Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/52

 28 SKETCHES OF THE

suiTive, seem to have been bereft of their senses. They can only tell you in general, that they were taken cap- tive; and so delighted with their captivity, that they followed implicitly, whithersoever he led them. That at his bidding, their tears flowed from pit}', and their cheeks flushed with indignation. That when it was over, they felt as if they had just awaked from some ecstatic dream, of which they were unable to recal or connect the particulars. It was such a speech as they believe had never before fallen from the lips of man: and to this day, the old people of that county cannot con- ceive that a higher compliment can be paid to a speaker, than to say of him, in their own homely phrase, "Ae is almost equal to Patrick^ when he plead against the par- sons. '^

The only topic of this speech of which any authentic account remains, is the order of the king in council, whereby the act of 1 758 had been declared void. This subject, had in ti'uth been disposed of by the demurrer; and, in strictness of proceeding, neither Mr. Henry nor the jury had any thing to do with it. The laxity of the county court practice, however, indulged him in the widest career he chose to take, and he laid hold of this point, neither with a feeble or hesitating hand; but boldly and vigorously pressed it upon the jury, and that, too, with very powerful effect. He insisted on the connec- tion and reciprocal duties between the king and his subjects; maintained that government was a conditional compact, composed of mutual and dependent covenants, of which a violation by one paiiy discharged the other; and intrepidly contended that the disregard which had been shown in this particular, to the pressing wants of the colony, was an instance of royal misrule, which had thus far dissolved the political compact, and left the people

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