Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/404

 380 SKETCHES OF THE

which proceeded from the superior energy of his iiiind- and the weight of his character, would manifest itself unavoidably, in the deference of his companions: but there was nothing in his manner which would have ever reminded them of it. On the contrary, it seemed to be his study to cause them to forget it, and to decoy them into a free and equal interchange of thought. If he took the lead in conversation, it was not because he sought it; but because it was forced upon him, by that silent delight with which he perceived that his com- pany preferred to hsten to him.

But it was in the bosom of his own family, where the eye of every visitor and even every neighbour was shut out — where neither the love of fame, nor the fear of censure, could be suspected of throwing a false light upon his character — it was in that very scene, in which it has been said that " no man is a hero,^^ that Mr. Henry^s heroism shone with the most engaging beauty. It was to his wife, to his children, to his servants, that his true character was best known: to this grateful, devoted, happy circle, were best known the patient and tender forbearance, the kind indulgence, the forgiving mild- ness, and sweetness of his spirit, those pure and warm affections, which were always looking out for the means of improving their felicity, and that watchful prudence and circumspection, which guarded them from harm. What can be more amiable than the playful tenderness with which he joined in the sports of his little children, and the boundless indulgence with which he received and returned their caresses? " His visitors,^' says one of my correspondents, " have not unfrequently caught him lying on the floor, with a group of these little ones, climbing over him in every direction, or dancing around him, with obstreperous mirth, to the tune of his violin,

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