BOOK I PART III
ability, where there is a contrariety in our expe-
rience and observation.
It would be very happy for men in the con-
duct of their lives and actions, were the same
objects always conjoined together, and, we had
nothing to fear but the mistakes of our own
judgment, without having any reason to ap-
prehend the uncertainty of nature. But as it
is frequently found, that one observation is
contrary to another, and that causes and ef-
fects follow not in the same order, of which we
have I had experience, we are obliged to vary
our reasoning on, account of this uncertainty,
and take into consideration the contrariety of
events. The first question, that occurs on this
head, is concerning the nature and causes of the
contrariety.
The vulgar, who take things according to