Gibbon sought after the truth, found it, and made it clear.' 'Then you think Gibbon a truthful writer ?' 'Why, yes; who shall convict Gibbon of falsehood?
Many people have endeavoured to convict Gibbon of falsehood; they have followed him in his researches, and have never found him once tripping.

Oh, he is a wonderful writer! his power of condensation is admirable; the lore of the whole world is to be found in his pages.

Sometimes in a single note he has given us the result of the study of years; or, to speak metaphorically, "he has ransacked a thousand Gulistans, and has condensed all his fragrant booty into a single drop of otto."' 'But was not Gibbon an enemy to the Christian faith ?' 'Why, no; he was rather an enemy to priestcraft, so am I; and when I say the philosophy of the Bible is in many respects unsound, I always wish to make an exception in favour of that part of it which contains the life and sayings of Jesus of Bethlehem, to which I must always concede my unqualified admiration--of Jesus, mind you; for with his followers and their dogmas I have nothing to do.

Of all historic characters Jesus is the most beautiful and the most heroic.

I have always been a friend to hero-worship, it is the only rational one, and has always been in use amongst civilised people--the worship of spirits is synonymous with barbarism--it is mere fetish; the savages of West Africa are all spirit- worshippers.