The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-03-27

bring him to close combat, hand 10 hand
where victory can only light upon the plume
of the strongest, and she win seldom be
found to light upon that of Mr.. Randolph
His speech ON the Yazoo. Showed his pow.
rs.of nvective that on Chase's trial, hi:
perfect impotence in argument His speech
es IN general bear too strong a resemblance
10 the street exhibition of the camera CO
scura we have passing view of a variety
OF subjects, all OF them pretty and enter
tanning eaough but our views are only
glimpses, and the subjects themselves are
totally unconnected: remove the snow boS
and you have no trace upon your memory
but OF ajumble OF spires and cupolas and CO.
lors.
| have no pleasure in adverting to this
gentleman's peculiar propensity to satire
tor consider it as the misfortune and no,
the ornament OF his character. 1t has made
enemies of many, whom Ito say the least Of
iD it was idle in him to offend. & has spread
n gloomy aud unsocial desolation around him
! There IS 2 kind of wit which conci!;stes
even those whom it strikes; such is always
the effect, when. besides being brilliant, i,
It accompanied with politeness, and GOOD
humor: but this is not the case of Mr.. Ran
doiph,s wit; his arrows are dipped in
poison. and rankle where they wound. Yet
1t is this sraHe OF his character. perhaps,
|
is this principally which attracts such croutls
to the galleries of Congress, whenever it is
understood that he is to come out. They
are brought together by sentiment akin
to that which filled the amphitheatres of
ancient Rome; To enjoy the very humane
spectacle of the combats of the gladiators ;
to see with what dexteriSy the one can thrust,
and with what winning grace the other can
| die. -
MT. kandoph's sarcasms are. in my opi
MON, TAR more barbarous than brilliant. t.
| hey are much more strongly marked by
rGdeness than wit they prove that he regards
himself as superior being and looks upon
his equals with the most unteeling contempt.
Whether this lordly port BELTS a republican.
and becomes Congress composed of free
men, let those, who are the best Judges of
their own privileges, decide. les effect. ia
a public point of view, is most pernicious !.
tor its tendency is to check and trammel
debate and indeed to destroy its utility alto
gether. 1t is not every man, not even every
J sensible man. who has frmness enough to
deiy the rudenesS OF his personalities and
| should not be surprised, il they impose ST
lence on many. who, although unable to cope
with him In point Of repartce, are capable
OF giving much more solid aid to the debate.
l ne remark is at le,st as old as the reign of
James the LIST of England, those that are
weakest In the course are yet nimblest in
the turn; as 1T is betwiXt the greyhound 6,
| the hare ~
1t was certainly no small misfortune 70
thls gentleman, that the speeches of Lord
Chatham fell so early into his hands. Had his
character oeen permitted to form itself by
lintermixinS with his countrymen. he would
have been much better suited to the meri
dian in which his fortunes are cast; but ta
caught a view of Lord Chatham and his
doom was sealed. 1t is to the iniudicious
and unfortunate effort, which he is making to
| force himself into the character of that ce
| LIBERATED statesman, in defiance of nature
times and circumstances, that we may ira &c
almost every thing offensive in his manner.
ana all that is strange in his political career.
ne ooid, lmperious and dictatorial manner
OF Inatham, resulting from the consciou.
superiority of his mind the lofty and ire
sistible spirit, with which he repelled the
asgressons Of his adversaries and awed
them into silence; the proud contempt with
which he brushed away the gilded insects,
that wantoned in the beams of royal favor,
and these acts sustained and set off by the
unrivalled yigor OF his genius and fire of his
eloquence, presented model which an as
piriug young man could scarcely be expected
TO resist. But iii the eagerness of imitation,
| ne has forgotten the dissimilitude of circum-
stances. Lord Chatham lived under strong
hereditary monarchy; supported by host
OF rich and luxurious MOBILES; & the highest
and most glorious efforts of his eloquence,
were ON the side of the people against the
power of the crown. Representing, as he
did, the majesty of the people, and arraign-
ing, on their behalf, the corruption, the fol.
lly or the tyranny of the court, he could
tscarceiy have taken q tone too high to be
fbecoming. But even in monarchy, that
tone would not have been long borne, unless
the grievances which he depicted had been
reel, and unless too, be had been urheld by
IA power OF intellect, such as rarely occurs,
more than once in an age. Bolingbrok e
lspeaks OF the frohriety ofmeRaers TO cha.
Tacter, IS being that in which the grace OF
action almost entirely consists: give the
sentiment, do not quote his words. Lord
Chatham's manners were suited to his cha
racter, his country, and his times; but whe
tl1er they will bear transportation to the
climate OF simple Hpublic, and become a
man who, against the suffrage of the pco-
pie, appoints himself to the Office of dictator
who imdeines grievances, that he may have
Ian opportunity of depicting them, and has
neither Chatham's Cause nor his vigor tc
Justify and uphold his manner. we may
judge from the success Of Mr. Randolph S
experiment.
Had the Kings of Great Britain, the two
last Georges, been virtuous and enlightened,
their measures judicious, and supported by
pure and un5ought majority in Parla-
ment, Chatham, with all his powers, you'd
never have assailed them. If his patriotism