A Letter to Sir Samuel Shepherd, Knt., His Majesty's Attorney General: Upon the Subject of His Prosecutions of Richard Carlile, for Publishing Paine's Age of ReasonAnonymous
Philosophy
A Letter to Sir Samuel Shepherd, Knt., His Majesty's Attorney General: Upon the Subject of His Prosecutions of Richard Carlile, for Publishing Paine's Age of Reason
Anonymous
Blasphemy -- Great Britain; Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809. Age of reason; Shepherd, Samuel, Sir, 1760-1840; Trials (Blasphemy) -- Great Britain
I have now to advert to what you will doubtless consider the most
valuable part of this communication. At the period of the late Mr.
Eaton's cruel and abominable treatment under the chief persecutorship
of Lord Ellenborough and his high priest, Sir Vicary Gibbs, a letter
appeared in the Morning Chronicle on the subject of that unfortunate
gentleman's unmerited punishment. It purported to be written by one
who believed in the Christian religion; but it evinced sentiments
so liberal, reasoning so just and forcible; it placed the right of
conscience, even as good policy, in so striking a point of view; arguing
the subject in such good temper, and with such conciseness, as to appear
to me a masterpiece of its kind, and a standard to which every member of
the Christian church ought to be referred. I preserved a copy of it at
the time, and now send you one transcribed, believing that it may be
useful to you, or that it may at least be interesting to you in the
perusal.
The public mind has, of late years, been making rapid progress towards
a true knowledge of its rights. Priestcraft and bigotry must and will be
destroyed. Once trampled upon by man in the energy of his wrath, these
monsters can never again rear their Gorgon heads. Like the Apollo
represented by the Grecian sculptor, in the act of destroying the
Pythian serpent, man will then stand as God created him, the impress of
his own image, erect, free, noble, and grand. We have seen the glorious
result of the attempt to crush, not Hone, but in him the spirit of a
free press, and it is not permitted us to doubt that a similar triumph
and reward awaits you.
I am,
Your sincere (though anonymous) friend,
A FELLOW-INQUIRER AFTER TRUTH.
(Copy.)
To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle.
Sir,
I was one of those who saw Mr. Eaton stand in the pillory for what has
been called an attempt to overturn the religion of his country. The
manner in which the spectators behaved during the execution of this
severe punishment, was, in my opinion, highly creditable to the
liberality of the age. I think I may venture to say, there was hardly an
individual present who did not sympathise with the unfortunate man; he
was cheered by numbers during the whole time of the punishment; and many
efforts were made to convey various kinds of refreshments to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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