h I fear." "What will be the effect of
this medicine?" said the old man. "It will give you immediate relief,
or"--the kind-hearted doctor could not finish the sentence. His
patient took up the word: "You mean, doctor, that it will give relief,
or will prove fatal immediately?" The doctor answered: "You can only
live a very short time without it, and it may possibly relieve you."
Then Patrick Henry said, "Excuse me, doctor, for a few minutes;" and
drawing down over his eyes a silken cap which he usually wore, and
still holding the vial in his hand, he prayed, in clear words, a
simple childlike prayer, for his family, for his country, and for his
own soul then in the presence of death. Afterward, in perfect
calmness, he swallowed the medicine. Meanwhile, Dr. Cabell, who
greatly loved him, went out upon the lawn, and in his grief threw
himself down upon the earth under one of the trees, weeping bitterly.
Soon, when he had sufficiently mastered himself, the doctor came back
to his patient, whom he found calmly watching the congealing of the
blood under his finger-nails, and speaking words of love and peace to
his family, who were weeping around his chair. Among other things, he
told them that he was thankful for that goodness of God, which, having
blessed him through all his life, was then permitting him to die
without any pain. Finally, fixing his eyes with much tenderness on his
dear friend, Dr. Cabell, with whom he had formerly held many arguments
respecting the Christian religion, he asked the doctor to observe how
great a reality and benefit that religion was to a man about to die.
And after Patrick Henry had spoken to his beloved physician these few
words in praise of something which, having never failed him in all his
life before, did not then fail him in his very last need of it, he
continued to breathe very softly for some moments; after which they
who were looking upon him saw that his life had departed.

FOOTNOTES:

[465] Henry Adams, _Life of J. Randolph,_ 27-28.

[466] _Writings of Washington_, xi. 557-559.

[467] _Works of John Adams_, ix. 162; viii. 641-642.

[468] _Writings of Washington_, xi. 387-391.

[469] Garland, _Life of John Randolph_, 130.

[470] Fontaine, MS.

[471] The alien and sedition acts.

[472] Wirt, 393-395.

[473] _Hist. Mag._ for 1873, 353.

[474] Henry Adams, _John Randolph_, 29.

[475] J. W. Alexander, _Life of A. Alexander_, 188-189. About this
whole scene have gathere