Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/429

 son — Mr. Pendleton — Mr. Randolph. Even the justly great and overshadowmg fame of Mr. Jefferson, never extorted from him, in public at least, one invidious re- mark; on the contrary, the name of that gentleman, who was then in France, having been introduced into the debates of the convention, for the pm^pose of bor- rowing the weight of his opinion, Mr. Henry spoke of him in the strongest and warmest terms, not only of admiration but of affection — styling him " our illustrious fellow-citizen,'' " our e7ilightened and worthy country- man/' ''our common friend."

The inordinate love of money and of fame are, cer- tainly, base and degrading passions. They have some- times, tarnished characters otherwise the most bright: but they will find no advocate or apologist, in any vir- tuous bosom. In relation to Mr. Henry, however, we may be permitted to doubt whether the facts on which these censures (so inconsistent with his general charac- ter) are grounded, have not been misconceived; and whether so much of them as is really true, may not be fairly charged to the common account of human im- perfection.

Mr. Henry's great intellectual defect was his indo- lence. To this it was owing, that he never possessed that admirable alertness and vigorous versatility of mind, which turns promptly to every thing, attends to every thing, arranges every thing, and by systematizing its operations, despatches each in its proper time, and place, and manner. To the same cause it is to be ascribed, that he never possessed that patient drudgery, and that ready, neat, copious, and* masterly command of details, which forms so essential a part of the duties both of the statesman and the lawyer. Hence too, he did not avail himself of the progress of science and litcra-

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