The Humean objection has also been vigorously contested as destructive not only of miracle stories but of common sense as well. The 19th century saw a proliferation of satires in which Humean scruples about accepting testimony for extraordinary tales were applied to the events of secular history, with consequences that are equally disastrous and humorous… . Whately’s satire, which is the most famous, ‘establishes’ on the basis of many historical improbabilities that Napoleon never existed but was a mythic figure invented by the British government to enhance national unity.
