Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/448

424 must have consisted principally in his delivery. We know what extraordinary effects have been produced by the mere manner of an orator, without any uncom- mon weight or worth of matter. We have the autho- rity, however, of those who heard the identical speeches now professed to be given as his, for declaring, that they are an extremely imperfect representation of them; and their ability to correct them so frequently from memory, establishes the fact, that it was not the charm of delivery merely, which constituted the difference between the report and the original. This is not the only instance, in which a great orator has been injured, by imperfect attempts to represent him: for (to say nothing of those modern proofs, which will easily occur to the reader) we are told, that the great Pericles himself met with a si- milar fate. Candour and justice, however, require us to repeat, that Mr. Robertson's reports are unquestion- able, in point of good faith; and that they are highly valuable, on account of the accuracy and fidelity with which they are believed to have preserved the substance of the debates. It is with extreme regret that the au- thor has made a single comment to their disadvantage; but justice to Mr. Henry has made it indispensable.

 Friar Narni, a capuchin, was so remarkable for his eloquence, that his hearers, after a sermon, cried out mercy, in the streets, as he passed home; and thirty bishops, starting up under a discourse, hurried home to their re-spective dioceses: yet when his sermons came to be published, they were thought to be unworthy of his reputation; which shows how much depends on action; and how correct the saying of Demosthenes was, on that subject." . Article Narni.