Adams should not
have cooled '; that on the contrary, 'they had acquired the mastery of
his soul,' (p. 100 ;) that 'where these were enlisted, no reliance
could be placed on his statements,' (p. 104 ;) the facility and little
truth with which he could represent facts and occurrences, concerning
persons who were the objects of his hatred, (p. 3 ;) that 'he is
capable of making the grossest misrepresentations, and, from detached
facts, and often from bare suspicions, of drawing unwarrantable
inferences,' if suited to his purpose at the instant,' (p. 174;) while
making such charges, I say, on Mr. Adams, instead of his '_ecce homo_,'
(p. 100;) how justly might we say to him, '_Mutato nomine, de te fabula
narratur_.' For the assiduity and industry he has employed in his
benevolent researches after matter of crimination against us, I refer to
his pages 13, 14, 34, 36, 46, 71, 79, 90, bis. 92, 93, bis. 101, ter.
104, 116, 118, 141, 143, 146,150,151,153, 168, 171, 172. That Mr.
Adams's strictures on him, written and pointed, should have excited some
notice on his part, was not perhaps to be wondered at. But the
sufficiency of his motive for the large attack on me may be more
questionable. He says, (p. 4) 'of Mr. Jefferson I should have said
nothing, but for his letter to Mr. Adams, of October the 12th, 1823.'
Now the object of that letter was to soothe the feelings of a friend,
wounded by a publication which I thought an 'outrage on private
confidence.
Pages:
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675