Caesar was merciful, Scipio was continent,
Hannibal was patient; but it was reserved for Washington to blend them
all in one, and like the lovely _chef d'oeuvre_ of the Grecian artist,
to exhibit in one glow of associated beauty the pride of every model and
the perfection of every master. As a general he marshaled the peasant
into a veteran, and supplied by discipline the absence of experience; as
a statesman he enlarged the policy of the cabinet into the most
comprehensive system of general advantage; and such was the wisdom of
his views and the philosophy of his counsels that to the soldier and the
statesman he almost added the character of the sage. A conqueror, he was
untainted with the crime of blood; a revolutionist, he was free from any
stain of treason; for aggression commenced the contest, and his country
called him to the command. Liberty unsheathed his sword, necessity
stained it, victory returned it.
If he had paused here, history might have doubted what station to assign
him, whether at the head of her citizens or her soldiers, her heroes or
her patriots.
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