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them. Then, having eaten these dry peas, the beasts became thirsty and ran into the river, in order to drink an immense quantity of water. The peas swelling in the water, the hippopotamus burst immediately and died.

36. THE LION, THE ASS, AND THE FOX HUNTING.

The lion, the ass, and the fox went hunting. They took a large booty, and when the sport was ended bethought themselves of having a meal. The lion bade the ass allot the spoil. so, dividing it into three equal parts, the ass begged his friends to make their choice; at which the lion, in great indignation, fell upon the ass and tore him to pieces. He then bade the fox make a division; who, gathering the whole into one great heap, reserved but a small mite for himself. 'Ah! friend,' says the lion, 'who taught you to make so just a division?' 'I wanted no other lesson,' replied the fox, 'than the ass's fate.'

37. THE WOLF AND THE Lamb.

As a wolf was drinking at a brook he saw a lamb quenching her thirst at some distance down the stream. Wishing to seize her, he thought how he might justify his violence. 'Villain !' said he, running down to her, 'how dare you muddle the water that I am drinking?' 'Indeed,' said the lamb humbly, 'I do not see how I can disturb the water, since it runs from you to me, not from me to you.' 'Well,' replied the wolf, 'did not you insult me several times last year?' 'Oh, sir,' said the lamb trembling, 'a year ago I was not born.' 'Well,' replied the wolf, 'if it was not you it was your father, and that is all the same; but it is no use trying to argue me out of my supper.' And without another word he fell upon the poor helpless lamb and tore her to pieces.

38. ANECDOTES OF FRENCH POETS.

The poet Malherbe dined one day with the Archbishop of Rouen, and had scarcely left the table when he fell asleep. The prelate, who was going to preach, awoke the poet, insisting that he should come and hear the sermon. 'Excuse me, I pray you,' said Malherbe, 'I shall sleep very well without.'

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A young poet, who had sent a pheasant to Piron, called to see him on the following day, and drew from his pocket a tragedy, on which he wanted an opinion. 'Is that the seasoning?' said Piron. If it is with that sauce I must eat your pheasant, I beg you will take it back.'

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A French poetaster once read to Boileau a miserable rondeau of his own, and made him remark, as a very ingenious peculiarity in the composition, that the letter G was not to be found in it. 'Would you wish to improve it still further?' said the critic. To be sure,' replied the other, 'perfection is my object.' 'Then take all the other letters out of it,' said Boileau.

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39. THE GERMAN MASTER AND NAPOLEON.

When Napoleon was at the Military School of Paris one only of his professors had a bad idea of him, and this was M. Bauer, the German master. Young Bonaparte never made much progress in the German language, which greatly offended M. Bauer, who formed a most contemptuous opinion of his pupil's abilities. One day, not seeing the young man in his place, the master inquired where he was, and was told that he was passing his examination in the Artillery Class. 'Oh!' said M. Bauer, ironically, then he does learn something.' 'Sir,' answered a fellow-pupil,' he is the best mathematician in the school.' 'Oh,' rejoined the learned professor, 'I have always heard it said that none but a fool could learn mathematics.'

40. MASSILLON AND LOUIS XIV.

Louis XIV. said one day to Massillon, after hearing him preach at Versailles : 'Father, I have heard many great orators in this chapel; I have been highly pleased with them; but for you, whenever I hear you, I go away displeased with myself.'

41. THE SQUIRE'S GOOD-BREEDING.

John, Duke of Argyll, being with some ladies in the Opera House in London, an English squire, puffing, blowing, and sweating, entered the box in which they were seated, with his hunting-boots on, and whip in hand. The Duke instantly

rose up, and making a low bow, exclaimed: 'Sir, I am very much obliged to you.' 'Oh! why-how? For what?' 'For not having brought your horse here.'

42. AN ENIGMA.

There is a being who is a citizen of the world, who travels incessantly. The air is not more subtle; water is not more fluid. He removes everything-replaces everything. He is mute, yet speaks all languages, and is the most eloquent of orators. He appeases all quarrels, all tumults, and he foments and encourages all lawsuits. He excites courage and instigates cowardice; braves all seas, breaks down all barriers, and will never sojourn anywhere. He diminishes all geographical distances and increases all moral ones. He makes rougher all social inequalities, or levels them. He has power over all trades. He produces repose and banishes sleep. He is the strong arm of tyranny and the guarantee of independence. Virtue despises, and yet cannot do without him. His presence gives birth to pride; his absence humbles it. . . . But of whom or of what are we speaking ?-Money!

43. THE HUNGRY ARABIAN.

An Arabian had lost his way in the desert. Two days he had wandered about without finding anything to eat, and was in danger of perishing of hunger. Suddenly he fell in with one of those pools of water at which travellers water their camels, and near it there lay upon the sand a little leathern bag. 'Heaven be praised,' said he, after he had picked it up, and felt its weight. 'I believe it contains either dates or nuts; and what a delightful treat they will be! How they will refresh and comfort me!' So saying, and filled with glowing hopes, he opened the bag, but, on beholding its contents, he exclaimed, with a melancholy sigh, 'Alas! alas! they are only pearls.'Laurie's Series.

44. THE BOY AND THE STARLING.

An old gamekeeper had a starling in his room that could utter a few sentences. For instance, when his master said, 'Starling, where are you?' the bird never failed to answer, 'Here I am.'

Little Charles, the son of one of his neighbours, always took a particular pleasure in seeing and hearing the bird, and came frequently to pay it a visit.

One day he arrived during the absence of the gamekeeper. Charles quickly seized the bird, put it into his pocket, and was going to steal away with his booty.

But that very moment the gamekeeper came back. Finding Charles in the room, and wishing to amuse his little neighbour, he called to the bird as usual: 'Starling, where are you?' 'Here I am,' sung out the bird with all its might, from the little thief's pocket.

45. ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND THE PIRATE.

Alexander the Great asked a pirate, who had been taken prisoner, and was brought before him, why he was so daring as to infest the seas, and commit depredations in so shameful a manner? For my own private advantage, as you do,' replied the pirate. "But as I only employ a single galley, I am called a pirate: whereas you, because you make your excursions with your whole fleet, are called a king!' immediately ordered the man to be set at liberty.

46. THE BOY AND THE KING.

Alexander

Louis XI., king of France, went one evening down into the kitchen of his palace, and found there a boy about fourteen years of age, who was turning the spit.

The king, struck with with the interesting asked him: 'Where do you come from?

look of the boy, What is your

name? How much do your earn here?' 'I am from Poitiers : my name is Lewis; and I earn as much as the king.' 'What does the king earn ?' 'His expenses; and I mine,' replied the boy.

47. LOUIS XIV.

Louis XIV. was born on September 5, 1638. He was only five years old when he was called to the throne, after the death of Louis XIII., his father. His reign was the longest of the French monarchy, and lasted seventy-two years. During the minority of Louis, Anne of Austria, his mother, was Regent,

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and governed France with Cardinal Mazarin, who became Prime Minister. The first five years of his minority were remarkable for four great victories, Rocroi, Fribourg, Nordlingen, and Lens, gained by the young Duke of Enghien, called afterwards the Great Condé. Louis XIV. was twenty-two years old when he began to reign by himself, after the death of Mazarin.

48. THE QUEEN.

In the sermon which he preached in St. Paul's Cathedral, on the accession of the reigning Sovereign of England, the Rev. Sydney Smith indulged in certain pious and patriotic hopes, of which it is interesting now to recall the expression. 'What limits,' he exclaimed, ' to the glory and happiness of our native land, if the Creator should in His mercy have placed in the heart of this Royal Woman the rudiments of wisdom and mercy; and if, giving them time to expand, and to bless our children's children with her goodness, He should grant to her a long sojourning upon earth, and leave her to reign over us till she is well stricken in years. What glory! what happiness! what joy! what bounty of God!' Was Sydney Smith also among the prophets? Many years have passed since his sermon was preached; and the dream which he cherished has been the experience of more than a generation. The Victorian period, which it is to be hoped is still far from its close, is perhaps the most peaceful and happy, and yet not the least glorious of our history.

49. LORD RAGLAN.

Lord Fitzroy Somerset, afterwards Lord Raglan, was a younger son of the fifth Duke of Beaufort, and of a daughter of Admiral Boscawen. He was born in 1788. He entered the army in 1804. In 1808 Sir Arthur Wellesley, being about to depart for his first campaign in Portugal, attached the young Lord Fitzroy Somerset to his staff; and during his career in the Peninsula he kept him close to his side, first as his aide-decamp, and then as military secretary. Between the time of the first restoration of the Bourbons, in 1814, and the flight of Louis XVIII., in the spring of the following year, Lord Fitzroy Somerset was secretary of the Embassy at Paris. It was du

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