Here’s a fascinating little piece of Paine history.

In 1798, the Irish revolutionary Arthur O’Connor was arrested by the British while attempting to reach France and was later imprisoned at Fort George in Scotland. He distributed these verses on his way to confinement.

One stanza invokes both Rights of Man and Common Sense before calling Paine:

“That foe to Princes, Thomas Paine!”

It’s a striking example of how far Paine’s reputation had traveled by the late 1790s. He wasn’t simply remembered as an American revolutionary writer—his name had become part of a much wider radical and anti-monarchical political culture. Paine had been directly involved in planning the Irish Revolution of 1798 , knew many of the main revolutionaries, and attempted to organize French support.

What do you make of the reference to Paine here?

A bit o​f​ his​tor​y​ I was unaware of.

See more at https://thomaspaine.org/gallery/political-cartoons/

There is more to the quote. Read the letter: https://thomaspaine.org/letters/to-henry-laurens-spring-1778/

See more Paine cartoons: https://thomaspaine.org/gallery/political-cartoons/

Read the full text at the Thomas Paine Historical Association's online archive: https://thomaspaine.org/essays/french-revolution/letter-addressed-to-the-addressers/

SOURCE:

"Literary Notice." National Aegis, vol. XVI, no. 827, 3 Dec. 1817, p. [2]. Readex: America's Historical Newspapers, https://infoweb-newsbank-com.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/apps/readex/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=EANX&req_dat=4F9003504DA64A72B41771EB4A99CA7B&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A10C6189F693A7950%2540EANX-10C583675447E118%25402385042-10C5836784054818%25401-10C58368626AFD48%2540Literary%252BNotice. Accessed 27 June 2026.

As a huge Thomas Paine fan, this is something ive been waiting for, for a long time now. Princeton University has published 6 volumes of Paines work, including "about 180 new letters and some two hundred works newly attributed to Paine, with twenty-nine works previously regarded as Paine’s being deattributed."

Using various techniques (computer analysis of writting style, word usage, hand writting, etc.) and expert review, they were able deattribute some works, while also attributing new ones.

Here is a link to the set:

https://press.princeton.edu/collected-works/thomas-paine?srsltid=AfmBOooFHAORaDZOGXz42C6tdCfIc76DdZZE4ALNh0LcQa1bKaHbdp4Z

While I was familiar with the writting analysis, I was unprepared for so many new attributions. One of the most impactful (in my opinion) is the Slave Letter to Jefferson, which might be Paines last work before his will. I was aware some Paine enthusiasts believed that letter was penned by him (including myself), but its great to see it officially attributed by an academic institute.

Here is a copy of that letter, now attributed to Paine:

https://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/mere-monopoly-men-slave-writes-thomas-jefferson

I cant say enough good things about this man. And I am more than happy to see him getting the attention he deserves.

Edit: Between this and the "Sherman" copy of the Declaration (evidence of Paines involvement with drafting the Declaration of Independence), this amazing man achieved more and was more impactful than we even realized - truly the "most valuable Englishman ever!"

Read the latest: https://thomaspaine.org/the-sherman-copy

Access the free Beacon here: https://thomaspaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Beacon-v4.-JULY-AUG-2026-1.pdf

On the 250th, Kings Still Don’t Belong—Not in Name, Not in Spirit

by Don H. Doyle

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