THE FALL OF WOLSEY.

Let's dry our eyes: and thus far hear me, Cromwell;
And, when I am forgotten, as I shall be,

And sleep in dull cold marble, where no mention
Of me more must be heard of;—say, I taught thee,
Say, Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory,
And sounded all the depths and shoals of honour,
Found thee a way, out of his wreck, to rise in;
A sure and safe one, though thy master missed it.
Mark but my fall, and that that ruined me.
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition;
By that sin fell the angels; how can man then,
The image of his Maker, hope to win by 't?s
Love thyself last cherish those hearts that hate thee;
Corruption wins not more than honesty.
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,

To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not:
Let all the ends thou aim'st at, be thy country's,

Thy God's, and truth's ;* then if thou fall'st, Ŏ Cromwell,
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr.
Serve the king:

And-Pr'ythee, lead me in:

There, take an inventory of all I have,

To the last penny, 'tis the king's my robe,
And my integrity to heaven, is all

I dare now call mine own. O Cromwell, Cromwell!
Had I but served my God with half the zeal
I served my king," He would not in mine age
Have left me naked to mine enemies.

1. The Cromwell here referred to is Thomas Cromwell. Wolsey had befriended Cromwell, and when the cardinal fell on evil days, Cromwell stood by him and defended him to the last.

2. "To play the woman" is just another phrase for "shedding tears."

3. The first letter of the word it is here cut off by a figure called Apharesis.

SHAKSPEARE.

When the letter or syllable is cut out of the middle of the word, of which we have three or four instances in this piece, the figure is called Syncope, and when from the end of the word, Apocope, as th' for the.

4. What noun is understood to these three possessives? 5. What is the ellipsis here?

XLIII. HE NEVER SMILED AGAIN.

"BUT this public prosperity of Henry I. was much overbalanced by a domestic calamity which befel him. His only son, William, had now reached his eighteenth year; and the king, from the facility with which he had himself usurped the crown, dreading that a like revolution might subvert his family, had taken care to have him recognized successor by the states of the kingdom, and had carried him over to

*

Normandy, that he might receive the homage of the barons of that Duchy. The king, on his return, set sail from Barfleur, and was soon carried away by a fair wind out of sight of land. The prince was detained by some accident; and his sailors, as well as their captain, Thomas Fitz-Stephens, having spent the interval in drinking, were so flustered, that being in a hurry to follow the king, they heedlessly carried the ship on a rock where she immediately foundered. William was put into the long-boat, and had got clear of the ship, when, hearing the cries of his natural sister, the Countess of Perche, he ordered the seamen to row back in hopes of saving her; but the numbers who then crowded in, soon sunk the boat; and the prince, with all his retinue, perished. Above a hundred and forty young noblemen, of the principal families of England and Normandy, were lost on this occasion. A butcher of Rouen was the only person on board who escaped. He clung to the mast, and was taken up next morning by fishermen. Fitz-Stephens also took hold of the mast, but being informed by the butcher that Prince William had perished, he said that he would not survive the disaster; and he threw himself headlong into the sea. Henry entertained hopes for three days that his son had put into some distant port of England, but when certain intelligence of the calamity was brought him, he fainted away; and it was remarked that he never after was seen to smile, nor ever recovered his wonted cheerfulness." -Hume's History of England.

THE bark that held a prince went down,
The sweeping waves rolled on;
And what was England's glorious crown
To him that wept1 a son?

He lived-for life may long be borne

Ere sorrow break its 2 chain;

Why comes not death to those who mourn ?—

He never smiled again!

There stood proud forms around his throne,

The stately and the brave,

But which could fill the place of one,

That one beneath the wave?

Before him passed the young and fair,

In pleasure's reckless train,*

But seas dashed o'er his son's bright hair.-
He never smiled again.

He sat where festal bowls went round,

He heard the minstrels sing;

He saw the tourney's victor crowned
Amidst the knightly ring:

A murmur of the restless deep

Was blent with every strain,

A voice of winds that would not sleep.-
He never smiled again!

THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS.

77

Hearts, in that time, closed o'er the trace

Of vows once fondly poured

And strangers took the kinsman's place
At many a joyous board;

Graves, which true love had bathed with tears,
Were left to heaven's bright rain,
Fresh hopes were born for other years.--

He never smiled again!

1. What sort of a verb is wept here? and is any other construction more common? 2. What does its refer to?

3. What part of speech is which? 4. Bring out the meaning of this line fully.

5. A tournay, or tournament, was a

MRS. HEMANS.

martial sport or species of combat performed, in former times, by knights and cavaliers on horseback, for the purpose of exercising and exhibiting their courage, prowess, and skill in arms.

5. Conjugate the verb of which blent is a part.

XLIV. LANDING OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS.

"LET us rejoice that we behold this day. Let us be thankful that we have lived to see the bright and happy breaking of the auspicious morn, which commences the third century of the history of New England. Auspicious indeed; bringing a happiness beyond the common allotment of Providence to men: full of present joy, and gilding with bright beams the prospect of futurity, is the dawn that awakens us to the commemoration of the landing of the Pilgrims.

"Living at an epoch which naturally marks the progress of the history of our native land, we have come hither to celebrate the great event with which that history commenced. For ever honoured be this, the place of our fathers' refuge; for ever remembered the day which saw them, weary and distressed, broken in everything but spirit, poor in all but faith and courage, at last secure from the dangers of wintry seas, and impressing this shore with the first footsteps of civilized man!"-Daniel Webster.

THE breaking waves dashed high

On a stern and rock-bound coast,
And the woods against a stormy sky
Their giant branches tossed.

And the heavy night hung dark

The hills and waters o'er,

When a band of exiles moored their bark
On the wild New England shore.

Not as the conqueror comes,
They, the true-hearted, came,

Not with the roll of stirring drums,

And the trumpet that sings of fame ;

Not as the flying come,

In silence and in fear,

They shook the depths of the desert's gloom
With their hymns of lofty cheer.

Amidst the storm they sang,

And the stars heard and the sea!

And the sounding aisles of the dim wood rang
To the anthems of the free!

The ocean-eagle soared

From his nest by the white waves' foam,
And the rocking pines of the forest roared,—
This was their welcome home!

There were men with hoary hair
Amidst that pilgrim-band;

Why had they come to wither there,
Away from their childhood's land?

There was woman's fearless eye,

Lit by her deep love's truth;
There was manhood's brow serenely high,
And the fiery heart of youth.

What sought they thus afar?
Bright jewels of the mine?

The wealth of seas, the spoils of war?
They sought a faith's pure shrine !

Ay, call it holy ground,

The soil where first they trod !

They have left unstained what there they found,

Freedom to worship God!

MRS. HEMANS.

POEMS OF HOME AND COUNTRY.

I. THE HOMES OF ENGLAND.

"ENGLAND combines within itself all that is most desirable in scenery with all that is most necessary for the subsistence and comfort of man. The distinguishing peculiarity in the aspect of the country is, however, the exuberance of its vegetation, and the rich luxuriant appearance of its lower and far most extensive portion. It owes this distinction partly to nature and partly to art. The humidity and mildness of the climate maintain the fields in a constant state of verdure; in winter they are seldom covered with snow or blighted by long-continued frosts, and in summer they are rarely withered and parched by droughts. In this respect England is as superior to the finest countries of continental Europe-to Italy and Sicily, for example-as she is superior to them and to every other country in the amount of labour that has been expended in beautifying, improving, and fertilizing her surface. It is no exaggeration to affirm, that thousands upon thousands of millions have been laid out in making England what she now is. In no other nation has the combination of beauty with utility been so much regarded. Another peculiar feature in the physiognomy of England is the number and magnificence of the seats of the nobility and gentry. These superb mansions, many of which are venerable from their antiquity, and all of which are surrounded with fine woods and grounds, give to the country an appearance of age, security, and wealth, that we should in vain look for anywhere else. The farm-houses and cottages have mostly also a substantial, comfortable look; and evince that taste for rural beauty, neatness, and cleanliness, that eminently distinguish their occupiers."-M'Culloch's Geo. Dictionary, Art. “England."