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X.

THE DAFFODILS.

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hille,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;EI
Beside the lake, beside the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

2. Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

3. The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

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I gazed and gazed - but little thought

What wealth that show to me had brought.

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2. Can loving children e'er reprove

With murmurs whom they trust and love?
Creator, I would ever be

A trusting, loving child to thee;
As comes to me or cloud or sun,

Father! thy will, not mine, be done.

3. O, ne'er will I at life repine;

Enough that thou hast made it mine.

Where falls the shadow cold of death,
I yet will sing, with parting breath,
As comes to me or shade or sun,
Father! thy will, not mine, be done.

SARAH FLOWER ADAMS.

XII. THE FOLLY OF CASTLE-BUILDING."

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1. ALNAS CHAR, says the fable, was a very idle fellow, who never would set his hand to any business during his father's life His father, dying, left to him the value of an hundred drachmas17 in Persian money. Alnaschar, in order to make the best of it, laid it out in glasses, bottles, and the finest earthenware. These he piled up in a large open basket, and having made choice of a very little shop, placed the basket at his feet, and leaned his back upon the wall, in expectation of customers. As he sat in this posture, with his eyes upon the basket, he fell into a most amusing train of thought, and was overheard by one of his neighbors, as he talked to himself. "This basket," says he, "cost me at the wholesale merchant's an hundred drachmas, which is all I have in the world.

2. "I shall quickly make two hundred of it, by selling it in retail. These two hundred drachmas will in a little while rise to four hundred, which of course will amount in time to four thousand. Four thousand drachmas cannot fail of making eight thousand. As soon as by this means I am master of ten thousand, I will lay aside my trade of a glass-man, and turn jeweller. I shall then deal in diamonds, pearls, and all sorts of rich stones. When I have got together as much wealth as I can well desire, I will make a purchase of the finest house I can find. I shall then begin to enjoy myself and make a noise in the world. I will not, however, stop there, but still continue my traffic, till I have got together an hundred thousand drachmas.

3. "When I have thus made myself master of an hundred thousand drachmas, I shall naturally set myself on the footing of a prince, and will demand the Grand Vizier's daughter in marriage, after having represented to that minister the information which I have received of the beauty, wit, discretion and other high qualities, which his daughter possesses. I will let him know, at the same time, that it is my intention to make him a present of a thousand pieces of gold on our marriage night. As soon as I have married the Grand Vizier's daughter, I will make my fatherin-law a visit with a grand train and equipage; and when I am placed at his right hand, where I shall be. of course, if it

be only to honor his daughter, I will give him the thousand pieces of gold which I promised him, and afterwards, to his great surprise, will present him another purse of the same value, with some short speech, as, 'Sir, you see I am a man of my word; 1 always give more than I promise.'

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4. "When I have brought the princess to my house, I shall take particular care to breed her in a due respect for me. this end, I shall confine her to her own apartinent, make her a short visit, and talk but little to her. Her women will represent to me that she is inconsolable by reason of my unkindness and beg me with tears to caress her, and let her sit down by me; but I shall still remain inexorable, and will turn my back upon her. Her mother will then come and bring her daughter to me, as I am seated upon my sofa. The daughter, with tears in her eyes, will fling herself at my feet, and beg of me to receive her into my favor. Then will I, to imprint in her a thorough veneration for my person, draw up my legs and spurn her from me with my foot, in such a manner that she shall fall down several paces from the sofa."

5. Alnaschar was entirely swallowed up in this chimer'ical" vision, and could not forbear acting with his foot what he had in his thoughts. So that, unluckily striking his basket of brittle ware, which was the foundation of all his grandeur, he kicked his glasses to a great distance from him into the street, and broke them into ten thousand pieces.

ADDISON.

XIII. SELECT APOLOGUES.EI

1.-CLASSE OPINIONS.

A LAMB strayed for the first time into the woods, and excited much discussion 97 among other animals. In a mixed companyl one day, when he became the subject of a friendly gossip, the goat praised him. "Pooh!" said the lion, "this is too absurd. The beast is a pretty beast enough, but did you hear him roar? I heard him roar, and, by the manes of my fathers, when he roars he does nothing but cry ba-a-a !” And the lion bleated his best

in mockery, but bleated far from well.

Nay," said the deer, "I do not think so badly of his voice. I liked him well enough until I saw him leap. He kicks with his hind legs in running, and, with all his skipping, gets over very little ground."-"It is a bad beast altogether," said the tiger. "He cannot roar, he cannot run, he can do nothingand what wonder? I killed a man yesterday, and, in politeness

7.-THE PARTIAL JUDGE.

A farmer came to a neighboring lawyer, expressing great ho said. had just happened.

way; and yet it was a good lamb, nevertheless.

2. THE SWORD AND THE PEN.

The sword of the warrior62 was taken down for the purpose of being polished. It had not been long out of use. The rust was ubbed off, but there were spots that would not go-they were of blood. The sword was placed on the table near the pen of he warrior's secretary. The pen took advantage of the first breath of air to move a little further off. "Thou art right," aid the sword. "I am a bad neighbor.". "I fear thee not,"

eplied the pen, "I am more powerful than thou art; but I love ot thy society."-"I exterminate," said the sword. "And I perpetuate," answered the pen; "where are thy victories, if I ecorded them not? Even where thou thyself shalt one day be -in the Lake of Oblivion."

3.- THE HUMMING-BIRD AND THE BUTTERFLY.

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A humming-bird met a butterfly, and, being pleased with the eauty of its person and the glory of its wings, made an offer of perpetual friendship. "I cannot think of it," was the reply, as you once spurned me, and called me a crawling dolt." Impossible!" exclaimed the humming-bird, "I always enterained the highest respect for such beautiful creatures as you.". "Perhaps you do now," said the other; "but when you insulted me I was a caterpillar. So let me give you a piece of advice: ever insult the humble, as they may some day become your superiors."

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INTEMPERANCE.E ΕΙ She waved her hand, and thus addressed the crowd of diseases: "Give way, ye sickly band of pretenders, nor dare to vie with my superior merits in the service of this great monarch. Am not I your parent? Do ye not derive the power of shortening human life almost wholly from me? Who, then, so fit as myself for this important office?" The grisly monarch grinned a smile of approbation, placed her at his right hand, and she immediately became his principal favorite and prime

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minister.

9.- DISHONESTY PUNISHED.

An usurer, having lost a hundred dollars in a bag, promised a reward of ten dollars to the person who should restore it. T

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be only to honor his daughter, I will give him the thousand pieces of gold which I promised him, and afterwards, to his great surprise, will present him another nurse of the coma valua with

5.- THE WOLF ON HIS DEATH-BED.

A wolf lay at the last gasp, and was reviewing his past life. "It is true," said he, "I am a great sinner, but yet, I hope, not one of the greatest. I have done evil, but I have also done much good. Once, I remember, a bleating lamb, that had strayed from the flock, came so near to me that I might easily have throttled it; but I did it no harm. At the same time, I listened with the most astonishing indifference to the gibes and scoffs of a sheep, although I had nothing to fear from dogs."

"I can testify to all that," said his friend the fox, who was helping him prepare for death. "I remember perfectly all the circumstances. It was just at the time when you were so dreadfully choked with that bone which the good-natured crane afterwards drew out of your throat."

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One fine morning in May, two bees set forward in quest of honey; the one wise and temperate, the other careless and extravagant. They soon arrived at a garden enriched with aromatic herbs, the most fragrant flowers, and the most delicious fruits. They regaled themselves for a time on the various dainties set before them; the one loading his thighs at intervals with wax for the construction of his hive, the other revelling in sweets, without regard to anything but present gratification. At length they found a wide-mouthed vial, that hung filled with honey beneath the bough of a peach-tree. The thoughtless epicure, in spite of all his friend's remonstrances, plunged headlong into much discussion among other animals. In a mixed company one day, when he became the subject of a friendly gossip, the goat praised him. "Pooh!" said the lion, "this is too absurd. The beast is a pretty beast enough, but did you hear him roar? I heard him roar, and, by the manes of my fathers, when he roars he does nothing but cry ba-a-a!" And the lion bleated his best in mockery, but bleated far from well.

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"Nay," said the deer, "I do not think so badly of his voice. I liked him well enough until I saw him leap. He kicks with his hind legs in running, and, with all his skipping, gets over very little ground.” "It is a bad beast altogether," said the tiger. "He cannot roar, he cannot run, he can do nothingand what wonder? I killed a man yesterday, and, in politeness

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