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(PAINE, THOMAS)

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41. (THOMAS PAINE) (1737-1809) American Revolution political agitator and author on the Pamphlet Common Sense which urged an immediate declaration of independence, issued the periodical Crisis which upheld the colonial cause. A great content A.L.S. "Homunculus" 3pp. 8vo., "at the Tobacconists' No. 26 Crown Street So-ho [London]", Jan 12, 1792 to British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs William W. Grenville, Lord Grenville reporting on seditious activities inspired by the publication of the first volume of Thomas Paine's Rights of Man. The letter reads in full: "In these dangerous times teeming with sedition and conspiracy, when vile Catalinarians endeavour to ruin our glorious constitution and represent our Finances and resources in the worst point of view, also insist in their Arguements that our Taxes are too heavy & misapplied, and state other grievances our intollerable, to draw on Ministers the Odium of the people, I humbly hope it may not be unreasonable to convey some intelligence concerning these desperate Republicans. At a publick house near Lincolns Inn Fields there is a great restore of republican Literati, who discuss the affairs of the nation, the heavy Taxes the people groan under & how wasted in corruption & bribery, the great necessity of reform, &c: and finally conclude with heir levelling System of reducing mankind to an equality and composed of the same materials. Among the rest is a Counsellor, who has some knowledge of Politics, great volubility of Tongue, and upon the whole pretty good Talents; the company, many of whom are honest and respectable Tradesmen, pay the greatest defference to his Opinion and listen to his delusive arguments with the deepest attention, thus instead of minding the duties of their respective callings and being useful Members of Society, they become levellers, and are taught to believe they can make their fortune by a coup de main. An Other of the Company is a Student at the Temple; he has finished an elaborate Treatise in defence of Paine's Rights of Man and was very lately in the Printer's hands. His Friends say it has great merit and will sell rapidly. An other Counsellour, an Occasional Visitor at this house, lately declared at the Tavern, at the foot of Westminster Bridge, in a genteel Company, that T. Paines works had made more Proselytes & done more universal good to mankind than Jesus Christ and his Apostles had ever done on earth. some of the Company were shocked at his impiety and have since avoided him, but others equally admire him. This Deist is not practicing at the Bar. If such incendiaries were checked, their seduced hearers would return to reason and to their different Occupations. be assured that tranquillity is not so thoroughly established as appearances may induce to to suppose, `latet anguis in herb^a' I fear I have already intruded too much upon your time, but if you will condescend to let me know that such Intelligence is not disagreeable, I will then point out these I allude to, and also an Other Den of French ungrateful Tradesmen that meet at a house in this Street, who unthankful for being better employed than many fo the Natives, preach up the Freedom of their Country [as] an example for us. May you always prevail against your Political and other enemies is the Wish of Homunculus." The integral address leaf bears a faint pencilled note (possibly in Grenville's hand) "For H. Dundas", presumably Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, the Home Secretary. Paine's first volume of Rights of Man first appeared in February, 1791 in response to Edmund Burke's attack on the French Revolution and was soon a best seller much to the consternation of the British political establishment. The tumult led the government to threaten any tavern owner who sponsored meetings of radicals with the loss of their licenses. Within a month of this letter, Paine would release the second volume of Rights of Man which led to Paine to be placed on trial for sedition in May, 1792. Home Secretary Henry Dundas proclaimed that Rights of Man had been responsible for much of the agitation among workingmen's societies. During the course of the trial, Paine slipped off to France and he was tried in absentia. This letter was the subject of Vincent DiMarco's article "`Times Teeming with Sedition and Conspiracy': Intelligence Regarding the Supporters of Thomas Paine", in Manuscripts (Vol. 55, No. 1, Winter 2003 pp. 25-32). Letter bears the usual folds - seal tears affest two words, light soiling, otherwise very good condition. $800-1,200

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