In the Course of this Winter appeared a Phenomenon in
Philadelphia
a Star of Disaster Disastrous
Meteor, I mean Thomas Paine. He came from
England, and got into such company as would converse with him,
and ran about picking up what Information he could, concerning our Affairs, and
finding the great Question was concerning Independence, he gleaned from those
he saw the common place Arguments concerning Independence: such as the
Necessity of Independence, at some time or other, the peculiar fitness at this
time: the justice of it: the Provocation to it: the necessity of it: our
Ability to maintain it &c. &c.
Dr.
Rush put him upon Writing on the Subject, furnished him with the
Arguments which had been urged in Congress an hundred times, and gave him his
title of common Sense. In the
latter part of Winter, or
the early in the Spring he came out, with his Pamphlet. The
Arguments in
favour of Independence I liked very well:
but one third of the Book was filled with Arguments from the old
Testiment, to prove the Unlawfulness of Monarchy,
and another Third, in planning a form of Government, for the
seperate States in One Assembly, and for the
United States, in a Congress. His Arguments from the old
Testiment, were ridiculous, but whether they
proceeded from
Page 2
honest Ignorance,
and or foolish
[Superstition] on one hand, or from willfull Sophistry
and knavish
Hypocricy on the other I
know not. The other third part relative to a form of Government I considered as
flowing from simple Ignorance, and a mere desire to please the democratic Party
in
Philadelphia, at whose head were
Mr. Matlock,
Mr.
Cannon and
Dr. Young. I regretted
however, to see so foolish a plan recommended to the People of the
United
States, who were all waiting only for the
[illegible] Countenance of Congress, to institute their State
Governments. I dreaded the Effect so popular a pamphlet might have, among the
People, and determined to do all in my Power, to counter Act the Effect of it.
My continued Occupations in Congress, allowed me no time to write any thing of
any Length: but I found moments to write a small pamphlet which Mr.
Richard Henry Lee, to whom I
shewed it, liked
it so well that he insisted on my permitting him to publish
it: He
accordingly got
Mr. Dunlap to print it,
under the
Tittle of Thoughts on Government in a Letter
from a Gentleman to his Friend. Common Sense was published without a Name: and
I thought it best to suppress my name too: but as common Sense when it first
appeared was generally by the public ascribed to me or
Mr.
Samuel Adams, I soon regretted that my name did not appear. Afterward
I had a new Edition of it printed with my name and the name of Mr.
Wythe of
Virginia to whom the Letter was at first intended to have been
addressed. The Gentlemen of
New York availed themselves of the Ideas in this
Morsell in the formation of the Constitution of that
State. And
Mr. Lee sent it to the Convention of
Virginia when they met to form their Government and it went to
North Carolina,
New Jersey and other
States. Matlock,Cannon,
Young and Paine had influence enough however,
to get their plan adopted in substance in
Georgia and
Vermont as well as
PhiladelphiaPennsilvania. These three States have since
found them, such Systems
Page 3
of Anarchy, if that Expression is not a
contradiction in terms, that they have altered them and made them more
conformable to my plan. -- Paine soon after the Appearance of
my Pamphlet hurried away to my Lodgings and spent an Evening with me. His
Business was to reprehend me for publishing my Pamphlet. Said he was afraid it
would do hurt, and that it was repugnant to the plan he had proposed in his
Common Sense. I told him it was true it was repugnant and for that reason,
I had written it and I had consented to the publication
of it: for I was as much afraid of his Work
[as] he was of
mine. His plan was so democratical, without any restraint or even an Attempt at
any Equilibrium or Counterpoise, that it must produce confusion and every Evil
Work. I told him further, that his Reasoning from the Old Testament was
ridiculous, and I could hardly think him sincere. At this he laughed, and said
he had taken his Ideas in that part from Milton: and then
expressed a Contempt of the Old Testament and indeed of the Bible at large,
which
surprized me. He saw that I did not relish
this, and soon check'd himself, with these Words "However I have some thoughts
of publishing my Thoughts on Religion, but I believe it will be best to
postpone it, to the latter part of Life." This Conversation passed in good
humour, without any harshness on either Side: but I
perceived in him a conceit of himself, and a daring Impudence, which have been
developed more and more to this day. . . . The third part of Common Sense which
relates wholly to the Question of Independence, was clearly written and
contained a
tollerable Summary of the Arguments
which I had been repeating again and again in Congress for nine months. But I
am bold to say there is not a Fact nor a Reason stated in it, which had not
been frequently urged in Congress. The Temper and Wishes of the People,
supplied every thing at that time: and the Phrases, suitable for an Emigrant
from New Gate, or
who one who had chiefly associated with
such Company, such as "The Royal Brute of
England," "The Blood upon his Soul," and a few others
Page 4
of equal delicacy, had as much Weight with the People as his Arguments.
It has been a general Opinion, that this Pamphlet was of great Importance in
the Revolution. I doubted it at the time and have doubted it to this day. It
probably converted some to the Doctrine of Independence, and gave others an
Excuse for declaring in
favour of it. But these would
all have followed Congress, with Zeal: and on the other hand it excited many
Writers against it, particularly plain Truth, who contributed very largely to
fortify and inflame the Party against Independence, and finally lost us
the Allens, Penns, and many other
Persons of Weight in the Community. Notwithstanding these doubts I felt myself
obliged to Paine for the Pains he had taken and for his good
Intentions to serve Us which I then had no doubt of. I
say saw he
had a capacity and a ready Pen, and understanding he was poor and destitute, I
thought We might put him into some Employment, where he might be
usefull and earn a Living. Congress appointed a Committee
of foreign affairs not long after and they wanted a Clerk. I nominated
Thomas Paine, supposing him a ready Writer and an industrious
Man.Dr. Witherspoon the President of
New Jersey
Colledge and then a
Delegate from that State rose and objected to it, with an Earnestness that
surprized me. The Dr. said he would give his
reasons; he knew the Man and his Communications: When he first came over, he
was on the other Side and had written pieces against the American Cause: that
he had afterwards been employed by his Friend Robert Aitkin,
and finding the Tide of Popularity run
pretty strong rapidly, he had
turned about: that he was very intemperate and could not write
untill he had quickened his Thoughts with large
draughts of Rum and Water: that he was in short a bad
Character and not fit to be placed in such a Situation. -- General
Roberdeau spoke in his
favour: no one
confirmed Witherspoons Account, though the truth of it has
since been sufficiently established. Congress appointed him: but he was soon
obnoxious by his Manners, and dismissed.
