Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/62

 38 SKETCHES OF THE

the hunt was over, he would go from the gi^ound to Louisa coui% clad in a coarse cloth coat stained with all the trophies of the chase^ gi'^asy leather breeches ornamented in the same way^ leggings for boots^ and a pair of saddle-bags on his arm. Thus accoutred, he would enter the court house, take up the first of his causes that chanced to be called; and if there was any scope for his peculiar talent, throw his adversary into the back ground, and astonish both court and juiy by the powerful effusions of his natural eloquence/^

There must have been something irresistibly capti- vating in Mr. Ileniy's mode of speaking, even on the most ti'ivial subjects. The late judge Lyons has been heard to say of himself, while practising with Mr. Hen- ry, " that he could write a letter, or draw a declaration or plea at the bar, with as much accuracy as he could in his office, under all circumstances, except when Pa- trick rose to speak; but that whenever he rose, al- though it might be on so trifling a subject as a summons and petition, for twenty shillings, he was obliged to lay down his pen, and could not write another word, until the speech was finished.'^ Such was the charm of his voice and manner, and the interesting originality of his conceptions!

In the fall of 1764, Mr. Henry had an opportunity of exhibiting himself on a new theatre. A contest occurred in the house of burgesses, in the case of Mr. James Littlepage, the returned member for the county of Hanover. The rival candidate and petitioner was Nathaniel West Dandridge.* The charge against Mr.

been between col. Syme (Mr. Henry's half brother) and col. Richard Lit- tlepage. The journal contradicts him, and supports the text. There was and 1768.
 * Here is another mistake of Mr. Burk's. He states the contest to have

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