as I protested, he would not hear a word, but carried off all the money." The man brought her before the judge, and demanded justice. The latter, after reflecting, ascertained that the woman was innocent. He decreed thus:- "You first made an agreement that whenever both you companions should come back you would demand the property -bring your comrade, and take the coin, why do you come alone?" The man was speechless, and departed.—PERSIAN

TALES.

ANECDOTE OF ST. ANTHONY.

St. Anthony, being in the wilderness led there a very hard and strict life, insomuch as none at that time did the like; to whom there came a voice from heaven, saying, "Anthony, thou art not so perfect as is a cobbler that dwelleth at Alexandria." Anthony hearing this, rose up forthwith, and took his staff and travelled till he came to Alexandria, where he found the cobbler. The cobbler was astonished to see so reverend a father come to his house. Then Anthony said unto him, "Come and tell me thy whole conversation, and how thou spendest thy time." Sir," said the cobbler, "as for me, good works have I none, for my life is but simple and slender: I am but a poor cobbler; in the morning when I rise, I pray for the whole city wherein I dwell, especially for all such neighbours and poor friends as I have; after, I set me at my labour, where I spend the whole day in getting my living, and I keep me from all falsehood, for I hate nothing so much as I do deceitfulness; wherefore, when I make any man a promise, I keep it, and perform it truly; and thus I spend my time poorly with my wife and children, whom I teach and instruct, as far as my wit will serve me, to fear and dread God. And this is the sum of my simple life."-LATIMER.

ANECDOTE OF AN ELEPHANT.

A female elephant, belonging to a gentleman at Calcutta, who was ordered from the upper country to Chittagong, in the route thither, broke loose from her keeper, and, making her way to the woods, was lost. The keeper made every excuse to vindicate himself, to which the master of the animal would not listen, but branded the man with carelessness, or something worse; for it was instantly supposed that he had sold the elephant. He was tried for it, and condemned to work on the roads for life, and his wife and children were sold for slaves. About twelve years afterwards, this man, who was known to be well acquainted with breaking elephants, was sent into the country with a party, to assist in catching wild ones, They came upon a herd, and this man fancied he saw amongst the group his long-lost elephant, for which he had been condemned. He resolved to approach it, nor could the strongest remonstrances of the party dissuade him from the attempt. Having reached the animal, he spoke to her, when she immediately recognised his voice; she waved her trunk in the air as a token of salutation, and spontaneously knelt down, and allowed him to mount her neck. She afterwards assisted in taking other elephants, and decoyed three young ones, to which she had given birth in her absence. The keeper returned, and the singular circumstances attending the recovery being told, he regained his character, and as a recompense for his unmerited sufferings, had a pension settled on him for life. This elephant was afterwards in possession of Warren Hastings, when Governor-General of Hindústán. -CASSELL'S NATURAL HISTORY.

NAPOLEON AND THE ARAB.

When Napoleon was in Egypt, he wished to purchase of a poor Arab of the desert, a beautiful horse, with an intention of sending it to France as a present. The Arab pressed by want, hesitated a long time, but at length consented, on receiving a large sum of money in payment for the animal. Napoleon at once agreed to pay the sum named, and requested the Arab to bring his horse. The man, so indigent as to possess only a miserable rag as a covering for his body, arrived with his magnificent courser; he dismounted, and looking first at the gold and then steadfastly at the horse, heaved a deep sigh "To whom is it," he exclaimed, that I am going to yield thee up? To Europeans, who will tie thee up close, who will beat thee, who will render thee miserable! Return with me my beauty! my jewel! and rejoice the hearts of my children!" As he pronounced the last words, he sprang upon the animal's back, and was lost to sight in a moment. -ANON.

FABLE-THE HARES AND THE FROGS.

Upon a great storm of wind that blew among the trees and bushes, and made a rustling among the leaves, the hares (in a certain park where there happened to be plenty of them) were so terribly frightened that they ran like mad all over the place, resolving to seek out some retreat of more security, or to end their unhappy days by doing violence to themselves. With this resolution, they found an outlet where a pale had been broken down; and bolting forth upon an adjoining common had not run far before their course was stopped by that of a gentle brook, which glided across the way they intended to take. This was so

grievous a disappointment, that they were not able to bear it, and they determined rather to throw themselves headlong into the water, let what would become of it, than lead a life so full of dangers and crosses. But upon their arriving at the brink of the river, a parcel of frogs, which were sitting there, frightened at their approach, leapt into the stream in great confusion, and dived to the very bottom for fear; which a cunning old puss observing, called to the rest and said, "Hold, have a care what ye do; here are other creatures, I perceive, which have their fears as well as us; don't, then, let us fancy ourselves the most miserable of any upon earth, but rather by their example learn to bear patiently those inconveniences which our nature has thrown upon us."-ESOP's FABLES.

ABRAHAM AND THE TRAVELLER.

When Abraham sat at his tent door, according to his custom, waiting to entertain strangers, he espied coming towards him, an old man stooping and leaning on his staff, weary with age and travel, who was a hundred years of age. He received him kindly, washed his feet, provided supper, caused him to sit down; but observing that the old man eat and prayed not, nor begged for a blessing on his meat, he asked him why he did not worship the god of heaven; the old man told him that he worshiped the fire only, and acknowledged no other god; at which answer Abraham grew so zealously angry that he thrust the old man out of his tent, and exposed him to all the evils of the night and an unguarded condition. When the old man was gone, God called to Abraham, and asked him where the stranger was; he replied, "I thrust him away because he did not worship thee." God answered him, "I have suffered him these hundred years, although he dishonoured

me, and couldst not thou endure him one night when he gave thee no trouble?" Upon this Abraham fetched him back again and gave him hospitable entertainment and wise instruction. Go thou and do likewise, and thy charity will be rewarded by the God of Abraham.-JEREMY TAYLOR.*

KING RICHARD I. AND BLONDEL.

Blondel, the minstrel, seeing that his lord, King Richard I., did not return, though it was reported that he had passed the sea from Syria, thought that he was taken by his enemies, and probably very evilly treated; he therefore determined to find him, and for this purpose travelled through many countries without success; at last he came to a small town, near which was a castle belonging to the Duke of Austria, and, having learned from his host that there was a prisoner in the castle, who had been confined for upwards of a year, he went thither, and cultivated an acquaintance with the keepers. However, he could not obtain a sight of the prisoner, nor learn his quality; he therefore placed himself near to a window belonging to the tower wherein he was shut up, and sang a few verses of a song which had been composed conjointly by him and his patron. The king, hearing the first part of the song repeated the second, which convinced the poet that the prisoner was no other than Richard himself. Hastening, therefore, to England, he acquainted the barons with his adventure, and they, by means of a large sum of money, procured the liberty of the monarch.-STRUTT'S SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

* This story is taken from the Bústán of Shaikh Sa'dí.