Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/398

 374 SKETCHES OF THE

open his fields, his barns, his cellars, the doors of his house, the portals of his breast, to have received with open arms, the meanest soldier in that little band of famished patriots? Where is the man? — There he stands — but whether the heart of an American beats in his bosom, you, gentlemen, are to judge. He then carried the jury, by the powers of his imagination, to the plains around York, the surrender of which had followed shortly after the act complained of: he depicted the surrender in the most glowing and noble colours of his eloquence — the audience saw before their eyes the humiliation and dejection of the British, as they march- ed out of their trenches — they saw the triumph which hghted up eveiy patriotic face, and heard the shouts of victory, and the cry of Washington and liberty, as it rung and echoed through the American ranks, and was reverberated from the hills and shores of the neighbour- ing river — " but, hark, w hat notes of discord are these which disturb the general joy, and silence the acclama- tions of victory — they are the notes of John Hook, hoarsely bawling through the American camp, beef! beef! beef!''

The whole audience were convulsed: a particular in- cident will give a better idea of the effect, than any general description. The clerk of the court, unable to command himself, and unwilling to commit any breach of decorum in his place, rushed out of the court house, and threw himself on the grass, in the most violent paroxysm of laughter, where he was rolling, when Hook, with very different feelings, came out, for relief, into the yard also. " Jemmy Steptoe,"' said he to the clerk, " what the devil ails ye, mon?'^ Mr. Steptoe w^as only able to say, that Jie could not Jielp it. " Never mind ye,"' said Hook; " wait till Billy Cowan gets up:

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