"By these resolutions" says Mr. Jefferson, " and
his manner of supporting them, Mr. Henry took the
lead out of the hands of those who had, theretofore,
guided the proceedings of the house; that is to say, of
Pendleton, Wythe, Bland, Randolph." It was, indeed,
the measure which raised him to the zenith of his glory.
He had never before had a subject which entirely
matched his genius, and was capable of drawing out all
the powers of his mind. It was remarked of him,
throughout his life, that his talents never failed to rise
with the occasion, and in proportion with the resistance
which he had to encounter. The nicety of the vote on
his last resolution, proves that this was not a time to hold
in reserve, any part of his forces. It was, indeed, an
alpine passage, under circumstances even more unpropitious than those of Hanibal; for he had not only to
fight, hand to hand, the powerful party who were already
in possession of the heights, but at the same instant.
the authority of Mr. Henry himself, (as we have seen) of Mr. Jefferson, and of Mr. Cannington, for saying that the resolutions were carried by a majority of one only, on what authority Mr. Burk speaks, we are not informed. His whole account of Mr. Henry's proposal on the next day, to secede, and of his finally giving up two resolutions, for the sake of unanimity, is contradicted again by Mr. Henry, Mr. Jefferson, and Mr, Carrington; there is no such statement in the papers of the day, and the author does not condescend to give us his authority. Mr. Burk's skeleton of Mr. Henry's speech, on that occasion, is believed to be equally apocryphal; the author of these sketches has not been able to procure a single authentic trace of that speed), except the anecdote presently given in the text. Mr. Burk concludes his account of this affair, thus: "Struck with the alarming tendency of these proceedings, the governor suddenly dissolved the assembly, &c." vol. 3d, page 310. In opposition to this statement, we are told by Mr. Henry himself, that when he offered his resolutions, the session was near its regular close ; and the journals prove the fact to have been so. Mr. Henry left town for home, on the evening of the day on which his resolutions were adopted; it was on the next day (consequently in his absence,) that the motion to rescind was made; and the printed journals show that day and the day following, to have been occupied with the usual business which closes a legislative session.
