Dr. Manley, who was with him during his last hours, in a letter to Cheetham, in 1809, writes: “He could not be left alone night or day. He not only required to have some person with him, but he must see that he or she was there, and if, as it would sometimes happen, he was left alone, he would scream and halloo until some person came to him. There was something remarkable in his conduct about this period, which comprises about two weeks immediately preceding his death. He would call out during his paroxysms of distress, without intermission, ‘O Lord, help me! God, help me! Jesus Christ, help me! O Lord, help me!’ etc., repeating the same expressions without the least variation, in a tone of voice that would alarm the house. It was this conduct which induced me to think that he abandoned his former opinions, and I was more inclined to that belief when I understood from his nurse, who is a very serious, and I believe pious woman, that he would occasionally inquire, when he saw her engaged with a book, what she was reading, and being answered, and at the same time asked whether she should read aloud, he assented, and would appear to give particular attention. The doctor asked him if he believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? After a pause of some minutes he replied, ‘I have no wish to believe on that subject.’ ‘For my own part,’ says the doctor, ‘I believe that had not Thomas Paine been such a distinguished infidel he would have left less equivocal evidences of a change of opinion.’ ”