 | John Randolph |  |
PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF RANDOLPH.
The moment one laid eyes on Mr. Randolph he felt conscious
of seeing a great man. Under great mental excitement
his appearance was unusually striking. On one occasion,
when he was about to make a speech at Charlotte
Court-House, a gentleman said of him:
"As he saw the people gather around the stand, his eye
began to kindle, his color to rise; and as he became more
and more animated, his eyes sparkled brighter and brighter,
and his cheeks grew rosy, the wrinkles on his face
seemed to disappear with the sallowness and languor, and
he became almost transfigured."
This was the case with Patrick Henry on great occasions;
but the appearance of Mr. Randolph was remarkable
on all occasions. "Patrick Henry's countenance,
which," Mr. Baldwin in his Party Leaders remarks, "under
the excitement of speech was almost articulate with
the emotions that thrilled his soul, was almost dull in repose;
and Mr. Clay had nothing but a lofty brow and
bright eye to redeem his face from uncommon plainness."
There was nothing plain or common about the features
of Mr. Randolph. When he made his appearance he not
only caused the schoolboy to drop his paddle, while the
ball passed unheeded by, but the pious member of the
church forgot to say his prayers, and the grave senator
turned his eyes from the affairs of state and fixed them on
him.
| John Randolph | |