and Conftitution of the Body; and are expos'd to view, by confidering wh3t Dependency the Soul's in to it: But the Errors of the Pure Underftanding cannot bedifcover'd, but by confidering the Nature of the Mind it. felf, and of the Idea's that are neceflary to its knowing Objeds. And therefore to penetrate into the Caufes of the Errors of the Pure Underftanding, 'twill.be neceffary to infift in this.Book, on the confideration of the Nature of the Mind, and of Intellectual Idea's.
In fchap. I. The Search after Truth., xod In the firft.pkce, I fhall treat of the Mind, confider'd in its own Nature, without any Rela- tion to the Body, to which it is united. So that what I ihall fay on this point, will extend to pure Intelligences, and by ftronger Reafon to what we call Pure Underftanding. For by the Word PureVnderfanding, I mean only to defign that Faculty, the Mind has of knowing External Object, without -forming Corporeal Images of them in the Brain, to reprefent them by. After which I (hall difcourfe of Intellectual Idea's, by means of which the PurtVnderftanding perceives Exteriour Objects.
I am perfwaded no Man can doubt, after he has ferioufly thought on it, but the * Ejfence of *•, the Mind conlifts only in Thought, as the ElTence of Matter eonfifts only in Extenfion; and that^??^ according to the different Modifications of Thought, the Mind one while Wills, and another/eat/^ to while Imagines, or has many other particular Forms, as according to the different Modifications^ soul. of Extenfion, Matter is fometimes Water, fometimes Wood, and fometimes Fire; orhas,abun-'ye^tZ('w. dance of other particular Forms., ZtknTe I only advertife thus much, That by the word Thought, I underftand not here the parti- only the cular Modifications of the Soul, that is, this or that particular Thought, but Thought capable Modifier of all forts of Modifications, or of all forts of Thoughts; as by Extenfionis not meant this or that tior!J°fit' Extenfion round of fquaU, forinftance, but Extenfion capable of all forts of Modifications, or of En-e„fe ' ^ FiCTures: And this Comparifon would have no difficulty in it, but that we have not fo clear an a tj,i„gt j Idea of Thought as we have of Extenfion; for we only know Thought by Internal Sentiment or mean that Confcicnce, f as I make out hereafter. wAfc* is