xt770r9m3j6n https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt770r9m3j6n/data/mets.xml Caldwell, Charles, 1772-1853. 1810  books b92-217-30936052 English Bradford and Inskeep, : Philadelphia : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Washington's Birthday addresses. Oration commemorative of the character and administration of Washington  : delivered before the American Republican Society of Philadelphia, on the 22d day of February, 1810 / Charles Caldwell. text Oration commemorative of the character and administration of Washington  : delivered before the American Republican Society of Philadelphia, on the 22d day of February, 1810 / Charles Caldwell. 1810 2002 true xt770r9m3j6n section xt770r9m3j6n 





           AN ORATION


        COMMEMORATIVE OF THE


CHARACTER AND ADMINISTRATION


                   OF


        WASHINGTON,



              DELIVERED BEFORE

lIIe AMIERITCAN' REPUBLICAN SOCIETY OF PHILADRLPHIA,


      On the 22d day of February, 1810.




      BY CHARLES CALDWELL, M. D.



          Publishicdl at the request of the Society.



               PHILADELPHIA:
 Plublished by Bradford and Inskeep, No. 4, South Third Street.
            Frv andl Kamiiierer, Printers.
                   1810.

 


    DISTRICT OF PEN NSYLVANIA, TO WIT.

          BE IT RFN1EM.N1BERED, That on the twenty-fourth (lay ot
    L. S.    February, in the thirtt-fourth year of the Independence of the
  7Lff   United States of Americv, A. D. 1810, Badlord and Inskeep, of
the ssid distlict, have deposited in this office the title of a book the right -whereof
they clilm a,, proprietors, in the X ords following, to wit:

         " An Oration comrnmeniorativc of the Character and Administration of
             WNashiiigtoii, dleliveredi before the American Republican Society of
             P'hiilatlelp!6ia, on the 22d dlay of February 1810. By Charles Cald-
             well, M. D. Published at the request of the Societs."

    In conformity to time act of the Congress of the United States, intituled, "Anj
act for the en.eotirageCDWmt of learning, by securing the copies of' maps, charts,
arid books, to tihe authoi s aid proprictors of such copies during the times there-
in mentioied." And also to the act, entitled, " An act supplementary to all act,
entitled, ' An act for the (Iitcouirnigenelm t of leamri-ig, by secuing the copies o1
mraps'. charts, anti books, to the authors andi proprietors of snch copies during
the time therein mentioned,' andi extending the benefits thereof to the arts t
1esigning, engrasing, antl etching historical and other priots."
                                                     D. CALDW ELL,
                                          CI( ik of the district of Pci.ns) 1 ai.i a

 

              AN ORATION.



Fellow Citizens,
         Members of the A.nerican Repiducan Society.

  To commemorate one of the proudest events in the
annals of our country, to celebrate one of the brightest
epochs in the calendar of freedom, to give a fresh tes-
timonial of our gratitude to the memory of the most
perfect of mortals, and to renew our pledge to each
other and to the world, for the faithful discharge of
our duties, as citizens of an elective government,
constitute the objects for which we are assembled.
  I call the event we celebrate a proud one, because
it is emphatically our country's boast-I call the day
we celebrate dear to freedom, because it gave birth to
freedom's most illustrious chief-I feel that we are
summoned to the discharge of a debt of gratitude,
deep and weighty as we can owe to any thing on this side
Heaven, because, next to Heaven's sovereign Arbiter,
that champion of freedom to whom our thoughts are
to be directed, has been our choicest friend, our most
distinguished benefactor.-And, I am persuaded, that.

                           'I
on the present, as wvell as on all future occasions, we
xvill hold it our dutv not only to renew, but to redeem,
the pledge already exchanged, to support the constitu-
tion, and to labour for the promotion of the best inte-
rests of our country, by every mean consistent with
honour, and approved by conscience.
   But may it not-nay! has it not, in the ungrateful
and cavilling spirit of the times-a spirit calculated to
smother the generous, and to pamper the ignoble and
unmanly affections-has it not been asked, what is
this event, and what this epoch, which bear such an
emphasis And what, and where are the benefactions,
for which such demands are made on our gratitude
  What questions for the ear of a Philadelphia audi-
ence! or, rather, what questions for an audience of
real Americans, by whatever subordinate denomina-
tion they may be known! Does not the cheek of the
most lukewarm and indifferent, redden, at their sound,
with the blood of indignation! Do we commemorate
the nativity of our political father And is not that an
event worthy of national exultation Has the birthday
of our Washington once more returned And is not this
an epoch dear to freedom and to all her votarics Is the
occasion calculated to invigorate our recollection of
the sufferings and services of the hero of our revolu-
tion, and the great founder of our political liberties
And are not these objects of love the most ardent, and

 
                         5
of gratitude the most profound Of love and gratitude
as deep and as glowing as our natures can feel, and
surpassing the utmost that language can express
Lives there an Amrerican citizen in the remotest cor-
ner of this wide spreading empire, by whom consider-
ations like these can be held indifferent Beats there an
American heart in any quarter of the globe, with the
choicest ligaments of which they are not indissolubly
entwined If such a citizen live-if such a heart pal-
pitate, they are callous to their country's honour,
apostates from their country's glory, and unworthy of
the name they are permitted to bear.
  Though I feel confident. fellow citizens, that I carry
vith me the assent of vour understandings, and the
approbation of your hearts, to the sentiments I utter,
--et it would be unbecoming in me to appear before
you clothed in nothing but the language of assertion.
On such an occasion, and on such a subject, I would,
if possible, render conviction still more convinced. I
would awaken and invigorate the spirit of supine be-
lief, and wrest even from scepticism herself the power
of doubting. I must, therefore, crave your attention,
while I endeavour to present you with a partial view
of the character, ,the achievements, and the services of
Washington. I say a partial view; for were I to at-
tcmpt a full one, the orb of day would descend from

 6



the heavens, and even the setting stars invite to sleep,
before 1 should have finished the glowing story.
  Suffer me, however, to premise, that I feel in all
their weight, the overwhelming difficulties of the task
I have to encounter. The subject has already, and
that repeatedly, been the theme of the ablest pens and
most eloquent tongues our country can boast. These,
though they have not indeed exhausted it, (for it is all
but inexhaustible) have, notwithstanding, rendered it
familiar to both the eye and the ear of the American
iation. Nor is this all. They have thrown around it
such a splendid dress, such a rich profusion of the
flowers of rhetoric, that scarcely one remains uncropt
in all the gorgeous parterre of fancy, for its further
decoration. But my difficulties do not terminate here.
For were the subject yet untouched, and did my abili-
ties tower to its gigantic level, still the customary time
allotted for an oration, would be insufficient to do it,
even in its most abridged and summary form, the sha-
dow of justice. My reliance, then, is on your candour
alone-my appeal is to the generous feelings of your
hearts, for that lenity and that indulgence, which I
well know the decision of your understandings will
be unable to allow nue. The recital in which I am to en-
gage will be the story of your Washington, and that
will be my shield from the severity of criticism. Be-
hiud that fair, that immortal aegis, I securely intrench

 
                        7
myself, conscious that no one will offer violence to it,
merely for the sake of reaching me.
  It has been said by certain pretenders to superior
wisdom and discernment that Washington was born
a common character, and raised to subsequent distinc-
tion solely by the operation of fortuitous and favoura-
Ile circumstances. That he was a mere nursling of
fortune, and that, had he been born in ordinary times,
he would have been nothing more than an ordinary
man. These assertions spring from an ignoble and a
contracted source. They will never find an advocate
either in the decisions of the enlightened mind, or in
the sentiments and feelings of the generous heart.
They are as replete with envy as they are destitute of
truth. Washington was formed by nature for a hero,
a statesman, a ruler, and a sage, and nothing but the
hand of premature death, or the most absolute lack of
opportunities, could have chilled the noble current of
his soul, and checked the irresistible bent of his ge-
nius. His mind was not, indeed, a hotbed of glittering
hypotheses, which is too often nothing but another
name for a hotbed of error. It was a mind altogether
practical, commanding and original-not speculative,
dependent, and acquired-Like an electron per se, it
contained within itself an unusual portion of the fire of
Heaven, shining independently of borrowed light. It
was modelled on a scale of immense compass. Its like

                           8
is not to be found in the records of man. Washington
had received from the hand of nature herself a head to
project, a heart to encounter, and an arm to execute
the most gigantic enterprizes-enterprizes calculated,
according to their bent and direction, to subvert, to
revolutionize, or to build up empires. To a fair and
unprejudiced analysis of his character, to a full and
candid exposition of the incidents and achievements
of his whole life, I would confidently trust the fate of
these assertions.
  The hero of our story betrayed from his infancy
an unconquerable predilection for a military life.
At the a-e of fifteen he had procured, by solicitation,
the appointment of midshipman in the British navy.
But his mother, being then his only surviving parent,
unable to brook a separation from the idol of her
affections, disapproved of his choice. In this it would-
seem as if she had been directed by the finger of Hea-
ven itself, pointing to the future destiny of her son.
Our young soldier, though ardently ambitious of dis-
tinction and honourable fame, was not formed to give
pain in return for maternal kindness, nor to inflict a
wound where gratitude was due. He, accordingly, in
all the characteristic nobleness of his nature, prompt-
ly sacrificed his naval prospects on the altar of filial
affection and dutty. His country's emancipation inter-
Vo; enl With his oWn unrivalled renown, was eventual-

 
                        9
ly was his reward for this act of obedience to the
wishes of a mother. By persisting in disobedience
he might have become the chief of a squadron-the
Nelson of his time. By obeying, he was exalted to
the chief of an empire-the paragon of his own and
of future ages.
  Though young Washington appears to have now
for ever abandoned all his views of naval glory, yet an
irresistible military ardour continued to be the vestal
fire of his soul. An inherent love of arms gave a mar-
tial character even to his juvenile exercises and
amusements. Nor was it long before he was sum-
moned by his country to exchange the mimic for the
real warrior-The sports of the campus for the
deadly conflict.
  Influenced by the intrigues of certain French
missionaries, already had the savages of the
XVest made bare the knife, and snatched from its
repose the hatchet of destruction. Already had they
invaded the frontier settlements of the British colo-
nies, burning for blood, and marking their footsteps
with promiscuous slaughter. Pale faced terror shriek-
ed in their van, and gory massacre rioted in their rear.
It was in the repulsion of this fierce, wily, and insa-
tiable enemy that Washington's arm of war was first
displayed in the presence of the brave. And such was
the distinction he acquired even at this early period,
such the unprecedented promise he exhibited, and
                                   B

 
                        10
such the high and universal confidence he inspired,
that a pious and eloquent divine of the day, his lips
touched, as it were, by a spark from above, declared
from the sacred desk, that he was reared up by Pro-
viden-e as the saviour of his country.
  Not long after this memorable prediction, an event
occurred, which was considered by many, as giving it
almost the sanction of prophecy. It was at the defeat
of the brave but unfortunate Braddock. In that scene
of confusion, carnage, and dismay, the preservation of
the life of Washington was regarded as the proximate
act of a super human arm. His escape from destruc-
tion seemed to offer to his country an earnest of his
futuire services and exaltation. He was the only officer
on horseback that survived the wide-spreading slaugh.
ter of the day; vet his expanded, noble, and majestic
form presented to the deadly aim of the marksman an
object preeminently conspicuous and attractive. After
Braddock's other aids had fallen, he continued alone
to bear the general's orders to every part of the army,
through a tempest of war, that swept from the earth
even the bushes and the grass. A gentleman of distinc-
tion now living, who was present in the engagement,
has frequently declared, that nothing but the guardian
hand of heaven itself could have protected Washing-
ton from the showers of bullets that were levelled at
his individual life. But of his danger and escape on

 
                        11
that memorable occasion, let facts present a living pick
ture-The colouring of language is unequal to the
task. In the course of the action two horses fell under
him and a third was wounded-part of his cockade
was torn away-his sword, as it waved in his hand,
was repeatedly grazed by the shot of the enemy-and
four bullets pierced his coat-but were not commis-
sioned to drink his blood!-that blood which was to
animate the future deliverer of his country.
  After Braddock himself had fallen, and a further
continuance of the conflict would have been rashness
rather than bravery, XVWashington, by a most masterly
retreat, saved the shattered remains of the army.
   The events of this sanguinary day, though dis-
astrous in the extreme to the British interest, were
no less auspicious to the military renown of our youth.
ful hero. Thev furnished every heart with motives to
love and admire him, and every tongue with cause to
be eloquent in his praise. They shew him to be brave
yet prudent, ardent yet collected, enterprizing yet
cautious and wise, far beyond his experience and his
years. They exhibited him to the eve of the world, if
not in the character of a consummate captain, at least
as a youth possessing the most distinguished attributes
of command. From that moment he stood unrivalled
in the affection, the confidence, and the honours of his
country.

 
                         12
  On the cessation of actual hostilities in America, an,
event which took place about the year 1758, Wash-
ington resigned his commission in the army, and ex-
changed a single and military, for a married and civil
life. Al the public stood no longer in need of his
services, he sunk the warrior and the leader in the
husband and the citizen.
  Having hitherto shone forth the pride of var, and
the terror of the battle, it was nosv his turn to become
the delight of domestic, and the brightest ornament of
social, life. For nature, in the exuberance of her bounty,
had endowed him alike for either station-for scenes
of retirement and peace, no less than for those of tur.
moil and battle. In him qualities and attributes the
most opposite and apparently incompatible, joined
and amalgamated in exquisite harmony. Magnificence
without extravagance, economy without parsimony or
meanness, method without formality, dignity without
pride, affability without familiarity, tenderness without
effeminacy, goodbreeding without insincerity, polite-
ness without affectation, refinement without an excess
of affected sentiment, a perfect knowledge of the world
without licentiousness, and exemplary devotion with-
out austerity, are a few of the seeming inconsistencies
that were reconciled in the character of that wonderful
man. Clothed in such a constellation of virtues and re-
splendent qualities, his dwelling became the resort of

 
                         13
taste, of science, and of elegance. But though pre.
eminently calculated to adorn, he was not fated long to
enjoy, the tranquil scenes of private life. He was
formed for higher destinies-he lived for his country,
and her call was always his signal to sacrifice inclina-
tion to duty, and quit the shades he so dearly loved.
  From the resignation of his commission till the year
1775, though he might have been occasionally excited
by the din of transatlantic batt es, yet he never mingled
in the strife of arms. Still, however, would his bosom
swell, and his eye beam with unusual fire, on reading or
listening to, the stories of the tented field; and still is
he reported to have set apart a portion of his time for
the study of treatises oln the art of wvar. In this also
may we trace the finger of Providence, pointing to the
future emancipation of his country. For it was by steps
like these that the martial fire of his soul was fostered,
and his mind brought to a state of complete prepara-
tion to conduct the armies of Freedom to victory and
glory, through the sanguinary struggle which secured
our independence. To the part he bore in that memo-
rable contest, I must now beg leave to direct your at-
tention.
  The particular causes that led to our revolutionary
wvar it would be superfluous to lay before you. They
already live in the memory of every tyro in the history
of his country. Long had the most daring and iniqui-

 
                         14
buus measures been. pursued by the British cabinet, to)
subvert the liberties of a brave, a generous, and a high-
mi-inded people. And long had these measures bcesn
regarded widh sentiments of indignation becoming frec-
men, y-et borne with a patience beyond example-a
patience protracted from hour to hour by hopes of re-
dress. But even patience has its limits as well as hope.
An excess of the one is dulness and insensibility; of the
other, weakness mingled with credulity.
  The period at length arrived when no choice was
left, no alternative remained, but resistance or slavery.
In such a crisis it did not belong to Americans to pause.
Instantlv, as if by an impulse of inspiration from on
High, did a sentiment of resistance nerve the heart, and
a spirit of defiance ennoble the brow, of every patriot
from -Maine to Georgia, and from the Atlantic to the
western extreme of our population.
  No sooner had congress determined on an appeal to
the sword against the tyrannic encroachments of' the
British government, than Washington was unanimous-
Iv chosen Commander in Chief of the armies of his
country. When the choice wvas announced to him in
the counlcil-chamber of the nation, his conduct on the
occasion was characterized by an unassuming modesty,
a magianimity, and a disinterested patriotism, to which
no parallel can be found in the pages of Grecian or Ro-
man storv. The facts to which I allude are on record.

 
                         15
They adorn history while their render it instructive,
and will long remain the boast of Americans and the
admiration of the world. The appointment was hailed
with a peal of acclamation, swelled by the voice of ap-
proving millions. For already had every eye been fixed
on W\ashington, already had every patriot heart, pre-
pared to bleed for freedom, elected him for its leader.
So imposing was his character, so conspicuous his
talents and attainments in var, and so unrivalled his
standing in the confidence of his country.
  From the era of his investiture with supreme com-
mand, commences the most brilliant as well as the most
important period of his life. To attempt at present to
trace, and in adequate colours portray, the various
achievements of his dazzling career from this date till
the close of the revolution, wOuld be vain and presump-
tuous- It would be to follow the eagle soaring to the
heavens. Could I even form my pencil of sunbeams,
or draw my colours from the rainbow's tints, I would
not still embark in the enterprize.
  It is indeed true, that during our struggle for free-
dom, Washington achieved no such stupendous feats
of arms, as those which have lately deluged with the
blood of whole armies the plains of Austerlitz, of
Eylau, of Aspern, and of' Wagram. But the reason is to
be looked for in the feebleness of his means, not in any
lack of personal resources either of mind or of heart. I
dare defy refutation in asserting, that in proportion to

 
                         16
the resources with which he was furnished, he achieved
more, much more, than has ever been done by any
other leader either ancient or modern. At times his only
resource appeared to be in himself, and in that unsha-
ken trust, which it was his glory to repose in the God
of armies. In the severest of trials-when pressed
on every side by a numerous and powerful enemy,
proud in discipline and flushed with victory-when his
few but gallant followers were unpaid, unclothed, un-
fed, and many of them unarmed-When the murmur
of discontent was loud in his ranks, and the voice of
mutiny was ready to be raised-When the general spirit
of his country had ebbed almost into despair, and even
the hearts of the bravest were meditating submission-
Under all these disasters, the brow of Washington was
alone unclouded, his eye alone spoke the language of
defiance, his firmness alone remained unmoved-In
these worst of times, avhen the fair form of Freedom
seemed already bleeding in the Fon's angry grasp, the
vigour of his arm rescued her froim fate, and the light-
ning of his sword became a rampart around her. Nor
wvas this all. The buoyancy of his genius even rearedhim
above misfortune, and its immense resources enabled him
to turn on his adversary the tide of conquest-To the
gentlemen of the Cincinnati, the companions of Wash-
ington-who shared in his counsels, his dangers and his
glorv, and witnessed his toils and achiverments in wall

 
                         17

-to that gallant, that patriotic, that venerable band, grown
gray in the ways of truth and of honour, I appeal for
the correctness of what I here advance-Where, then
-I feel the pride of an American in asking the question
-XVhere is the captain, either ancient or modern, who,
amidst such an overwhelming tempest of evils, ever
converted misfortune into triumph, and forced his way
to victory, with such a penury of means I challenge a
reply from the proudest page in the annals of woar.
Other leaders have, indeed, marched to splendid con-
quests at the head of numerous, well disciplined and
well provided armies; but to effect such conquests, in
despite of the wvant of all these auxiliaries, is a glory
peculiar to XVashington alone.
  It has been sometimes asserted that the hero of our
revolution was totally destitute of all the higher attri-
butes of genius-that he was deficient in that energy,
decision, and enterprise, which mark the character of
a great captain-that a well directed caution was his
cardinal excellence, and that it was the bent of his
disposition, and the highest effort of his conduct and
policy, to receive battle with coolness and fortitude,
rather than to offer it with boldness and vigor. It has
been by others declared, that, though he oftentimes
manifested judgment in availing himself of opportuni.
ties favourable for action when they offered, yet his
genius never rose to such an ascendcncy, never as
                                    C

 
                        18
sumed such a commanding attitude, as to create op-
portunities, to control circumstances, and rule the
current of events to his purposes.
  AWere these charges true, they would certainly de-
tract from the brilliancy of his renown. For mere
judgment, prudence, courage, and firmness, though
highly valuable, and indispensably necessary, are but
secondary attributes in the character and conduct of a
military chief. But to such as have attentively and
impartially studied the actions, and much more to
those wvho were admitted to the counsels of WVash-
ington, the injustice of the charges must be glaring as
the sun. The soul of that chieftian was energy itself,
and, when the crisis demanded it, his decisions were
rapid as the movements of thought. But his energy
was never suffered to degenerate into rashness, and he
preferred, of choice, deliberation to haste. His mind
was capable of conceiving, and oftentimes did con-
ceive and project, against the enemies of his country,
cnterprizes of great compass and of the most daring
character; but too seldom were his resources equal to
their accomplishment. Oftentimes did his mind expe-
rience the most painful conflict between the boldness
of his designs and the feebleness of his means. His
wish was often to strike a brilliant, if possible, a con-
clusive blow, but his ardour was restrained, once, at
least, by the counsels of his officers, but most fre.

 
                         19
quently by the inefficient condition of his troops. Had
his countrv furnished him with an army equal in num-
bers and discipline to that of his enemy the revolu-
tionary conflict would have been of short duration.
From its commencement till its close, it would have
exhibited an uninterrupted blaze of enterprize and
attack. The war would have been carried into every
fortress, and into the centre of every camp the enemy
might have occupied. Perhaps, from the first, the foes
to liberty might have been confined to their ships, and
never suffered to pollute with their footsteps the sanc-
tuaries of Freedom.
  Proof-incontestible proof, of the truth of these
assertions we have in what Washington meditated
against the enemy at Boston, at Brandywine, and at
Germantown, and in what he actually achieved at
Trenton, at Princeton, at Monmouth, and at York.-
WVere these the projects-these the acts of a mind
characterized only by that cool, calculating, cautionary
thing, denominated prudence of a mind whose lead-
ing attribute was a heavy and slowly deliberating
judgment No! they were not! They were the exploits
of a mind nerved by energy, and rich in expedients-
of a mind bold to conceive, enlightened to direct, and
impetuous to execute, the most daring enterprizes.
They were, in fact, the utmost that mortal man could
do, and more than mortals had a right to expect,

 
                        20
under circumstances so disastrous, and with means
so incompetent.
  But Washington's predominant character in war is
yet to be mentioned. And it is the brightest attribute,
the consummation of excellence, in a leader of armies.
It was the extreme facility, the wonderful capacity,
he possessed, of adapting his measures and his move.
ments, on every occasion, precisely to the nature of
the circumstances in which he was placed.-His capa-
city of promptly varying his projects and actions so as
to meet the full force and character of the existing
crisis, howevser shifting and numerous the aspects it
might assume. In this perfect adaptation of his conduct
to the nature and vicissitudes of the current of events,
he may be boldly pronounced to be without a parallel
in the history of the world. And in this consisted the
perfection of his genius for war. It implied intuitive
discernnient, prompt decision, a plenitude of expedi-
ent, profound judgment, a selfpossession which no-
thing could disconcert, a selfcommand which nothing
could destrov. Though the natural bent of his mind
was to enterprise and action, yet could he with equal
ease play the Fabius or the Cesar, according as the
safety of his army and the success of his cause depen-
ded on caution or on gallant exploit. A perfect Proteus
in his military character, he was capable of rendering
himself all things to all emergencies. And it is to this

 
                         21
accommodating power of his genius, next to the
smiles of a protecting Providence, that we must attri-
bute the successful issue of our revolutionary war.
Though the caution he observed in retreating before
armies greatly superior to his own in numbers and in
discipline oftentimes exposed him to the reproaches
of the unthinking, yet it was his glory to merit and.
ultimately to receive the highest applause, by coolly
disregarding the most unfounded censure.
  But from the hero of our revolution, triumphant in
battle, and surrounded with the trophies and the hon-
ours of wvar, let us turn our attention to the venerable
Chief Magistrate, entrusted by his country with the
sceptre of State. In the former character we have
had a transient vicw of the great founder of our na-
tional independence, in the latter we are to behold
the principal author and establisher of those civil in-
stitutions and arrangements, without which even inde-
penclence itself might cease to be a blessing.
  Having contributed more than any other mortal
could contribute, to the formation and adoption of the
federal constitution, Washington was unanimously
elected to the first presidency. This was a master
stroke of national policv;-a stroke essential, if not to
the peace, at least to the prosperity and happiness of
the country. The weight of his character was deserv-
edly transcendant; and that weight was indispensably

 
                         22
necessary to mature and consolidate the new and im-
portant arrangements that were now contemplated.
There was wanting some general repository of trust-
some powerful centre of attraction, to draw the affec-
tions and the confidence of the several states to a
single point. And that repository-that centre, wvas
found in Washington. No shadow    of doubt was
entertained either of his wisdom and discernment
to discover, or of his patriotic and paternal solicitude
to provide for, the vital interests of every section of
that country in peace, for which he had hazarded his
life and his fortune in war.
  The present crisis was all important to the charac-
ter of our illustrious countryman. His reputation was
now brilliant and spotless as the sun. Envy itself did
not dare to sully it, nor did a rivalship of it enter even
into the wildest dreams of ambition. He stood now on
the very pinnacle of fame, with the brightest rays of
human glory playing around him, and exhibiting him
in majesty to an admiring world. Nothing more was
wanting to complete his greatness-nothing more to
fill tip the measure of his earthly wishes. To a future
world alone could he look for a superior standing in
glory, for earth had nothing superior to offer. In this
state of things, had he consulted prudence alone-that
cool, calculating power, which had been falsely assert-
cd to be the highest attribute of his mind-had he, I

 
                        23
say, consulted this, or had he, for a moment, admitted
self to the counsels of his bosom, he would have re-
mained what he then was, and never have trusted himself
again to the caprice of fortune. In particular, he would
never have put at hazard, on the dubious ocean of
public opinion, the reputation he had gained by the
labours of his sword. But he felt only for his country-
he was a stranger to self. That country had again rear-
ed her sacred voice, claiming his services in a moment
of difficulty, and his patriotism forbad him to disre-
gard the summons. Private interest and private incli-
nation were merged in a regard for the public weal.
He accordingly left once more the shades of his belov-
ed retirement, to embark in the untried vessel of state,
and steer her through the tempestuous sea of liberty.
  A new government was now to be organized, its
thousand wheels were to be set in motion, and the
outlines of an administration were to be sketched.
which, by embracing, and providing for, the conflict.
ing interests of a wide-spreading country, might con-
ciliate and rivet the affections of a powerful, a jealous,
and a highminded people. To common minds, and
even to minds of an exalted order, a task like this
'vould have presented difficulties insurmountable and
appalling. But to the mind of Washington,