Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/315

 eveiy proper occasion, to do justice to the great abilities and merits of his adversaries. To the eloquence of col Innis he paid a memorable tribute; and in one short sentence, sketched a picture of it so vivid, and so faith- ful, that it would be injustice to both gentlemen not to give it a place: — " That honourable gentleman is en- dowed with great eloquence — eloquence splendid, mag- nificent, and sufficient to shake the human mind!'^ No circumlocution could have described with half the spirit and truth, that rare union of pomp and power, which distinguished col. Innis; whose car of triumph was always a chariot of war; pugnce vel pompce, panter aptus.

One of the most singular instances on record of the fallacy of the human memory, occurred in the course of these debates: this was in relation to the case of Josiah Philips, which has been already mentioned. Mr. Randolph, in answer to Mr. Henry^s panegyrics on the constitution of the state of Virginia, brought forward that case in the following terms: — " There is one ex- ample of this violation (of the state constitution) in Vir- ginia, of a most striking and shocking nature, — an ex- ample so horrid, that if I conceived my country would passively permit a repetition of it, dear as it is to me, I would seek means of expatriating myself from it. A man who was then a citizen, was deprived of his life, thus: — from a mere reliance on general reports, a gen- tleman in the house of delegates informed the house, that a certain man (Josiah Philips) had committed several crimes, and was running at large perpetrating other crimes; he therefore, moved for leave to attaint him; he obtained that leave instantly; no soorwr did he obtain it, than he drew from his pocket, a bill ready written for that effect; it ivas read three times in one day, and car-

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