Author: Paine, Thomas
Title: Dissertation on First Principles of Government and Speech of Thomas Paine, As Delivered in the Convention, July 7, 1795. Wherein He Alludes to the Preceding Work
Description: Paris, Printed at the English Press, Rue de Vaugirard, No. 970, Paris, 1795. First Edition in English. Pamphlet. 8vo. INCOMPLETE, lacking two leaves. 8vo. Disbound from a volume of pamphlets, with thin leather strip/remnants to spine. Printed in the Third year of the French Republic. Previous owner's written name (Frederick N. Hudson) to title page. Lacks two leaves (pp. 23-26), Bottom (1/4" to 1/2") strip to both the preceding and succeeding pages surrounding the missing leaves (pp. 22 and 27) removed, with no loss of text. Small library stamp to p. 31. 40 pp. which include Paine's speech at the French convention, July 7, 1795, which is not to be found in all copies, and was only included in some earlier issues. Light foxing ragged edges and a folded-down corner/closed tear to last leaf. ESTC T5825. No date appears on this piece, and according to Howes (P19), there were three separate issues of this [Paris] edition, two in 1795, and one possibly in 1796. Regrettably the most often-cited determining point of issue was to be found on p. 25, one of the missing pages. However one other point cited by the English Short Title Catalogue (See ESTC, Citation #T5825, matches the pagination of this copy, which like ours, includes Paine's speech. The next ESTC citation -- #N9103) describes a slightly different pagination and states: "The Speech is Separately Paginated", all this lending credence to our belief that this is indeed the first Paris issue, and the first appearance in English. Paine himself was present at the reading of this speech, which was written to "influence the National Convention during its struggle to create a new French constitution, Paines urgent call for universal suffrage so that democracy should be open to all men.." Paine was an enthusiastic supporter of the French Revolution and was granted honorary French citizenship. Despite his inability to speak French, he was elected to the National Convention and selected as one of nine deputies to be part of the Convention's Constitutional Committee, charged to draft a suitable constitution for the French Republic.He argued against the execution of Louis XVI; his speech was interrupted twice by Jean-Paul Marat said the translator was deceiving the convention by distorting the meanings of Paine's words but Paine himself provided a copy of the speech as proof of a correct translation. Paine was arrested and imprisoned in December 1793. Paine narrowly escaped execution. A chalk mark, supposed to be left by the gaoler to denote that the prisoner in this cell was to be collected for execution, was left on the inside of his door, rather than the outside, as the door happened to be open as the gaoler made his rounds, because Paine was receiving official visitors. But for this quirk of fate, he would have died the following morning. He thus survived the few days needed until the fall of Robespierre on 9 Thermidor (July 27, 1794).Paine remained in France until 1802, returning to the United States only at President Jefferson's invitation. The owner of this pamphlet, whose signature (Frederick N. Hudson) appears at top of title page ,is probably the same Frederick N. Hudson who was one of Alexander Hamilton's former law clerks, and a midshipman serving on the U. S. Frigate Constitution. The cruise of the Constitution lasted from July 23, 1799, to August 24, 1800, when the frigate arrived at Boston.  Amongst Alexander Hamilton's papers, it was discovered that Hamilton had lent Hudson money on at least two occasions. Good .

Keywords: American History, Founding Fathers, Suffrage, the State, French Revolution, Political Science, Constitutional Law, Frederick N. Hudson


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