was then past seventy, ought to have been his protection, and might have been offered as an apology at least for some defects and failings when his mind too was depressed under neglect, abuse, and misrepresenta

tion.

In January 1809, Mr. Paine became very feeble and infirm, so much so, as to be scarcely capable of doing any thing for himself.

During this illness he was pestered on every hand with the intrusive and impertinent visits of the bigoted, the fanatic, and the designing. To entertain the reader, some specimens of the conduct of these intruders are here given.

He usually took a nap after dinner, and would not be disturbed let who would call to see him. One afternoon a very old lady dressed in a large scarlet hooded cloak knocked at the door and enquired for Thomas Paine. Mr. Jarvis, with whom Mr. Painę resided, told her he was asleep. I am very sorry she said for that, for I want to see him

particularly. Thinking it a pity to make an old woman call twice, Mr. Jarvis took her into Mr. Paine's bed room, and awoke him; he rose upon one elbow, then, with an expression of eye that made the old woman stagger back a step or two, he asked, "What "do you want?" "Is your name Paine?" "Yes." "Well then, I come from Almighty "God to tell you, that if you do not repent "of your sins, and believe in our blessed "saviour Jesus Christ, you will be damned "and"-"Poh, poh, it is not true, you

were not sent with any such impertinent message; Jarvis, make her go away; pshaw ! "he would not send such a foolish ugly old woman about with his messages; go away,

go back, shut the door." The old lady retired, raised both her hands, kept them so, and without saying another word walked away in mute astonishment.

The following is a curious example of a friendly, neighbourly visit.

About two weeks before his death he was visited by the Rev. Mr. Milledollar, a pres

byterian minister of great eloquence, and the Rev. Mr. Cunningham. The latter gentleman said, "Mr. Paine, we visit you as friends and

neighbours: you have now a full view of "death, you cannot live long, and whoever "does not believe in Jesus Christ will "assuredly be damned." "Let me," said Paine, "have none of your popish stuff; get 66 away with you, good morning, good

66

morning." The Rev. Mr. Milledollar attempted to address him but he was interrupted in the same language. were gone, he said to Mrs.

housekeeper, "do not let them

When they

Hedden, his

come here

"again, they intrude upon me." They soon renewed their visit, but Mrs. Hedden told

them they could not be

she thought the attempt

admitted, and that

useless, for if God

did not change his mind, she was sure no human power could: they retired. Among others, the Rev. Mr. Hargrove, minister of a new sect called the New Jerusalemites, once accosted him with this impertinent stuff: "My name is Hargrove, sir; I am minister "of the new Jerusalem church; we, sir, ex66 plain the scripture in its true meaning;

"the key has been lost these four thousand

years, and we have found it." Then," said Paine in his own neat way, "it must "have been very rusty."

In his last moments he was very anxious to die, and also very solicitous about the mode of his burial; for as he was completely unchanged in his theological sentiments, he would on no account, even after death, countenance ceremonies he disapproved, containing doctrines and expressions of a belief which he conscientiously objected to, and had spent great part of his life in combatting.

He wished to be interred in the quaker's burying ground, and on this subject he requested to see Mr. Willet Hicks, a member of that society, who called on him in consequence.

Mr. Paine, after the usual salutations, said, "As I am going to leave one place it is σε necessary to provide another; I am now "in my seventy-third year, and do not ex

46

This

pect to live long; I wish to be buried in your burying ground." He said his father was a quaker, and that he thought better of the principles of that society than any other, and approved their mode of burial. request of Mr. Paine was refused, very much to the discredit of those who did so; and as the quakers are not unused to grant such indulgencies, in this case it seemed to arise from very little and unworthy motives and prejudices, on the part of those who complied not with this his earnest and unassuming solicitation.

The above quaker in some conversation of a serious nature with Mr. Paine, a short time before his death, was assured by him that his sentiments respecting the christian religion were now precisely the same as when he wrote the 'Age of Reason.'

About the 4th of May, symptoms of approaching dissolution became very evident to himself, and he soon fell off his milk-punch, and became too infirm to take any thing; complaining of much bodily pain.