Chiefs and doctors of mankind! You remark how the nations, living apart, have hitherto followed different paths, each believing its own to be that of truth. If, however, truth is one, and opinions are various, it is evident that some are in error. If, then, such vast numbers of us are in the wrong, who shall dare to say, "I am in the right?" Begin, therefore, by being indulgent in your dissensions. Let us all seek truth as if no one possessed it. The opinions which to this day have governed the world, originating from chance, propagated in obscurity, admitted without discussion, accredited by a love of novelty and imitation, have usurped their empire in a clandestine manner. It is time, if they are well founded, to give a solemn stamp to their certainty, and legitimize their existence. Let us summon them this day to a general scrutiny, let each propound his creed, let the whole assembly be the judge, and let that alone be acknowledged as true which is so for the whole human race. Then, by order of position, the representative of the first standard on the left was allowed to speak: "You are not permitted to doubt," said their chief, "that our doctrine is the only true and infallible one. FIRST, it is revealed by God himself--" "So is ours," cried all the other standards, "and you are not permitted to doubt it." "But at least," said the legislator, "you must prove it, for we cannot believe what we do not know." "Our doctrine is proved," replied the first standard, "by numerous facts, by a multitude of miracles, by resurrections of the dead, by rivers dried up, by mountains removed--" "And we also have numberless miracles," cried all the others, and each began to recount the most incredible things. "THEIR miracles," said the first standard, "are imaginary, or the fictions of the evil spirit, who has deluded them." "They are yours," said the others, "that are imaginary;" and each group, speaking of itself, cried out: "None but ours are true, all the others are false." The legislator then asked: "Have you living witnesses of the facts?" "No," replied they all; "the facts are ancient, the witnesses are dead, but their writings remain." "Be it so," replied the legislator; "but if they contradict each other, who shall reconcile them?" "Just judge!" cried one of the standards, "the proof that our witnesses have seen the truth is, that they died to confirm it; and our faith is sealed by the blood of martyrs." "And ours too," said the other standards; "we have thousands of martyrs who have died in the most excruciating torments, without ever denying the truth." Then the Christians of every sect, the Mussulmans, the Indians, the Japanese, recited endless legends of confessors, martyrs, penitents, etc. And one of these parties, having denied the martyrology of the others: "Well," said they, "we will then die ourselves to prove the truth of our belief."