,a ,,letter  ,to ,the ,society for the  
,suppression of ,vice1 ,,on ,,their     
,malignant ,efforts ,,to ,,prevent ,a   
,,free ,,enquiry ,after ,,truth ,,and   
,,reason   ,by ,r4 ,carlile   ,,london  
#ahai     ,,letter    ,associated       
,persecutors1    ,that envenomed and    
malign spirit which you have so         
prominently displayed1 during the short 
time since you have turned your         
attentions towards my publications1     
precludes the necessity of my offering  
any apology for addressing you in a     
public letter4  ,having immured me      
within the walls of a prison1 methinks  
,i see a demoniac smile glide over your 
several cheeks with the glowing         
expression2 of we have now crushed      
him4--,be not too sanguine2 feeble as my
 efforts may be to propagate those      
principles1 on which1 7according to my  
humble conceptions17 the basis of true  
morality and virtue must be founded1 nor
 the fear of imprisonment1 nor the fear 
of death shall deter me from a          

perseverance4 ,what is the religion that
 you profess1 that you are so much      
alarmed at every attempt to investigate 
its merits8 ,what is the basis of your  
pretended morality and virtue1 when you 
betray a fear of being left naked as the
 breeze leaves the stem of the woolly   
dandelion8 ,what is that chimerical     
faith in which you pretend to centre    
your future hopes1 if you fear the      
result of your fellow mortal's enquiry  
into it8 ,on what ground must the       
established and dissenting codes of     
religion1 of which you boast1 7and      
express your determination to support1  
by imprisonments and punishments of such
 persons as shall attempt to inspect its
 foundation17 be raised1 when a small   
volume of enquiry into its origin shakes
 its very centre1 and threatens a total 
annihilation8 ,pause6 ye deluded and    
deluding hypocrites1 and ,i will        
compromise the matter with you4 ,but    
how8 ,shall it be an instance of that   
nature where many individuals whom you  

have laid under the charge of vending1  
what both you and ,i consider obscene   
and objectionable books and prints1 have
 more than once satisfied your virtuous 
scruples by a fee8 ,pray1 would my      
paying all the expences you have        
incurred in this prosecution1 satiate   
that appetite which feeds on virtue     
whilst it falsely affects to destroy    
vice8 ,is your answer--yes8 ,i disdain  
it4 ,nothing but a fair exposition of   
both our views shall induce me to       
compromise this important question2     
rendered the more important1 because a  
sycophantic and hypocritical society--a 
refined banditti attempts to crush it in
 its bud4 ,no1 the compromise ,i will   
make with you shall be1 either1 that you
 shall renounce those persecutions you  
have instituted against me1 or ,i will  
expose your object in all its hideous   
features4 ,although1 like the assassin1 
you endeavour to conceal both your names
 and intentions1 and make a hungry      
,lawyer99 your instrument1 yet the      

community at large2 who have been more  
injured than amended by your false      
pretences1 will assist me in depicting  
your banditti in its real colours4      
99 ,prichard1 of ,essex-street1 in the  
,strand1 whose clerks and      inmates  
are used as informers to this ,society4 
,by every exertion and enquiry that ,i  
could make1 ,i have not been able to    
obtain a list of your names1 and am     
given to understand that no such thing  
has been published for many years past4 
,it appears1 that in the earlier part of
 your institution1 you regularly        
published1 your names1 but that the     
infamy which has1 of late1 been attached
 to your proceedings1 has deterred you  
from continuing it4 ,as the best proof  
of virtue arises when it is exposed to  
the fangs of vice1 ,i challenge you to  
proceed in your persecutions4 ,but let  
us here examine how the question stands 
between us4 ,i have published a book1   
the contents of which you charge to be  
impious blasphemous1 and profane1       

tending to bring into disrepute the     
,christian ,religion4 ,i reply1 that    
this book does not merit the charge     
instituted against it1 nor has it any   
other tendency than that of bringing    
into disrepute the religions that are   
not supported by human reason1 or divine
 authority4  ,did any thing but         
vindictive malice guide your councils1  
you would have waited the time when ,i  
should have been placed before a jury of
 my own countrymen1 and there receive   
the reward1 or punishment consequent on 
their verdict4 ,but no6 the ,society for
 the ,suppression of ,vice cannot       
suppress their appetite for rancorous   
punishment1 but seize their victim1 tear
 him from a fond and agonized family1   
and within two hours lodge him within   
the walls of ,newgate4 ,for what8 for   
doing that1 which1 whether it is-an     
offence or not1 is but matter of        
opinion1 the publication can injure no  
one but those panders who prey on the   
vitals of their country4 ,the           

publication1 ,i admit1 may be offensive 
to some1 but not to the virtuous and    
well meaning part of the community2 it  
is offensive to those persons only who  
are interested in supporting the        
corruptions and abuses of the system we 
live under4  ,you appear to be following
 the course which the ,attorney ,general
 7,shepherd7 followed towards me in     
#ahag1 in regard to the ,parodies992    
that is1 you have no hopes of being able
 to obtain the verdict of a jury against
 the work1 and you are anxious to glut  
your vengeance with punishment before   
trial4       99 ,the writer of this     
letter was eighteen weeks in the ,king's
      ,bench ,prison for re-publishing  
the ,parodies1 and was never            
brought to trial2 it was he who         
challenged the ,attorney      ,general  
to bring the ,parodies before a jury1   
which led to so      grand and noble a  
result4  ,i doubt whether any of you who
 have instigated these ,prosecutions    
have ever read the ,theological         

,writings of ,thomas ,paine1 for if you 
had read them1 ,and had possessed the   
least conception of vice and virtue1 you
 would have found nothing of a vicious  
tendency in them1 you would have found  
nothing that came within the province of
 your professions to prosecute for4     
,have you no priests in your ,society8  
,why do you not set them to write a     
volume of the same size to refute the   
arguments and assertions of ,paine8 ,i  
will pledge myself to sell it with the  
other1 ,is there not a ,bishop amongst  
you that can again attempt to do what   
,watson has vainly attempted8 ,for      
shame6 do not attempt to destroy by the 
sword of perverted law what so many     
bishops and clergy are so well qualified
 to destroy by argument and reason4 ,for
 what do they receive so many thousands 
of the public money8 ,for what have we  
universities and colleges1 and so many  
thousand priests who have to boast of   
collegiate education8 unless it is to   
support by argument1 intellectual       

reasoning1 and controversial            
disputation1 the several doctrines and  
dogmas which they profess to teach1 and 
wish us to believe4 ,for shame6 ,i say  
again1 spur them on1 and do not let     
their professions be set at 'nought by a
 few untutored minds4 ,they must either 
do this1 or raise again the             
blood-stained standard of the cross1 and
 again enforce their doctrines by the   
sword4  ,christianity1 like the material
 world1 has had its rise1 its progress1 
and is now experiencing its decay1 but  
differs in this point1 that there is no 
hope of its regenerating or revivifying4
 ,and vain will be the attempt to oppose
 it to human reason4 ,the press1 that   
dreadful park of artillery1 will        
continue to open its destructive fire on
 superstition1 bigotry1 and religious   
and civil despotism2 and what shall     
check its career8  ,hear1 ye promoters  
of theological dissensions1 and tremble1
 whilst ,i tell you1 that you possess   
the same dispositions as your ancestors1

 who kindled the flames in ,smithfield4 
,would public opinion tolerate it1 you  
would pursue me to the stake with the   
same satisfaction you have pursued me to
 a prison4 ,reserving for a better      
opportunity any further opinions and    
observations on your character1 conduct1
 and views as a ,society1 ,i would beg  
leave to call your attention to a work  
lately published in ,london1 entitled   
the ,principles of ,nature1 by ,elihu   
,palmer1 the first chapter of which ,i  
will here insert as a specimen1 which is
 strictly applicable to our relative    
situations1 with the exception of a few 
of the first sentences4     ,,principles
 ,,of ,,nature1 by ,elihu ,palmer       
,,chapter ,i4  ,the ,power of           
,intellect1 its ,duty1 and the          
,obstacles that oppose its ,progress4   
,the sources of hope and consolation to 
the human race are to be sought for in  
the energy of intellectual powers4 ,to  
these1 every specific amelioration must 
bear a constant and invariable          

reference2 and whatever opposes the     
progress of such a power1 is            
unquestionably in most pointed          
opposition to the best and most         
important interest of our species4 ,the 
organic construction of man induces a   
strong conclusion that no limits can    
possibly be assigned to his moral and   
scientific improvements4 ,the question  
relative to the nature and substance of 
the human mind1 is of much less         
consequence than that which relates to  
the extent of force and capacity1 and   
the diversified modes of beneficial     
application4 ,the strength of the human 
understanding is incalculable1 its      
keenness of discernment would ultimately
 penetrate into every part of nature1   
were it permitted to operate with       
uncontrolled and unqualified freedom4   
,it is because this sublime principle of
 man has been constantly the object of  
the most scurrilous abuse1 and the most 
detestable invective from superstition1 
that his moral existence has been buried

 in the gulf of ignorance1 and his      
intellectual powers tarnished by the    
ferocious and impure hand of fanaticism4
 ,although we are made capable of       
sublime reflections1 it has hitherto    
been deemed a crime to think1 and a     
still greater crime to speak our        
thoughts after they have been conceived4
 ,the despotism of the universe had     
waged war against the power of the human
 understanding1 and for many ages       
successfully combated1 his efforts1 but 
the natural energy of this immortal     
property of human existence was         
incapable of being controlled by such1  
extraneous and degrading restraints4 ,it
 burst the walls of its prison1 explored
 the earth1 discovered the properties of
 its component parts1 analyzed their    
natures1 and gave to them specific      
classification and arrangement4 ,not    
content with terrestrial researches1    
intellect abandoned the earth1 and      
travelled in quest of science through   
the celestial regions4 ,the heavens were

 explored1 the stars were counted1 and  
the revolutions of the planets subjected
 to mathematical calculation4 ,all      
nature became the theatre of human      
action1 and man in his unbounded and    
ardent desire attempted to embrace the  
universe4 ,such was the nature of his   
powers1 such their strength and fervour1
 that hopes and anticipations were      
unqualified and unlimited4 ,the         
subordinate objects in the great mass of
 existence were decompounded1 and the   
essential peculiarities of their        
different natures delineated with       
astonishing accuracy and wonderful      
precision4 ,situated in the midst of a  
world of physical wonders and having    
made some progress in the analytical    
decomposition of material substances1   
and the relative position of revolving  
orbs1 man began to turn his powers to   
the nice disquisitions of the subtle    
properties of his mental existence4     
,here the force of his faculties was    
opposed by the darkness and difficulties

 of the subject2 and superstition1 ever 
ready to arrest and destroy moral       
improvement1 cast innumerable           
difficulties in the way1 and the        
bewildered mind found this part of the  
system of nature less accessible than   
the physical universe1 whose prominent  
disparities struck the understanding and
 presented clear discrimination4 ,the   
ignorance and barbarism of former ages1 
it is said1 furnish an awful intimation 
of the imbecility of our mental powers  
and the hopeless condition of the human 
race4 ,if thought be reflected back for 
the purpose of recognizing through a    
long night of time the miseries and     
ignorance of the species1 there will be 
found1 no doubt1 powerful causes of     
lamentation2 but courage will be        
resuscitated when the energy of         
intellect is displayed1 and the         
improvement of the world1 which has     
already been made1 shall be clearly     
exhibited to view4 ,it is not sufficient
 that man acknowledge the possession of 

his intellectual powers1 it is also     
necessary that these powers should be   
developed1 and their force directed to  
the discovery of correct principle1 and 
the useful application of it to social  
life2 errors1 evils1 and vices every    
where exist1 and by these the world has 
been rendered continually wretched2 and 
the history of mankind furnishes the    
dreadful lessons1 and shocks the        
sensibility of every human being4 ,the  
ravage ferocity of1 despotism has       
destroyed the harmony of society2 the   
unrelenting cruelty of superstition has 
cut asunder the finest fibres that ever 
concreted the hearts of intelligent     
beings4 ,it has buried beneath its      
gloomy vale all the moral properties of 
our existence1 and entombed in the grave
 of ignorance and terror the most       
sublime1 energies1 and the purest       
affections of the human mind4 ,an       
important duty is therefore imposed upon
 intellect1 and a departure from its    
faithful performance should be ranked   

among the crimes which bate most        
disgraced and injured the felicity of   
the world4 ,if the few philanthropists  
who have embarked in the cause of       
humanity1 have not been adequately      
rewarded1 it is1 nevertheless1 true1    
that the principle and force of duty    
remain the same1 unbroken and incapable 
of being abrogated4 ,it is the discovery
 and propagation of truth which ought to
 engage the attention of man1 and call  
forth the powerful activity of his mind4
  ,the nature of ancient institutions1  
instead of forming a reason against the 
activity of mind1 should be considered  
as constituting a double stimulus2 these
 institutions are such a complete       
abandonment of every just and correct   
principle2 they have been so destructive
 in their operation and effects1 that   
nothing but the strong and energetic    
movement of1 the human understanding    
will be capable of subverting them4 ,the
 whole earth has been made the wretched 
abode of ignorance and misery--and to   

priests and tyrants these dreadful      
effects are to be attributed4 ,these are
 the priviledged monsters who have      
subjugated the earth1 destroyed the     
peace and industry of society1 and      
committed the most atrocious of all     
robberies--that have robbed human nature
 of its intellectual property1 leaving  
all in a state of waste and barrenness4 
,moses1 ,zoroaster1 ,jesus1 and         
,mahomet1 are names celebrated in       
history2 but what are they celebrated   
for8 ,have their institutions softened  
the savage ferocity of man8 ,have they  
developed a clear system of principles1 
either moral1 scientific1 or            
philosophical8 ,have they encouraged the
 free and unqualified operation of      
intellect1 or rather by their           
institutions1 has not a gloom been      
thrown oyer the clearest subjects1 and  
their examination prohibited under the  
severest penalties8 ,the successors and 
followers of these men have adhered to  
the destructive lessons of their masters

 with undeviating tenacity4 ,this has   
formed one of the most powerful         
obstacles to the progress of            
improvement1 and still threatens with   
eternal damnation that man who shall    
call in question the truth of their     
dogmas1 or the divinity of their        
systems4  ,the political tyranny of the 
earth coalesced with this phalanx of    
religious despots1 and the love of      
science and of virtue was nearly        
banished from the world4 ,twelve        
centuries of moral and political        
darkness1 in which ,europe was involved1
 had nearly completed the destruction of
 human dignity1 and every thing valuable
 or ornamental in the character of man4 
,during this long and doleful night of  
ignorance1 slavery1 and superstition1   
,christianity reigned triumphant2 its   
doctrines and divinity were not called  
in question4 ,the power of the ,pope1   
the ,clergy1 and the ,church1 were      
omnipotent2 nothing could restrain their
 phrenzy1 nothing could controul the    

cruelty of their fanaticism2 with mad   
enthusiasm they set on foot the most    
bloody and terrific crusades1 the object
 of which was to recover from infidels  
the ,holy ,land4 ,seven hundred thousand
 men are said to have perished in the   
two first expeditions1 which had been   
thus commenced and carried on by the    
pious zeal of the ,christian church1 and
 in the total amount1 several millions  
were found numbered with the dead--the  
awful effects of religious fanaticism   
presuming upon the aid of heaven4 ,it   
was then that man lost all his dignity1 
and sunk to the condition of a brute2 it
 was then that intellect received a     
deadly blow1 from which it did not      
recover till the fifteenth century4     
,from that time to the present1 the     
progress of knowledge has been          
constantly accelerated2 independence of 
mind has been asserted1 and opposing    
obstacles have been gradually           
diminished2 ,the church has resigned a  
part of her power1 the better to retain 

the remainder2 civil tyranny has been   
shaken to its centre in both            
hemispheres2 the malignity of           
superstition is abating1 and every      
species of quackery1 imposture1 and     
imposition1 are yielding to the light   
and power of science4 ,an awful contest 
has commenced1 which must terminate in  
the destruction of thrones and civil    
despotism--in the annihilation of       
ecclesiastical pride and domination2 or1
 on the other hand1 intellect1 science1 
and manly virtue will be crushed in one 
general ruin1 and the world will        
retrograde towards a state of ignorance1
 barbarism1 and misery4 ,the latter1    
however1 is an event rendered almost    
impossible by the discovery of the art  
of printing1 by the expansion of mind1  
and the general augmentation of         
knowledge4 ,church and ,state may unite 
to form an insurmountable barrier       
against the extension of thought1 the   
moral progress of nations1 and the      
felicity of nature2 but let it be       

recollected1 that the guarantee for     
moral and political emancipation is     
already deposited in the archives of    
every school and college1 and in the    
mind of every cultivated and enlightened
 man of all countries4 ,it will         
henceforth be a vain and fruitless      
attempt to reduce the earth to that     
state of slavery of which the history of
 former ages has furnished such an awful
 picture4 ,the crimes of ecclesiastical 
despots are still corroding upon the    
very vitals of human society2 the       
severities of civil power will never be 
forgotten4 ,the destructive influence of
 ancient institutions will teach us to  
seek in nature and the knowledge of her 
laws1 for the discovery of those        
principles whose operation alone can    
emancipate the world from dreadful      
bondage4 ,if in the succeeding chapters 
we shall be able to destroy any         
considerable portion of human errors1   
and establish some solid truths1 our    
labours will bear a relation to the     

progressive improvement of the human    
race1 which1 to intelligent minds1 is of
 all considerations the most beneficial 
and important4  ,i presume1 ,gentlemen1 
since you have attempted to suppress    
certain creeds as well as vice1 that    
each of you are in duty bound to peruse 
this work1 of which this is part and    
specimen1 it is a work which ,i hold in 
estimation1 and consequently requires   
your attention4  ,i hope ,i shall have  
the pleasure of selling a few copies of 
this work to your ,honourable ,society1 
whether for the purpose of a prosecution
 or not1 ,i am quite indifferent1 as ,i 
hold ,paine's opinion to be good1 that  
under a bad government it is well to    
have a good work prosecuted4  ,i am1    
,gentlemen1  ,your firm opponent1  ,r4  
,,carlile4     ,,copy ,,of ,,warrant4   
,newgate1 ,feb4 #acth1 #ahai4  ,england1
 7to wit74--,whereas it appeareth unto  
me by the affidavit of ,george          
,prichard1 and the affidavit of ,thomas 
,fair1 that an indictment was found by  

the ,grand ,jury for the city of        
,london1 against ,richard ,carlile1 late
 of ,london1 bookseller1 for selling a  
certain blasphemous libel1 intitled     
,paine's ,age of ,reason1 which         
indictment has been removed and filed in
 his ,majesty's ,court of ,king's       
,bench1 and to which the said ,richard  
,carlile appeared in the said ,court1   
and gave recognizance to plead thereto  
within the first eight days of the next 
,easter ,term4 ,and that since the said 
,richard ,carlile1 hath entered into the
 said recognizance1 he hath sold another
 copy of the said libel to the said     
,thomas ,fair1 for which said last      
mentioned offence1 the said ,george     
,prichard intends to prosecute the said 
,richard ,carlile in the said ,court of 
,king's ,bench4 ,these are therefore to 
will and require1 and in his ,majesty's 
name1 strictly to charge and command    
you1 and every of you on sight hereof1  
to apprehend and take the body of the   
said ,richard1 and bring him before me  

or one other of the said ,judges of his 
,majesty's ,court of ,king's ,bench1 if 
taken in or near the cities of ,london  
and ,middlesex1 if elsewhere1 before    
some ,justice of the ,peace near to the 
place where he shall be herewith taken4 
,to the end that he the said ,richard   
,carlile may become bound to the ,king's
 ,majesty in the sum of #bjj1 together  
with two sufficient sureties in the sum 
of #ajj each1 for the appearance of the 
said ,richard ,carlile in his ,majesty's
 ,court of ,king's ,bench1 on the first 
day of next ,easter ,term1 to answer to 
all and singular indictments against    
him1 for publishing the said libel1 and 
to appear from day to day in the said   
,court1 and not depart until discharged 
by the said ,court4 ,hereof fail not at 
your peril4 ,given under my hand and    
seal the eleventh day of ,february1     
#ahai4  7,l4 ,s47 ,c4 ,,abbott4  ,to    
,thomas ,gibbons1 gentleman1 my         
tipstaff1 or any other tipstaff of his  
,majesty's ,court of ,king's ,bench1    

and to all chief and petty constables1  
headboroughs1 tything men1 and all      
others whom these may concern4          
,,copy ,,of ,,committal  ,the within    
named ,richard ,carlile having been     
brought before me this day1 by virtue of
 the within warrant1 and not having     
sufficient sureties to answer to the    
offence in the within mentioned warrant1
 is committed to the custody of the     
,keeper of his ,majesty's gaol of       
,newgate1 being the common gaol of the  
city of ,london1 where the said ,richard
 ,carlile was apprehended upon the said 
warrant4  ,receive the body of the      
within named ,richard ,carlile into your
 custody1 and him safely keep until he  
the said ,richard ,carlile shall be     
discharged by due course of law4  ,dated
 the #aath of ,february1 #ahai4  ,g4 ,s4
 ,,holroyd4  ,to ,mr4 ,william ,robert  
,henry ,brown1 ,keeper of his ,majesty's
 gaol of ,newgate4