The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-02-07

neighhnr Of your own, a few hcnrs only before
my ohnoxious and misreprcs-nted remark
was *: tc,,. Twas written in the indignant
spirit,sh'ch still glowed in my nerves. 1t
was snbjoincd tothe end OF some general re-
marks, which l was then addressing to the
public on the revolutions'of the public mind
OF Virginia. as it respected the election-on
the spread of concord and union among the
republican party-on the particular exempli-
hcatiol of this fact amoug tlle !. Isepubiicans
OF Fort Royal and its neighborhood"-ano It
was thsn, that my inipetuous indignation die
lated thciact, tia, such we're not the scnti-
mehts of John Taylor, Esq. of Caroline :"
and that the line OF the poet burst upon my
pen; what private grieis he has, alas we
know not"
hsse were the principal points in the AL
fusion, which l made. Bat / will be frank.
with you, sir. Ihavc said that this remark
WAS thrown out IN the heat and hurry of com-
position. the lnoment IT went from my pen,
1t passed into type; and in the next. it went
into the world. My own deliberate refecti-
ons have since disapptoved Of the impe,uosi-
y OF my feelings. 1t is one of those cases
In which the iuterpoSition of the press does
not seem to have been necessary. Had i
theh known, as ! was afterwards better in
formed, that your interference in the ciecti-
OH WAS not SIS busy, nor your influence so ex
tensiye, J should have waved the remark. ]
intended afterwards to press il, but / found It
to be unnecessary, and felt it to be improper.
but, SIT, the impressions which gave birth
10 my illusions, arc not yet cxtipguislied.
They remain in ali their force. Prove that
they are uniuunded, by arguments and facts
sufficient to convince my understanding. and
no man will be more ready to make that atone.
ment. which injured innocence deserves (;
yonr present politics Notwithstanding. VAN,
however 1 fear, is the voluntary tender
which / have made.
Yours is the only case, in which there is
a solitary doubt OF my having invaded the
privileges of a private man.
There is one further enquiry, which |
must make Of you. In your letter of Sent.
~, You assert, that the '%calpmny OF a ga
zette' and the "bayonct OF a sol5ier" are III
most equally hostile to "the freedom OF saf-
rage Now, sir, what is the use of "suf-
trage" toyoI? You were not at the hustings.
You gave no vote either to Mr.. Madison or
Nir. Monroe. 1hG wor!a are telling sad sto-
ries about You, sir. Why were YOU not at
CaroliHe Court on the 9TH of November .
wa your carriage again broken down - was
there no sypathetic friend, who could lend
you one?
> shall make no further observations ON
your first letter. There :s one 1r;fu ;t,ie in
ats doctrinal part, which | have been long
accustomed to venefatc You advise me not &c
= eXasperate differences among RenubLi-
cans. The union OF the Republican party
mas been often the polar star OF a bcnighted
voyage. No man in this country has stuck
60 this republican principle with more en-
thnslasm thar J have done. No man of the
same range of influence has done more for il
no one has made greater sacrifices Of feel
ing to preserve il.
AS TO your last letter, Ihave already said
enough as 1t relates to yourself. Your charge,
as to the" SUPPRESSION of your defence is
worthy OF the subtlety of a sophist. There car
be no suppression of a thing, which was never
intended for publication. You have dccla-
red Yourself, that you had expressed no de,
SIRE that 1T should be printed" You had
previously avowed, thatit was intended fol
my own amendment.
put SIR there are some assertions in those
COMPOSITIONS relating to myself, winch de
niand an answer. Let us at least examinc
both sides OF the medal.
" Are we liable" YOU ask. sefo s,Jo,y ,,,s.,
correction, anc bound 20 kiss the rod o = heLo
vogue editor, without murmuring ~ see Won
insin'iatlon, and is worthy of the uan who
mace 't.-Bvt there are some men, sir. more dis
unEu'shcd Tor their malignant desire TO melitat,
"nScillci than for tl,eii pswert 70 inAi,, II Til,
. Wv JISI|G 10 INC gCrerGSltt
OF such sentiments-This, sir, was the nohl,
tram OF ideas in your mind. knew that. l II nd
oecn an instructor of a school. You were wcol
enough to suppose that l was silly enough I,
thfow a ven over my past avocations; that shout,
DC ashamed to be known to the universe TO
wnat L had been and that this WAS a olor;on,
c"Ga generous opportunity for you to stab IN,
iee'lNgS m their most delicate relations. | admire
sir' the deiicacy of jour sensibilities But realr
twas pitit'i, twas wondrous pitiful. /. WAS th,
mean refuge Of malignant and impotent genius
or, you know me not. You must. be strange
70 those delicious emotions, which, swell the DO
s'h' on ti'e man, vino is conscious of having de
served the piaudits, instead of the sneers OF hi
country. Inns may appear to you the !anruap,
OF egotis'n- But, if it be vain, II is also lust. /
mere ne any orc action of my whole life, of whicI
4 am intensely Proud, il is the very one, which yo.
nave affected to ridicule. This is the first tim,
in my life, in which | have dared TO pronornr,
such a public judgment upon myself-but ner
hap IT may be the last.
AND who, sir, were Plato, and Aristotle, th
greatest men OF Greece /! They were nothint
hdt pedaeogtes of the Lv
ceuih and Academic Groves. Who WAS Wars
n S~chooi'master. Who was the great Milton
At first nothing but 4 school-n .,,ter IN AIdcrs
ga'e-Street. Who was Samuel Johnson , A.,
who was the man, ~efore whose genius even Tnr
i ayior hihiselt, has so often covered in disn,v
n common school naster-or il YOU please. a ~,
udgogne IN the town of Port ROYAL. Is il 70 IN,
minimizing castIgatiOH which vU;i have rsce;vr.
Z from Ing IN yatsg flu1 80. ~