Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1859-08-14
PArHTcK

Very little Is known Of the most eloquent
orator Of our revolutionary history-one who
derived all bis power from original genius and
the study Of nature and men, and had no ac-
cuaintance with books. The following sketch
Of his character and habits Mr.. Webster re-
csived from Mr.. Jefferson, and is found in the
published volumes Of Mr.. Websisr's coTTesPon-
denee:
Patrick Henry was originally a bar keeper.
He was married very young, AID going into
some bus ness, was a bankrupt In less than a
year. When / was about the age Of fifteen I
left school to 60 to college at Williamsburg !
stopped a few days al a friends house in the
county OF Louisa. There I frat saw and be-
came acquainted with Patrick Henry. Having
spent the Christmas holidsys there. I proceeded
I % Williamsburg. Some Questions arose about
ny admission, as my preparatory studies had
not been pursued a. the school CONNECTED With
that institution. This delayed nv admission
about q fortnight, at which time Henry ap-
peared In VII ismsburg, ard applied for H.
esn7e to practice law, having eomnrneed the
study OF Il at or subsequently to the time OF
nv nee ing him In LOUISA. There were four
examihers-Wyths, Peadleton, PsYton Ran
dolph and John Randolph. Wythe and Pen
dleton AZ once rsje ted bis application. The
two Randolphs, BY bis Importantly, were pre-
vailed upon to sign bis license; and having
obtained their signatures, be applied sgain 70
Pendle,on. and after much entreaty and many
promises Of future study, succeeded in obtain
ing his.
He then turned out for a praeticlng lawyer.
The first case which trough him iRto notice
was a contested election, in which be appeared
as counsel before the committee OF the House
Of Burgesses. His second was the Parsons
case. already well known. These and similar
efforts soon obtained for him so much reputa-
ton, that he was elected q member Of the Leg
i~slature. He was as well suited 70 the times
as any man ever was, and it is not now easy
to say what we should have done without
Patrick Henry. He was far before al in
maintaining the spirit Of he revolution. His
influence was most extensive with the mem
bers from the upper c~ouu-ies, and bis holiness
and their votes ovcrawed and controlled the
more cool or he more timid aristosratic gen
/ tlemen Of the lower part OF the State. His
s,oqusnce was peculiar, II inoeed, it could be
called eloquence, for i was impressive and
sublime beyond what can be imagined. Al
though il was difficult, when he had spoken
to tell what be had said, yet while he was
speaking it seemed directly TO the point.
When he had spoken IN opposition 20 my OPP
inion-had produced a great sensation, and ]
mvselt been delighted and moved, I have asked
myself when be ceased, " What has he said 81
I could never answer the inquiry. His person
was Of full size, and bis manner and voice free
and manly. His utterance was neither very
I last AAA WI aAAWH AAa 1ENNN1- $3.50
short-from a quarter 10 half an hour.
he was a man Of very little knowledge Of
any sort he read moth NJ, and had DO books.
Returning, one November, from Albemarie
| Court, be borrowed Hume's Essays, in -wo
volumes, saying be would have leisure in the
winter for reading. In the Spring b. returned
them, and declared be had not been abe 10 20
further than twenty or thirty pages in he first
volume. He wrote almost nothing-hs could
not write. The resolutions Of rs, which have
been sscHbed to him, have BY many been sup
posed to have been written by Johnson, who
acted as his second on this occasion but, IL
they were written by Mr.. Henry himself, they
were not such as TO prove any power Of com
position. Neither in politics nor in his profess
sion was he a read man. His hiographer says
that be read Plutarch every year. / doubt
whether be ever read a volume Of 10 In his life.
HB temper was excellent, and he generally
observed deccrum in debate. On one or two
occasions ] have seen him angry, andhis anger
was terrible; those who witnessed It were not
disposed to rouse It again. In his opinions be
was yielding, practicable, and not disposed %
differ from bis friends. In private c0nVersa-
ton be was agreeable and Factions, and while
in genteel society appeared to understand the
decencies and prophecies Of IL; but in his heart
he preferred low society, and sought as often
as possible. He would hunt in the pine-woods
Of Fluvenna, with overseers and people Of that
description, living In a camp for a fortnight at
a tine, without a change Of raiment. ] have
often been astoDished at bis command Of pro-
per language; how be obtained a knowledge Of
It I never could find out, az be read 50 little
and conversed little with educated men.
After all, T. must be allowed that be was our
leader in the measure Of the Revoiutioni in Viz
GINA. In that respect, more was due TO him
than any other person. II we had not hadhim
we should probably have 60. on pretty wei,
as you did. by number Of men Of nsarly equal
talents; but be left Us far behind. HIS bio
grapher sent the sheets Of bis work TO me As
they were printed, and al the end asked for nv
opinion. / told him it would be a question
hereafter whether his work should be placed
on the shelf Of history or pan gyric. Il is a
poor book, written in a bad taste, aud gives SO
imperfect an idea Of Patrick Henry, that II
seems to show Of the writer more than the
subject Of The work.
T'ur T-rvrnpror Dnrra We find m TI0a-