Thus much for both their houses. I now come to speak of two other houses, which are also put into the information, and those are the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. Here, I suppose, the Attorney-General intends to prove me guilty of speaking either truth or falsehood; for, according to the modern interpretation of Libels, it does not signify which, and the only improvement necessary to shew the compleat absurdity of such doctrine, would be, to prosecute a man for uttering a most _false and wicked truth_. I will quote the part I am going to give, from the Office Copy, with the Attorney General's inuendoes, enclosed in parentheses as they stand in the information, and I hope that civil list officer will caution the Court not to laugh when he reads them, and also to take care not to laugh himself. The information states, that _Thomas Paine, being a wicked, malicious, seditious, and evil-disposed person, hath, with force and arms, and most wicked cunning, written and published a certain false, scandalous, malicious, and seditious libel; in one part thereof, to the tenor and effect following, that is to say_-- "With respect to the two Houses, of which the English Parliament (_meaning the Parliament of this Kingdom_) is composed, they appear to be effectually influenced into one, and, as a Legislature, to have no temper of its own. The Minister, (_meaning the Minuter employed by the King of this Realm, in the administration of the Government thereof_) whoever he at any time may be, touches it (_meaning the two Houses of Parliament of this Kingdom_) as with an opium wand, and it (_meaning the two Houses of Parliament of this Kingdom_) sleeps obedience." As I am not malicious enough to disturb their repose, though it be time they should awake, I leave the two Houses and the Attorney General, to the enjoyment of their dreams, and proceed to a new subject. The Gentlemen, to whom I shall next address myself, are those who have stiled themselves "_Friends of the people_," holding their meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern, London.(1) One of the principal Members of this Society, is Mr. Grey, who, I believe, is also one of the most independent Members in Parliament.(2) I collect this opinion from what Mr. Burke formerly mentioned to me, rather than from any knowledge of my own. The occasion was as follows: