By Jeanne Sheriff

Thomas Paine Ou La Religion Se La Liberte, Bernard Vincent, Paperback, Aubier, Paris, 1987. 

THIS is the first major biography of Paine to be written by a Frenchman, Bernard Vincent being Professor of American Civilisation at the University of Orleans, One might therefore expect the book to be written from a French point of view with its emphasis on Paine’s role in the French revolution, but this biography is outstanding for giving the same amount of attention to all phases of Paine’s life in the three countries in which he lived — England, America and France.

His early years, up to the breakdown of his second marriage, are described relatively briefly in the opening chapter so the reader can assess what sort of man it was who first disembarked at Philadelphia in 1774 at the age of 38, the subsequent years of Paine’s life are dealt with in much greater detail, starting with the publication of Common Sense and its effect on the war between America and England, his editorship of the Pennsylvania Magazine and his appointment as Secretary to the Department of Foreign Affairs and his dismissal because of his handling of the Deane affair. 

Professor Vincent takes the reader step by step through Paine’s life, giving attention to the failures as well as the successes. After taking a job as a lawyer’s clerk, Paine was soon elected Secretary of the new Pennsylvania Assembly and received an honorary degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He expounds his theory that land is man’s most valuable asset and is given some land in recognition of his services to America. He visits France twice – once to obtain financial and material aid for America’s fight against England and once, in 1789/90, to try to sell a design for an iron bridge, but the French were not interested, Instead he ended up giving them advice on how to organise a revolution. He then went to England to try and persuade Burke to make parliamentary reforms in line with the French revolution; Burke published his, “Reflections on the French Revolution”, and Paine responded with Rights of Man. This great intellectual and ideological battle had a reverberating effect and Pitt pushed Paine’s fiscal reforms through parliament. 

Professor Vincent reminds us that in the second part of Rights of Man, Paine advocated such revolutionary social reforms as maternity benefit, death benefit and salary negotiating rights. By the end of 1792 two hundred thousand copies of Rights of Man had been sold but a warrant was issued for the arrest of the author of this “seditious libel”; however, Paine just managed to escape to France where four Departments had elected him to the Convention. In London he was tried in absentia, accused of high treason, the book confiscated and Paine banned from England for life.

Meanwhile in the French National Convention, where has chosen to represent Pas de Calais, Paine argued against the death penalty for Louis and for sending him to America where he would learn what a true democracy was like, but these views were unpopular and as a result all foreigners were requested to leave France. Paine would not comply as was imprisoned in the Luxembourg for ten months, where he finished writing The Age of Reason, the publication of which caused considerable opposition. In 1797 he published Agrarian Justice, giving the royalties from it to the inmates of Newgate Prison. 

After his release from the Luxembourg, Napoleon requested Paine’s advice on how to attack England, but took offence at his suggestions and had Paine watched by the police. Paine begged America to allow him to return there and as soon as Jefferson was elected President, he was invited back. However, a cold reception awaited him in the country he helped to found. There was no government post for him and few friends except Madame de Bonneville, the widow of his French translator. He died at her house in June 1809 aged 72. 

I think the only new revelation that emerged from Professor Vincent’s research is the fact that Paine attended masonic meetings in France and in America, although it is doubtful that he was actually a mason himself. Nevertheless this is a very readable biography, from which Paine emerges as an understandable and likeable person.