the king looked as he spoke; 'but methinks I would not die like a poisoned rat for the sake of a black chattel there, that is bought and sold in a market like a Martlemas ox.'

'His Grace speaks to men of sucking poison,' muttered another yeoman, 'as if he said, "Go to, swallow a gooseberry!"'

8. 'Nay,' said Richard, 'I never bade man do that which I would not do myself.'

And without further ceremony, and in spite of the general expostulations of those around, and the respectful opposition of the Nubian himself, the king of England applied his lips to the wound of the black slave, treating with ridicule all remonstrances, and overpowering all resistance. He had no sooner intermitted his singular occupation, than the Nubian started from him, and, casting a scarf over his arm, intimated by gestures, as firm in purpose as they were respectful in manner, his determination not to permit the monarch to renew so degrading an employment. Long Allan also interposed, saying that if it were necessary to prevent the king engaging again in a treatment of this kind, his own lips, tongue, and teeth were at the service of the negro (as he called the Ethiopian), and that he would eat him up bodily, rather than King Richard's mouth should again approach him.

9. Neville, who entered with other officers, added his remonstrances.

'Nay, nay, make not a heedless halloo about a hart that the hounds have lost, or a danger when it is over,' said the king. 'The wound will be a trifle, for the blood is scarce drawn-an angry cat had dealt a deeper scratch-and, for me, I have but to take a

dram of orvietan by way of precaution, though it is needless.'

10. Thus spoke Richard, a little ashamed, perhaps, of his own condescension, though sanctioned both by humanity and gratitude. But when Neville continued to make remonstrances on the peril to his royal person, the king imposed silence on him.

'Peace, I prithee: make no more of it. I did it but to show these ignorant prejudiced knaves how they might help each other when these cowardly caitiff's come against us with poisoned shafts.'

Es-plan-ade', a level space. It is a
French word from Lat. ex, out,
and planus, level.
E-bri'-e-ty, drunkenness; here it
means craziness. From Lat.
ebrius, drunk.
Vol'-un-tar-y, done with the will.
From Lat. voluntas, will.
Im-per-cep'-ti-bly, without being

seen.

Fan-at'-i-cal, mad with religious
zeal. From Lat. fanaticus, be-
longing to a temple, over-zeal-
ous; from fanum, a temple.
As-sas'-sin, one who kills by sur-

prise or secretly. From the
Arabic hashishin, the followers
of an Eastern chief, who were
given to secret murder, and
who prepared themselves for
their work by taking hashish,
an intoxicating drink made
from hemp.

Sir Walter Scott.

In-tru'-sive, troublesome. From
Lat. in, in, and trudo, I
thrust.

Car'-ri-on, dead body of a beast.
Through the Fr. from Lat.
caro, flesh.
Ex-pos-tu-la'-tion, reasoning with.
From Lat. ex, intensive, and
postulo, I demand.
Re-mon'-strance,

statement of reasons against. From Lat. re, again, and monstro, I point out.

Or-vi-e'-tan, a kind of antidote
against poison.
Pre'-ju-diced, misled by a wrong
or hastily formed opinion.
From Lat. præ, before, and
judicium, opinion, from judex,
a judge.

Cai'-tiffs, mean fellows. From Lat.
captivus, a captive, from capio,
I take.

EXERCISES.-1. Explain the following: (1) Moving with a welladjusted precaution, which seemed entirely inconsistent with a state of ebriety; (2) the apprehension of so strange a danger prevailing ; (3) treating with ridicule all remonstrances; (4) sanctioned both by humanity and gratitude.

2. Analyse and parse the following:

'There was a time, when, though my path was rough,
The joy within me dallied with distress;
And all misfortunes were but as the stuff
When fancy made me dream of happiness.'

[A description of the coming on of evening in Paradise, from Milton's Paradise Lost, Book IV. ]

Now came still Evening on, and Twilight gray

Had in her sober livery all things clad;
Silence accompanied; for beast and bird,

They to their grassy couch, these to their nests

R

Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale:
She all night long her amorous descant sung:
Silence was pleased. Now glowed the firmament
With living sapphires: Hesperus, that led
The starry host, rode brightest, till the Moon,
Rising in clouded majesty, at length

Apparent queen unveiled her peerless light,
And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw :
When Adam thus to Eve, 'Fair consort, the hour
Of night, and all things now retired to rest,
Mind us of like repose; since God hath set
Labour and rest, as day and night, to men
Successive, and the timely dew of sleep,
Now falling with soft cumbrous weight, inclines
Our eyelids. Other creatures, all day long,
Rove idle, unemployed, and less need rest:
Man hath his daily work of body or mind
Appointed, which declares his dignity,
And the regard of Heaven on all his ways;
While other animals inactive range,
And of their doings God takes no account.'

Twi'-light, the faint light after sun-
From

set and before sunrise.
A.S. prefix twi-, double, divided,
half, and light. Twilight is
therefore a half or doubtful
light.

Ac-com'-pan-ied, went along with.
From Lat. ad and company.
Company is from Lat. con,
with, and panis, bread. A
companion, therefore, is one
with whom we eat bread.
Am'-or-ous, full of love. From Lat.

amor, love.

Des'-cant, song. From Lat. dis, apart, canto, I sing; a part song.

Milton.

Fir'-ma-ment, sky. Lat. firmamen-
tum, from firmus, solid. The
ancients thought the sky was
solid.
Sapph'-ire, a brilliant precious stone.
It is from a Hebrew word,
meaning to shine.
Ap-par-ent, visible. From Lat.
appareo, I come in sight.
Peer-less, without an equal. Peer

is from Lat. par, equal. Thus
the peers or nobles of England
were regarded as of equal rank
among themselves, or as con-
trasted with the common
people.

A GREAT GEOGRAPHICAL PICTURE.

[John Ruskin (born in 1819), the most gifted art critic of modern times, has also written in eloquent and beautiful language about architecture, scenery, and various moral subjects. This lesson is from his Stones of Venice, a book which contains the result of his architectural studies in Venice and elsewhere.]

1. The charts of the world which have been drawn up by modern science have thrown into a narrow space the expression of a vast amount of knowledge, but I have never yet seen any one pictorial enough to enable the spectator to imagine the kind of contrast in physical character which exists between Northern and Southern countries. We know the differences in detail, but we have not that broad glance and grasp which would enable us to feel them in their fullness. We know that gentians grow on the Alps, and olives on the Apennines; but we do not enough conceive for ourselves that variegated mosaic of the world's surface which a bird sees in its migration, that difference between the district of the gentian and of the olive which the stork and the swallow see far off, as they lean upon the sirocco wind.

2. Let us, for a moment, try to raise ourselves even above the level of their flight, and imagine the Mediterranean lying beneath us like an irregular lake, and all its ancient promontories sleeping in the sun: here and there an angry spot of thunder, a gray stain of storm, moving upon the burning field; and here and there a fixed wreath of white volcano smoke, surrounded by its circle of ashes; but for the most part a great peacefulness of light-Syria and Greece, Italy and Spain, laid like pieces of a golden pavement into the