Literary notes about Credence (AI summary)
In literary texts, the term credence is often employed to signify acceptance or belief in a particular idea or claim, whether it be an abstract concept or a concrete assertion. Some authors use it to evoke trust and divine favor, as in pleading for “amplest credence” in matters of wisdom and authority [1] or suggesting that prejudiced assumptions can readily lend credibility to unfounded accusations [2]. At times, writers explicitly reject belief, declaring their refusal “to give credence” to statements that lack substantiation [3], while others note how repetition and societal influence can imbue ideas with a sense of veracity [4][5]. Moreover, the term is extended in diplomatic and historical contexts, where documents such as letters of credence serve as tangible proofs of legitimacy [6].
- His love and wisdom, Approv'd so to your Majesty, may plead For amplest credence.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - Their charges were easily disproved, but they had enough cunning to invent new charges continually, and prejudice gave ready credence to them.
— from Lineage, Life and Labors of José Rizal, Philippine Patriot by Austin Craig - "To all that which thou provest me thus, I refuse to give credence."
— from Kant's Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics by Immanuel Kant - Things that we wish, are apt to gain a too ready credence with us.
— from Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson - It is difficult to conceive how an opinion so totally unfounded, and so easy to refute, should have obtained general credence.
— from The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 1 (of 6) by the Elder Pliny - The presentation of the minister's letters of credence took place on the 22nd.
— from A Diplomat in Japan by Ernest Mason Satow