his persecutors paid an involuntary tribute to 'the old man
eloquent.'

"Lord Morpeth was an attentive spectator and auditor of these scenes
of turbulence; and it was interesting to see a British statesman
looking up to learn from such a source the unwritten history of his
own country, as well as of Europe. For such it was, when Mr. Adams
gave the history of the movements at the court of the Emperor
Alexander, and his connection with them, which resulted in the
Russo-British alliance and in the overthrow of Napoleon. The
early-chosen favorite of Washington, the trusted counsellor of
Jefferson, the much-honored agent of Madison, the guide and chief
support of Monroe, the restorer of the purity of the Washingtonian
epoch to the Presidential chair, and for the last ten years the bold
champion of universal liberty, stood there baited by absurd charges
of perjury and treason, by insignificant beings of yesterday.

"The monument of a past age, a beacon to the present, a landmark to
the future, he towered above the little things around him. The
beautiful poetic appeal to Virginia, with which he concluded, caused
a thrill of delighted admiration in the whole assembly. The
emphasis, the pathetic intonation, touched every heart. The triumph
of Mr. Adams was complete."

On the eleventh day of this debate, Mr. Adams, in opening his defence,
said that he had been charged by his assailant with consuming an
unreasonable portion of the time of the house with his own affairs; but
he thought that six days could not be deemed an extravagant requirement
for the defence of a man situated as he was, when a great portion of
that period had been consumed by his assailants, their associates, and
others. He did not desire to be responsible for any unnecessary
consumption of the hours of debate. He wished, indeed, to state the
whole affair; and, to accomplish this, he should require a great deal
more time. He had laid out a great platform for his defence, if he was
forced to continue it; but he was willing to forego it all, provided it
could be done without sacrificing his rights, the rights of his
constituents, and those of the petitioners. He then stated that if any
gentleman would make a motion to lay the whole subject on the table, he
would forbear to proceed any further with his defence. This motion was
immediately made by Mr. Botts, of Virginia, and the hous