, 1857-06-19

lawyer The first case which brought him
into notice was a contested election, in
which he appeared as counsel before a
committee of the House of Burgesses
His second was the Parsons cause already
well known.
These and similar efforts soon obtained
for him so much reputation that he was
ELECTED a member of the Legislature He
was as well suited to the times as any man
ever was, and it is not now easy to say
what we should have done without Patrick
Henry. lie was far before all in main
tanning the spirit of the Revolution. His
influence was most extensive with the mem
bers from the upper counties, and his bold
ness and their votes overawed and control-
ed the more cool or the more timid arstoc-
ratio gentlemen of the lower part Of the
State. His eloquence was peculiar, if in
deed it should be called eloqucnce; for it
was impressive and sublime, beyond what
can be imagined Although it was difficult
when he had spoken TO tell what he had
said yet while he was speaking, it always
seemed directly to the point When he
had spoken in opposition to my opinion
had produced a great effect, and myself
been highly delighted and moyed-I have
asked myself when he ceased, what the
devil has he said?' l never could answer
the inquiry. His person was of full size,
and his manner and voice free and manly.
His utterance neither very fast nor very
slow. His speeches generally short, from
quarter to a half an hour. His pronun-
ciaton was vulgar and vicious, but it was
forgotten while he was speaking.
He was a man Of very little knowledge
of any sort; he read nothing, and had no
books. Returning one November from
Albermarl court, he borrwed of me
Hume's Essays, in two volumes, saying he
should have leisure in the winter for read
ing. In the spring he returned them, and
declared he had not been able to 90 far
ther than twenty or thirty pages in the
first volume. He wrote almost nothing
he could not write. The resolutions offs,
which have been ascribed to him. have, by
many, been supposed to have been written
by Mr.. johnson, who acted as his second
on that occasion; but if they were written
by Henry himself, they are not such as to
prove any power of composition Neither
in politics nor in his profession was he a
man of business; he was man of debate
only. His biographer says that he read
Plu;arch every year. doubt whether he
ever read a volume of it in his life. His
temper was excellent, aud he generally OBJ
served desorum in debate.
On one or two occasions l have seen him
angry, and his anger was terrible; those
who witnessed it were not disposed to
arouse it again. In his opinions, he was
yielding and practicable, and not disposed
to differ from his friends.
In private conversation, he was agree
able and facetious, and, while in genteel
society, he appeared to understand all the
decencies and proprieties Of it; but in his
heart he preferred low society, and sought
it as often as possible. lie would hunt in
the pine woods Of Fluvanna with overseers
and people of that description, living in a
camp for fortnight at time without
change Of raiment l have often been as
tonished at his command of proper Ian
guage; how he attained knowledge of it
| never could find out, as he read SO little
and conversed SO little with educated men.
After all, it must be allowed he was our
leader in the measures of the revolution
in Virginia. In that respect more was due
to him than to any other person If We
had not him we should probably have got
on pretty well, as You did by number of
men of ennal talents but he left MS nil far
behind. His biographer sent the sheets of
his work to me as they were printed, and
at the end asked for my opinion. l told
him it would be question hereafter wheth-
er his work should be placed on the shelf
of history or of panegyric. 1t is a poor
book, written in bad taste, and gives so
imperfect an idea of Patrick Henry that it
seems intended to show off the writer more
than the subject Of the work.