regularly paid, warmly clothed, and boasting its fuperiority to militia. Yet did his victorious fword relieve you, and fave your eity. Juftly have you afcribed "your reinstatement to his wife arrangements, which compelled your invaders to adopt a lefs deftructive policy than that which on other occafions they fo wantonly practifed." Could Our

gratitude forget it, the heights around us bear the triumphant evidence of his conquest.

To trace this protector of our liberties through his unrivalled career, from his gloomy retreat through the Jerfies to his feveral victories and his fplendid triumph at York-Town, would be to narrate the varying history of our revolution. To him, public labour was amusement, fuffering in the cause of freedom was a luxu

ry, and every hour as it flew carried an offering to his country.

As obedience to the voice of his oppreffed fellow-citizens drew his fword on the approach of war, fo at the declaration of peace, by the fame refpected voice he reftored it to its fcabbard. He left them his bleffing and their liberties. O Human Nature, how haft thou been traduced! With thee, has it been faid, is effentially connected that luft of power which is infatiable; which restores not vol untarily what has been committed to its charge; which devours all rights, and refolves all laws into its own authority; which labours not for others, but feizes the fruits of their labours for itfelf; which breaks down all barriers of relig'ion, fociety and nature that obstruct its courfe; now art thou vindicated! Here we behold thee

allied to virtue, worn in the fervice of mankind, fuperior to the meanness of compenfation, humbly hoping for the thanks of thy country alone, faithfully furrendering the fword, with which thou wait entrusted, and yielding up power with a promptnefs and facility equalled only by the diffidence and reluctance with which thou receivedft it.

Now, will the future inquirer fay, this Hero has finished the tafk affigned him, the measure of his glory is full. A world is admitted to freedom-a nation is born. Favoured beyond the leader of Ifrael, not only with the profpect, but with the fruition of the promifed bleffing, he has retired, like that prince of meeknefs, to the Mount, whence he is to afcend, unfeen by a weeping people, to the reward of all his labours. No, he is to live another life upon this globe; he is to reap a double harvest in the field of perennial honour. The people whom he has faved from external tyranny, fuffer from the agitations of their own unfettled powers. The tree of liberty which he has planted, and fo carefully guarded from the ftorms, now flourishes beyond its ftrength, its lofty excrefcences threaten to tear its lefs extended roots from the earth, and to proftrate it fruitlefs on the plain. But, he comes! In Convention he prefides over counfels, as in war he had led the battle. The Conftitution, like the rainbow after the flood, appears to us, now just emerging from an overwhelming commotion; and we know the truth of the pledge from the fanction of his name.

The production was worthy of

its

its authors, and of the magnanimous people whom it was intended to establish. You adopt it, you cherish it, and you refolve to tranfmit it, with the name of WASHINGTON, to the latest generation, who fhall prove their juft claim to fuch an illuftrious defcent.

Who was fo worthy, as our great legislator, to direct the operations of a government which his counfels and his fword had laboured to erect? By, a unanimous fuffrage he was invited to the exalted station of Prefident of the United States. The call was too facred to admit of doubt: It fuperfeded the happinefs of retire ment, the demands of private intereft, the sweet attractions of domeftic fociety, and the hazard (forgive it, WASHINGTON! for thou waft mortal) the hazard of public reputation. Behold the man on this occafion fo mighty in the eye of all the world, fo humble in his own! He accepts the high appointment, with, fuch diftruft of his natural endowments, with fuch diffidence in his capacity, as can be relieved only by his reliance on that almighty BEING, "who rules over the univerfe, who prefides in the councils of nations, and whofe providential aids can fupply every human defect."

One of the earlieft acts of his administration was that circular vifit to transfufe his love, and receive the grateful benedictions of his loving countrymen, in which you, my Fellow Townfmen, par took fo liberal a fhare. What fenfations rufhed upon your minds, when you compared the dreadful afpect of your befieged city, with

its now fmiling condition. The well-cultivated fields were fcreening from view the late terrific ramparts of the enemy, and the groans of the diftreffed had yielded to the bufy noife of commerce and pleafure. How grateful now is the recollection, that with tears of joy you crowded to meet him in your ftreets, difplaying the very infignia which you this day bear in mournful proceffion; and your children bowing their heads with eager folicitude to attract his fa therly eye, received his pious bleffing.

Did the occafion admit of it, how pleafing would be the review of his administration, as our Supreme Executive Magiftrate! His talents and his virtues increased with his cares. His foul feemed

not to bear the limits of office, a moment after the obligations of duty and patriotifm withdrew their reftraints from his universal love. When the mifguided favages of the wildernefs, after feeling his chaftifement, had fued for peace, he feemed to labour for their happiness as the common reprefentative of mankind. Infurrection was fo ftruck at his countenance, that it fled from the fhock of his arm. Intrigue attempted to entangle him in her poifonous web, but he burft it with gigantic ftrength, and crufhed her labours. Anarchy looked out from her cavern, and was dashed into oblivion, as we truft forever. The nations of Europe faw the wifdom of our laws, the vigour of our measures, the juftice of our policy, the firmnefs of our government, and acquiefced in the neutrality of our station.

The dangers of the Commonwealth

wealth having fubfided at the clofe of his fecond administration, he felt himself justified, after dedica. ting forty-five years of his valuable life to her fervice, in withdrawing to receive with refignation the great change of nature, which his age and his toils demonftrated to be near. When he declined your future fuffrages, he left you a legacy. What! like Cefar's to the Romans, money for your fports? Like Attalus's, a kingdom for your tyranny? No; he left you not fuch baubles, nor for fuch purposes. He left you the records of wisdom for your government : a mirror for the faithful reprefentation to your own view, of yourselves, your weakneffes, your advantages, your dangers: a magnet which points to the fecret mines and windings of party fpirit, faction, foreign influence: a pillar to the unity of your republic: a band to inclofe, conciliate, and ftrengthen the whole of your wonderful and almost boundlefs communities. Read, preferve the facred depofit; and left pofterity should forget the truth of its maxims, engrave them on his tomb, that they may read them when they weep before it.

In his fecond refignation of power and the charms of office, the American Leader appears fuperior to ancient or modern examples. Yet another grade was affigned to his virtue. Our national rights, fo well defended at home, were invaded on the ocean. The alarm reaches his retreat; the honour of our republic warms his heart; and he again accepts the fword for its defence from the hand of another, placed by the voice of the people in that fupreme magiftracy, which he alone had heretofore fill

L

ed. With a lefs dignified foul, this official inferiority might have availed to injure his country; but he who could defcend from the head of a nation to discharge the minuteft duties of a private citizen, was too great to allow the influence of etiquette to endanger the fafety of the people. 'His condefcenfion raifes him above himfelf; his fpirit fires all ranks of men; he is overwhelmed with the gratitude and applause of an enraptured nation.

Whilft we confide in his arm, and are marshalling our warriors to march under his banners, the GOD of armies, whofe counfels are beyond the fcrutiny of man, prepares for us the test of our fubmiffion to his chastising rod. It is decreed that our WASHINGTON fhall die, but that his death fhall be worthy of his life. He is to die by the hand of Virtue. The rapid disease which is felected as the inftrument of his diffolution, inftantaneoùfly feizes him. His humanity delays the immediate aid to which alone it may yield. Inconfolable domeftics! what storms would you not have braved, what hazards would you not have encountered, to fave that life which was facrificed to your comfort and fafety! At length Science flies to fave him. Alas! what avails its fkill against the mandate of Heaven? It comes too late!- -It is finished.

Wonderful event! Greatnefs departs in glory, and envy is filent! All acknowledge him to be the firft of citizens, and none feel hurt by his fuperiority. So impartial was he that none impeach his juftice; fo moderate, none complain of his power; fo mag

nanimous,

nanimous, his conquered enemies applaud his humanity; fo philanthropic, that neither colour, nor climate, nor religion, nor politics could exclude the unfortunate from his fuccour. He had the habit of combining fentiment with action in fuch method and force, that he fhed his benevolence on communities of men with the fame eafe as the fudden impulfe of momentary fenfibility beflows it upon in dividuals. Unexampled virtue! allotted to its merited reward. Many founders of nations have been left to obtain from pofterity that reputation which prejudice or bigotry has denied at their deaths. The tomb has been neceffary to bury anger, petty interefts and emulation, which barred an equitable judgment. But in regard to this Sage, the gratitude of his country has been co-existent with his exertions. Time has not been required to remove him from our view, in order to magnify his exploits through the inedium of fame; nor was it requisite that we fhould be deprived of the good he had done us, to entertain a juft fenfe of its importance. Medals and ftatues have been decreed him when living, and your tears announce his greater triumph in your hearts, when dead. Difinterested love! What motives have you, Freemen, for thus offering up your applaufe? He has now no fhield to defend you from the invalions of your enemies; his head lies cold in the grave, and no counfel can arife from his lips. His eyes were clofed by his own unfhaken hand, and no fmile can now beam from his countenance to animate your troops. Grateful Republicans indeed you weep

not from felfishness. Afflicted with the thought of the bleffings. which he has thowered upon your felves and your children, you would call him, could your voice be heard, from the clofed mansions of the dead, again to receive the tribute of your affection. You weep for her, whose tender participation in the anxieties of a hufband relieved his cares, and protracted the invaluable life which love itfelf could no longer detain Difconfolate woman! mourn not,-for the faithful is gone to receive the reward of his uprightnefs. The whole defire of his heart, the whole purfuit of his labours has been the good of his fellow-men. Contraft him with thofe who have been raifed by the empty, the criminal admiration of mankind, to the higheft ranks in the Pantheon of fame. See one instead of liberating and protecting, employed in conquering and enflaving a world, and weeping that his guilty taft could be continued no longer. Another retiring from the purple, not with the united bleflings of all religious fects, but the bigoted perfecutor of the onby rational and divine religion : See the mafter of so many crowns, after yielding them up for a convent, inftead of interefting himself in the welfare of mankind to the hour of his departure, relapfing into the abfurdities of mon kish fuperftition; and another, whofe afhes are scarcely cold, flaughtering the armies of half the nations of Europe, to extend the limits of an Electorate, with as much zeal as our departed Hero laboured to extend the limits of freedom, civilization and morals. When fo much worth steps off

from

from the stage of life, the weaknefs of our nature is the only apology for our tears. Such an exit is not death, it is the triumph of the just.

Sons of Freedom! as you regard the memory of your afcended Chief, attend to the injunctions of his will. Remember that it was not for you alone he laboured. It was for your pofterity alfo; it was for the human race. For you and for them he was firft in building the nobleft political fyftem that adorns the world. It is an experiment to afcertain the nature of man; whether he be capable of freedom, or whether he must be led by the reins of tyranny; whether he be endowed with that moderation and understanding which checks the extreme indulgence of his will; and by allow ing to others the fame rational enjoyment with himself, forms the liberty of the whole upon the partial reftraint of each individual; or whether he must go on attempt ing to follow the dictates of felf ishness, and find his only restraint in a power which will establish itfelf independent of his confent, and make him its flave. Who of us can be fuppofed to be fe loft to himself, fo forgetful of his children, and fo traitorous to the world, as to contemplate the overthrow of this magnificent temple of wisdom? No, my Fellow Townfmen, whatever zeal may fuddenly fuggeft, or apprehenfions tempt us to fufpect, there lives not a man among us, fo depraved, fo curfed by Heaven, Shall it be faid, that the works of his hands whom we this day almost adore ; that the hope which he held out to the nations of the earth, fhall

be fruftrated by our divifions? To the honour of our country, not a man but anfwers, No: ally when rightly informed, wave their particular prejudices in fupport of the great pillar of our national union. It is our pride; it was erected by our fathers; it is the ftandard of our defence. Let us then, with a view of forever maintaining it, banish all animofity, melt down all parties, wipe away all diftinctions. Let us no longer defignate men who have differed in fentiment, by odious epithets mutually reflected and mutually difavowed: but if a common name be wanted, let it be formed from his whom we now feek to honour, and let it be used to denote good will to one another, refpect to our Conftitution, fortitude to our enemies, love to our country, devotion to our God.

In the condolence of this day, we cannot fail to notice the honour which we feel by the prefence of the Fathers of the State. It was not unbecoming the dignity of office, on fuch an occafion, to fufpend its occupations, and join the general forrow. To devote this portion of time to his memory who devoted a long life to our happinefs, is rational and juft. Within the prefent political year, you, Honourable Magiftrates and Legiflators, in this place folemnized the obfequies of the late excellent Governor of our Commonwealth, the much refpected SUMNER. Thus pafs away the wife, the virtuous and the faithful; by an irrevocable decree, lefs unwelcome to them, as it refpects themfelves, than grievous to us. Their lives are long enough for their own glory, but, alas! ftill too neceffa

ry