pedantry, it is true, but sincerely designed to expose that extravagance of historic criticism and Biblical exegesis which had so distinguished the author’s countrymen, by which Homer had been annihilated, a great part of ancient history rendered doubtful, and the Bible turned into a riddle-book; that this hypothesis is confirmed by the space which Strauss gives to the exposure of the absurdities of the Rationalists, which, in fact, occupies at least half his work.  Dr. D. will even very likely prove that Strauss himself is a fictitious name; Strauss, in the German, meaning an ostrich, which, according to the proverb, can digest any thing.  On the other hand, as he will be able to show that Strauss’s work is a piece of prolonged irony, he will very likely show that Whately’s ‘Historic Doubts’ may be a sincere expression of opinion (which, in fact, many have even in our day wisely believed it to be), and he will argue it with a gravity worthy of one of the commentators who interpret the irony of Socrates literally; he will prove it from the air of sobriety and sincerity which pervades the pamphlet.  Nay, for aught I know, he may show that there was an ‘historic place’ for such a piece in the undoubted myths to which the wondrous achievements of Napoleon had given rise; he will say that these had produced a natural feeling of scepticism as to the greater part of the facts, though he will think Dr. Whately has gone a little too far in doubting his very existence; there being sufficient evidence that such a man as Napoleon existed, though the world really knows little more about him than about Semitamis or Genghis Khan!”

“Well,” said I, “having proved that Dr. Strauss’s work is irony, and Whately’s brochure a sincere expression of opinion, it would be hard for even Dr. Dickkopf to go further.  But, seriously, it is no laughing matter.  This is a strange power the future historian has over us.”

“O, be assured,” said Harrington, “he can make of us just what he pleases.  Never was a question more unreasonable than that of the Irishman, who, being conjured, on some occasion, to think of posterity, said, ‘I should like to know what posterity has done for us.’  It will do something for us, depend upon it.  A future historian will not only make us confess, with the Prayer-Book, ’that we have done the things we ought not to have done, and have left undone the things we ought to have done,’ but ’that we have done the things that we have not done, and have left undone the things that we have done.’”

“I wonder,” said I, “that some of Dr. Strauss’s countrymen have not proved him to be an imaginary being,—­a myth.  It were very easy to do it on such principles.”

“It has been done long since,” said Harrington, “by Wolfgang Menzel.”

“Thank you,” said I, in conclusion, “you have clearly proved that a true history may plausibly be shown to be false.”