movements their size-the dangerous character of some? Describe the feelings of one who has been stung by a jelly-fish? On what ground may jelly-fishes be called "fish-protectors?" Of what interesting appearance are they believed to be the cause? How is it shown that they have traces of a nervous system?

1. Numitor was King of Alba Longa, a town at some distance from Rome. He had a younger brother whose name was Amulius. On the death of their father, Amulius seized by force on the kingdom. He caused Numitor's only son to be slain, and when two sons were born of his daughter Silvia, he ordered that the children. should be thrown into the river. It happened that the

1 From Dr. Thomas Arnold's History of Rome, by permission of Messrs. Bickers & Son.

river at that time had flooded the country; when, therefore, the two children in their basket were thrown into the river, the waters carried them as far as the foot of the Palatine Hill, and there the basket was upset, near the roots of a wild fig-tree, and the children thrown out upon the land.

2. At this moment there came a she-wolf down to the water to drink, and when she saw the children, she carried them to her cave hard by, and gave them to suck; and whilst they were there, a woodpecker came backwards and forwards to the cave, and brought them food. At last one Faustulus, the king's herdsman, saw the wolf suckling the children; and when he went up, the wolf left them and fled; so he took them home to his wife, and they were bred up along with her own sons on the Palatine Hill; and they were called Romulus and Remus.

3. When Romulus and Remus grew up, the herdsmen of the Palatine Hill chanced to have a quarrel with the herdsmen of Numitor, who stalled their cattle on the Hill Aventi'nus. Numitor's herdsmen laid an ambush, and Remus fell into it and was carried off to Alba. But when the young man was brought before Numitor, he was struck with his noble air and bearing, and asked him who he was. When Remus told him of his birth, and how he had been saved from death, together with his brother, Numitor marvelled, and thought whether this might not be his own daughter's child. In the meanwhile, Faustulus and Romulus hastened to Alba, to deliver Remus; and by the help of the young men of the Palatine Hill, who had been used to follow him and his brother, Romulus took the city, and Amulius was killed. Numitor was made king, and owned Romulus and Remus to be born of his own blood.-Dr. Thos. Arnold (1795-1842).

Questions on the lesson :-Alba-where? its king? his brother's

name? character of younger brother? his treatment of Numitor? How were Silvia's children saved? By what creatures tended? By whom afterwards? Quarrel between whom? Result?

Alba Longa, one of the most ancient towns in Latium, the district of Italy on the borders of which Rome was situated. Alba received its name of long because it was built in a long line or street down the Alban Mountain towards the Alban Lake.

The Palatine Hill, was that on which Rome was first built. Afterwards six other hills formed part of the city.

Aventi'nus, another of the hills of Rome.

EARLY LEGENDS OF ROME.

II.--THE FOUNDING OF THE CITY.

1. The two brothers did not wish to live at Alba, but loved rather the hill on the banks of the Tiber, where they had been brought up. So they said that they would build a city there; and they enquired of the gods by augury, to know which of them should give his name to the city. They watched the heavens from morning till evening, and from evening till morning; and as the sun was rising Remus saw six vultures. This was told to Romulus, but as they were telling him behold there appeared to him twelve vultures. Then it was disputed again which had seen the truest sign of the gods' favour, but the most part gave their voices for Romulus. So he began to build his city on the Palatine Hill.

2. This made Remus very angry; and when he saw the ditch and the rampart which were drawn round the space where the city was to be, he scornfully leapt over them, saying, "Shall such defences as these keep your city?" As he did this, Celer, who had the charge of the building, struck Remus with the spade which he held in his hand and slew him; and they buried him by the banks of the Tiber, on the spot where he had wished to build his city.

III. THE PEOPLING OF ROME.

3. But Romulus found that his people were too few in numbers; so he set apart a place of refuge, to which any man might flee and be safe from his pursuers. So many fled thither from the country round about; those who had shed blood and fled from the vengeance of the avenger of blood; those who were driven out from their own homes by their enemies, and even men of low degree who had run away from their lords.

4. Thus the city became full of people; but yet they wanted wives, and the nations round about would not give them their daughters in marriage. So Romulus gave out that he was going to keep a great festival, and there were to be sports and games to draw a multitude together. The neighbours came to see the show with their wives and their daughters; but while they were looking at the games, the people of Romulus rushed out upon them, and carried off the women to be their wives.

5. Upon this the people of the towns whose women had been carried away, made war upon Romulus. One after the other they were beaten. Last of all came the Sabines with a great army under Titus Tatius their king.

6. There is a hill near to the Tiber, which was divided from the Palatine Hill by a low and swampy valley; and on this hill Romulus made a fortress to keep off the enemy from his city. But when the fair Tarpeia, the daughter of the chief who had charge of the fortress, saw the Sabines draw near, and marked their bracelets and their collars of gold, she longed after these ornaments, and promised to betray the hill into their hands if they would give her those bright things which they wore upon their arms.

7. So she opened a gate and let in the Sabines; and they, as they came in, threw upon her their bright shields which they bore on their arms, and crushed her to death. Thus the Sabines got the fortress which was upon the hill; and they and the Romans joined battle in the valley between the hill and the city of Romulus. The Sabines began to get the better, and came up close to one of the gates of the city.

8. The people of Romulus shut the gate, but it opened of its own accord; once and again they shut it, and once and again it opened. But, as the Sabines were rushing in, behold there burst forth from the temple of Janus, which was near the gate, a mighty stream of water, and it swept away the Sabines and saved the city. For this it was ordered that the temple of Janus should stand ever open in time of war, that the god might be ever ready, as on this day, to go out and give his aid to the people of Romulus.

V. THE WOMEN MAKE PEACE.

9. After this they fought again in the valley, and the people of Romulus were beginning to flee when Romulus prayed to Jove, the stayer of flight, that he might stay the people; and so their flight was stayed, and they turned again to the battle. And now the fight was fiercer than ever; when, on a sudden, the Sabine women, who had been carried off, ran down from the hill Palatinus and ran in between their husbands and their fathers, and prayed them to lay aside their quarrel.

10. So they made peace with one another, and the two people became as one; the Sabines with their king dwelt