3. Come to the festal board to-night, For friendship, there, with stronger chain, Devoted hearts already bound For good or ill, will bind again I went 4. Nature and art their stores outpoured; Joy beamed in every kinding game, 10. And where is he, that tower of strength, Whose fate with hers for life was joined ? 11. Go to the dungeon's gloom to-night; 12. Ask you of all these woes the cause? And maddened passions spurned control. 13. Learn wisdom, then. The frequent feast Till death, at last, the banquet spread. 14. And shun, oh shun, the enchanted cup! And sadly mixed with blood and tears. DEFINITIONS.1. Fes'tal, mirthful, joyous. Gär'land-ed, adorned with wreaths of flowers. 3. De-vōt'ed, solemnly set apart. 4. En-hançe', increase. 6. Săn'dered, separated. 7. Glim'merings, faint views, glimpses. 8. Ro'şe-ate, blooming, rosy. 11. Fěl'on, a public criminal. 12. En-tiç'ing, attracting to evil. Spûrned, rejected with disdain. 13. Lure, to attract, to entice. 14. Enchant'ed, affected with enchantment, bewitched. NOTES.-8. Golconda is an ancient city and fortress of India, formerly renowned for its diamonds. They were merely cut and polished there, however, being generally brought from Parteall, a city farther south. XIX. HOW TO TELL BAD NEWS. Mr. H. and the Steward. Mr. H. HA! Steward, how are you, my old boy? How do things go on at home? Steward. Bad enough, your honor; the magpie's dead. H. Poor Mag! So he's gone. How came he to die? S. Overeat himself, sir. H. Did he? A greedy dog; why, what did he get he liked so well? S. Horseflesh, sir; he died of eating horseflesh. H. How came he to get so much horseflesh ? S. All your father's horses, sir. H. What are they dead, too? S. Ay, sir; they died of overwork. H. And why were they overworked, pray? S. To carry water, sir. H. To carry water! and what were they carrying water for? S. Sure, sir, to put out the fire. H. Fire! what fire? S. O, sir, your father's house is burned to the ground. H. My father's house burned down! and how came it set on fire? S. I think, sir, it must have been the torches. H. Torches! what torches ? S. At your mother's funeral. H. My mother dead! S. Ah, poor lady! she never looked up, after it. H. After what? S. The loss of your father. H. My father gone, too? S. Yes, poor gentleman! he took to his bed as soon as he heard of it. (5.-6.) H. Heard of what? S. The bad news, sir, and please your honor. H. What! more miseries! more bad news! S. Yes, sir; your bank has failed, and your credit is lost, and you are not worth a shilling in the world. I made bold, sir, to wait on you about it, for I thought you would like to hear the news. XX. THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM. Robert Southey (b. 1774, d. 1843) was born in Bristol, England. He entered Balliol College, Oxford, in 1793. In 1804 he established himself permanently at Greta Hall, near Keswick, Cumberland, in the "Lake Country," where he enjoyed the friendship and society of Wordsworth and Coleridge, other poets of the "Lake School." He was appointed poet laureate in 1813, and received a pension of £300 a year from the government in 1835. Mr. Southey was a voluminous writer in both prose and verse. As a poet, he can not be placed in the first rank, although some of his minor poems are very happy in thought and expression. Among his most noted poetical works are "Joan of Arc," "Thalaba the Destroyer," "Madoc,' Roderick," and the "Curse of Kehama." 99 66 1. Ir was a summer evening, Old Kaspar's work was done, And by him sported on the green, 2. She saw her brother Peterkin In playing there, had found; That was so large, and smooth, and round. 3. Old Kaspar took it from the boy, And then the old man shook his head, ""Tis some poor fellow's skull," said he, 4. "I find them in the garden, For there's many hereabout; And often when I go to plow, The plowshare turns them out; For many thousand men," said he, “Were slain in that great victory." 5. "Now tell us what 't was all about," "Now tell us all about the war, 6. "It was the English," Kaspar cried, 7. "My father lived at Blenheim then, They burnt his dwelling to the ground, So, with his wife and child he fled, Nor had he where to rest his head. |