ald,
the French and American ambassadors, Mr. Sharp the engraver, Romney, the
painter, Mrs. Wolstonecraft, Joel Barlow, Mr. Hull, Mr. Christie, Dr.
Priestley, Dr. Towers, Colonel Oswald, the walking Stewart, Captain
Sampson Perry, Mr. Tuffin, Mr. William Choppin, Captain De Stark,
Mr. Home Tooke, etc., were among the number of his friends and
acquaintances." His manner of living in France and America has already
been noticed.

The perverted tales of Carver and Cheetham may be utterly disproved by
referring to Clio Rickman's "Life of Paine." As his life, so was his
death. When he became feeble and infirm (in Jan. 1809) he was often
visited by those "good people" who so often intrude upon the domestic
quiet of the afflicted. After the visit of an old woman, "come from the
Almighty," (whom Paine soon sent back again) he was troubled with the
Rev. Mr. Milledollar, and the Rev. Mr. Cunningham. The latter reverend
said, "Mr. Paine, we visit you as friends and neighbors; 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 away with you; good morning,
good morning." Another visitor was the Rev. Mr. Hargrove, with this
statement:--"My name is Hargrove, Sir; I am minister of the new
Jerusalem church; we, Sir, explain 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."
Shortly before his death, he stated to Mr. Hicks, to whom he had sent
to arrange his burial? that his sentiments in reference to the Christian
religion were precisely the same as when he wrote the "Age of Reason."
On the 8th of June, (in the words of Clio Rickman) 1809. about nine in
the morning, he placidly, and almost without a struggle, died as he had
lived, a Deist, aged seventy-two years and five months. He was interred
at New Rochelle, upon his own farm; a handsome monument being now
erected where he was buried.

It has been the object in the present sketch rather to give, in a brief
manner, an account of Paine's life and services, than an elucidation
of his writings. His works are well known, and _they_ will speak for
themselves but much wrong is done to his memory by the perversions and
misrepresentations of the religious publications. No doubt had his views
been different on "religious" subjects