Friday Evening.




LETTER IV.

TO THE EARL FITZWILLIAM.


My dear Lord,--I am not sure that the best way of discussing any
subject, except those that concern the abstracted sciences, is not
somewhat in the way of dialogue. To this mode, however, there are two
objections: the first, that it happens, as in the puppet-show, one man
speaks for all the personages. An unnatural uniformity of tone is in a
manner unavoidable. The other and more serious objection is, that, as
the author (if not an absolute skeptic) must have some opinion of his
own to enforce, he will be continually tempted to enervate the arguments
he puts into the mouth of his adversary, or to place them in a point of
view most commodious for their refutation. There is, however, a sort of
dialogue not quite so liable to these objections, because it approaches
more nearly to truth and Nature: it is called CONTROVERSY. Here the
parties speak for themselves. If the writer who attacks another's
notions does not deal fairly with his adversary, the diligent reader has
it always in his power, by resorting to the work examined, to do justice
to the original author and to himself. For this reason you will not
blame me, if, in my discussion of the merits of a Regicide Peace, I do
not choose to trust to my own statements, but to bring forward along
with them the arguments of the advocates for that measure. If I choose