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triumphs at the bar to arouse Virginia and in -the month of May of that year. By the treaty with Great Britain, in 1783, British the other colonies to a determined resistance to the encroachments of the British Parlia subjects could "recover debts previously due ment, which included that most obnoxious to them by our citizens, notwithstanding the act of tyranny upon the rights of a free peo payment of the debt into a State treasury had ple, taxation without representation. He was been made during the war, under the author a member of the Virginia Legislature con ity of the State law of sequestration." Under tinuously from 1767 until he was elected this provision, a British subject, one Thomas Governor of Virginia. Jones, brought an action of debt in the Fed eral Court at Richmond against a citizen of On the 1 2th of June, 1776, Patrick Henry Virginia, Thomas Walker, on the bond just was elected the first State Governor of Vir mentioned. The real question was "whether ginia, and so acceptable was his administra the payment of a debt due before the War of tion of the affairs of the Commonwealth dur the Revolution, from a citizen of Virginia to ing the trying time of the Revolution that he a British subject, into the Loan Office of Vir was reëlected twice, and retired only when, ginia, pursuant to a law of that State, dis under the constitution of the State, he was charged the debtor." ineligible for a fourth consecutive term. In the autumn of 1786 Patrick Henry re William Wirt declares that "the whole sumed his professional labors after he had power of the bar of Virginia was embarked" in the case, and that the "learning, argument served two more terms as Governor of Vir ginia. It is painful to have to record that this and eloquence displayed were such "as to have placed the bar, in the estimation of the illustrious statesman, after twelve years of Federal judges . . . above all others in constant, arduous and inestimable public ser vice to his State and country, was obliged to the United States." Patrick Henry ap return to the practice of the law on account peared for the defendant, and associated with him were John Marshall, Alexander Camp of being poor and in debt. He was fifty bell and James Innés. Mr. Henry prepared years old, and his health had suffered from himself for appearing in this case with un his close attention to public duties. He hap usual care and study. Weeks before the trial pened to mention to a friend how anxious he was to come off, he retired to his home in the was to remove his load of debt, when the lat country, and devoted himself to intense study ter said: "Go back to the law; your tongue will soon pay your debts. If you will prom- | of the case and all the law bearing upon it. He filled a book with notes and heads of ise to resume practice, I will give you a re arguments, and spent many hours every day taining fee on the spot." Resisting all the reading and meditating. It is related that attraction that public life offered to him, he "he shut himself up in his office for three carried his genius and eloquence back to the days, during which he did not see his family; scenes of his early triumphs. The announce his food was handed by a servant through ment that Patrick Henry was to go back to the office door." The result of this extraor the bar was received with joy by all persons dinary preparation was that Patrick Henry who had any interest in litigation. His great "came forth, on this occasion, a perfect mas distinction permitted him to take only such ter of every principle of law, national and cases as suited his extraordinary genius as municipal, which touched the subject of in an advocate. One of these was the famous vestigation in the most distant point." The British debts case. The origin of this case antedated the American Revolution, and case was opened on the I4th of November, 1791. When Patrick Henry rose to speak, went back to 1772, and was on a bond made