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COMAL AND GALVINA.

"Mòurnful is thy tále, sòn of the cár," said Carril of ōther times,"It sends my soul back to the ages of old, and to the days of ōther years.-O'ften have I heard of Cómal, who slew the friend he loved; yet vìctory attended his steel; and the battle was consúmed in his prèsence.

"Cómal was the son of Albion; the chief of a hundred hills. His déer drank of a thousand strèams.-A thousand rocks replied to the voice of his dògs.-His fáce was the mildness of youth. His hand the death of heroes. O'ne was his love, and fàir was shé! the daughter of mighty Cònloch.-Shè appeared like a sunbeam amōng wòmen.—Her háir was like the wing of the ràven.—Her dogs were taught to the chase.-Her bówstring sounded on the winds of the fòrest. Her sóul was fixed on Còmal.-O'ften mét their eyes of love. Their còurse in the chase was òne.-Happy were their words in sècret.—But Gòrmal loved the máid, the dark chief of the gloomy A'rdven.—He watched her lōne steps in the heath; the fóe of unhappy Còmal!

"One day, tìred of the chase, when the mist had concealed their friends, Cómal, and the daughter of Cónloch, mét in the cave of Rònan. It was the wónted haunt of Cōmal.-Its sides were hung with his arms.-A húndred shields of thòngs were there; a hùndred helms of sounding stèel.—' Rèst hére,' hē sāid, 'my lòve, Galvína; thōu light of the cave of Rónan !—A dèer appears on Mōra's bròw.-I gó; but I will soon retùrn.'-'I féar,' she said, 'dàrk Górmal, my fòe; hé hàunts the cave of Rónan ! I will rèst among the arms; but soon retùrn, my love.'

"He went to the deer of Mòra.-The daughter of Cónloch would needs try his lòve.-She clothed her white sìdes with his ármour, and stróde from the cave of Rònan !-Hè thought it was his fòe. His heart beat high.-His còlour changed, and dárkness dimmed his eyes.-He drew the bòw.-The àrrow fléw-Galvína fell in blood !—He rán with wìldness in his stéps, and cálled the daughter of Conloch.-Nò answer in the lōnely cave.-'Where àrt thōu, O my lōve?'-He saw, at léngth, her hèaving heart beating around the féathered àrrow.-'O, Cōnloch's daughter, is it thoú?' -He súnk upon her breast.

"The hùnters found the hapless pàir.-He afterwards walked the hill-but màny and sílent wēre his stèps rōund the dārk

dwelling of his lòve. The fleet of the òcean came.—Hè fóught; the strangers flèd. He séarched for dèath along the field-But who could slay the mighty Còmal!-He threw awày his dark brown shield-An árrow found his manly breast.-He sléeps with his loved Galvína, at the noise of the sounding sùrge !-Their gréen tòmbs are seen by the mariner, when he bounds o'er the waves of the nòrth."-Ossian.

ON PRAYER.

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Utter'd or unexpress'd;

The motion of a hidden fire,

That trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear;

The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.

Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try:

Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air;

His watchword at the gates of death-
He enters heaven by prayer.

Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,
Returning from his ways;
While angels in their songs rejoice,
And say, "Behold, he prays!"

The saints, in prayer, appear as one,
In word, and deed, and mind,
When with the Father and his Son,
Their fellowship they find.

Nor prayer is made on earth alone:

The Holy Spirit pleads;

And Jesus, on the eternal throne,
For sinners intercedes.

O Thou, by whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way!
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod;
Lord, teach us how to pray!

Montgomery.

PRINCIPLE SECOND.

THE NEGATIVE AND CONCESSIVE MEMBERS.

RULE.-Every Negative or Concessive division takes the rising modulation on its last accented or emphatic word; whereas its Penultimate takes the low monotone or weak falling modulation, to prepare the voice for ascending.

A negative division is that which refuses assent to a proposition—a concessive division is that which yields it. The negative, denying or dissenting, is generally followed by a member assenting or affirming, which commences with the disjunctive conjunction but, than, or yet, expressed or implied; the concessive division, assenting or conceding, is generally followed by a member dissenting, which also commences with the expressed or implied conjunction but, than, or yet. It may be useful to junior pupils to state that the negative division is known by one or other of the seven negative particles, no, not, neither, nor, never, none, nothing; the concessive division, by the auxiliary verbs may, might, can, could, or the adverbial phrase at least.

EXAMPLE-In which the harmonic inflection is also marked." Màn was created for eternity"-an affirmative member with the falling inflection. "Mán was not created for the duties of a dáy merely"-a negative member with the rising inflection on its accented word "day." "Mán may conceive himself created for the duties of a dáy merely"now a concessive member with the same inflection.

Again." Vírtue is of intrinsic value and good desèrt, and of indispensable obligàtion; not the creature of will,

but nécessary and ímmùtable; not local or témporary, but of équal extent and antíquity with the Divíne mind; not a mòde of sensation, but of everlasting trùth; not depèndent on power, but the guide of all power."

Again." An author may be jùst in his séntiments, lively in his figures, and clear in his expréssion, yēt māy have no claim to be admítted into the rank of finished writers." The preceding clauses, "sentiments," "figures," cannot admit the low monotone or falling slide, as preliminary to the closing concessive, "expression," because they themselves are concessive, and must therefore partake of the same modulation though in a less degree.

Again. The negative or concessive member, instead of commencing a sentence, may conclude it, in which case the order of the modulations is reversed. Thus-" Happiness is conferred upon us, not earned by ourselves-it is the result of grace, not of wórks; it is óffered to àll, though some may mistake the path that leads to it.”

The rising modulation is required in negative and concessive clauses, in order to present them in greater contrast with the succeeding affirmative. Indeed it will appear throughout the whole system of modulation, that the great purpose of the rising slide is to express either opposition or suspension. It is seldom used either in ordinary life or in the systems of elocution, where contrast is not implied or where inconclusiveness of sense is not involved.

Although the negative clause is never found without one or other of the seven negative particles already enumerated, the same does not hold true in regard to the concessive clause. Sentences sometimes occur in which the sense is obviously concessive, though the signs may, might, can, could, at least, are not expressed. Hence the necessity that the young reader, in particular, should not be guided entirely by the form of expression, but chiefly by the sense of the

passage. Thus “The glóry of àncestors casts (may cast) a light indeed upon their postérity, but it only serves to shów what the descendants àre." "The énemy have their own country behind them, have pláces of rèfuge to flý to, and are secure from dànger in the roads thíther; but for you there is no middle fortune between death and vìctory.” In these, the preceding members are obviously concessive in their import, though they want the external signs.

Besides, the reader will observe that the negative and concessive signs frequently occur in sentences that convey no negative or concessive meaning. This is more particularly the case in such as express command, expostulation, or admonition. Thus, in the Decalogue-"Thoù shált not kill" -“Thòu shált nōt steàl,” which are to be considered affirmative. Thus also in Hannibal's speech to the Carthaginian army "Pass not the Ibèrus. Whát nèxt? Touch not the Saguntines. Sagúntum is upon the Ibērus. Move nōt a step towards that city." In all these the negative adverb occurs, yet the sense is affirmative.

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The following Extracts may be read in connection with Principle Second :

CHRIST'S GLORY VISIBLE IN HIS HUMILIATION.

Hìs bírth was mean on earth belów; but it was cèlebrated with hallelújahs by the heavenly hóst in the air abòve: he hád but a poòr lodging; but a stàr lighted vísitants to it from dístant coùntries. Nèver prínce had sùch vísitants so conducted. He had not the magníficent équipage that other kings have; but he was attended with mùltitudes of patients, seeking and obtaining healing of soul and body. He made the dumb that attended him to sing his praises, and the làme to leap for jòy; the deaf to hear his wonders, and the blìnd to see his glòry. He had nó guàrd of sóldiers, nor magníficent rètinue of sérvants; but health and sickness, life and death, received and obeyed his òrders. Even the winds and storms, which no earthly power can contról, obèyed him; and death and the gràve durst not refuse to deliver up their prey when he demanded it. He did not walk upon tápestry; but when

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