THOMAS PAINE,AUTHOR OFCOMMON SENSE,DIED JUNE 8, 1809,AGED 72 YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS.
Little did Mr. Paine think when giving this instruction, that the Peter Porcupine who had heaped so much abuse upon him, beyond that of all other persons put together (for Porcupine was the only scribbling opponent that Mr. Paine ever deigned to mention by name) little did he think that this Peter Porcupine, in the person of William Cobbett, should have become his second self in the political world, And should have so far renounced his former opinions and principles as to resent the indifference paid to Paine by the majority of the inhabitants of the United States, and actually remove his bones to England. I consider this mark of respect and honest indignation, as an ample apology for all the abuse helped upon the name and character of Paine by Mr. Cobbett. It is a volume of retractation, more ample and more convincing than his energetic pen could have produced. For my own part whilst we have his writings, I should have felt indifferent as to what became of his bones; but there was an open retractation due from Mr. Cobbett to the people of Britain, for his former abuse of Paine, and I for one am quite content with the apology made.
I shall now close this Memoir, and should the reader think the sketch insufficient, I would say to him that Mr. Paine's own writings will fill up the deficiency, as he was an actor as well as a writer in all the subjects on which he has treated. Wherever I have lightly touched an incident, the works themselves display theminutiæ, and when the reader has gone through the Memoir, and the Works too, he will say, "I am satisfied."
R. CARLILE, DORCHESTER GAOL, MAY 10, 1821.
ADVERTISEMENT.This little Memoir of Mr. Paine was written purposely toaccompany a new Edition of his Political Works, latelypublished by R. Carlile, and whilst it was in the press, itoccurred to him that it would be desirable as a pamphlet tothose persons who had made a previous purchase of thoseworks. Accordingly lie worked off 500 of them, and foundthat they were all sold in a few weeks, without a singleadvertisement beyond "The Republican." It has now been outof print for above three months, and finding a constant, andincreasing demand for them, he has been induced to make afew corrections and some slight additions, and to print asecond edition. Brief as the number of its pages mustappear, for so interesting a character, the Compiler feelsassured that it will be deemed sufficient by all persons whomay possess Mr Paine's writings, for whose satisfaction itwas solely written,