ty. I
admitted the motive of delicacy, but that it should not induce him to
do wrong: urged the dangers to which the scramble for the fractionary
members would always lead. He here expressed his fear that there would,
ere long, be a separation of the Union; that the public mind seemed
dissatisfied and tending to this. He went home, sent for Randolph, the
Attorney General, desired him to get Mr. Madison immediately and come
to me, and if we three concurred in opinion that he should negative the
bill, he desired to hear nothing more about it, but that we would draw
the instrument for him to sign. They came. Our minds had been before
made up.

We drew the instrument. Randolph carried it to him, and told him we
all concurred in it. He walked with him to the door, and as if he still
wished to get off, he said, 'And you say you approve of this yourself.'
'Yes, Sir,' says Randolph, 'I do upon my honor.' He sent it to the House
of Representatives instantly. A few of the hottest friends of the bill
expressed passion, but the majority were satisfied, and both in and
out of doors it gave pleasure to have, at length, an instance of the
negative being exercised.

Written this the 9th of April.

July the 10th, 1792. My letter of ---- to the President, directed to him
at Mount Vernon, had not found him there, but came to him here. He told
me of this, and that he would take an occasion of speaking with me on
the subject. He did so this day. He began by observing that he had put
it off from day to day, because the subject was painful; to wit, his
remaining in office, which that letter solicited. He said that the
declaration he had made when he quitted his military command, of never
again entering into public life, was sincere. That, however, when he was
called on to come forward to set the present government in motion,
it appeared to him that circumstances were so changed as to justify a
change in his resolution: he was made to believe that in two years all
would be well in motion, and he might retire. At the end of two years
he found some things still to be done. At the end of the third year, he
thought it was not worth while to disturb the course of things, as
in one year more his office would expire, and he was decided then to
retire. Now he was told there would still be danger in it. Certainly,
if he thought so, he would conquer his longing for retirement. But he
feared it would be said his former professions of retirement had