The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction.
• Prefatory Note to Paine’s First Essay.
• I.: African Slavery In America.
• II.: A Dialogue Between General Wolfe and General Gage In a Wood Near Boston.1
• III.: The Magazine In America.1
• IV.: Useful and Entertaining Hints.1
• V.: New Anecdotes of Alexander the Great.1
• VI.: Reflections On the Life and Death of Lord Clive.1
• VII.: Cupid and Hymen.1
• VIII.: Duelling.1
• IX.: Reflections On Titles.1
• X.: The Dream Interpreted.1
• XI.: Reflections On Unhappy Marriages.1
• XII.: Thoughts On Defensive War.1
• XIII.: An Occasional Letter On the Female Sex.1
• XIV.: A Serious Thought.1
• XV.: Common Sense.1
• Introduction.
• Postscript to Preface In the Third Edition.
• Common Sense. On the Origin and Design of Government In Gen- Eral, With Concise Remarks On the English Constitution.
• Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession.
• Thoughts On the Present State of American Affairs.
• Of the Present Ability of America: With Some Miscellaneous Reflections.
• Appendix to Common Sense.
• XVI.: Epistle to Quakers.
• XVII.: The Forester’s Letters.1
• I: To Cato.
• II.: To Cato.
• III.: To Cato.
• To the People.
• IV.
• XVIII.: A Dialogue1
• XIX.: The American Crisis.
• Editor’s Preface.
• The Crisis.: I.
• II.: To Lord Howe.2
• The Crisis.1: III.
• The Crisis.: IV.
• V.: To Gen. Sir William Howe.1
• To the Inhabitants of America.
• VI.: To the Earl of Carlisle, General Clinton, and William Eden, Esq., British Commissioners At New York.1
• VII.: To the People of England.
• VIII.: Addressed to the People of England.
• The Crisis.: IX.
• The Crisis Extraordinary.: On the Subject of Taxation.
• X.: On the King of England’s Speech.1
• To the People of America.
• XI.: On the Present State of News.
• A Supernumerary Crisis.: to Sir Guy Carleton.1
• XII.: To the Earl of Shelburne.1
• XIII.: Thoughts On the Peace, and the Probable Advantages Thereof.
• A Supernumerary Crisis.: to the People of America.
• XX.: Retreat Across the Delaware.1
• XXI.: Letter to Franklin, In Paris.1
• XXII.: The Affair of Silas Deane.1to Silas Deane, Esq’re.
• XXIII.: To the Public On Mr. Deane’s Affair.1
• XXIV.: Messrs. Deane, Jay, and G

IX.

REFLECTIONS ON TITLES.1

Whitehead.

When I reflect on the pompous titles bestowed on unworthy men, I feel an indignity that instructs me to despise the absurdity. The Honourable plunderer of his country, or the Right Honourable murderer of mankind, create such a contrast of ideas as exhibit a monster rather than a man. Virtue is inflamed at the violation, and sober reason calls it nonsense.

Dignities and high sounding names have different effects on different beholders. The lustre of the Star and the title of My Lord, over-awe the superstitious vulgar, and forbid them to inquire into the character of the possessor: Nay more, they are, as it were, bewitched to admire in the great, the vices they would honestly condemn in themselves. This sacrifice of common sense is the certain badge which distinguishes slavery from freedom; for when men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.

But the reasonable freeman sees through the magic of a title, and examines the man before he approves him. To him the honours of the worthless serve to write their masters’ vices in capitals, and their stars shine to no other end than to read them by. The possessors of undue honours are themselves sensible of this; for when their repeated guilt renders their persons unsafe, they disown their rank, and, like glow-worms, extinguish themselves into common reptiles, to avoid discovery. Thus Jeffries sunk into a fisherman, and his master escaped in the habit of a peasant.

Modesty forbids men, separately or collectively, to assume titles. But as all honours, even that of Kings, originated from the public, the public may justly be called the fountain of true honour. And it is with much pleasure I have heard the title of Honourable applied to a body of men, who nobly disregarding private ease and interest for public welfare, have justly merited the address of The Honourable Continental Congress.

VOX POPULI.

[1]From the Pennsylvania Magazine, May, 1775.—Editor.