[figure description] Page 174.[end figure description]

Omitting the lions in the
tower, the regalia in the jewel office, and

[figure description] Page 175.[end figure description]

the other in&longs;ignia of Briti&longs;h royalty, of
which Engli&longs;hmen are &longs;o ju&longs;tly proud,
I &longs;hall content my&longs;elf, with mentioning
the mo&longs;t &longs;ingular curio&longs;ity, I &longs;aw in London.
It was the celebrated Thomas
Paine, author of Common Sen&longs;e, the
Rights of Man, and other writings, who&longs;e
tendency is to overturn ancient opinions
of government and religion.

I met this inter&longs;ting per&longs;onage, at the
lodgings of the &longs;on of a late patriotic American
governour; who&longs;e genius, in the
fine art of hi&longs;torical painting, who&longs;e fortie
at Gibralter, who&longs;e flowing drapery,
faithful and bold expre&longs;&longs;ion, in the portraits
of our beloved pre&longs;ident, and other
leaders, both military and political, in our
glorious revolution; when the love of the
fine arts &longs;hall be di&longs;&longs;eminated in our land,
will leave po&longs;terity to regret and admire
the imbecility of contemporary patronage.

Thomas Paine re&longs;embled the great apostle
to the Gentiles, not more in his

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zeal and &longs;ubtlety of argument, than in
per&longs;onal appearance; for, like that fervid
apo&longs;tle, his bodily pre&longs;ence was both
mean and contemptible. When I &longs;aw
him, he was dre&longs;&longs;ed in a &longs;nuff coloured
coat, olive velvet ve&longs;t, drab breeches,
coar&longs;e ho&longs;e. His &longs;hoe buckles of the &longs;ize
of half a dollar. A bob tailed wig covered
that head, which worked &longs;uch mickle
woe to courts and kings. If I &longs;hould
attempt to de&longs;cribe it, it would be in the
&longs;ame &longs;tile and principle, with which
the veteran &longs;oldier beprai&longs;eth an old
&longs;tandard: the more tattered, the more
glorious. It is probable that this was
the &longs;ame identical wig, under the &longs;hadow
of who&longs;e curls, he wrote Common Sen&longs;e in
America, many years before. He was a
&longs;pare man, rather under &longs;ize; &longs;ubject to
the extreme of low, and highly exhilirated
&longs;pirits; often &longs;at re&longs;erved in company;
&longs;eldom mingled in common chit
chat. But when a man of &longs;en&longs;e and

[figure description] Page 177.[end figure description]

elocution was pre&longs;ent, and the company numerous,
he delighted in advancing the
mo&longs;t unaccountable, and often the mo&longs;t
whim&longs;ical, paradoxes; which he defended
in his own plau&longs;ible manner. If encouraged
by &longs;ucce&longs;s, or the applau&longs;e of
the company, his countenance was animated,
with an expre&longs;&longs;ion of feature,
which, on ordinary occa&longs;ions, one would
look for in vain, in a man &longs;o much celebrated
for acutene&longs;s of thought; but if
interrupted by extraneous ob&longs;ervation,
by the inattention of his auditory, or in
an irritable moment, even by the accidental
fall of the poker, he would retire into
him&longs;elf, and no per&longs;ua&longs;ions could induce
him to proceed upon the mo&longs;t favourite
topic.

p407-185

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