Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/78

 54 SKETCHES OF THE

The exclamation above quoted by my correspondent as having electrified Mr. Henry's hearers, is a striking specimen of one of his great excellences in speaking; w hich was, the power of condensing the substance of a long argument, into one short pithy question. The hearer was surprised, in finding himself brought so suddenly and so clearly, to a just conclusion. He could scarcely conceive how it was effected; and could not fail to regard, with high admiration, the power of that intellect, which could come at its ends by so short a course, and work out its purposes with the quickness and certainty of magic.

The aristocracy were startled at such a pherwmeiwn from the plebeian ranks. They could not be otherwise than indignant at the presumption of an obscure and unpolished iTistic, who, without asking the support or countenance of any patron among themselves, stood upon his own ground, and bearded them even in their strong hold. That this rustic should have been able too, by his single strength, to baffle their whole phalanx and put it to rout, was a mortification too humihating to be easily borne. They affected to ridicule his vicious and depraved pronunciation, the homespun coarseness of his language, and his hypocritical canting in relation to his humility and ignorance. But they could not help admiring and envying his wonderful gift; that thorough knowledge of the human heart which he displayed; that power of throwing his reasoning into short and clear aphorisms; w hich, desultory as they were, supplied in a great degree, the place of method and logic; that imagination so copious, poetic, and subfime; the irresisti-

a single one now remaining in life.'* This debate must have been in 1765, instead of 17G4. 'Die only surviving member of that year is Paul Carring- ton, sen. esq. who took his seat in the house after the debate in question.

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