SC1896_FF1_048

46
[Tight binding - right side hard to read]
"His figure such, as might his soul proclaim
"One eye was blinkie, & one leg was lame"
(My friends shouted & roared at the top of their [?]
The crowd were taken by surprise & laughed [hea?]
Mr. M. & his aides around him was completely
crossfallen.
One of the lame gentlemen spoke up (they were both
present & said, his eyes was not blinkie, to whom
I replied, that Thersites, was a much hand-
somer man than he was - the cheering [?]
renewed & lasted for some time).
I proceeded, & told the people that my opponent
was not only a good common law lawyer, but
had the reputation of being an able Chancery
Lawyer. It is (said I) one of the first principles
in a Court of Equity that a complainant must
recover upon the strength of his own case &
not upon the weakness of his adversary's - that
Mr. M. certainly must have considered that
he had not very strong claims upon the peo-
ple [people], for the office he is seeking for, or he would
not have attempted to prove to them, that his
opponent was so morally degraded that he was
unfit for it. I expected the proud, high minded
substantial man of old Lincoln will do me
justice. You are not, to be sure, a jury of
my county, but I am willing to be tried by you.
(I here commented upon the particular
charges against me & read various certifi-
cates in relation to it).
Having disposed of these personal matters,
I addressed them on the state & condition of
the country etc. the great absorbing question then
was the war with G. Britain, that was about
this time declared. I am satisfied that I was
fortunate in my peroration. My friends were
delighted. Mr. M. replied very ill naturedly.
I rejoined good humoredly - but during my
rejoinder my opponent left the courthouse.
I concluded by saying, the battle "was