What could be the meaning of hercle in this context?
Si quis ergo diceret se claram et distinctam hoc est veram ideam substantiæ habere et nihilominus dubitare num talis substantia existat, idem hercle esset ac si diceret se veram habere ideam et nihilominus dubitare num falsa sit (ut satis attendenti sit manifestum); (Spinoza's Ethics)
"Therefore, for a person to say that he has a clear and distinct - that is, a true - idea of a substance, but that he is not sure whether such substance exists, would be the same as if he said that he had a true idea, but was not sure whether or no it was false (a little consideration will make this plain)." (trans. R.H.M. Elwes)
Could it mean something like 'as silly as' (in this context)?