After he had made his angry and ferocious rejoinder to the charges of Mr.Charles J.Ingersoll, of Pennsylvania, the witty Dr.
Elder was asked, when he came out of the Senate chamber: "What did you think of that speech ?" Elder's reply was: "Thunder and lightning are peaches and cream to such a speech as that." Mighty as Webster was in intellectual power he had some lamentable weaknesses.

He was indeed a wonderful mixture of clay and iron.

The iron was extraordinarily massive, but the clay was loose and brittle.

He had the temptations of very strong animal passions, and sometimes to his intimate friends he attempted to excuse some of his excesses of that kind.

There has been much controversy about Mr.Webster's habits in regard to intoxicants.
The simple truth is that during his visit to England in 1840 he was so lionized and feted at public dinners that he brought home some convivial habits which rather grew upon him in advancing years.