“Never seed the like, sir--never the like of him, though I have seen many in my day--so tall, so straight! And then, sir, he sat on a horse and rode with such an air! Ah, sir, he was like no one else! Many of the grandest gentlemen, in the gold lace, were at the wedding; but none looked like the man himself.”--_Soldier and Patriot_, p. 58. [52] William Wirt, in his Life of Patrick Henry, has assigned to this date, the enthusiastic reception of Washington by the Assembly. Others, as we think more correctly, have given it the date to which we have assigned it in this volume. [53] To a nephew, who was entering the Assembly for the first time, he wrote, “The only advice I will offer, if you have a mind to command the attention of the House, is to speak seldom, but on important subjects, except such as particularly relate to your constituents; and, in the former case make yourself perfectly master of the subject. Never exceed a decent warmth, and submit your sentiments with diffidence. A dictatorial style, though it may carry conviction, is always accompanied with disgust.”--Sparks’ _Life of Washington_, p. 101. [54] “Vestryman--Episcopal church; one belonging to a select number of persons, in each parish, who manage its temporal concerns.”--_Webster._ [55] “His stable was well filled, and admirably regulated. His stud was thorough-bred and in excellent order. His household books contained registers of the names, ages, and marks of his favorite horses; such as Ajax, Blueskin, Valiant, Magnolia (an Arab), etc. Also his dogs, chiefly fox-hounds, Vulcan, Singer, Ringwood, Sweet-lips, Forester, Music, Rockwood, and Truelove.”--Irving’s _Life of Washington_, vol. i. p. 314. [56] Irving’s _Life of Washington_, vol. i. p. 315. [57] Speech at laying the corner stone of the Washington Monument, by Robert C. Winthrop. [58] “My manner of life,” Washington wrote to a friend, “is plain; and I do not mean to be put out of it. A glass of wine and a bit of mutton are always ready, and such as will be content to partake of them, are always welcome. Those who expect more will be disappointed.”--_Soldier and Patriot_, p. 62. [59] “Washington was fond of hunting, and sport of all kinds. He kept a beautiful barge on the Potomac, rowed by six negroes in uniform dress.”--_Soldier and Patriot_, p. 61. [60] Though the first burst of opposition to the Stamp Act came from Virginia, the New Englanders were the first to take the field against the whole project of Parliamentary taxation.--See Irving’s _Washington_, Mount Vernon edition, vol i. p. 110. [61] “Parliamentary Register,” 1776. [62] “Writings of Washington,” Jared Sparks, vol. ii. p. 345, note. [63] “He had some few intimates in his neighborhood, who accorded with him in sentiment. One of the ablest and most efficient of these was Mr. George Mason, with whom he had occasional conversations on the state of affairs.”--Irving’s _Life of Washington_, vol. i. p. 341.