The Life Of Thomas Paine, Vol. 1. (of 2): With A History of His Literary, Political and Religious Career in America France, and England; to which is added a Sketch of Paine by William CobbettConway, Moncure Daniel
Religion
The Life Of Thomas Paine, Vol. 1. (of 2): With A History of His Literary, Political and Religious Career in America France, and England; to which is added a Sketch of Paine by William Cobbett
Conway, Moncure Daniel
Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809
* "I happened to be in England at the celebration of the
centenary of the Revolution of 1688. The characters of
William and Mary have always appeared to me detestable; the
one seeking to destroy his uncle, the other her father, to
get possession of power themselves; yet, as the nation was
disposed to think something of the event, I felt hurt at
seeing it ascribe the whole reputation of it to a man who
had undertaken it as a job; and who besides what he
otherwise got, charged six hundred thousand pounds for the
expense of the little fleet that brought him from Holland.
George the First acted the same close-fisted part as William
had done, and bought the Duchy of Bremen with the money he
got from England, two hundred and fifty thousand pounds over
and above his pay as King; and, having thus purchased it at
the expense of England, added it to his Hanoverian dominions
for his own private profit. In fact every nation that does
not govern itself is governed as a job. England has been the
prey of jobs ever since the Revolution."
It is marvellous that such an author, martial with "force and arms,"
could still walk freely about London. But the machinery for suppressing
thought had always a tendency to rust in England; it had to be
refurbished. To the royal proclamation against seditious writings
corporations and rotten boroughs responded with loyal addresses. In the
debate on that proclamation (May 25th) Secretary Dundas and Mr. Adam had
arraigned Paine, and he addressed an open letter to the Secretary (June
6th) which was well received. Mr. Adam had said that:
"He had well considered the subject of constitutional publications,
and was by no means ready to say that books of science upon government
though recommending a doctrine or system different from the form of our
constitution were fit objects of prosecution; that if he did, he must
condemn Harrington for his Oceana, Sir Thomas More for his Utopia, and
Hume for his Idea of a Perfect Commonwealth. But the publication of Mr.
Paine reviled what was most sacred in the Constitution, destroyed every
principle of subordination, and established nothing in their room."
The real difficulty was that Paine _had_ put something in the room of
hereditary monarchy--not a Utopia, but the representative system of
the United States. He now again compares the governmental expenses
of England and America and their condition. He shows that the entire
government of the United States costs less than the English pension list
alone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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