Who, when befriended by a "Wood," In virtue's hope intrepid stood, Resolved (once more) to cross the flood. [Calais to Dover. The Queen. Who, when she read proud Melville's note, And though refused the Royal Boat, She took the first she found afloat. [The common Packet. The Queen. Who, when bereft of dearest kin, No home, but at the common inn, [South Audley Street. "Wood" took the Houseless Stranger in. The Queen. FOLLOWING WORKS OF THOMAS PAINE, Are now to be had in well printed Pamphlets, and on good Paper at the annexed Prices. Dissertations on first Principles of Government... Decline and Fall of the English System of Finance. Letter to George Washington.. ... on fine paper pressed... Theological Works, Part 4. Appendix to Theological Works Portrait..... Memoir written to bind with the above by R. Carlile................... A superior edition of the Political and Miscellaneous Works may be had in boards, in 2 volumes at £2, with a Memoir and Portrait prefixed. * Jenkinson, the Family name of Lord Liverpool. THE following Parody, sung by Braham, in a new piece entitled "Zuma, or the Tree of Health." It is an adaptation of the famous Chanson or Hymn de Marseillors, to words directly applicable to the present contest between Spain and her Colonies: Peruvians wake to glory! Hark! what myriads bid ye rise! Your children, wives, and graudsires hoary, Oh, liberty! can man resign thee, The savage power her conquerors wield, ANECDOTE OF, THOMAS PAINE. IT was observed to Thomas Paine, that the British and Irish were naturally inclined to monarchy; so much so, that in their convivial meetings they always had a toast-master; and if six of them went to a tavern to drink a bottle of wine, one would be put into the chair, who would collect the bill, and pay the waiter-and the rest would receive benefit by his attention. 66 Very true, Sir," said Mr. Paine: " but supposing your six men met every day to drink their bottle, and that they had no more, and the chairman always took a pint to himself: they would soon, I think, contrive to do without one; that is, if they were fond of wine, and had common sense." Printed by M. A. CARLILE, 55; Fleet Street. No. 17, Vol. 4.] LONDON, FRIDAY, Dec. 22, 1820. [PRICE 6d. DELUSIONS OF THE DAY. Of all the evils incident to man in society, the worst is delusion. It must be the forerunner of all evils, because, without the aids of delusion there could be no tyranny, there could be no corruption, there could be no means of making one portion of the community labour to support another portton in idleness. There is delusion in religion, there is delusion in law, there is delusion in politics; and all these delusions operate to the injury of the industrious classes, and to their injury alone. The first delusion that was practised upon societies of men, I consider to have been religious: I am inclined to think that the priests were the first to elevate themselves above their fellows in society, and to exercise authority over them. This elevation soon became habitual, and very soon was claimed as a divine right. This elevation too gave rise to distinctious in society, and to support those distinctions, it was necessary that the great body of mankind, should be deluded. The better to effect this, the priests began to proclaim themselves vicegerents from heaven, and to speak to the deluded multitude in the name of God. This produced the desired effect: the multitude believed, trembled, and resigned their consciences to the keeping of the priests. Now every thing was complete, the power of the priests become absolute, and the multitude obeyed them implicitly in all things. The human mind being fettered in those trammels, and the priesthood habituated to absolute sway, disputes arose, as ambition delights in nothing more than war and conquest. Then, to support the quarrels of the priests, a military order became necessary, and some few campaigns and conquests must have shewn this military order their strength and combined power, and some favoured General might have had the ambition to claim a share in the rule of the multitude with the priests, hence those robbers called Kings arose, and as delusion was necessary to Vol. IV. No. 17. Printed by M. A. CARLILE, 55, Fleet Street. support this craft too, the priests were preserved as a distinct order, and uniting themselves to those royal robbers against the welfare of the multitude, they continued to speak in the name of God, and proclaim the King his representative on earth, and to pronounce his person sacred. A military power was established, and lest the wrongs and sufferings of the multitude should be calculated to open their eyes, the delusion of the priests was supported by the force of the military order. This is my idea of the origin of priesteraft and kingeraft. Delusion was the source of both, and dreadful have been its consequences. The reader might here perceive, that if the Representative System of Government had been established in those first stages of society, all those evils arising from priestcraft and kingcraft would have been spared, for the representative system of government must naturally act for the welfare of the whole: as is the state and character of the society, such will be its government. The representative system of government is alike adapted for the most polished state of society, and the most ignorant and uncivilized. It is sure to be the mirror of society, whatever be its character, and is the best calculated to improve the condition of the whole. It is undoubtedly the summum bonum of mankind. I have scarcely need to discuss more particularly the delusion of religion, because, I am bold to say, that every thing practised under, or connected with, the word religion, is delusion. We must admit that there is a power in nature which we cannot comprehend, and on the word God we cannot form one satisfactory idea. Our ignorance of the laws of nature compels us to acknowledge that we cannot comprehend that power which we call God, and in my opiniou, there can be no true veneration towards, that power, but the admission of its incomprehensibility. It is quite vain and idle to talk to, or about, what we cannot comprehend; therefore every species of public worship, and every thing that bears the name of religion, must be delusion. When the priest and fanatie call upon us to say what we intend to substitute for religion; be our answer, moral virtue. Moral virtue is the only essential to the happiness of man; religion is its bane. The bugbear of a future life is one of the main props of religion, but what proof have we of any thing of the kind? Upon what argument even can such an idea be founded? What do we perceive in man more than animal life and animal organization? The gift of speech is ,the common answer. But birds are empowered with the |