to show you the meaning of this event which has happened to me. O my judges--for so I may truly call you, I should like to tell you of a wonderful circum

stance:

Hitherto the familiar oracle within me has constantly been in the habit of opposing me, even in trifles, if I was going to make a slip or err in any matter; and now, as you see, there has come upon me the last and worst evil. But the oracle made no sign of opposition, either as I was leaving my house and going out in the morning, or while I was speaking, at anything which I was going to say; and yet I have often been stopped in the middle of a speech; but now in nothing that I either said or did touching this matter has the oracle opposed me. What do I take to be the explanation of this? I will tell you. I regard this as a great proof that what has happened to me is a good; and that those who think that death is an evil are in error. For the customary sign would surely have opposed me had I been going to evil and not to good.

Let us reflect in another way, and we shall see that there is no great reason to hope that death is a good. For one of two things-either death is a state of nothingness; or, as men say, there is a change and migra tion of the soul from this world to another.

Now if you suppose that there is no consciousness, but a sleep like the sleep of him who is undisturbed even by the sight of dreams, death will be an unspeakable gain. For if a person were to select the night in which his sleep was undisturbed even by dreams, and were to compare this with the other days and nights of his life; and then were to tell us how many days and nights he had passed in the course of his life better and more pleasantly than this one, I think this man-I will not say a private man, but even the great king-will not find many such days or nights, when compared with others. Now if death is like this I say that to die is gain; for eternity is then only a single night.

But if death is the journey to another place-and there, as men say, all the dead are-what good can be greater than this? If, indeed, when the pilgrim arrives in the world below, he is delivered from the professors

fell upon his face, on the spot which was covered with his poor secretary's blood. Captain Hardy, who was but a few steps from him, turning round saw three men raising him up. "They have done for me at last, Hardy!" said he. "I hope not," cried Hardy. "Yes," he replied; "my backbone is shot through."

Yet even now, not for a moment losing his presence of mind, as they were carrying him down, he observed that the tiller-ropes, which had been shot away, had not been replaced; he ordered that new ones should be rove immediately; then, that he might not be seen by the crew, he took out his handkerchief, and covered his face and his stars. Had he but concealed these badges of honor from the enemy, England perhaps would not have had cause to receive with sorrow the news of the battle of Trafalgar. The cockpit was crowded with wounded and dying men, over whose bodies he was with some difficulty conveyed, and laid upon a pallet in the midshipmen's berth. It was soon perceived that the wound was mortal. This, however, was concealed from all but Captain Hardy, the chaplain, and the medical attendants. He himself being certain, from the sensation in his back, and the gush of blood he felt momently in his breast, that no human care could avail him, insisted that the surgeon should leave him, and attend to those to whom he might be useful; "for," said he, "you can do nothing for me." All that could be done was to fan him with paper, and frequently to give him lemonade to alleviate his intense thirst.

He was in great pain, and expressed much anxiety for the event of the action, which now began to declare itself. As often as a ship struck, the crew of the Victory hurrahed; and at every hurrah a visible expression of joy gleamed in the eye and marked the countenance of the dying hero. But he became impatient to see Captain Hardy; and as that officer, though frequently sent for, could not leave the deck, Nelson feared that some fatal cause prevented him, and repeatedly cried, "Will no one bring Hardy to me? He must be killed!" An hour and ten minutes elapsed from the time when Nelson received his wound before Hardy could come to him.

They shook hands in silence; Hardy in vain

SOLON, an Athenian statesman and poet, born on the island of Salamis about 638 B.C. He is first heard of as the author and reciter of some stirring verses, which moved the Athenians to recover his native island from the Megarans, who had forcibly taken possession of it. In 594 B.C. he was made archon, and to him was given almost dictatorial power in reforming the laws and administration of Attica. The pitiable condition of the poor debtors of his city and state (many of whom had become slaves) first attracted his attention. He annulled all land mortgages at one blow, thus relieving the acute distress of the small landholders. The heavy loss inflicted on the wealthy class he compensated for, or attempted to compensate for, by other means. He then divided the citizenship into four classes, according to wealth, the first class alone. being eligible to the archonship and to military and naval commands; the second class were the knights and horsemen; the third the heavy armed infantry, and the fourth and most numerous class— that of small farmers, tradesmen, and artisans-who supplied light troops and sailors. All four classes. had equal rights in the popular assembly, which elected magistrates and decided on public measures, and though Solon sought to guard against pure democracy, the popular assembly was the