{1785}
CHAPTER XV. PONTIFICAL AND POLITICAL INVENTIONS
Paine was the literary lion in New York—where Congress sat in 1785—and was especially intimate with the Nicholsons, whose house was the social salon of leading republicans.* One may easily read between the lines of the following note to Franklin that the writer is having "a good time" in New York, where it was written September 23d:
* "Commodore Nicholson was an active republican politician
in the city of New York, and his house was a headquarters
for the men of his way of thinking. The young ladies'
letters are full of allusions to the New York society of
that day, and to calls from Aaron Burr, the Livingstons, the
Clintons, and many others.... An other man still more
famous in some respects was a frequent visitor at their
house. It is now almost forgotten that Thomas Paine, down to
the time of his departure for Europe in 1787, was a
fashionable member of society, admired and courted as the
greatest literary genius of his day.... Here is a little
autograph, found among the papers of Mrs. Gallatin [née
Nicholson]; its address is to: 'Miss Hannah N., at the Lord
knows where.—You Mistress Hannah if you don't come home, I
'll come and fetch you. T. Paine.'"—Adams' "Life of
Gallatin."
"My Dear Sir,—It gives me exceeding great pleasure to have the opportunity of congratulating you on your return home, and to a land of Peace; and to express to you my heartfelt wishes that the remainder of your days may be to you a time of happy ease and rest. Should Fate prolong my life to the extent of yours, it would give me the greatest felicity to have the evening scene some resemblance of what you now enjoy.
"In making you this address I have an additional pleasure in reflecting, that, so far as I have hitherto gone, I am not conscious of any circumstance in my conduct that should give you one repentant thought for being my patron and introducer to America.
"It would give me great pleasure to make a journey to Philadelphia on purpose to see you, but an interesting affair I have with Congress makes my absence at this time improper.
"If you have time to let me know how your health is, I shall be much obliged to you.
"I am, dear Sir, with the sincerest affection and respect,