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| Thomas Paine
The Crisis
Editor's Preface.
Thomas Paine, in his Will, speaks of this work as The American
Crisis, remembering perhaps that a number of political pamphlets had
appeared in London, 1775-1776, under general title of " The Crisis."
By the blunder of an early English publisher of Paine's writings, one
essay in the London " Crisis " was attributed to Paine, and the error
has continued to cause confusion. This publisher was D. I. Eaton, who
printed as the first number of Paine's " Crisis " an essay taken from
the London publication. But his prefatory note says: " Since the
printing of this book, the publisher is informed that No. 1, or first
Crisis in this publication, is not one of the thirteen which Paine
wrote, but a letter previous to them." Unfortunately this correction
is sufficiently equivocal to leave on some minds the notion that
Paine did write the letter in question, albeit not as a number of his
" Crisis " ; especially as Eaton's editor unwarrantably appended the
signature " C. S.," suggesting " Common Sense." There are, however,
no such letters in the London essay, which is signed " Casca." It was
published August , 1775, in the form of a letter to General Gage, in
answer to his Proclamation concerning the affair at Lexington. It was
certainly not written by Paine. It apologizes for the Americans for
having, on April I9, at Lexington, made " an attack upon the King's
troops from behind walls and lurking holes." The writer asks : " Have
not the Americans been driven to this frenzy? Is it not common for an
enemy to take every advantage ? " Paine, who was in America when the
affair occurred at Lexington, would have promptly denounced Gage's
story as a falsehood, but the facts known to every one in America
were as yet not before the London writer. The English " Crisis "
bears evidence throughout of having been written in London. It
derived nothing from Paine, and he derived nothing from it, unless
its title, and this is too obvious for its origin to require
discussion. I have no doubt, however, that the title was suggested by
the English publication, because Paine has followed its scheme in
introducing a " Crisis Extraordinary." His work consists of thirteen
numbers, and, in addition to these, a " Crisis Extraordinary "and a "
Supernumerary Crisis." In some modern collections all of these have
been serially numbered, and a brief newspaper article added, making
sixteen numbers. But Paine, in his Will, speaks of the number as
thirteen, wishing perhaps, in his characteristic way, to adhere to
the number of the American Colonies, as he did in the thirteen ribs
of his iron bridge. His enumeration is therefore followed in the
present volume, and the numbers printed successively, although other
writings intervened.
The first " Crisis " was printed in the Pennsylvania Journal,
December 19, 1776, and opens with the famous sentence, " These are
the times that try men's souls"; the last " Crisis "appeared April
19,1783, (eighth anniversary of the first gun of the war, at
Lexington,) and opens with the words, " The times that tried men's
souls are over." The great effect produced by Paine's successive
publications has been attested by Washington and Franklin, by every
leader of the American Revolution, by resolutions of Congress, and by
every contemporary historian of the events amid which they were
written. The first " Crisis " is of especial historical interest. It
was written during the retreat of Washington across the Delaware, and
by order of the Commander was read to groups of his dispirited and
suffering soldiers. Its opening sentence was adopted as the watchword
of the movement on Trenton, a few days after its publication, and is
believed to have inspired much of the courage which won that victory,
which, though not imposing in extent, was of great moral effect on
Washington's little army.
MONCURE DANIEL CONWAY
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