Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/274

 250 SKETCHES OF THE

his speeches were ahvays pleasing; yet he did not ravish your senses, nor carry away your judgment hy storm. His was the mediate class of eloquence described by Rollin in his belles lettres; he was like a beautiful river, meandering through a flowery mead, but which never overflowed its banks. It was Hemy who was the moun- tain torrent that swept away every thing before it: it was he alone who thundered and lightened: he alone attained that sublime species of eloquence, also men- tioned by Rollin.

" It has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life to hear these two great masters, almost constantly opposed to each other, for several sessions. I had no relish for any other speaker. Henry was almost always victorious. He was as much superior to Lee in temper as in eloquence; for while with a modesty approaching almost to humility, he would apologize to the house for being so often " obliged to differ from the honourable gentleman, which he assured them was from no want of respect for him.^^ Lee was frequently much chafed by the opposition; and I once heard him say aloud, and petulantly, after sustaining a great defeat, that " if the votes were weighed instead of being counted, he should not have lost it/'*

��* This hit of Mr. Lee's was thought a very happy one at the time. I have heard it mentioned by several others who were members of the house, and particularly by judge Tyler. This gentleman represented it as having occurred after a division and count of the house, and just as the members were about to return to their seats. A member who was in the majority, and who was not very remarkable either for intellect or urbanity, said, with a coarse laugh, to Mr. Lee, " Well, you see you have lost it." — Upon which the latter, looking at him with rather a contemptuous and sneering counte- nance, answered, ** Yes, / have lost it; but if votes were ivei^hedinsiead of being counted^ I should not have lost it."

Was this thought original in Mr. Lee, or had he unconsciously borrowed it from the younger Pliny I " Sed hoc pluxibus [levius] visum est. JVumeran-

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