5. And now the work of life and death Yet, while the Austrians held their ground, And perish at their tyrants' feet ; How could they rest within their graves, 6. It must not be: this day, this hour, And felt as though himself were he 7. It did depend on one, indeed: Behold him! Arnold Winkelried! Till you might see with sudden grace, And by the uplifting of his brow, Tell where the bolt would strike, and how. 8. "Make way for Liberty!" he cried: 9. Swift to the breach his comrades fly; Rout, ruin, panic, scattered all. An earthquake could not overthrow 10. Thus Switzerland again was free, Thus Death made way for Liberty! DEFINITIONS.-2. Phalanx, a body of troops formed in close array. Con'scious, sensible, knowing. Kin'dred, those of like nature, relatives. Răm'pärt, that which defends from assault, a bulwark. 3. Im-prĕg'na-ble, that can not be moved or shaken. Hŏrrent, standing out like bristles. 4. In-sûr'ġent, rising in opposition to authority. 6. An-ni hi-lātes, destroys. 7. Ru-mi-na'tion, the act of musing, meditation. 9. Breach, a gap or opening made by breaking. NOTES. The incident related in this poem is one of actual occurrence, and took place at the battle of Sempach, fought in 1386 A. D., between only 1,300 Swiss and a large army of Austrians. The latter had obtained possession of a narrow pass in the mountains, from which it seemed impossible to dislodge them until Arnold Struth von Winkelried made a breach in their line, as narrated. Rinaldo is a knight in Tasso's "Jerusalem Delivered" (Canto XVIII, 17-40), who enters an enchanted wood, and, by cutting down a tree in spite of the nymphs and phantoms that endeavor in every way to stop him, breaks the spell; the Christian army are thus enabled to enter the grove and obtain timber for their engines of war. LXI. THE ENGLISH SKY-LARK. Elihu Burritt (b. 1810. d. 1879), "the learned blacksmith," was born in New Britain, Connecticut. His father was a shoemaker. Having received only a limited amount of instruction at the district school, he was apprenticed to a blacksmith about 1827. During his apprenticeship he labored hard at self-instruction. He worked at his trade many years, from ten to twelve hours each day, but managed, in the meantime, to acquire a knowledge of many ancient and modern languages. He made translations from several of these, which were published in the "American Eclectic Review." In 1844 he commenced the publication of "The Christian Citizen." His leading literary works are: "Sparks from the Anvil," "A Voice from the Forge," "Peace Papers," and "Walks to John o' Groat's House." From the last of these the following selection is abridged. 1. TAKE it in all, no bird in either hemisphere equals the English lark in heart or voice, for both unite to make it the sweetest, the happiest, the welcomest singer that was ever winged, like the high angels of God's love. It is the living ecstasy of joy when it mounts up into its "glorious privacy of light." 2. On the earth it is timid, silent, and bashful, as if not at home, and not sure of its right to be there at all. (5.-13.) It is rather homely withal, having nothing in feather, feature, or form to attract notice. It is seemingly made to be heard, not seen, reversing the old axiom addressed to children when getting noisy. 3. Its mission is music, and it floods a thousand acres of the blue sky with it several times a day. Out of that palpitating speck of living joy there wells forth a sea of twittering ecstasy upon the morning and evening air. It does not ascend by gyrations, like the eagle and birds of prey. It mounts up like a human aspiration. 4. It seems to spread its wings and to be lifted straight upwards out of sight by the afflatus of its own happy heart. To pour out this in undulating rivulets of rhapsody, is apparently the only motive of its ascension. This it is that has made it so loved of all generations. 5. It is the singing angel of man's nearest heaven, whose vital breath is music. Its sweet warbling is only the metrical palpitation of its life of joy. It goes up over the roof-trees of the rural hamlet on the wings of its song, as if to train the human soul to trial flights heavenward. 6. Never did the Creator put a voice of such volume into so small a living thing. It is a marvel—almost a miracle. In a still hour you can hear it at nearly a mile's distance. When its form is lost in the hazy lace-work of the sun's rays above, it pours down upon you all the thrilling semitones of its song as distinctly as if it were warbling to you in your window. DEFINITIONS.1. Ee'sta-sy, overmastering joy, rapture. 2. Ax'i-om, a self-evident truth. 3. Păl'pi-tat-ing, throbbing, fluttering. Wells, pours, flows. Gỹ-ra'tions, circular or spiral motions. 4. Af-fla'tus, breath, inspiration. Un'du-la-ting, rising and falling like waves. Rhap'so-dy, that which is uttered in a disconnected way under strong excitement. Gen-er-a'tion, the mass of beings living at one period. 5. Mět'rie-al, arranged in measures, as poetry and music. Roof'-tree, the beam in the angle of a roof, hence the roof itself. Ham'let, a little cluster of houses. LXII. HOW SLEEP THE BRAVE. William Collins (b. 1720 d. 1756) was born at Chichester, England, He was educated at Winchester and Oxford. About 1744, he went to London as a literary adventurer, and there won the esteem of Dr. Johnson. His "Odes" were published in 1746, but were not popular. He was subsequently relieved from pecuniary embarrassment by a legacy of £2,000 from a maternal uncle; but he soon became partially insane, and was for some time confined in an asylum for lunatics. He afterwards retired to Chichester, where he was cared for by his sister until his death. 1. How sleep the brave who sink to rest 2. By fairy hands their knell is rung; LXIII. THE RAINBOW. John Keble (b. 1792, d. 1866) was born near Fairfax, Gloucestershire, England. He graduated at Oxford with remarkably high honors, and afterwards was appointed to the professorship of Poetry in that university. Since his death, Keble College, at Oxford, has been erected to his memory. In 1835, he became vicar of Hursley and rector of Otterbourne, and held these livings until his death. His most famous work is "The Christian Year," a collection of sacred poems. 1. A FRAGMENT of a rainbow bright |