in the year the prominent men of Virginia, as members of the House of Burgesses.  In this attractive town Jefferson spent seven years,—­two in the college, studying the classics, history, and mathematics (for which he had an aptitude), and five in the law-office of George Wythe,—­thus obtaining as good an education as was possible in those times.  He amused himself by playing on a violin, dancing in gay society, riding fiery horses, and going to the races.  Although he was far from rich, he had as much money as was good for him, and he turned it to good advantage,—­laying the foundation of an admirable library.  He cultivated the society of the brightest people.  Among these were, John Page, afterwards governor of Virginia; Dr. Small, the professor of mathematics at the college, afterwards the friend of Darwin at Birmingham; Edmund Randolph, an historic Virginian; Francis Fauquier, the lieutenant-governor of the province, said to be a fine scholar and elegant gentleman of the French school, who introduced into Virginia the writings of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot—­as well as high play at cards; George Wythe, a rising lawyer of great abilities; John Burk,—­the historian of Virginia; and lastly, Patrick Henry,—­rough, jolly, and lazy.  From such associates, all distinguished sooner or later, Jefferson learned much of society, of life, and literature.  At college, as in after-life, his forte was writing.  Jefferson never, to his dying day, could make a speech.  He could talk well in a small circle of admirers and friends, and he held the readiest pen in America, but he had no eloquence as a speaker, which, I think, is a gift like poetry, seldom to be acquired; and yet he was a great admirer of eloquence, without envy and without any attempts at imitation.  A constant reader, studious, reflective, inquisitive, liberal-minded, slightly visionary, in love with novelties and theories, the young man grew up,—­a universal favorite, both for his accomplishments, and his almost feminine gentleness of temper, which made him averse to anything like personal quarrels.  I do not read that he ever persistently and cordially hated and abused but one man,—­the greatest political genius this country has ever known,—­and hated even him rather from divergence of political views than from personal resentment.

As Jefferson had no landed property sufficiently large to warrant his leading the life of a leisurely country gentleman,—­the highest aspiration of a Virginian aristocrat in the period of entailed estates,—­it was necessary for him to choose a profession, and only that of a lawyer could be thought of by a free-thinking politician,—­for such he was from first to last.  Indeed, politics ever have been the native air which Southern gentlemen have breathed for more than a century.  Since political power, amid such social distinctions and inequalities as have existed in the Southern States, necessarily has been confined to the small class, the Southern people have