Junius Unmasked: Or, Thomas Paine the author of the Letters of Junius and the Declaration of IndependenceMoody, Joel
History
Junius Unmasked: Or, Thomas Paine the author of the Letters of Junius and the Declaration of Independence
Moody, Joel
Francis, Philip, 1740-1818; Junius, active 18th century; Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809; United States. Declaration of Independence
If the reader will carry forward in his mind what I have already said on
style and the object for which Mr. Paine and Junius wrote, it will
greatly aid me in reducing the size of this book. I shall act on the
principle of this suggestion, and while I give new matter upon new
subjects, the reader will find the parallels greatly strengthened by
what has already been said. The reader will also apply the facts already
brought forward to the passages I shall hereafter present, so that, like
a two-edged sword, it may be made to cut both ways. And first of
_avarice_ and the _miser_:
_Paine._
"Could I find a miser whose heart never felt the
emotion of a spark of principle, even that man,
uninfluenced by every love but the love of money,
and capable of no attachment but to his interest,
would and must, from the frugality which governs
him, contribute to the defense of the country, or
he ceases to be a miser and becomes an idiot."
_Junius._
"Of all the vices avarice is most apt to taint and
corrupt the heart."--Let. 27.
"As for the common _sordid views_ of avarice,"
etc.--Let. 53.
"The miser himself seldom lives to enjoy the
fruits of his _extortion_."--Let. 20, note.
"Every passion that acts upon mankind has a
peculiar mode of operation. Many of them are
temporary and fluctuating; they admit of cessation
and variety. But avarice is a fixed, uniform
passion. It neither abates of its vigor nor
changes its object."--Crisis, x.
"I could never have a doubt in law or reason
that a man convicted of a high breach of trust and
of a notorious corruption in the execution of a
public office, was and ought to be incapable of
sitting in the same parliament."--Let. 20.
I call attention to that pride of character and personal honor, so
conspicuous in both Paine and Junius:
_Paine._
"A man who has no sense of honor, has no sense of
shame."--Let. to Cheetham.
_Junius._
"Honor and honesty must not be renounced, although
a thousand modes," etc.--Let. 58.
"Knowing my own heart, and feeling myself, as I
now do, superior to all the skirmish of party, the
inveteracy of interested, or mistaken opponents, I
answer not to falsehood or abuse."--R. M., part
ii.
"Junius will never descend to dispute with such a
writer as Modestus."--Let. 29.
"Fortified with that proud integrity, that disdain
to triumph or to yield, I will advocate the rights
of man."--Do.
"For my own part, my lord, I am proud to affirm,
that if I had been weak enough to form such a
friendship, I would never have been base enough to
betray it."--Let. 9.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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