The certainty of those things which most surely are believed among us,is a matter quite distinct from their antecedent probability orimprobability. We know, and take for facts, that Cromwell and Napoleonexisted, and are persuaded that their characters and lives were such ashistory reports them: but it is another thing, and one eminentlycalculated to disturb any disbeliever of such history, if a man wereenabled to show, that, from the condition of social anarchy, there wasan antecedent likelihood for the use of military despots; that, from thecondition of a popular puritanism, or a popular infidelity, it waspreviously to have been expected that such leaders should have theseveral characteristics of a bigoted zeal for religion, or a cravingappetite for worldly glory; that, from the condition liable torevolutions, it was probable to find such despots arising out of themiddle class; and that, from the condition of reaction incidental to allhuman violences, there was a clear expectability that the power of suchmilitary monarchs should not be continued to their natural heirs.
Such a line of argument, although in no measure required for th