.

TA

Veil'd in a simple robe, their best attire,
Beyond the pomp of dress; for loveliness ~
Needs not the foreign aid of ornament,
But is when unadorn'd adorn'd the most.
Thoughtless of beauty, she was beauty's self,
Recluse amid the close-embowering woods.
As in the hollow breast of Appenine, slog ak
Beneath the shelter of encircling hills,amon 180€
A myrtle rises, far from human eyeyang be driven re
And breathes its balmy fragrance o'er the wild;
So flourish'd blooming, and unseen by alls of
The sweet Lavinia; till, at length compell'd
By strong necessity's supreme command,
With smiling patience in her looks, she went i
To glean Paleinon's fields.

He then, his fancy with autumnal scenes

Amusing, chanc'd beside his reaper-train 0 h¢Â

To walk, when poor Lavinia drew his eye,

Ari bapUnconscious of her pow'r, and turning quick domen all atton With unaffected blushes from his gaze.

He her charming, but he saw not half

si quinta me charms her downcast modesty conceal'd. very moment love and chaste desire

9 That very hoe votesft Sprung in his bosom, to himself unknown; dudu of InFor still the world prevail'd, and its dread laugh,loevige sit et si ei ti Which scarce the firm philosopher can scorn, Jesvni zi on Kurvitauitaih Should his heart own a gleaner in the field, Song 32500 And thus in secret to his soul he sigh'd:mula satt påner fo What pity! that so delicate a form, P's Lutua lo By beauty kindled, where enliv'ning sense Its feil, And more than vulgar goodness seem to dwell, 2001nag Should be devoted to the rude embrace 92 03 quidOff some indecent clown! She looks, methinks, sb ssd 2Of old Acasto's line, and to my mind

* 15eral » Recalls that patron of my happy life,

whom my lib'ral fortune took its rise,
The dust gone down, his houses, lands,

f

And once fair-spreading family, dissolved.
"Tis said that in some lone obscure retreat,
Urg'd by rememb'rance sad, and decent pride,
Far from those scenes which knew their better days,
His aged widow and his daughter live,
Whom yet my fruitless search could never find.
Der were!
Romantic wish! would this the daughter

When, strict inquiring, from herself he found
She was the same, the daughter of his friend,
Of bountiful Acasto; who can speak

The mingled passions that surpris'd his heart,
And thro' his nerves in shivering transport ran?
Then blaz'd his smother'd flame, avow'd, and bold;
And as he view'd her, ardent, o'er and o'er,
Love, gratitude, and pity, wept at once.
Confus'd, and frightened at his sudden tears,
Her rising beauties flush'd a higher bloom,
As thus Palemon, passionate, and just,
Pour'd out the pious rapture of his soul :-

“And art thou then Acasto's dear remains ? 77.
She, whom my restless gratitude has sought,
So long in vain? O heavens; the very same,
The softened image of my noble friend, w ei toh
Alive his every look, his every feature, itdyrodT
More elegantly touch'd. Sweeter than Spring!)
Thou sole surviving blossom, from the root ♫: ®A
That nourish'd up thy fortune !»Say, ak where y
In what sequester'd desert, hast thou drawn A
The kindest aspect of delighted Heaven bad bwA
Into such beauty spread, and blown so fairgh 6?
Tho' poverty's cold wind, and crushing rain, set
Beat keen, and heavy, on thy tender years ? VH
O let me now, into a richer soil, gadims di
Transplant thee safe! where vernal suns, and showers,
Diffuse their warmest, largest influence of all
And of my garden be the pride and joy.”gnieum A
3 xong nadw „sw of

The completion of harvest used universally to be crowned with a rural festival, the harvest-home. Though the practice be not extinct, we fear that the false refinements s of modern days have stripped it of that peculiarity which alone gave it a moral value we mean the unrestrained and equal intercourse, for one evening, of the master and his servants. It is not the mere plenteousness of the board to which he is invited that then makes the poor man's heart happy it is the forgetfulness, for a few hours devoted to a common joy, of the distinctions of rank, that elevates his soul, and makes him exult in the honest pride of mutual gladness after mutual labour. How heartless is the affected superiority that thinks it does all, when it gives the loaded dish, and the mantling cup, but denies the applauding smile, and the generous sympathy, which are ten times more grateful and refreshing to the humble peasant. What a harvest-home ought to be has been described by a self-taught poet, Robert Bloomfield, who was himself a "Farmer's Boy," and therefore knew the poor labourer's feelings :

6

Here once a year distinction lowers its crest,
The master, servant, and the merry guest,
2db910
Are equal all; and round the happy ring 11 167
The reaper's eyes exulting glances fling, all
And, warm'd with gratitude, he quits his place
With sun-burnt hands and ale-enliven'd face,
Refills the jug his honour'd host to tend, W
To serve at once the master and the friend; ade
Proud thus to meet his smiles, to share his tale,
His nuts, his conversation, and his ale, goin an1

A
I

Monthly Retrospect of Public Affairs.

THE Trial of the Queen, upon charges of improper and disgraceful conduct during her Majesty's residence abroad, commenced on the 17th August. It is not our intention to detail a single particular of the allegations against the Queen, or of the evidence by which they are supported. The fullest narrative of these lamentable disclosures are given in the daily and weekly papers;-and the House of Lords not having interdicted the publication of them, we do not object to their general diffusion throughout the country, by the public press. The cause of the Queen has been made a rallying point for all the disaffected feeling that exists, to vent itself in accusations against the purity of the Government, and the justice of the Legislature. Those accusations, therefore, can only be disproved by a knowledge of the grounds upon which the charges against the Queen are instituted, and of the impartiality with which they are inquired into. But our Publication is intended for the unrestrained perusal of the youth of both sexes, and is therefore no place for such matters. But it is no less a duty of those whose moral principles are formed to read the evidence, and to judge for themselves;-this is their political duty, but they have also a Christian duty to perform; which we will endeavour briefly to explain.

The evidence against the Queen comprises a variety of details, which may have the effect of corrupting the purity of youth, more than any of the most disgraceful books of systematic indecency. This evidence is repeated from day to day, and from week to week, till the most offensive particulars become familiar to the mind. Let those who dread to disturb the unsuspecting innocence of youth, keep the Newspapers from the eyes of their children. Whatever the compilers of our Journals may pretend, it is impossible to strip these details of their indelicacy;-they must either satiate the premature curiosity of young persons by their grossness, or inflame their imaginations by their avowed concealment. In either case there is danger;-and that system which pretends to the most delicacy, is to our minds the most indelicate. The Newspapers, while this wretched inquiry lasts, are not fit to be read by the Young ;-and nothing but their own duty of forming a just opinion ought to reconcile their perusal with the consciences of the Adult. But the Queen has to be tried by public opinion, as well as by a formal court of judicature ;—and therefore every well-affected subject ought to be able to know whether her Majesty is a persecuted or a guilty woman. The Newspapers do their duty in publishing these matters; and every head of a family must do his duty in limiting their perusal by a wise and Christian discretion.

EDITOR-K.

The Christian Monitor;

NO. IX.

LECTURES ON THE LITURGY.

LECTURE II.

LITURGY.-PART 1.

God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.-ST. JOHN, iv. 24.

THE book next in respect to the Holy Bible is the Book of Common Prayer. I doubt if many among us look upon it with the reverence it deserves. I think we may employ ourselves to good purpose in examining its contents.

If you turn to the first page you will see it is called the Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church. It contains therefore, you see, many different services, suited to particular occasions. For the present we will consider the first part only.

The service of Morning and Evening Prayer is ordered to be performed every day. But people are apt to overlook this direction, because it is so generally neglected, thinking it means only the service of Sunday. It opens with several short sentences, taken from Scripture, well suited to call our attention to the solemn business of devotion. This is a great matter, for we too frequently enter the place of worship with our thoughts employed on other things; and not unfrequently in a state of levity, quite unfitted for the great concerns of eternity. A man should endeavour to bring his thoughts into a serious train before he comes there; and these sentences explain to us the proper feelings of sorrow for our past offences, and dependence upon the mercies of Christ, with which we ought to appear in the presence of the Lord.

After some of these are read (according to the choice of the minister) he delivers to all present what is called the General Exhortation; which is an address to persuade us to think seriously of what we are going to do. He calls us, as dearly beloved brethren, to join with him in this holy service; to begin by confessing truly all our sins before God, with a lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; without which we have no pretence to hope for his blessing, or that he will listen to the

prayers that we are going to make to him. All then are to kneel down, and, following the words of the minister, are to join in a general confession of our sins, earnestly begging God's merciful forgive ness, through the help of Jesus Christ. While each of us is repeating these words after him, we are to call to memory all the bad things we "have done, and confess them in our hearts to God, while we go along with the minister in using the words which express generally those feelings of sorrow and repentance which each for his own particular offences must experience during this confession. Having done this, the General Absolution is read by the minister; the people listening in silence. Absolution means pardon. He declares to us the conditions upon which God has been pleased to promise pardon to all sinners; that we truly repent of our sins, and firmly believe in Christ our Redeemer. Observe, he does not undertake to pardon us himself, for that belongs to God alone; but, as the minister of God, he assures us of his mercy, if we forsake our bad courses, and serve him faithfully in future. When he has done, we are all to say aloud, " Amen ;" which is a very ancient word, signifying that we fully agree to what he has read to us. This word is therefore very properly added at the end of all our prayers; by which we express our consent to all that each prayer expresses for us, and pray God that it may be according to the words offered up for us.

Now properly begins the service of prayer; for the Exhortation, the Confession, and the Absolution, are to prepare and put us in a fit state of mind to offer up our prayers to God with effect. What is called the Lord's Prayer is placed at the head of them, as a mark of our high respect; because, as you know, it is the prayer which Jesus taught for the use of his disciples (and all of us who came after them), as the most suitable form of words in which we can pray. They asked him for a form of prayer, in like manner as St. John the Baptist taught his followers, and our blessed Lord accordingly gave them this. It is very simple and very short, but full of meaning; more, perhaps, than many of you suppose. We pray, saying, "Our Father," (the common parent of all mankind, a tender expression, showing his love for us), "Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name:" may thy name be sanctified and reverenced by all. 66 Thy kingdom come:" may obedience to thy will, and the knowledge of our blessed Saviour Christ, be spread all over the world. "Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven" may we obey thy commandments here with the same love and fidelity as the angels in Heaven obey and serve thee there.

In the foregoing part of the Lord's Prayer, we render to the Almighty the honour due to his great name; we perform the service of adoration. Next we proceed to ask the blessings of life; we pray that he will "give us this day our daily bread:" that is, whatever he thinks necessary to support us; we do not presume to say what; we leave it entirely to him, for we live on his bounty from day to day: "who knows our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking." We next pray that he will "forgive us our trespasses (our