"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."