and before the throne of Almighty
God; I come in the discharge of an imperative duty, as a servant of
the United States, to which I am bound by a sacred oath; I come to lay
before you damning evidence that the accused is guilty of treason to
his country. Only give me time--grant me another day. I shall produce
unwilling witnesses whose testimony will convince even the most
prejudiced politician, will persuade even his own deluded followers
that Aaron Burr is engaged in machinations to destroy this Federal
Union which the men of Lexington and Bunker Hill fought and died to
establish. Behold the Brutus who would stab, not a despotic Caesar,
but the nourishing bosom of his native country. We have here, in loyal
Kentucky, a Lexington, our most populous city. Remember that it was
named in commemoration of the first battle of the Revolution. Shall
our Lexington be suffered to become a hot-bed of sedition? No, your
Honor--a thousand times, no!"

The effect of this peroration was for the moment overwhelming. A dead
silence prevailed throughout the court-room. Garrulous Old Jim
attempted no sarcastic criticism; he rolled his blear eyes in the
direction of the backwoodsman and shook his head as if to say, "I give
it up." The climax of the day's oratory, however, was yet to come.
Daviess took his seat and Clay instantly sprang up to answer him.
"Harry of the West," already a popular idol, was the most celebrated
speaker in Kentucky. Not yet thirty years of age, he had just been
chosen to represent his State in the Senate of the nation. Burr,
soliciting his professional aid, had written a note denying either
treasonable intentions or complicity with traitors. "You may be
satisfied," wrote he, "that you have not espoused the cause of a man
any way unfriendly to the laws, the government, or the interest of his
country." Relying on this assurance, Clay gave his services without
fee, perhaps in anticipation of the satisfaction he would enjoy in
vanquishing with the tongue the man who had once challenged him to
mortal combat with pistols. His resolute mien, tall, graceful figure,
expressive gestures, flashing eye, and mellifluous voice captivated
independently of the substance of his discourse. Clay was eloquent by
nature. There was no resisting the flood of his impassioned speech.

In the course of his address, which was meant as much for the public
ear as for that of the judge, he said: "These paltry charges, may it
please your Hon