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DUTCH SHIPMASTER AND RUSSIAN COTTAGER.

Though sweet the music of the lay,

To Childhood it was all a riddle;
And, "Oh," he cried, "do send away,

That noisy woman with the fiddle."

Then Wisdom stole his bat and ball,

And taught him, with most sage endeavor,
Why bubbles rise and acorns fall,

And why no toy may last forever:
She talked of all the wondrous laws
Which Nature's open book discloses ;
And Childhood ere she made a pause,
Was fast asleep among the roses.

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DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define bank, blushing, glad, childhood, appalling invaded, mute, winged, (i. e. flew,) batter, kite, curling, demon, baffled, pinion, (does pinion mean the wing? or from the tip to the first joint? the last,) envy, despair, tortured, stepped, phantom, cypress-crowned, (crowned with cypress,) proffered, brim, bade, wooed, scattered, lay, riddle, fiddle, bat, ball, sage, hubbles, acorns, toy, pause, fast asleep, (locked up fast in sleep,) roses.

SECT. LXXXVI.-THE DUTCH SHIPMASTER AND THE RUSSIAN

COTTAGER.

THE following interesting anecdote occurs in a German 1 work, lately published, entitled A Picture of St. Petersburgh.

2 In a little town, five miles from St. Petersburgh, lived a poor German woman. A small cottage was her only pos3 session, and the visits of a few shipmasters, on their way to

St. Petersburgh, her only livelihood. Several Dutch ship4 masters having supped at her house one evening, she found, when they were gone, a sealed bag of money under the table. Some one of the company had no doubt forgotten it; 5 but they had sailed over to Cronstadt, and the wind being fair, there was no chance of their putting back. The good 6 woman put the bag into her cupboard, to keep it till it should be called for. Full seven years, however, elapsed, and no one claimed it; and though often tempted by oppor7 tunity, and oftener by want, to make use of the contents, the poor woman's good principles prevailed, and it remained untouched.

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DUTCH SHIPMASTER AND RUSSIAN COTTAGER.

One evening, some shipmasters again stopped at her house 9 for refreshment. Three of them were English: the fourth a 10 Dutchman. Conversing on various matters, one of them asked the Dutchman, if he had ever been in that town be11 fore. "Indeed, I have," replied he: " I know the place

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but too well my being here, cost me once seven hundred 12 rubles." How so?" 13 "Why, in one of these wretched hovels, I once left behind me a bag of rubles." "Was the 14 bag sealed?" asked the old woman, who was sitting in a

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corner of the room, and whose attention was roused by the 15 subject. "Yes, yes, it was sealed, and with this very seal, 16 here at my watch chain." The woman knew. the seal in17 stantly. 'Well, then," said she, "by that you may recover 18 what you have lost." "Recover it, mother! 19 No'; no'; I am rather too old to expect that'; the world is not quite so honest besides, it is full seven years since I lost the money. 20 Say no more about it: it always makes me melancholy." 21 Meanwhile, the good woman slipped out, and presently 22 returned with the bag. See here," said she: "honesty is not so rare, perhaps, as you imagine;" and she threw the bag on the table.

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The guests were astonished, and the owner of the bag, as 24 may be supposed, highly delighted. He seized the bag, tore open the seal, took out one ruble, (worth a dollar our money,) and laid it on the table for the hostess: thanking her civilly for the trouble she had taken. The three English25 men were amazed and indignant at so small a reward being

offered, and remonstrated warmly with him. The old woman 26 protested she required no recompense for merely doing her duty, and begged the Dutchman to take back even his ruble. But the Englishmen insisted on seeing justice done: "The 27 woman," said they, "has acted nobly, and ought to be rewarded." At length, the Dutchman agreed to part with 28 one hundred rubles: they were counted out, and given to the old woman; who thus, at length, was handsomely rewarded for her honesty.

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define shipmaster, livelihood, supped, sealed bag, putting back, (returning?) cupboard, elapsed, claimed, opportunity, prevailed, refreshment, untouched, (for the purpose of using its contents,) ruble, hovel, roused, watch, (has this word any other meaning?) recover, honest, meanwhile, slipped out, presently, rare, highly, hostess, civilly, amazed, indignant, remonstrated, protested, recompense.

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THE DRUNKARD reproved.

SECT. LXXXVII.—THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

779

"You teach," said the Emperor Trajan to Rabbi Joshua, "that your God is everywhere, and boast that he resides 2 among your nation. I should like to see him." 3 "God's

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presence is indeed everywhere," replied Joshua, "but he 4 cannot be seen: no mortal eye can behold his glory." The 5 emperor insisted on seeing him. "Well," said Joshua; suppose we try to look first at one of his ambassadors." 6 The emperor consented. 7 The Rabbi took him into the open air at noonday, and bade him look at the sun. in his 8 splendor. "I cannot," said Trajan: "the light dazzles me.” 9"Thou art unable," said Joshua, "to endure the light of one

of his creatures'; and canst thou expect to behold the 10 resplendent glory of the Creator? Would not such a sight destroy you?"

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Emperor Trajan-emperor of the Romans. Rabbi Joshua-a learned Jow. Define ambassador, dazzles, resplendent.

SECT. LXXXVIII.- -OPINION OF THE ORIENTALS AS TO WINE.

1 WHEN Noah planted the first vine, and retired, Satan approached, and said, I will nourish you, charming plant! 2 He quickly brought three animals, a lamb, a lion, and hog, and killed them one after the other near the vine.

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The virtue of the blood of these animals penetrated it, and is still manifest in its growth.

When a man drinks one goblet of wine, he is then agreeable, gentle, and friendly: that is the nature of the lamb. 5 When he drinks two he is as a lion, and says, 6 like me?" He then talks of stupendous things.

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When he drinks more, his senses forsake him; and at length he wallows in the mire.

Need it be said that he then resembles the hog?

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define virtue, (the peculiar essential nature,) penetrated, manifest, growth, goblet, stupendous, senses, forsake, wallows, mire, resembles, hog.

SECT. LXXXIX. -THE DRUNKARD REPROVED.

1 A GENTLEMAN entering a stage-coach, and rubbing his head with a yawn, said, "My head aches dreadfully; I

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A TROUBLED HEART.

2 was very drunk last night." A person affecting surprise replied, "Drunk, sir!! 3 What! 4 Do you get drunk?" 5 "Yes," says he, "and so does every one at times, I be6 lieve'. I have no doubt but you do." 7 "No sir," he re8 plied; "I do not." "What! never?" "No: never; and 9 amongst other reasons I have for it, one is, I never find

being sober, that I have too much sense, and I am loth to 10 lose what little I have." This remark put an end to the conversation.

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define stage-coach, rubbing, yawn, (what is a yawn; and how did the man rub his head with a yawn? or did he rub and yawn at the same time?) aches, drunk, sober, loth, remark, end, conversation.

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SECT. XC.-A TROUBLED HEART.

1 As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth 2 my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God: for 3 the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

4 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me; for I 5 had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise: with a multitude that kept holy-day.

6 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou 7 disquieted in me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance !

8 Oh my God, my soul is cast down within me! Therefore 9 will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites: from the hill Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep 10 at the noise of thy water-spouts! all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me!

11 Yet the Lord will command his loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and 12 my prayer unto the God of my life. I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourn

ing, because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a 13 sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me, while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

14 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou

SONNET.-GOD COMPARED WITH IDOLS.

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15 disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance and my God!

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define panteth, living God, (so called in opposition to idols which have no life,) thirsteth, (actually to thirst? or only strongly desire, as men often desire to drink?) holy-day, (thy day, the sabbath. holy?) help of his countenance, (encouragement and support given by his looking kindly and approvingly on me,) water-spouts, deep calleth unto deep, (echo and re-echo,) waves and billows, (what difference between these two words?) oppression.

SECT. XCI.-SONNET.

In his correspondence with Coleridge, the Rev. Joseph 1 Blanco White produced a sonnet which the poet pronounces "the finest and most grandly-conceived in our language." 2 Mysterious Night! when our first parent knew

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Thee, from report Divine, and heard thy name,
Did he not tremble for this lovely frame,

This glorious canopy of light and blue?
Yet, 'neath a current of translucent dew,

Bathed in the rays of the great setting flame,
Hesperus with the host of heaven came,

And lo! creation widened in man's view.

Who could have thought such darkness lay concealed
Within thy beams, O Sun? or who could find,
Whilst fly, and leaf, and insect stood revealed,

That to such countless orbs thou mad'st us blind?
Why do we, then, shun death with anxious strife?
6 If light can thus deceive, wherefore not life?

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DEFINITIONS, &C.-Define correspondence, sonnet, pronounces, finest, grandly-conceived, language, mysterious, first parent, report, frame, canopy, current, translucent, dew, bathed, rays, setting flame, (sun,) Hesperus, (evening star,) host of heaven, widened, beams, countless, orbs, anxious, deceive.

SECT. XCII.-GOD COMPARED WITH IDOLS.

1 Nor unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake.

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Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their 3 God? Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he pleased.

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