Tom Paine
Sir: With all respect to Mr Brunel of the Thomas Paine Society (Letters, 10 November) the evidence that Paine drank, at least in his later years when disenchanted with the French Revolution, is very strong. Mr Brunel quotes Lord Edward Fitzgerald, who was writing in 1792. An abler Irish rebel met Paine in Paris in 1797. Wolfe Tone's diary for 3 March in that year records: have lately been introduced to the famous
667 q Thomas Paine and like him very well. He is vain beyond all belief but he has reason to be vain... He has done wonders for the cause of liberty both in America and Europe and I believe him to be con- scientiously an honest man. He converses extremely well and I find him wittier in discourse than in his writings, where his humour is clumsy enough. .. . He drinks like a fish—a misfortune which I have known to befall other celebrated patriots. I am told that the true time to see him to advantage is about ten at night with a bottle of brandy and water be- fore him, which I can very well conceive. Frank MacDertnot 1 Rue de Franquevillc, Paris XVI
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