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40. I know it is the opinion of many of the most enlightened
characters in France (there always will be those who see further into
events than others), not only among the general mass of citizens, but
of many of the principal members of the former National Assembly,
that the monarchical plan will not continue many years in that
country. They have found out, that as wisdom cannot be made
hereditary, power ought not; and that, for a man to merit a million
sterling a year from a nation, he ought to have a mind capable of
comprehending from an atom to a universe, which, if he had, he would
be above receiving the pay. But they wished not to appear to lead the
nation faster than its own reason and interest dictated. In all the
conversations where I have been present upon this subject, the idea
always was, that when such a time, from the general opinion of the
nation, shall arrive, that the honourable and liberal method would
be, to make a handsome present in fee simple to the person, whoever
he may be, that shall then be in the monarchical office, and for him
to retire to the enjoyment of private life, possessing his share of
general rights and privileges, and to be no more accountable to the
public for his time and his conduct than any other citizen.
41. The gentleman who signed the address and declaration as chairman
of the meeting, Mr. Horne Tooke, being generally supposed to be the
person who drew it up, and having spoken much in commendation of it,
has been jocularly accused of praising his own work. To free him from
this embarrassment, and to save him the repeated trouble of
mentioning the author, as he has not failed to do, I make no
hesitation in saying, that as the opportunity of benefiting by the
French Revolution easily occurred to me, I drew up the publication in
question, and showed it to him and some other gentlemen, who, fully
approving it, held a meeting for the purpose of making it public, and
subscribed to the amount of fifty guineas to defray the expense of
advertising. I believe there are at this time, in England, a greater
number of men acting on disinterested principles, and determined to
look into the nature and practices of government themselves, and not
blindly trust, as has hitherto been the case, either to government
generally, or to parliaments, or to parliamentary opposition, than at
any former period. Had this been done a century ago, corruption and
taxation had not arrived to the height they are now at.
-END OF PART II.-
End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Writings of Thomas Paine Vol. II
by Thomas Paine
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