Where she, true-hearted noble queen,
Was in the battle slain;

Yet he, good king, in his old days,
Possessed his crown again.

13. But when he heard Cordelia's death,
Who died indeed for love

Of her dear father, in whose cause
She did this battle move,

He swooning fell upon her breast,
From whence he never parted:

But

Old Ballad.

DIRECTIONS AND CAUTIONS FOR READING.

VERSE 1.-Line 1: All-this-while should be carried on to the next line.-Line 2: Avoid the accent on his.-Line 3: No accent on of! A slight pause after forgetful.-Line 7: No accent on him! Make she-took-from-him one word.

VERSE 2.-Line 3: Avoid the accent on but; place the emphasis on ten!-Line 5: No accent on him!-Line 6: The emphatic word is all.-Line 7: Make that-in-her-court one word.-Line 8: No accent on would! The emphatic word is no.

VERSE 3.-Line 1: No accent on I! The emphasis falls on thus!-Lines 2 and 3 must be run into one; and no accent on unto.-Line 8: Emphasis on relieve and woe.

VERSE 4.-Line 2: No accent on when; but when-she-heard as one word.-Line 4: Emphasis is on gone.-Line 5: No accent on could!-Line 6: No accent on he!

VERSE 5.-Line 1: No accent on he!-Line 3: No accent on me!-Line 7: The emphatic word is she.

VERSE 6.-Line 1: No accent on when !-Line 7: No accent on in! A slight pause after that; and in-her-kitchen as one word.

VERSE 7.-Line 1: No accent on was!-Line 2: Avoid accent on she!-Line 3: No accent on not!-Run he-should-not-come into one word.-Line 5: No accent on for!

VERSE 8.-Line 3: No accent on of!-Line 6: No accent on he-Line 7: No accent on in! In-his-mind as one word.

VERSE 9.-Line 2: No accent on from!

VERSE 11.-Line 1: No accent on by !—Read by-a-train as one word.-Line 3: No accent on should! He-should-be-brought as one word.

VERSE 12.-Line 3: No accent on from!-Line 6: No accent on in; a slight pause after was; in-the-battle as one word.-Line 7: No accent on his!

VERSE 13.-Line 1: No accent on when !-Line 3: No accent on her; emphasis on father!-Line 7: No accent on on! Read 'on-her-bosom' as one word.-Line 8: No accent on was!

QUESTIONS.-1. How did Regan treat the king? 2. And how did Gonorell keep her promise to serve her father 'night and day with diligence and love?' 3. When Lear had been driven away by both Regan and Gonorell, to whom did he go? 4. How did she receive him? 5. What was her husband's name? 6. How was it that Cordelia was killed? 7. What effect had Cordelia's death on the poor old king?

DICTATION.-Learn to spell and write out verse 13.

EXERCISES.-1. Learn to spell the following words:

2. Learn to parse every word in the following sentence: King Lear trusted the flattering promises of his two deceitful daughters, and was reduced to grief and beggary in his old age.

3. Add prefixes to the following words: Content; pleased; moved; grace; bind; equally; patiently; famous; fortune; wait; rewarded; honour; noble.

4. Write out the conjugation of the following verbs: Be; bring; see; find; take; go.

5. Make nouns out of the following verbs and adjectives: Bitter; kind; gave; drive; woful; denied; refusing; feed; banished; rend; virtuous; brave; noble.

6. Explain the following phrases: (1) She took from him his chiefest means. (2) Twenty men were wont. (3) When he was well within her court. (Others may be given.)

7. Write a short paper from the following outline: (1) Regan takes everything away from Lear, and treats him with no respect. (2) He goes to Gonorell. (3) Gonorell tells him he may have the kitchen scraps, but nothing more. (4) He returns to Regan. (5) She drives him from her court. (6) He goes again to Gonorell. (7) She too sends him away from her door. (8) Lear is reduced to beggary and madness. (9) He crosses the sea to France. (10) Cordelia receives him with the greatest honour. (11) Aganippus, her husband, sends an army to drive away the cruel daughters from their thrones. (12) Cordelia goes with it and is killed. (13) Lear dies of grief.

but

1. February, like January, is a cold month; the grasp of winter has now begun fairly to loosen, and spring begins to shew many signs of its coming. There is often frost and snow; but the days are now considerably longer than in January, and the sun has much more power, so that the snow seldom lies long upon the ground, and the ice does not often become thick enough to skate on. February, in fact, is a wet rather than a cold month; not only because there is commonly rain, but also in consequence of the melting of the snow upon the ground. Hence the rivers often rise at

this time to far above their usual level, rushing along with rapid current, and flooding the low lands far and wide.

2. Though the snowdrop is frequently seen peeping above the ground in January, it may be considered as the special flower of February. Every one knows this beautiful plant, with its long narrow leaves, and its delicate drooping white flowers, the morning star of spring.' Nor is the snowdrop alone. The pastures now begin to be dotted over with the yellow stars of the dandelion, whilst the common chick-weed trails over every sheltered hedge-bank, and many other plants put forth their leaves and prepare for their yearly revival. 8. Flitting backwards and forwards amongst the branches of the Scotch firs and larches in our woods, we may see the little golden-crested wren, the smallest of British birds, peeping with its bright eyes into every hole in search of the insects upon which it lives, and accompanying its untiring movements with an occasional chirp, in which the little brown tree-creeper joins, from the trunk of some neighbouring tree. 4. The thrush, 'lighthearted herald of the spring,' has now commenced to pour forth his full rich notes in the morning and evening, and sometimes one may even hear the song of the skylark, as he hovers with wings outspread high above the earth and almost lost to view. A few rooks may be seen hard at work repairing the nests which the storms of winter had so rudely shattered.

5. Most animals now begin to shew signs of