The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 3, November, 1834Various
History
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 3, November, 1834
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
of the heart--no "flow of soul"--no living sympathy with mankind,
teaching him to be glad when they rejoiced, to sorrow when they
mourned.
There were none to whom he imparted his feelings, none to whom he
communicated his sentiments. On none of the usual topics of
conversation among men, whether of politics or literature, were his
opinions ever expressed--not even on legal points, unless when sought
for professionally. He lived strictly alone, concealing thought and
passion within the impenetrable recesses of his unfathomable mind.
Here for the present I will leave him, to give a short account of
Drayton's career, connected as it is with the main interest of my
narrative.
With the assiduity, industry and application for which he had been
distinguished at college, he pursued his professional studies; and
although denied the gift of eloquence, or rather I should say,
embarrassed by a slow and hesitating manner of speaking, it was obvious
enough that his knowledge of the law was sound, and that he perfectly
understood its application to the point he might be advocating. If too,
he lacked the graces of oratory, and could distil no honied words into
the ears of his auditory, he possessed that happy manner, which imposes
on society the opinion that there is a fund of wisdom and learning to
be drawn on, whenever the exigency of the case might require its use.
He had a serious, business like look, and if he walked abroad for
exercise, he seemed to have a deeper motive for the action. His
progress was nevertheless very slow in the commencement; still he
advanced by degrees, and his patience was inexhaustible. Drayton had
another advantage too, that to him amply compensated for the want of
purely professional business, and even the glitter of fame. A relation
had bequeathed him a few thousand dollars, and this enabled him to make
occasional advances to a needy client, where the claim was eventually
secure, and also to carry on a traffic in bonds, exchanging one for
another at a large discount, and thus in a short time doubling his
original capital. One or two lucky hits in land speculation returned
him large profits; and people beginning to find out his merits, as they
perceived these accessions to his worldly wealth, in course of time his
practice became respectable and lucrative. Between Heywood and Drayton
there continued the same kindness of feeling they had mutually
entertained at college, up to some short time before the philippic
delivered by the former against Willis. But about that period a
coolness grew between them. This arose from no misunderstanding or
quarrel, but simply from a dislike Heywood entertained to the very
obsequious manner Drayton exhibited towards all men who were superior
to him in private wealth or public station; and the former could not
refrain from telling him one day, after some display of the sort, that
he reminded him of Sir Pertinax McSycophant, in the "Man of the World,"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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