With a bare bodkin'? Who would fardels bear, Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought; LESSON V.—THE FOLLY OF CASTLE-BUILDING. 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 a hundred drachmas 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 a 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 can not 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 jeweler. 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 a hundred thousand drachmas. 3. "When I have thus made myself master of a 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 in formation 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 father-in-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 afterward, 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; I always give more than I promise.' 4. "When I have brought the princess to my house, I shall take particular care to keep her in a due respect for me. To this end, I shall confine her to her own apartment, 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 chimerical 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. LESSON VI.—THE STRANGER AND HIS FRIEND. 1. A POOR wayfaring man of grief That I could never answer nay. 2. Once, when my scanty meal was spread, I gave him all; he blessed it, brake, 3. I spied him where a fountain burst Clear from the rock; his strength was gone; He heard it, saw it hurrying on I ran, and raised the sufferer up; I drank, and never thirsted more. 4. 'Twas night. The floods were out; it blew I heard his voice abroad, and flew I warmed, I clothed, I cheered my guest, Then made the ground my bed, and seemed 5. Stripp'd, wounded, beaten nigh to death, I roused his pulse, brought back his breath, Wine, oil, refreshment. He was healed. My friendship's utmost zeal to try, He asked if I for him would die : The flesh was weak, my blood ran chill, 7. Then in a moment to my view The stranger started from disguise; The tokens in his hands I knew- He spake, and my poor name he named "Of me thou hast not been ashamed; These deeds shall thy memorial be; Fear not, thou didst them unto me."-MONTGOMERY. D 2 LESSON VII.-SCENE BETWEEN BRUTUS AND CASSIUS. Cas. Must I endure all this'? Bru. All this? ay', more': Fret till your proud heart break; Go show your slaves how choleric' you are', And make your bondmen' tremble. Must I budge'? Must I observe you'? must I stand and crouch Cas. Is it come to this'? Bru. You say you are a better' soldier: Let it appear' so; make your vaunting true', And it shall please me well: For mine own part', I shall be glad to learn of noble' men'. Cas. You wrong' me every' way; you wrong' me, Brutus': I said an elder' soldier, not a better': Did I say better'? Bru. If you did', I care not'. Cas. When Cæsar lived, he durst not thus have moved me. Cas. I durst not'? Bru. No. Cas. What! durst not tempt him' ? Bru. For your life' you durst not. Cas. Do not presume too much upon my love'; I may' do that I shall be sorry' for. Bru. You have done that you should be sorry' for'. There is no terror', Cassius', in your threats'; For I am arm'd so strong in honesty', That they pass by me as the idle" wind', Which I respect' not. I did send to you For certain sums of gold', which you denied' me— -I had rather coin my heart', And drop my blood' for drachmas, than to wring To you for gold to pay my legions', Which you denied me: Was that done like Cassius'? When Marcus Brutus' grows so covetous, To lock such rascal counters from his friends', SHAKSPEARE. PART III. SECOND DIVISION OF HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY AND HEALTH. (This subject is continued from the Fourth Reader.) Fig. 1. of the eye, into which the cornea fits like a watch-glass into its case; r, capsular artery. LESSON I.-THE WINDOW OF THE SOUL. 1. THE EYE has been appropriately called the "window of the soul." It opens to us, by its wonderful mechanism, a world of beauty, enabling us to perceive the form, color, size, and position of surrounding objects; and it probably contributes more to the enjoyment and happiness of man than any other of the organs through which mind holds communion with the external world. 2. A general knowledge of its structure and action, as a living instrument of vision, may be gathered from the drawing above, by the aid of a brief description. The eyelids-the shutters to this window-which open and close to admit or exclude the light, stand also as watchful guardians to protect the instrument from danger; and by their involuntary action the hard and transparent cornea at the front of the eye is kept constantly lubricated,' and free from dust. 3. Back of this cornea is a chamber containing the aqueous, or watery humor;2 and suspended in this is a circular curtain, the colored iris, which has the power of contracting and dilating, to regulate the quantity of light that enters the round |