6. Offa. Yes, the sea is yours; it was made to bear your ships upon its bosom, and to pour the treasures of the world at your royal feet. It is boisterous to your enemies, but it knows you to be its sovereign.*

7. Canute. Is not the tide coming up?

8. Oswald. Yes, my liege; you may perceive the swell already.

9. Canute. Bring me a chair, then; set it here upon the sands.

10. Offa. Where the tide is coming up, my gra

cious lord?

do!

11. Canute. Yes, set it just here.

12. Oswald [aside]. I wonder what he is going to

13. Offa [aside]. Surely he is not such a fool as to believe us!

14. Canute. O, mighty Ocean! thou art my subject; my courtiers tell me so; and it is thy bounden duty to obey me. Thus, then, I stretch my sceptre over thee, and command thee to retire. Roll back thy swelling waves, nor let them presume to wet the feet of me, thy royal master.

15. Oswald [aside]. I believe the sea will pay very little regard to his royal commands.

16. Offa. See how fast the tide rises!

17. Oswald. The next wave will come up to the chair. It is a folly to stay; we shall be covered with salt water.

6

18. Canute. Well, does the sea obey my commands? If it be my subject, it is a very rebellious subject. See how it swells, and dashes the angry foam and salt spray over my sacred person. Vile sycophants!' did you

think I was the dupe of your base lies that I believed your abject flatteries? Know, there is only one Being whom the sea will obey. He is Sovereign of heaven and earth, King of kings, and Lord of lords. It is only He who can say to the ocean, "Thus far shalt thou go, but no farther, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed."

19. A king is but a man, and a man is but a worm. Shall a worm assume the power of the great God, and think the elements will obey him? Take away this crown; I will never wear it more. May kings learn

to be humble from my example, and courtiers learn truth from your disgrace!

1 MŎN'ARCH. A ruler of a nation, who has sole authority, a king.

2 LIEGE. One to whom allegiance is due, a sovereign.

3 BÖIS'TER-OŬS. Furious, roaring. 4 SOV'ER-EIGN. A supreme ruler.

5 COURTIER (-yur) A man who fre quents the courts of princes.

6 RE-BELLIOUS (-yas). Resisting lawful authority.

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SYC'o-PHANT. A mean flatterer. 8 FLATTER-Y. False praise.

GIVE me the hand that is warm, kind, and ready ;
Give me the clasp that is calm, true, and steady;
Give me the hand that will never deceive me;
Give me its grasp that I aye' may believe thee.

Soft is the palm of the delicate woman,

2

Hard is the hand of the rough, sturdy yeoman :*
Soft palm or hard hand, it matters not-never!
Give me the grasp that is friendly forever.

1 AYE (ā). Always, ever.

2 STÜR'DY. Hardy, stout.

3 YEŌ'MAN (yō'man). A working

man; especially, a farmer.

1. UNDER a spreading chestnut-tree The village smithy' stands;

The smith, a mighty man is he,

With large and sinewy hands,

3

And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

2. His hair is crisp and black and long;
His face is like the tan;

His brow is wet with honest sweat;
He earns whate'er he can,

And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

3. Week in, week out, from morn till night, You can hear his bellows blow;

You can hear him swing his heavy sledge
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

4. And children coming home from school,
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge',
And hear the bellows roar ;

To see the burning sparks that fly

Like chaff from the threshing-floor.

5. He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach;

He hears his daughter's voice

Singing in the village choir,

8

And it makes his heart rejoice.

6. It sounds to him like her mother's voice

Singing in paradise!

He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;

And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

7. Toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begun,
Each evening sees its close;
Something attempted,10 something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

1 SMITH'Y. The shop of a smith.
2 SIN'EW-Y (sínny-ẹ). Strong, ner-
vous, muscular.

3 MUS'CLES (mus'slz). Bundles of
fleshy fibres which are organs of
motion in animals.

4 BRAWN'Y. Muscular, sinewy. 5 SLEDGE. A large hammer.

6 SEX'TON. An officer of a church, whose duty it is to take care of

the building, &c., and sometimes to dig graves.

7 FORGE. A furnace in which iron is heated so as to be hammered and shaped.

8 CHOIR (kwir). A band of singers in church service.

9 PĂRA-DISE. A place of bliss, heaven.

10 AT-TEMPTED. Tried, assayed.

1. THE nests of birds are made with great nicety' and skill; and we cannot help admiring the results which are produced by a creature which has no tools to work with but a bill and two claws. It would be difficult for a man, with all his inventions and resources, to do as well.

2

2. And there is this peculiarity about birds: they do not require to be taught how to build their nests; nor do they serve any apprenticeship in order to learn how to use their tools. It is an instinct, or natural faculty, bestowed upon them by our heavenly Father.