Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-07-20
-Four Dollars Per A4num-Paia IN AdSanee.l

'verence and pious resignation; but
thate common hbeller should be
invested with more than kingly pow
sr and prerogrative, is what / never
heard Of.
Gentlemen, I have been drawn in
to say more of religious matters than
1 could wish to do. Not that such
things are not good and fit to say but
I would willingly ayoid topic SO "a
cred because I arm not worthy to dis
cuss it, and because IL sometimes is
made cant; and nothing is more O.
dious than cantlng liwyer, NOT esen
a cantirg libelIer. I have cited to this
court those cases, where it has been
held no justification of libeller that
what he published had before been
published by many othesu, and. unco1-
traJicted. have referred to the sta
tute which does not allow the truth it
self to be a justification, unless the de-
PENDANT can make it satisfactorily ap-
pear, that he published chat truth with
good and Unsuitable motive. 1 have
cited English cases, where the good
intention of the defendant was net al.
lowed to justify him for acts that are
in their own essence criminal, furnish
the inference of malice and of bad IN
tention. AS well the robber or the
murderer might say, that some one told
Ehim the victim of his fury deserved
his death, and upon such villainous
suggestion constitute himself his le.
gislator, his accuser, his Judge and ex-
ecutioner.
If the defendants counsel had pro-
we'd him an idiot from his nativity, or
one deransed in mind, or under the
influence of Temporary phrensy, they
might have excused him: but on the
contrary, they have compared him to
the great names of Burke and Bishop
Watson, nay more, they have modest
Ily preferred him to them beth, for they
assert that his vile book has been the
ablest REPUTATION of the Age of Reason
that ever issued from the pen of man.
Was not this gross and rank! Mark
but the difference. When Paine was
in the vigonr of his mind, when his
Extraordinary writings had partiz ans
land countenance 10 SEX them, they att
tackled him with manly energy. They
provoked an answer, and lett the world
TO judge between their arguments, aud
left behind them monument of SPLEEN
did controversy. Not SO, this man,
who lurchcd, and lodged, and crouch
led, till death had d me his work, and
then came forward, when his adversa-
Iry's tongue was mute TO prove he was
a beast. IF he was a beast even, he
was king of beasts compared to ills
one: hut you remember what kind of
beast that was, that kicked a. the dead
lion.
But since We are upon the subject
iof this God ike work, this history,
( which 1 could never wade through,
the very preface is enough to shew
you what the writer is, and whether
he has written faithfully, without de-
lceit or malice.
| In he 2tst page of his preface, this
historian states, that on the arrival Of
Thomas Paine, he was the man of all
The community that took upon him to
procure lodging for him, and the first
that sat at the same board with him.
/" 1 engaged room for him in Lovett's
hotel, supposing him to be gentle
man." And in the Esd page of his
preface he says" My acquaintance
Continued with him, with various
views, two or three years." Now
weigh this well.> Paine was as much
a devil then as when he died. The
defendant knew him for no other than
I Tom Paine, the author of that very
Age of Reason which holy inspirati-
on now calls upon him to arraign. Yes,
he was the first to wait upon him, and
TO welcome him to take lodging for
him, and TO continue his intimacy with
him with various views, two or three
years. My intercourse (says this
historian) was more frequent with him
than agreeable but what I suffered in
feelings from his want of good man.
ners, his dogmatism, the tyranny OF
MS opinions, his peevishness, his in
Temperance, and the low company he
kept, was perhaps comparatively ac-
lquiring knowledge of the man. The