ely interwoven with his political principles and
personal affiliations, and his talents were maturing. Hitherto his
outlook upon life had been derived largely from older men, but his own
individuality now began to assert itself; his groove in life was taking
final shape.

The best description of Marshall shows him in the prime of his manhood
a few months after his accession to the Supreme Bench. It appears in
William Wirt's celebrated "Letters of the British Spy":

"The [Chief Justice] of the United States is, in his person, tall,
meager, emaciated; his muscles relaxed, and his joints so loosely
connected, as not only to disqualify him, apparently for any vigorous
exertion of body, but to destroy everything like elegance and harmony in
his air and movements. Indeed, in his whole appearance, and demeanour;
dress, attitudes, gesture; sitting, standing or walking; he is as far
removed from the idolized graces of Lord Chesterfield, as any other
gentleman on earth. To continue the portrait: his head and face are
small in proportion to his height; his complexion swarthy; the muscles
of his face, being relaxed, give him the appearance of a man of fifty
years of age, nor can he be much younger; his countenance has a faithful
expression of great good humour and hilarity; while his black eyes
that unerring index--possess an irradiating spirit, which proclaims the
imperial powers of the mind that sits enthroned within."

The "British Spy" then describes Marshall's personality as an orator at
the time when he was still practicing at the Virginia bar:

"His voice [the description continues] is dry and hard; his attitude, in
his most effective orations, was often extremely awkward, as it was not
unusual for him to stand with his left foot in advance, while all
his gestures proceeded from his right arm, and consisted merely in a
vehement, perpendicular swing of it from about the elevation of his head
to the bar, behind which he was accustomed to stand.... [Nevertheless]
if eloquence may be said to consist in the power of seizing the
attention with irresistible force, and never permitting it to elude the
grasp until the hearer has received the conviction which the speaker
intends, [then] this extraordinary man, without the aid of fancy,
without the advantages of person, voice, attitude, gesture, or any of
the ornaments of an orator, deserves to be considered as one of the most
eloquent men in the world.... He possesses one original,