It came in a form too authentic, the matter it contained affected his own reputation and that of the illustrious individual who is its principal subject, too vitally to permit the imputation to remain unnoticed.

It would not, it could not have remained unnoticed, if untrue.

Yet its genuineness was never questioned by Mr.Jefferson, or by any of his numerous friends.
Not even to General Washington, as is now avowed, was it ever denied.
Had it been denied to him, his strong sense of justice and of right would have compelled him to relieve the reputation of the supposed writer from a charge of such serious import.
It was, of course, universally received as a genuine letter.

An open avowal of it could not have added to the general conviction.
The letter having this irresistible claim on the general confidence, no one part of it was entitled to less credit than every other.

The interpolation of a particular sentence was neither suggested nor suspected.