No issue, that the sovereign power shall live And in the wisdom of the best. Medon and others. We swear it! Ion. Hear and record the oath, immortal powers! Now give me leave a moment to approach That altar unattended. [He goes to the altar. Gracious gods! In whose mild service my glad youth was spent, Look on me now;-and if there is a power, As at this solemn time I feel there is, Beyond ye, that have breathed through all your shapes In earth and heaven; to it I offer up This conscious being, full of life and love, For my dear country's welfare. Let this blow [Stabs himself and falls. TALFOURD. My worthy friend, Sir Roger, when we are talking of the malice of parties, very frequently tells us of an accident that happened to him when he was a school-boy, which was at a time when the feuds ran high between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers. This worthy knight, being then but a stripling, had occasion to inquire which was the way to St. Anne's Lane, upon which the person whom he spoke to instead of answering his question, called him a popish young cur, and asked him who had made Anne a saint ?—The boy, being in some confusion, enquired of the next he met, which was the way to Anne's Lane; but was called a prick-ear cur for his pains, and instead of being shown the way, was told that she had been a saint before he was born, and would be one after he was hanged. Upon this, says Sir Roger, I did not think fit to repeat the former questions, but going into every lane of the neighbourhood, asked what they called the name of that lane. ADDISON. 0 THE TREES DESIRE A KING. THE trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree, Reign thou over us. But the olivetree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the other trees? And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou and reign over us. But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the other trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou and reign over us And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. The Bible. THE LIFE OF MAN. THEN another of the king's thanes arose and said, "Truly the life of a man in this world, compared with that life whereof we wot not, is on this wise: It is as when thou, O king, art sitting at supper with thine aldermen and thy thanes in the time of winter, when the hearth is lighted in the midst and the hall is warm, but without the rains and the snow are falling and the winds are howling; then cometh a sparrow and flieth through the house; she cometh in by one door and goeth out by another. Whiles she is in the house she feeleth not the storm of winter, but yet, when a little moment of rest is passed, she flieth again into the storm, and passeth away from our eyes. So is it with the life of man; it is but for a moment; what goeth afore it and what cometh after it, wot we not at all. Wherefore if these strangers can tell us aught, that we may know whence man cometh and whither he goeth, let us hearken to them and follow their law." FREEMAN. EDINBURGH JAIL AND THE PORTEOUS MOB. THE passive resistance of the Tolbooth gate promised to do more to baffle the purpose of the mob than the active interference of the magistrates. The heavy sledge-hammers continued to din against it without intermission, and with a noise which echoed from the lofty buildings around the spot, seemed enough to have alarmed the garrison in the castle. It was circulated among the rioters, that the troops would march down to disperse them, unless they could execute their purpose without loss of time; or that, even without quitting the fortress, the garrison might obtain the same end by throwing a bomb or two upon the street. Urged by such motives for apprehension, they eagerly relieved each other at the labour of assailing the Tolbooth door; yet such was its strength that it still defied their efforts. At length a voice was heard to pronounce the words, "Try it with fire." The rioters, with an unanimous shout, called for combustibles, and as all their wishes seemed to be instantly supplied, they were soon in possession of two or three |