6. How bitter must thy waters be,

Oh Death!

How hard a thing, ah me!
It is to die!

I mused,-when to that stream again,

Another child of mortal man

With smiles drew nigh.

7. ""Tis the last pang," he calmly said,
"To me, O Death! thou hast no dread-
Savior, I come!

Spread but thine arms on yonder shore-
I see!-ye waters, bear me o'er!

There is my home!"

LESSON XCV.

Spell and Define-1. HUR' DLE, a crate made of twigs. 2. FOR BEAR' ANCE, long suffering; exercise of patience toward those who injure us. 3. TAUNT' ING, insulting; 1eproaching. 4. SPURN ING, rejecting with disdain. 5. DEBAR', to shut out. 6. Co coon', a ball, in which the silk. worm involves itself. 7. SHROUD, the dress of the dead.

THE SILK-WORM'S WILL.-A FABLE.

1. On a plain rush hurdle a silk-worm lay,
When a proud young princess came that way,-
The haughty child of a human king,

Threw a sidelong glance at the humble thing,
That took, with a silent gratitude,

From the mulberry leaf, her simple food,-
And shrunk with scorn and deep disgust,
Away from her sister child of dust,
Declaring she never yet could see,

Why a reptile form like this should be,

And that she was not made with nerves so firm

As calmly to stand by a "crawling worm!"

2. With much forbearance the silk-worm took
The taunting words and spurning look.
Alike a stranger to self and pride,

She'd no disquiet from aught beside,

And lived of a meekness and peace possessed,
Which these debar from human breast;
She only wished, for the harsh abuse,
To find some way to become of use
To the haughty daughter of lordly man ;
And thus did she lay a noble plan,
To teach her wisdom, and make it plain,
Shat the humble worm was not made in vain;
A plan so generous, deep, and high,

That to carry it out she must even die!

3. "No more," said she," will I drink or eat!
I'll spin and weave me a winding sheet,
To wrap me up from the sun's clear light,
And hide my form from her wounded sight.
In secret then till my end draws nigh,
I'll toil for her; and when I die

I'll leave behind, as a farewell boon,

To the proud young princess, my whole cocoon,
To be reeled and wove to a shining lace,
And hung in a vail o'er her scornful face!

And when she can calmly draw her breath,

Through the very threads that have caused my death,
When she finds at length she has nerves so firm,
As to wear the shroud of a crawling worm,
May she bear in mind, that she walks in pride
In the winding sheet where the silk-worm died!"

QUESTIONS.-1. How did the proud princess regard the silk-worm? 2. What did she declare she could not calmly do? 3. How did the silk-worm receive this treatment?

4. What noble plan did the silk-worm lay to benefit the princess? 5. What was it necessary for the silk-worm to do to carry out this plan? 6. What did the silk-worm leave her as a farewell boon? 7. What was the vail to remind her of? 8. What are we taught by this fable?.

LESSON XCVI.

Spell and Define-1. AD MI RA' TION, wonder; esteem. 2. SUM' MIT, utmost elevation. 3. PRO FES' SION, employment; vocation. 4. REP U TA' TION, honor derived from public esteem. F. MOR' TI FI ED, humbled; subdued. 6. Ran' cor ous, very spiteful. 7. DE CRY', to cry down. 8. IN SIN U A' TJON, a hint; a suggestion. 9. PRO FI' CIENT, one who has male advances. 10. COM PRE HEND' ED, contained; conceived. 11. MOD' EL, pattern; example. 12. Ex CEL' LING, exceeding; surpassing. 12. Rap' ture, transport; ecstasy. 14. SAT IS FAC' TION, gratification; that which pleases. 15. COM PET' I TOR, a rival; an opponent. 16. SAR' CASM, keen reproach. 17. PET' U LANT, peevish; fretful. 18. A WARD' ED, adjudged. 19. MALIG' NANT, malicious. 20. CAUS' TIC, burning; corroding. 21. AP PLI CA' TION, close study; attention. 22. SUF FRAGES, votes. 23. De fraud' ED, deprived of due by trick or deception; cheated. 24. COM PE TI' TION, rivalry. 25. EN. CO' MI UMS, praises.

ENVY AND EMULATION.

1. Ar one of the celebrated schools of painting, in Italy, a young man, named Guidotto, produced a piece so excellent, that it was the admiration of the masters in the art, who all declared it to be their opinion, that he could not fail of rising to the summit of his profession, should he proceed as he had begun. 2. This performance was looked upon with very different eyes, by two of his fellow scholBrunello, the elder of them, who had

ars.

himself acquired some reputation in his studies, was mortified in the highest degree, at this superiority of Guidotto; and regarding all the honor his rival had acquired, as so much taken from himself, he conceived the most rancorous dislike of him, and longed for nothing so much, as to see him lose the credit he had gained.

3. Afraid openly to decry the merit of a work which had obtained the approbation of the best judges, he threw out secret insinua tions that Guidotto had been assisted in it, by one or other of his masters; and he affected to represent it as a sort of lucky hit, which the reputed author would never equal.

4. It was not so with Lorenzo. Though a very young proficient in the art, he comprehended, in its full extent, the excellence of Guidotto's performance, and became one of the sincerest of his admirers. Fired with the praises he saw him receive on all sides, he ardently longed, one day, to deserve the like.

5. He placed him before his eyes as a fair model which it was his highest ambition to arrive at equaling; for as to exceiling him, he could not, as yet, conceive the possibility of it. He never spoke of him but with rapture, and could never bear to hear the detractions of Brunello.

6. But Lorenzo did not content himself with words. He entered with his whole sou! into the career of improvement; was first and

last of all the scholars in the designing room; and devoted to practice at home, those hours which the other youths passed in amusement.

7. It was long before he could please himself with any of his attempts, and he was continually repeating over them, "Alas! how far distant is this from Guidotto's!" At length, however, he had the satisfaction of becoming sinsible of progress; and having received considerable applause, on account of one of his performances, he ventured to say to himself, "And why may not I, too, become a Guidotto?" 8. Meanwhile, Guidotto continued to bear away the palm from all competitors. Brunello struggled awhile to contest with him, but at length gave up the point, and consoled himself, under his inferiority, by ill-natured sarcasms and petulant criticisms.

9. Lorenzo worked away in silence, and it was long before his modesty would suffer him to place any piece of his in view, at the same time with one of Guidotto's.

10. There was a certain day in the year, in which it was customary for all the scholars to exhibit their best performance in a public hall, where their merit was solemnly judged by a number of select examiners, and a prize of value was awarded to the most excellent.

11. Guidotto had prepared for this anniversary with a piece which was to excel all he had before executed. He had just finished it, on the evening before the exhibition, and