The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-02-07


call down such a towering soul as Henry's
and make it stoop to the ignoble prey which
his father had in view for him.
The hrst obstacle to be removed was his
passion in the village and this the father
had. in effect, removed by the orders under
which he had eXiled him from it's object
The faults OF Henry were all on the side of
virtue. If piety towards parents can be car
ried to excess, it was so carried by Henry
Morton. He honorcd his father and mother
in the fullest sense of the divine command.
He was all affection to them, all DEVOTION
o! that such an advantage, so impious, so
sacrlegious should have been taken of such
a temper lit was taken. however and old
Morton felt well assured there was no dam
ger that such son would violate fathers
mandate, especially when coupled with de
nunciations so terrible.
This point gained, the next was to infuse
into his generous bosom " the infamous thirst
ofgold." Here was an undertaking that cal
led for all the self command, and all the
cunning and management of the father. 1t
required less than his sagacity to perceive
that this vicious passion was in no wav TO be
introduced but under the mask of some no.
BILE virtue. Accordingly Henry was soon led
to understand by a letter from his father that
the old gentleman's INCREASING age and in
hrmltes forbad the hope IF a much longer
life For himself, he said, Death had no
terrorS, but rather " Came like friend to
relieve him from pain" but that It wrung
his heart to reflect on the wretched state of
poverty and want in which he was about to
leave his family his only consolation, his
only hope was In his Henry TO his exerions,
10 his piety, he committed the pleasing. tn.
sacred dut OF providing for his aged mother
and helpless sisters: he had no doubt Ina.
he would sustain he character o. their pro-
tectcr much more successfully than his ia
ther had done. and escape those pangs which
had lacerated his heart and FASTENED his
dissolution. H then drew a very unreserved
pic ure of his own sufferings and the causes
from which they had proceeded; and threw
into The draught so many strokes of sound
precept and practical good sense as might
have duped more experienced and suspi
cious mind than Hsury's The radical error
OF his life, he said, had been the childish
and silly passion # being though, generous
and good hearted: the i;:le. the foolish the
ruinous emulation OF being hailed, BY evecy
circle OF Don UiUanteS, the king of good
fellows. 10 support this character. it was
necessary tor him TO display on every occa
sion, and that, too, with the mos stupid os-
tentaiion not merely a neglect, but a SOW.
reign contenhpt for money: for money with
oct which most brilliant man that was
ever yet born, might hope. in vain, 10 Sc
| cure permanent and respectable footing m
lie: And what had he gained BY all mis-
generosity and good -heart edness ?--wnv, ne
had been praised -pitied-.aughed s.--aud
| despised. Was his all mo: he had gam
ed ths pleasure of living o. rainier breathing
! = tcfiy y,ars at the mercy of his creditors
he had worne all his lite the chains of the
most; AFFECT. the most morlifying. the mos
Illuminating dependence on those whom. in
stead OF eai,ing on them, nature had form.
ed him to sustain and 10 con rouI he had
gained, too, the cheering prospect not only
o! dying in this condition, himself, out of en-
ta'hag he same hopeless want and miser,
on the wife OF his bosom and the children of
ms love.
Here my mother paused to admonish me
that much .nfthis was sound and wholesome
doctrine; that she had, herself known more
than enc victim to the same vanity for which
old Morton reproached himself : that rene
rosity and goodness of heart, however ami
able and winning when fed and regulated and
Siaced by prudence, lost, nevertheless, all
'heir attractive .,character and forfeited all
title To The very name Of goodness. when in
duged 1T the expense of the severer virtues
especially at the expense of that Justice which
every man owed both at home and abroad -
| Old Morton's fault she said, consisted in
this, that he sought to extiDguish his sons
generosity, altogether. instead of seeking to
| guide by the rem ofprudence.
| Then returning to her narrative, she said
that old Morton having appealed to his sons
Independence of spirit by the excruciating
picture o. his own poverty and woe, rever-
sed the piece and drew him as the found
err, anew, OF his family He showed hin,
that it was in his power to raise the name
OF Morton from its hereditary obscuritv. to
encircle it with blaze of glory, and, in the
! language OF Cicero, to make it more famous
to posterIty than those OF the Scauri and the
Catuli. To effect this, however he apuri-
zed him that IL was indispensable To Law a
vast and solid basis of wealth in order g.,
support and transmit his famil, honors.-1
Such an estate, he .aid was necessary 20
| give his talents their proper rank in society.
and to shew, even his virtues in their true
lustre: 1t was necessary as a political on
CINE to give force and power to his enter
prlzes and to ensure them success: il was
necessary as monument to sustain and
eternize his name and Movements. and
without it, let his virtues be what thew
might, they would soon vanish from the
memory and affections OF his countrymen.-~
He then sketched with a bold and striking
pencil, pic ture of Henry M rton in the
midst of wealth and glory, the object of mi
versal admiration and respect, and the first
ornament and honor Of his Country
/ Through these splendid portals and in
this Elusive robe ofheavenly radiance did
the demon OF ayarlce first gain admission m