Besides, you have referred me to a chapter, which is the very epitome of the practical part of the Christian religion, and which could only have been written by an ignorant villain. It is infamous throughout; but particularly in the three verses before your reference.

Your next paragraph runs into that last, that weakest, that basest resort of the Christian-Death-bed stories about Anti-Christians!

I am not going to defend Rousseau; I bave read but very little of his writings, and think that we may set him down as a weak, inconstant, and low-minded genius, if the terms can be associated, much more of the Christian than of the Anti-Christian; but Paine and Voltaire, I will again successfully defend against Christian calumny. I do not hold myself bound to defend Voltaire; for Paine is the only European writer against the Christian religion, since its decline, who can be said to have gone through life with a mental freedom upon the subject. Voltaire valued his body after death, and feared to have it insulted; which led him to a vile compromise with the Christian Priests of France, if all be true which they have published about his partaking of the

sacrament.

Copying from a string of lies about Paine, you tell us, that he arrived at Baltimore in 1802, witht he wife of a Frenchman, at whose house he had lodged during his residence in Paris, and repaid his hospitality in this manner, and shewed the extent of his regard for her by conduct, which convinced all who witnessed it, that he added the crime of inhumanity to that of seduction. I will copy here what I have written as a postcript to the third edition of my little sixpenny memoir of Mr. Paine, about to appear in print.

POSTCRIPT TO THIRD EDITION.

SINCE the death of Mr. Paine, the most lying and most scurilous descriptions of the latter part of his life have been published in England, and circulated among the mass of the people, under the head of "Extracts from the Life of Thomas Paine."

It has been said, that he eloped from France with the wife of a friend, and deserted her when he got to America; and this is called "adding the crime of inhumanity to that of seduction." Such a charge could not be made by the enemies of Mr. Paine without stimulating his friends to make enquiry into the circumstance. The result of that enquiry has been to discover, that the Madame Bouneville did not

leave France with Mr. Paine, nor until a year after, and then entirely as a speculation on the prat of herself and husband, who was to have followed her, and not to follow Mr. Painę. I cannot learn that she resided under the same roof wth him in America, other than as a casual visitor. But we have every proof, that he treated her well, and fully repaid all the kindnesses he had received from her husband in Paris. This proof is found in repeated acts of kindness during his life-time, and in leaving her the bulk of his property at his death.

But one distinct charge is made of having deserted her in a time of distress, or when the yellow fever was raging in New York. I have sought for the proof of this circumstance, and find that there is some matter of fact in it. It has been thus stated to me by Mr. William Carver, now living in New York, who was the acquaintance of both Mr. Paine, and Mrs. Bonneville, and who was one to assist her during the time of the distress mentioned.

"As to Mr. Paine's conduct to Madame Bonneville, I think it was as good as she deserved, and much better.

"She went from New York to New Rochelle, at the time that Mr. Paine lived on his farm, and calling on him at the dusk of evening, presented him with a written paper, saying, 'here, Mr. Paine, I wish you to sign this order for me to get some clothing for myself and children,' 'well,' said he, I will see it to morrow.' She pressed him hard to do it immediately; but he refused. Then she requested, that he would return the paper; but he kept it until the next day, and on examining it, he found it to be an order from him for her to receive several thousand dollars.

"Mr. Paine wrote to me to come up to New Rochelle, as soon as possible, as he wanted to see me on a particular occasion. Accordingly, I went the next day. He related the affair, and wished me to advise him what to to do. I told him, that it was an evident intent to defraud him; but as I knew but little of the affairs between the parties, he must exercise his own judgment as to what course he should take. It was supposed, that if he had signed the order, she would have drawn his shares from the bank. This affair caused Mr. Paine to neglect her for a time.' And evidently but for a time, as his last will witnesses.

This is a sufficient refutation of all that has been said about "inhumanity and seduction." But if more were wanted, it is found in the fact, that Mr. and Mrs. Bonneville, now both living in Paris, still express both gratitude and

admiration of Mr. Paine, both as a public and as a private character. It may be worth observing, that Mrs. B. still, does and ever has made a rigid profession of being a Christian.

A Mr. Jarvis, of New York, a Painter, with whom Mr. Paine lodged, is made the publilisher of a story which is the only one that remains unrefuted, in the whole batch of those which have been circulated. I find it thus stated as an extract from Harford's Life of Paine:

"When Paine was an inmate with Mr. Jarvis of New York, a maid servant one day took up a Volume of the "Age of Reason," which was laying beside its author, and began to read it. Mr. Jarvis perceiving what she was doing, immediately seized the book out of her hand; upon which Paine started from his seat in a rage and asked why he did so. Jarvis professed his fear that the Girl whose character was then excellent, would be corrupted if suffered to read on; in which case he added, she may cheat me, rob me, and be undone. They had now reached the window, when Jarvis pointed to a black man, who it appears was just at hand, as a striking instance of the efficacy of Christianity, to enlighten the ignorant and reclaim the immoral. This man had been irreligious in his principles, and exceed inly wicked in his life, but after his conversion, he was upright and blameless in all his deportment. Paine was confounded, and could only reply Pshaw-I had not thought you were such a man.' He saw the fact, said Jarvis, and it

was unanswerable."

From this, one would believe that Jarvis was decidedly a Christian and hostile to Mr. Paine's Anti-Christian principles. There always appeared to me to be something doubtful and mysterious about this matter, as about that other lie, of his telling another servant girl, that he was the Devil's agent, and it would have been well if every one had burnt the "Age of Reason" as she had done. First, I could not conceive how or why Mr. Paine could be lodging with such a man as Jarvis as been represented. Second, it does not seem likely that Mr. Paine, his host, and servant girl, should be so familiar in one room. Third, that it is less likely, that this servant girl should take a book that was before Mr. Paine, and begin to read it in his presence, and in that of her master. These were all so many difficulties to my belief of this tale. But I am now satisfied, that the matter is invention, fiction, and not a sketch of a real scene.

I have just received from New York, a caricature painting, done by this Mr. Jarvis, on the death of Mr. Paine.

The object is to caricature the conduct of the different descriptions of Priests, and of the Quakers, towards him. written sketch of this caricature will be thus.

A

First, Mr. Paine laying dead, with the book "Common Sense" under his head as a pillow. In his right hand is a Manuscript entitled "A Rap on the knucles for John Mason" from which a sketch is given. Round his arm is a label, or

scroll, on which is written-" Answer to Bishop Watson." Under him, as a motto, or epitaph, is written—“ A_man who devoted his whole life to the attainment of two objects -Rights of Man and Freedom of Conscience-had his vote denied when living, and was denied a grave when dead!" Then are seen five priests. The first, a Father O'Brian, a Roman Catholic Priest, and a notorious drunkard, is painted with a brandy nose and face, apparently in a high state of excitement, kneeling over Mr. Paine, looking in his face and exclaiming "Oh you ugly drunken beast."-In the middle stamping on the belly of Mr. Paine, is the said John Mason, a Presbyterian Priest, exclaiming, with his hands in preaching attitude" Ah! Tom! Ah! Tom! thoulst get thy frying in hell: they'll roast the like a herring.

Aiming a kick at his head, stands, a Doctor Livinstone, a Dutch Priest, and saying, "How are the mighty fallen, Right fol de riddle lol," &c. &c.

Kicking at his feet, stands, Bishop Hobart, singing:

"Tight fol de rol, let's dance and sing

Tom is dead, God save the King

The infidel now low doth lay,

Sing Hallelujah Hallelujah.'

Mr.

In the back ground, is a Church with a saddle across it, and a Bishop More riding it, with a whip in his hand. Paine wrote something of this Bishop, respecting the death and pretended conversion of General Hamilton as far as I recollect.

A Quaker is also seen walking away with a shovel on his shoulder-and turning his head, looking on Paine, seems to say, "I'll not bury thee."

In the ground, is also seen, a dead ass, with five black birds, crows or ravens, picking and flying about it, as an allegory of the font scene.

Now, though there is nothing shrewd or clever about this caricature, I leave it to any one to judge of the disposition of the man who sketched it. The persons who are made to figure to the disadvantgge of Mr. Paine, in these lying extracts from the lying memoirs, are Mrs. Bonneville-Mr. Jarvis Mr. Carver and a servant maid of Mr. Hicks a Quaker. The narrative about Mrs. Bonneville and Mr. Jarvis are here so far contradicted as to prove them false. Mr. Cobbett has completely blown up the lie, about the servant maid of Mr. Hicks having heard Mr. Paine stile himself the Devil's Agent, &c. The particulars of which are republished in No. 7, Vol. 9, of "The Republican." Mr. C. traced the Girl, now a little quaker woman in New York; had an interview with her; but not a word would she acknowledge of the matter: and it is evident, that the lie was fabricated by a New York Quaker.

Mr. Carver still lives and reveres the name and memory of Mr. Paine, as much as I or any other person.

One fault Mr. Paine had, if it may be called a fault, in relation to the community, a fondness for, or a habit of, making free with intoxicating liquors. But, in this fault he never injured any one but himself. He left no unpaid debts-be defrauded no one whilst living-and was in every other sense parsimonious. It was with him a complete thing of habit: perhaps, brought on whilst he was an exciseman. speak feelingly upon this subject: for my father, who was also an exciseman, from being a singularly sober young man, got into a habit of drinking intoxicating liquors, so as to destroy himself and a mental capacity that on many subjects amounted to genius. He was beloved and lamented by all who were acquainted with him; of which, though very young when he died, I have some striking recollections, from what I have seen whilst he was living, and heard since his death. He cut himself off by his excesses, about my present age (thirty four.) The excessive use of intoxicating liquors was his only fault, including the results of that faultwaste of property and neglect of wife and children:-and this I take upon me to say, was the only fault of Mr. Paine, who had neither wife nor children to suffer from it.

There are some habits, after once used to intoxicating liquors, that have no energy when free from those liquors, and I incline to think, that such was the state and habit in Mr. Paine, by what I have heard from some of his friends. Without wine or other liquor, he was but a dull companion, but after a bottle, he would talk like an oracle, and surprize