ABSTRACT
1 All records, by their very nature, are liable to error — nay, they contain factors which make for error. The first of these is partisanship towards a creed or opinion. . . The second factor conducive to error is over-confidence in one’s sources. . . A third factor is the failure to understand what is intended. . . A fourth source of error is a mistaken belief in the truth. . . A fifth factor is the inability rightly to place an event in its real context, owing to the obscurity and complexity of the situation. The chronicler contents himself with reporting the event as he saw it, thus distorting its significance. A sixth factor is the very common desire to gain the favour of those of high rank, by praising them, by spreading their fame, by flattering them, by embellishing their doings and by interpreting in the most favourable way all their actions. . . The seventh cause of error, and the most important of all, is the ignorance of the laws governing the transformation of human society. For every single thing, whether it be an object or an action, is subject to a law governing its nature and any changes that may take place in it.
