The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-09-01
PATRICK HENRY.

who that has a spark of patriotism, does not
feel his warm blood course swiftly through his
veins, at seeing, or hearing. the name of PATRrcK
HENRY? Every thing that pertains to his name,
or tame, IS dear TO us,-it is part of our inheri-
tence, and wo be to the man that dare traduce his
name in the presence of Americans.
1t appears that. soon after Patrick Henry's
noted case of {" Tobacco he heard of a case OF
oppression for conscience sake. The English
Church, says the New York Globe, having been
established by law in Virginia, became, as all es.
adjustments are wont to do, exceedingly ~intoler-
ant towards other sects. In prosecution of this
system of conversion, three Baptist clergymen had
been indicted at Fredericksburg, for preaching the
gospel of the Son Of God, contrary to the statute
Henry hearing of this, rode some fifty miles tc
volunteer his services in defence of the oppressed
He entered the court, being unknown to all per
sons save the bench and the bar, while the indict.
ment was being read by the clerk, He sal with
in the bar until the reading was finished, and the
kings attorney had concluded some remarks il
defence of the prosecution, when he rose, reached
out his hand for the paper, and without more
ceremony proceeded as follows:
May it pleased your worships : | think
heard read by the prosecutor, as / entered thi.
house, the paper | now hold in my hand. If
have rightly understood, The kings attorney OF
the colony has framed a n Indictment for the nur
pose of %aTraigning and furnishing by imprison
ment, three inoffensive persons before the bar o
this court for a crime of great msgnitude-as dis
turbers of the peace. May it please the court
what did | hear read? Did ! hear it distinctly
or was it a mistake Of my own2 Did | hear al
expression, as If a crirne, that these men, whom
your wOrships are abo ut TO Try Cor misdemeanor
are charged with whit 2" and. continuing in
low, solemn, heavy tone, preaching the gospel o
the son Of God 2" Pausing amidst tho most pro
found silence and breathless establishment, ht
slowly waved the paper three times around hi,
head. when lifting his hands and eyes to heaven
with peculiar and impressive energy, he exclaim-
ed I" Great Cod" The xclamation-th burst
of feeling from the a udience-wers all overpower
ing. Mr.. Henry resumed
"May 1t please your worships in a day like
this-when truth is about to burst her Eetters-
when mankind is about 10 be aroused To clair
natural and unalien able rights-when the woke oil
oppression, that has reached the wilderness %
America, and the unnatural alliance of ecclesias-
tical and civil pow err are about to be discovered
at such a period, when lberty-liberty Of con.
science-is about to awake from her slumberings
and inquire into the reason Of such charges as
find exhibited here to-day in this indictment ~
Another fearful pause, when the speaker alter
nately cast his sharp piercing eyes on the court
and the prisoners. and resumed : " am M, de.
| ceived, according to the contents Of the paper T
now hold in my hand, these men are accused of
preaching the gospel Of the Son of Cod Great
God 7" Another long pause, while he again
waved the indictment around his head-while a
deeper impression was made on the auditory.
Resuming his speech" May it please your
w~orships /: there are periods in the history of man,
when CORRUPTION and d~epravily have so long debas-
ed the human race that. that man shrink's under
the weight OF the oppressor's hands-becomes his
servile, hs abject slave: he ticks the hand that