Butasreligionisveryimproperlymadeapoliticalmachine,andtherealityofitistherebydestroyed,Iwillconcludethisworkwithstatinginwhatlightreligionappearstome。
Ifwesupposealargefamilyofchildren,who,onanyparticularday,orparticularcircumstance,madeitacustomtopresenttotheirparentssometokenoftheiraffectionandgratitude,eachofthemwouldmakeadifferentoffering,andmostprobablyinadifferentmanner。Somewouldpaytheircongratulationsinthemesofverseandprose,bysomelittledevices,astheirgeniusdictated,oraccordingtowhattheythoughtwouldplease;and,perhaps,theleastofall,notabletodoanyofthosethings,wouldrambleintothegarden,orthefield,andgatherwhatitthoughttheprettiestfloweritcouldfind,though,perhaps,itmightbebutasimpleweed。Theparentwouldbemoregratifiedbysuchavariety,thanifthewholeofthemhadactedonaconcertedplan,andeachhadmadeexactlythesameoffering。Thiswouldhavethecoldappearanceofcontrivance,ortheharshoneofcontrol。Butofallunwelcomethings,nothingcouldmoreafflicttheparentthantoknow,thatthewholeofthemhadafterwardsgottentogetherbytheears,boysandgirls,fighting,scratching,reviling,andabusingeachotheraboutwhichwasthebestortheworstpresent。
Whymaywenotsuppose,thatthegreatFatherofallispleasedwithvarietyofdevotion;andthatthegreatestoffencewecanact,isthatbywhichweseektotormentandrendereachothermiserable？
Formyownpart,IamfullysatisfiedthatwhatIamnowdoing,withanendeavourtoconciliatemankind,torendertheirconditionhappy,tounitenationsthathavehithertobeenenemies,andtoextirpatethehorridpracticeofwar,andbreakthechainsofslaveryandoppressionisacceptableinhissight,andbeingthebestserviceIcanperform,Iactitcheerfully。
Idonotbelievethatanytwomen,onwhatarecalleddoctrinalpoints,thinkalikewhothinkatall。Itisonlythosewhohavenotthoughtthatappeartoagree。ItisinthiscaseaswithwhatiscalledtheBritishconstitution。Ithasbeentakenforgrantedtobegood,andencomiumshavesuppliedtheplaceofproof。Butwhenthenationcomestoexamineintoitsprinciplesandtheabusesitadmits,itwillbefoundtohavemoredefectsthanIhavepointedoutinthisworkandtheformer。
Astowhatarecallednationalreligions,wemay,withasmuchpropriety,talkofnationalGods。ItiseitherpoliticalcraftortheremainsofthePagansystem,wheneverynationhaditsseparateandparticulardeity。AmongallthewritersoftheEnglishchurchclergy,whohavetreatedonthegeneralsubjectofreligion,thepresentBishopofLlandaffhasnotbeenexcelled,anditiswithmuchpleasurethatItakethisopportunityofexpressingthistokenofrespect。
Ihavenowgonethroughthewholeofthesubject,atleast,asfarasitappearstomeatpresent。IthasbeenmyintentionforthefiveyearsIhavebeeninEurope,toofferanaddresstothepeopleofEnglandonthesubjectofgovernment,iftheopportunitypresenteditselfbeforeIreturnedtoAmerica。Mr。Burkehasthrownitinmyway,andIthankhim。Onacertainoccasion,threeyearsago,Ipressedhimtoproposeanationalconvention,tobefairlyelected,forthepurposeoftakingthestateofthenationintoconsideration;butIfound,thathoweverstronglytheparliamentarycurrentwasthensettingagainstthepartyheactedwith,theirpolicywastokeepeverythingwithinthatfieldofcorruption,andtrusttoaccidents。Longexperiencehadshownthatparliamentswouldfollowanychangeofministers,andonthistheyrestedtheirhopesandtheirexpectations。
Formerly,whendivisionsaroserespectinggovernments,recoursewashadtothesword,andacivilwarensued。Thatsavagecustomisexplodedbythenewsystem,andreferenceishadtonationalconventions。Discussionandthegeneralwillarbitratesthequestion,andtothis,privateopinionyieldswithagoodgrace,andorderispreserveduninterrupted。
SomegentlemenhaveaffectedtocalltheprinciplesuponwhichthisworkandtheformerpartofRightsofManarefounded,"anew—fangleddoctrine。"Thequestionisnotwhetherthoseprinciplesareneworold,butwhethertheyarerightorwrong。
Supposetheformer,Iwillshowtheireffectbyafigureeasilyunderstood。
ItisnowtowardsthemiddleofFebruary。WereItotakeaturnintothecountry,thetreeswouldpresentaleafless,winteryappearance。Aspeopleareapttoplucktwigsastheywalkalong,I
perhapsmightdothesame,andbychancemightobserve,thatasinglebudonthattwighadbeguntoswell。Ishouldreasonveryunnaturally,orrathernotreasonatall,tosupposethiswastheonlybudinEnglandwhichhadthisappearance。Insteadofdecidingthus,Ishouldinstantlyconclude,thatthesameappearancewasbeginning,orabouttobegin,everywhere;andthoughthevegetablesleepwillcontinuelongeronsometreesandplantsthanonothers,andthoughsomeofthemmaynotblossomfortwoorthreeyears,allwillbeinleafinthesummer,exceptthosewhicharerotten。Whatpacethepoliticalsummermaykeepwiththenatural,nohumanforesightcandetermine。Itis,however,notdifficulttoperceivethatthespringisbegun。—Thuswishing,asIsincerelydo,freedomandhappinesstoallnations,Iclosethesecondpart。
TheRightsOfMan:Author'sNotesTheAuthor'sNotesFORPARTONEANDPARTTWO
1。Themainanduniformmaximofthejudgesis,thegreaterthetruththegreaterthelibel。
2。Sincewritingtheabove,twootherplacesoccurinMr。Burke'spamphletinwhichthenameoftheBastilleismentioned,butinthesamemanner。Intheoneheintroducesitinasortofobscurequestion,andasks:"Willanyministerswhonowservesuchaking,withbutadecentappearanceofrespect,cordiallyobeytheordersofthosewhombuttheotherday,inhisname,theyhadcommittedtotheBastille？"IntheotherthetakingitismentionedasimplyingcriminalityintheFrenchguards,whoassistedindemolishingit。"Theyhavenot,"sayshe,"forgotthetakingtheking'scastlesatParis。"ThisisMr。Burke,whopretendstowriteonconstitutionalfreedom。
3。Iamwarrantedinassertingthis,asIhaditpersonallyfromM。
delaFayette,withwhomIlivedinhabitsoffriendshipforfourteenyears。
4。AnaccountoftheexpeditiontoVersaillesmaybeseeninNo。13
oftheRevolutiondePariscontainingtheeventsfromthe3rdtothe10thofOctober,1789。
5。Itisapracticeinsomepartsofthecountry,whentwotravellershavebutonehorse,which,likethenationalpurse,willnotcarrydouble,thattheonemountsandridestwoorthreemilesahead,andthentiesthehorsetoagateandwalkson。Whenthesecondtravellerarriveshetakesthehorse,rideson,andpasseshiscompanionamileortwo,andtiesagain,andsoon—Rideandtie。
6。Thewordheusedwasrenvoye,dismissedorsentaway。
7。Wheninanycountryweseeextraordinarycircumstancestakingplace,theynaturallyleadanymanwhohasatalentforobservationandinvestigation,toenquireintothecauses。ThemanufacturersofManchester,Birmingham,andSheffield,aretheprincipalmanufacturersinEngland。Fromwhencedidthisarise？Alittleobservationwillexplainthecase。Theprincipal,andthegeneralityoftheinhabitantsofthoseplaces,arenotofwhatiscalledinEngland,thechurchestablishedbylaw:andthey,ortheirfathers,（foritiswithinbutafewyears）withdrewfromthepersecutionofthecharteredtowns,wheretest—lawsmoreparticularlyoperate,andestablishedasortofasylumforthemselvesinthoseplaces。Itwastheonlyasylumthatthenoffered,fortherestofEuropewasworse。—Butthecaseisnowchanging。FranceandAmericabidallcomerswelcome,andinitiatethemintoalltherightsofcitizenship。Policyandinterest,therefore,will,butperhapstoolate,dictateinEngland,whatreasonandjusticecouldnot。Thosemanufacturersarewithdrawing,andarisinginotherplaces。ThereisnowerectinginPassey,threemilesfromParis,alargecottonmanufactory,andseveralarealreadyerectedinAmerica。SoonaftertherejectingtheBillforrepealingthetest—law,oneoftherichestmanufacturersinEnglandsaidinmyhearing,"England,Sir,isnotacountryforadissentertolivein,—wemustgotoFrance。"Thesearetruths,anditisdoingjusticetobothpartiestotellthem。ItischieflythedissentersthathavecarriedEnglishmanufacturestotheheighttheyarenowat,andthesamemenhaveitintheirpowertocarrythemaway;andthoughthosemanufactureswouldafterwardscontinueinthoseplaces,theforeignmarketwillbelost。
TherefrequentlyappearintheLondonGazette,extractsfromcertainactstopreventmachinesandpersons,asfarastheycanextendtopersons,fromgoingoutofthecountry。Itappearsfromthesethattheilleffectsofthetest—lawsandchurch—establishmentbegintobemuchsuspected;buttheremedyofforcecanneversupplytheremedyofreason。Intheprogressoflessthanacentury,alltheunrepresentedpartofEngland,ofalldenominations,whichisatleastanhundredtimesthemostnumerous,maybegintofeelthenecessityofaconstitution,andthenallthosematterswillcomeregularlybeforethem。
8。WhentheEnglishMinister,Mr。Pitt,mentionstheFrenchfinancesagainintheEnglishParliament,itwouldbewellthathenoticedthisasanexample。
9。Mr。Burke,（andImusttakethelibertyoftellinghimthatheisveryunacquaintedwithFrenchaffairs）,speakinguponthissubject,says,"ThefirstthingthatstruckmeincallingtheStates—General,wasagreatdeparturefromtheancientcourse";—andhesoonaftersays,"FromthemomentIreadthelist,Isawdistinctly,andverynearlyasithashappened,allthatwastofollow。"—Mr。Burkecertainlydidnotseeanthatwastofollow。I
endeavouredtoimpresshim,aswellbeforeasaftertheStates—Generalmet,thattherewouldbearevolution;butwasnotabletomakehimseeit,neitherwouldhebelieveit。Howthenhecoulddistinctlyseealltheparts,whenthewholewasoutofsight,isbeyondmycomprehension。Andwithrespecttothe"departurefromtheancientcourse,"besidesthenaturalweaknessoftheremark,itshowsthatheisunacquaintedwithcircumstances。Thedeparturewasnecessary,fromtheexperiencehaduponit,thattheancientcoursewasabadone。TheStates—Generalof1614werecalledatthecommencementofthecivilwarintheminorityofLouisXIII。;butbytheclassofarrangingthembyorders,theyincreasedtheconfusiontheywerecalledtocompose。TheauthorofL'IntrigueduCabinet,（IntrigueoftheCabinet）,whowrotebeforeanyrevolutionwasthoughtofinFrance,speakingoftheStates—Generalof1614,says,"Theyheldthepublicinsuspensefivemonths;andbythequestionsagitatedtherein,andtheheatwithwhichtheywereput,itappearsthatthegreat（lesgrands）thoughtmoretosatisfytheirparticularpassions,thantoprocurethegoodsofthenation;andthewholetimepassedawayinaltercations,ceremoniesandparade。"—L'IntrigueduCabinet,vol。i。p。329。
10。Thereisasingleidea,which,ifitstrikesrightlyuponthemind,eitherinalegalorareligioussense,willpreventanymanoranybodyofmen,oranygovernment,fromgoingwrongonthesubjectofreligion;whichis,thatbeforeanyhumaninstitutionsofgovernmentwereknownintheworld,thereexisted,ifImaysoexpressit,acompactbetweenGodandman,fromthebeginningoftime:andthatastherelationandconditionwhichmaninhisindividualpersonstandsintowardshisMakercannotbechangedbyanyhumanlawsorhumanauthority,thatreligiousdevotion,whichisapartofthiscompact,cannotsomuchasbemadeasubjectofhumanlaws;andthatalllawsmustconformthemselvestothispriorexistingcompact,andnotassumetomakethecompactconformtothelaws,which,besidesbeinghuman,aresubsequentthereto。Thefirstactofman,whenhelookedaroundandsawhimselfacreaturewhichhedidnotmake,andaworldfurnishedforhisreception,musthavebeendevotion;anddevotionmustevercontinuesacredtoeveryindividualman,asitappears,righttohim;andgovernmentsdomischiefbyinterfering。
11。Seethiswork,PartIstartingatlinenumber254。—N。B。SincethetakingoftheBastille,theoccurrenceshavebeenpublished:butthemattersrecordedinthisnarrative,arepriortothatperiod;andsomeofthem,asmaybeeasilyseen,canbebutverylittleknown。
12。See"EstimateoftheComparativeStrengthofGreatBritain,"byG。Chalmers。
13。See"AdministrationoftheFinancesofFrance,"vol。iii,byM。
Neckar。
14。"AdministrationoftheFinancesofFrance,"vol。iii。
15。WhethertheEnglishcommercedoesnotbringinmoney,orwhetherthegovernmentsendsitoutafteritisbroughtin,isamatterwhichthepartiesconcernedcanbestexplain;butthatthedeficiencyexists,isnotinthepowerofeithertodisprove。
WhileDr。Price,Mr。Eden,（nowAuckland）,Mr。Chalmers,andothers,weredebatingwhetherthequantityofmoneyinEnglandwasgreaterorlessthanattheRevolution,thecircumstancewasnotadvertedto,thatsincetheRevolution,therecannothavebeenlessthanfourhundredmillionssterlingimportedintoEurope;andthereforethequantityinEnglandoughtatleasttohavebeenfourtimesgreaterthanitwasattheRevolution,tobeonaproportionwithEurope。WhatEnglandisnowdoingbypaper,iswhatshewouldhavebeenabletodobysolidmoney,ifgoldandsilverhadcomeintothenationintheproportionitought,orhadnotbeensentout;andsheisendeavouringtorestorebypaper,thebalanceshehaslostbymoney。
Itiscertain,thatthegoldandsilverwhicharriveannuallyintheregister—shipstoSpainandPortugal,donotremaininthosecountries。Takingthevaluehalfingoldandhalfinsilver,itisaboutfourhundredtonsannually;andfromthenumberofshipsandgalloonsemployedinthetradeofbringingthosemetalsfromSouth—AmericatoPortugalandSpain,thequantitysufficientlyprovesitself,withoutreferringtotheregisters。
InthesituationEnglandnowis,itisimpossibleshecanincreaseinmoney。Hightaxesnotonlylessenthepropertyoftheindividuals,buttheylessenalsothemoneycapitalofthenation,byinducingsmuggling,whichcanonlybecarriedonbygoldandsilver。BythepoliticswhichtheBritishGovernmenthavecarriedonwiththeInlandPowersofGermanyandtheContinent,ithasmadeanenemyofalltheMaritimePowers,andisthereforeobligedtokeepupalargenavy;butthoughthenavyisbuiltinEngland,thenavalstoresmustbepurchasedfromabroad,andthatfromcountrieswherethegreatestpartmustbepaidforingoldandsilver。SomefallaciousrumourshavebeensetafloatinEnglandtoinduceabeliefinmoney,and,amongothers,thatoftheFrenchrefugeesbringinggreatquantities。Theideaisridiculous。
ThegeneralpartofthemoneyinFranceissilver;anditwouldtakeupwardsoftwentyofthelargestbroadwheelwagons,withtenhorseseach,toremoveonemillionsterlingofsilver。
Isitthentobesupposed,thatafewpeoplefleeingonhorse—backorinpost—chaises,inasecretmanner,andhavingtheFrenchCustom—Housetopass,andtheseatocross,couldbringevenasufficiencyfortheirownexpenses？
Whenmillionsofmoneyarespokenof,itshouldberecollected,thatsuchsumscanonlyaccumulateinacountrybyslowdegrees,andalongprocessionoftime。ThemostfrugalsystemthatEnglandcouldnowadopt,wouldnotrecoverinacenturythebalanceshehaslostinmoneysincethecommencementoftheHanoversuccession。SheisseventymillionsbehindFrance,andshemustbeinsomeconsiderableproportionbehindeverycountryinEurope,becausethereturnsoftheEnglishmintdonotshowanincreaseofmoney,whiletheregistersofLisbonandCadizshowanEuropeanincreaseofbetweenthreeandfourhundredmillionssterling。
16。ThatpartofAmericawhichisgenerallycalledNew—England,includingNew—Hampshire,Massachusetts,Rhode—Island,andConnecticut,ispeopledchieflybyEnglishdescendants。InthestateofNew—YorkabouthalfareDutch,therestEnglish,Scotch,andIrish。InNew—jersey,amixtureofEnglishandDutch,withsomeScotchandIrish。InPennsylvaniaaboutonethirdareEnglish,anotherGermans,andtheremainderScotchandIrish,withsomeSwedes。TheStatestothesouthwardhaveagreaterproportionofEnglishthanthemiddleStates,butinallofthemthereisamixture;andbesidesthoseenumerated,thereareaconsiderablenumberofFrench,andsomefewofalltheEuropeannations,lyingonthecoast。ThemostnumerousreligiousdenominationarethePresbyterians;butnoonesectisestablishedaboveanother,andallmenareequallycitizens。
17。Foracharacterofaristocracy,thereaderisreferredtoRightsofMan,PartI。,startingatlinenumber1457。
18。ThewholeamountoftheassessedtaxesofFrance,forthepresentyear,isthreehundredmillionsoffrancs,whichistwelvemillionsandahalfsterling;andtheincidentaltaxesareestimatedatthreemillions,makinginthewholefifteenmillionsandahalf;
whichamongtwenty—fourmillionsofpeople,isnotquitethirteenshillingsperhead。Francehaslessenedhertaxessincetherevolution,nearlyninemillionssterlingannually。Beforetherevolution,thecityofParispaidadutyofupwardsofthirtypercent。
onallarticlesbroughtintothecity。Thistaxwascollectedatthecitygates。ItwastakenoffonthefirstoflastMay,andthegatestakendown。
19。Whatwascalledthelivrerouge,ortheredbook,inFrance,wasnotexactlysimilartotheCourtCalendarinEngland;butitsufficientlyshowedhowagreatpartofthetaxeswaslavished。
20。InEnglandtheimprovementsinagriculture,usefularts,manufactures,andcommerce,havebeenmadeinoppositiontothegeniusofitsgovernment,whichisthatoffollowingprecedents。Itisfromtheenterpriseandindustryoftheindividuals,andtheirnumerousassociations,inwhich,tritelyspeaking,governmentisneitherpillownorbolster,thattheseimprovementshaveproceeded。Nomanthoughtaboutgovernment,orwhowasin,orwhowasout,whenhewasplanningorexecutingthosethings;andallhehadtohope,withrespecttogovernment,was,thatitwouldlethimalone。Threeorfourverysillyministerialnewspapersarecontinuallyoffendingagainstthespiritofnationalimprovement,byascribingittoaminister。Theymaywithasmuchtruthascribethisbooktoaminister。
21。Withrespecttothetwohouses,ofwhichtheEnglishparliamentiscomposed,theyappeartobeeffectuallyinfluencedintoone,and,asalegislature,tohavenotemperofitsown。Theminister,whoeverheatanytimemaybe,touchesitaswithanopiumwand,anditsleepsobedience。
Butifwelookatthedistinctabilitiesofthetwohouses,thedifferencewillappearsogreat,astoshowtheinconsistencyofplacingpowerwheretherecanbenocertaintyofthejudgmenttouseit。WretchedasthestateofrepresentationisinEngland,itismanhoodcomparedwithwhatiscalledthehouseofLords;andsolittleisthisnick—namedhouseregarded,thatthepeoplescarcelyenquireatanytimewhatitisdoing。Itappearsalsotobemostunderinfluence,andthefurthestremovedfromthegeneralinterestofthenation。InthedebateonengagingintheRussianandTurkishwar,themajorityinthehouseofpeersinfavorofitwasupwardsofninety,whenintheotherhouse,whichwasmorethandoubleitsnumbers,themajoritywassixty—three。
TheproceedingsonMr。Fox'sbill,respectingtherightsofjuries,meritsalsotobenoticed。Thepersonscalledthepeerswerenottheobjectsofthatbill。Theyarealreadyinpossessionofmoreprivilegesthanthatbillgavetoothers。Theyaretheirownjury,andifanyoneofthathousewereprosecutedforalibel,hewouldnotsuffer,evenuponconviction,forthefirstoffense。
Suchinequalityinlawsoughtnottoexistinanycountry。TheFrenchconstitutionsays,thatthelawisthesametoeveryindividual,whethertoProtectortopunish。Allareequalinitssight。
22。AstothestateofrepresentationinEngland,itistooabsurdtobereasonedupon。Almostalltherepresentedpartsaredecreasinginpopulation,andtheunrepresentedpartsareincreasing。
Ageneralconventionofthenationisnecessarytotakethewholeformofgovernmentintoconsideration。
23。ItisrelatedthatinthecantonofBerne,inSwitzerland,ithasbeencustomary,fromtimeimmemorial,tokeepabearatthepublicexpense,andthepeoplehadbeentaughttobelievethatiftheyhadnotabeartheyshouldallbeundone。Ithappenedsomeyearsagothatthebear,theninbeing,wastakensick,anddiedtoosuddenlytohavehisplaceimmediatelysuppliedwithanother。Duringthisinterregnumthepeoplediscoveredthatthecorngrew,andthevintageflourished,andthesunandmooncontinuedtoriseandset,andeverythingwentonthesameasbefore,andtakingcouragefromthesecircumstances,theyresolvednottokeepanymorebears;for,saidthey,"abearisaveryvoraciousexpensiveanimal,andwewereobligedtopullouthisclaws,lestheshouldhurtthecitizens。"ThestoryofthebearofBernewasrelatedinsomeoftheFrenchnewspapers,atthetimeoftheflightofLouisXVI。,andtheapplicationofittomonarchycouldnotbemistakeninFrance;butitseemsthatthearistocracyofBerneappliedittothemselves,andhavesinceprohibitedthereadingofFrenchnewspapers。
24。Itisscarcelypossibletotouchonanysubject,thatwillnotsuggestanallusiontosomecorruptioningovernments。Thesimileof"fortifications,"unfortunatelyinvolveswithitacircumstance,whichisdirectlyinpointwiththematterabovealludedto。
Amongthenumerousinstancesofabusewhichhavebeenactedorprotectedbygovernments,ancientormodern,thereisnotagreaterthanthatofquarteringamanandhisheirsuponthepublic,tobemaintainedatitsexpense。
Humanitydictatesaprovisionforthepoor;butbywhatright,moralorpolitical,doesanygovernmentassumetosay,thatthepersoncalledtheDukeofRichmond,shallbemaintainedbythepublic？
Yet,ifcommonreportistrue,notabeggarinLondoncanpurchasehiswretchedpittanceofcoal,withoutpayingtowardsthecivillistoftheDukeofRichmond。Werethewholeproduceofthisimpositionbutashillingayear,theiniquitousprinciplewouldbestillthesame;butwhenitamounts,asitissaidtodo,tonolessthantwentythousandpoundsperannum,theenormityistooserioustobepermittedtoremain。Thisisoneoftheeffectsofmonarchyandaristocracy。
InstatingthiscaseIamledbynopersonaldislike。ThoughIthinkitmeaninanymantoliveuponthepublic,theviceoriginatesinthegovernment;andsogeneralisitbecome,thatwhetherthepartiesareintheministryorintheopposition,itmakesnodifference:theyaresureoftheguaranteeofeachother。
25。InAmericatheincreaseofcommerceisgreaterinproportionthaninEngland。Itis,atthistime,atleastonehalfmorethanatanyperiodpriortotherevolution。ThegreatestnumberofvesselsclearedoutoftheportofPhiladelphia,beforethecommencementofthewar,wasbetweeneightandninehundred。Intheyear1788,thenumberwasupwardsoftwelvehundred。AstheStateofPennsylvaniaisestimatedataneighthpartoftheUnitedStatesinpopulation,thewholenumberofvesselsmustnowbenearlytenthousand。
26。WhenIsawMr。Pitt'smodeofestimatingthebalanceoftrade,inoneofhisparliamentaryspeeches,heappearedtometoknownothingofthenatureandinterestofcommerce;andnomanhasmorewantonlytortureditthanhimself。Duringaperiodofpeaceithasbeenhavockedwiththecalamitiesofwar。Threetimeshasitbeenthrownintostagnation,andthevesselsunmannedbyimpressing,withinlessthanfouryearsofpeace。
27。Rev。WilliamKnowle,masterofthegrammarschoolofThetford,inNorfolk。
28。Politicsandself—interesthavebeensouniformlyconnectedthattheworld,frombeingsooftendeceived,hasarighttobesuspiciousofpubliccharacters,butwithregardtomyselfIamperfectlyeasyonthishead。Ididnot,atmyfirstsettingoutinpubliclife,nearlyseventeenyearsago,turnmythoughtstosubjectsofgovernmentfrommotivesofinterest,andmyconductfromthatmomenttothisprovesthefact。IsawanopportunityinwhichIthoughtIcoulddosomegood,andIfollowedexactlywhatmyheartdictated。Ineitherreadbooks,norstudiedotherpeople'sopinion。Ithoughtformyself。Thecasewasthis:—
DuringthesuspensionoftheoldgovernmentsinAmerica,bothpriortoandatthebreakingoutofhostilities,Iwasstruckwiththeorderanddecorumwithwhicheverythingwasconducted,andimpressedwiththeideathatalittlemorethanwhatsocietynaturallyperformedwasallthegovernmentthatwasnecessary,andthatmonarchyandaristocracywerefraudsandimpositionsuponmankind。OntheseprinciplesIpublishedthepamphletCommonSense。
Thesuccessitmetwithwasbeyondanythingsincetheinventionofprinting。IgavethecopyrighttoeverystateintheUnion,andthedemandrantonotlessthanonehundredthousandcopies。Icontinuedthesubjectinthesamemanner,underthetitleofTheCrisis,tillthecompleteestablishmentoftheRevolution。
AfterthedeclarationofindependenceCongressunanimously,andunknowntome,appointedmeSecretaryintheForeignDepartment。Thiswasagreeabletome,becauseitgavemetheopportunityofseeingintotheabilitiesofforeigncourts,andtheirmannerofdoingbusiness。ButamisunderstandingarisingbetweenCongressandme,respectingoneoftheircommissionerstheninEurope,Mr。SilasDeane,Iresignedtheoffice,anddeclinedatthesametimethepecuniaryoffersmadebytheMinistersofFranceandSpain,M。GeraldandDonJuanMirralles。