Washington was in good spirits until Lear, who had been reading the papers in the parlor, shared the latest on the Virginia Assembly. Monroe had been elected governor, with Madison’s backing, which left Washington “much affected.” He “spoke with some asperity on the subject,” Lear reported—probably a polite way to describe cursing. Take some medicine, Lear suggested on the way out. “You know I never take anything for a Cold,” Washington replied. “Let it go as it came.”
