Two-page manuscript letter with integral address leaf addressed to “Mr. John Hancock, Merchant, Boston.” Written and signed by Thomas Paine shortly before his departure for France and publication of the second part of Rights of Man. A candid and highly personal letter concerning a failed commercial venture, debt collection, friendship, and Paine’s enduring relationship with one of the most prominent figures of Revolutionary America. This remarkable letter was written by Thomas Paine (1737–1809) from Newburyport, Massachusetts, on 6 September 1791, and addressed to John Hancock, the celebrated Massachusetts patriot, merchant, governor, and first signer of the Declaration of Independence. The correspondence belongs to a period when Paine stood at the height of his international fame. Common Sense (1776) had helped ignite American independence, and his Rights of Man (1791) had already established him as one of the most influential political writers in the English-speaking world. The letter concerns a financial matter entrusted to Paine by Hancock. Paine reports the results of an investigation into the failed mercantile firm of “Knight & Poor,” explaining that the partnership had collapsed approximately two years earlier. He attributes the failure to the dishonesty of one of the partners, notes that the firm's assets had already been dissipated, and concludes that further legal action would likely prove futile. Paine describes one former partner as a destitute wagon driver struggling to support a family, while the other had absconded to the District of Maine. The vivid language reveals Paine’s wit and literary style; describing the debtor’s team and horse, he remarks that there is little to seize beyond “a carcass, which might well be enlisted in Falstaff’s regiment.” Beyond its financial content, the letter offers an unusually intimate glimpse into Paine’s personal character. He thanks Hancock warmly for his friendship and reflects upon loyalty and human nature: “Amid the proverbial infidelity of the world, I have found no reason to be a misanthrope from the defection of my friends.” The closing assures Hancock that any future requests, whether professional or personal, would receive Paine’s immediate attention. Such expressions underscore the mutual respect between two towering figures of the Revolutionary era. Born in Thetford, England, in 1737, Thomas Paine emigrated to America in 1774 carrying a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin. Within two years he produced Common Sense, the pamphlet that transformed colonial resistance into a movement for outright independence. Its circulation was unprecedented, and its arguments helped shape public opinion during the critical months preceding the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolution, Paine continued to serve the patriot cause through his celebrated series The American Crisis, whose opening words—“These are the times that try men's souls”—became among the most famous lines of the era. After the war he remained active in public affairs and scientific projects before returning to Europe. At the time this letter was written, Paine was engaged in defending the French Revolution and preparing the continuation of Rights of Man, a work that would provoke charges of seditious libel in Britain and eventually force him into exile in France. There he served as a deputy to the National Convention and later wrote The Age of Reason. Despite his immense influence, Paine's later years were marked by controversy and declining popularity, and he died in New York in 1809. Today Paine is remembered as one of the principal intellectual architects of the American Revolution, whose writings articulated the principles of republican government, popular sovereignty, and individual liberty. Letters between Thomas Paine and John Hancock are highly desirable artifacts linking two of the most recognizable names of the Revolutionary generation. This letter is particularly noteworthy because it reveals Paine not as a pamphleteer addressing nations, but as a trusted friend handling private business for Hancock while offering candid observations on commercial failure, debt, and human character in post-Revolutionary New England. Written during a pivotal year in Paine’s career—between the publication of the first and second parts of Rights of Man—the letter captures the author at the moment he was evolving from an American revolutionary propagandist into an international advocate of democratic reform. Its combination of personal warmth, financial detail, and Paine’s unmistakable prose makes it a valuable and revealing manuscript from one of the most influential political thinkers of the eighteenth century. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. John Hancock, Merchant, Boston. Thomas Paine Newbury Port Septr. 6th 1791 Newburyport Sept. 6. 1791 Dear Sir, I have delayed answering your very polite & friendly letter, in order to give you the most accurate information on the subject of your account. I have made a critical inquiry concerning the house of Knight & Poor, & find that they failed about two years since, owing, it is supposed, to the knavery of the junior partner. Their effects have long since been appropriated by legal process, & were found very inadequate to balance with their creditors. Poor has absconded from this town & is now in the District of Maine, a vagrant, worthless fellow. Knight, who originally furnished all the stock of the firm, is now the driver of a team in this place, & from the scanty & precarious earnings of a horse & two wheels, is compelled to support a necessitous family. Such being the state of the house, I did not think it advisable to prosecute the remaining partner, without your particular direction, presuming that he would not be able to pay the costs of suit. The team is a hired one, & there is no ostensible object of attachment, but a carcass, which might well be enlisted in Falstaff’s regiment!! I return you many thanks for your sincere friendship to me, on this, & many other occasions. I remember it with pleasure; & I assure you, it is no small consolation to me, that, amid the proverbial infidelity of the world, I have found no reason to be a misanthrope from the defection of my friends. Any commands from you, either in the professional, or any other line, will be instantly & faithfully attended to, by Yours sincerely, with esteem, Thomas Paine
