The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-03-12
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3 Patrick Henry sorigihulIy q bprskceperl
he was tna'ried very young, snd going into
some business, on HE own account. was
bankrupt before they was cat. When
Iwss about the age Of fifteen. I left school
here, 70 gofO the college St Wiliidhsturg;
Istopped 4 few days at . friend's IN the coun-
" OfLouisa.. There Idrst saw and becsihe
-asquainted with Patrick HeRy. Having
spent the Christtnas holidays there, 1 proee,
ded 10 Williamsburg. questions prcse
about my admission, as my preparatory stud
les had not been pursued at school connected
with thui ins,iiutiQna .Rhis delay ed nEfsdf !
mission dbOIt fortnight, at which time
Henry appeared in Williamsburg, and ap
Piled for license TO practice law, having
commenced the study Of il at or subsequently,
to the time OF my meeting him in Louisa.
There we're four examiners, Wythe, Pen
dleton, Peyton Randolph, and. John Ran.
dolph. Wyihe aud Psndleton at once re- |
jecled his ipplication. es9sl ie tlFm','
The two RandoIphs, BY his importantly, [
were Prevailed upon to sisn'the liteh.e; and
having obtained their signatures, he sPPIied
again TO Pendleton, and after much 'entreaty
and many promises Of future study, succeed. |
ed IN obtaining his. He then turned out for
a. practising 'awyer. 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 Bur.
gesses. His second was The Parsons cause,
already knowa. These and similar efforts
soon obtained for. him so much reputation.
that he was elected member Of the Legis
! Iature. He was as well suited to the times
as any man ever was, and it's not easy TO
say hat we should have eSdope' without Pats
rick Henry. He was far before all in main.
timing the spirit Ct The Revolution, I, So .g-s
His influence was most extensivewith the
members from the upper counties, and his
/ boldness and their votes overaHed and con.
Ftrofled the more cool or the more timid, ar
istocrafic gentlemen oftbe lower part of the
State. Hi,eloqurnce was peeuiF,if indeed
! II should be cailed eloquencess forit was i'm
pressive and sublime, beyond what can be
Imagined. Although it was. difficult, when
he had spoken, ,oltell what, he had said, yet.
while he was speuking lit always seemed d.
4 rectIy To- the point. When he had spoken
in opposition 10 my opinion, il had produced
!, great effect, and have myself 6eea high
: Fy delighted and moved. ! Have asked mvseit
: when he ceased, ,--"W What the devil has tt
3 said?" could never answer the inquiry
fIis person was Of full size, and his manners
t and voice free, and manly, His u,terance
a neither very fast nor very SLOW. HIS speech.
es generally short, from quarter TO hall an
81 hour. His punctuation was vulgar and vi
: cious,. but il was forgotten while he wa'
d speaking 4; saa a9taer- ag~8 2vra Sos
= r. IRE was aman OF fvery little knowledge o
e any sort; he read nothing, ardfad no Books
h Returning one November, from Abermarl
~ Court, he borrowed OF me HuTe's Essays
n in two volumes. saying he should have leis
E- ure in the winter for r,'ading. fnthe sprin,
Df he returned thcm, and declared he had no
4. been able 10 go further than twenty or ihir
re -ty pnges in the first volume. He wrote n
h. most nothing-he could not write. TIL
er Resolutions Of l775, which have been a
I'D lcribed to him, have by many been suppose
be to have been written by Mr.. johnson, WI
h acted as his second on that occasion; but
Ii. they were written tya Henry himself, tn,
ch are not such as TO prove any power ofcot
as position. Neither. in politics nor in his pr
ng fession was he man of business; he n
4 la man for debdte only. His bographer sa
n that he read Plutarch every year. / ,dou
ce whether he ever read q volume. Of itsin
aslife. Histemper wns excellent, and he ge
so eraily observed decarum in debate.t On oi
rp or two occasions have seen him angry, al
: 4 his aager was terrible; those who witness
tiyl it we're not dispose 10 rouse ii again.
- his opinions, he was yielding and practit
"A BILE, and not disposed to differ from
= Of friends. In private conversation, he v
and face tioHs, and while in g
MI teeI society. appeared to understand NIL
be decencies and proprieties ofii; but. i'm.
heart, he preferred low society, and sous
.ae lit as often as possible. arz ,.ga ssa ~
The, He would hunt in the pine woods Of F
to lvania. with overseers, and people Of Il
er, description. living in a camp for q fortni
re lata time without o change Of rafnrent
lied have often been, astonished at bis com N,
the 1of proper language; how be attained
" knowledge s.ofitI never could find out, as
.off read 60 kltle and conversed SO Little with
ID a ucated men, After all, il must be. ALLOW
l. that be was our leader in the measures
lily, the Revolution in Virginia. In thatiresp
rds more was due to him than any other pers
give n we had not had him, we should ,p;oba
,der have got On pretty we'll. as you did. b
inks number of men of nearly equal taients.
he left US far behind. His biosfapher /
s,s s.. lie lsheetsof his work TO me Us they v
ard 4 printed, and at the end asked my opin
,in's |, told him il would be q question herea
the whether bis work should be placed on
shelf Of history or OF paneeyric. = IL
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