Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1832-04-12


nothing compared to that Of his mind" !"
When she had recovered, she went to
see him. In another apartment she found
a French woman, who accompanied him
from France, in great distress, wringing
her hands and lamenting that she had
forsaken her husband, friends, and reli-
gion, to embrace the principles of Paine
that she had spent three years in fol-
lowing him, and now, he told her those
principles would not stand, and charged
her not to build upon them, and now,
says she, | have none to look to.
There was statement in one Of the
newspapers few weeks previous to his
death, that two clergymen went to see
him, and that he treated them very
roughly. Mary Roscoe asked him if
was correct? he told her it was not; but
that he had sent for clergyman, attend
ed by Deacon or Elder, who, suppos-
ing that Paine wished him to proceed in
the usual manner, proposed prayer
Paine told him he did not send for him
to pray, as he did not conceive that any
form of prayer, invented by man, could
avail; but that his motive in sending for
him, was for the relief Of his own mind,
to correct an error which he supposed
him, the Priest, to be in-and then ask
ed him if he was authorised by Christ to
preach' this offended the priest and he
withdrew. Paine remarked that he
much preferred the priest to himself, but
feared his being in an error might be an
injury to others.
The last visit she made him, on enter
ing the door, she perceived him to be in
suppication, (she usually found him in
prayer or writing, and turned to go out,
but his neice spoke to him, and said
"there was a friend from Mr.. Hicks
come TO see him." he paused and ask ed
her to walk in and come near him, say
ing, 81 hope you are friends to God and
Christ" And after another pause, asked
her if she ever read any of Paine's wri-
tings? she replied she had when she was
very young: he queried what she thought
of them? she said, "dost thou really
wish to know what thoughtW He re-
piled, 81 trust you are one who has
bought the truth and would not sell it to
please such vagabond as am" She
then told him that, "for days after perus-
ing it, she could not think good thought
but some of his reasonings would twine
around and repel it, and seeing the other
children Of the family eager to take It up,
she could find no peace till she had COM
mitted it to the hames." He then made
an exclamation, denoting the horror of
his mind, saying, cit had been better for
my poor soul at the present day, if ALL
THE WORLD, like you, had destroyed
them;-but the world was glad to have
it so''-adding, elf ever Satan had an
instrument upon earth to lead into the
ways Of darkness, l have been one.-l
have passed many sleepless night in
endeavoring to preuem the right ,cay."-
And when she took leave of him, he re-
quested her to ask MIR. Hicks to come
and see him, saying, "I love to have him
by me, for when he sits by my side,
though ne says but little, it seems as
though the Devil himself was slenced,
and feel as though would do nothing
but pour out my prayers and tears before
God"
AT another time when some Of Willet
Hicks family we're there, one of Paine's
former friends & adhcrents came s. open
ed the door, but on seeing them he called
out roughly, "Paine, l have heard five
lies about you,-one is that you are dead,
and another is that you have recanted
and turned quaker; as you hare lived like
a man, Ihope you ,ciH die like a,an."-
When he had shut the door, Paine said,
"you see how have lived; this has been
my heaven; these my friends, can do
nothing for me but afflict me-" He
wished for Willet Hicks.