5. The sun rose brightly, and its gleam
Fell on that hapless bed,

And tinged with light each shapeless beam
Which roofed the lowly shed;

When, looking up with wistful eye,
The Bruce beheld a spider try

His filmy thread to fling

From beam to beam of that rude cot;
And well the insect's toilsome lot
Taught Scotland's future king.

6. Six times his gossamery thread
The wary spider threw:

In vain the filmy line was sped;
For, powerless or untrue,

Each aim appeared and back recoiled
The patient insect, six times foiled,
And yet unconquered still;

And soon the Bruce, with eager eye,
Saw him prepare once more to try
His courage, strength, and skill.

7. One effort more, the seventh and last,— The hero hailed the sign!

And on the wished-for beam hung fast

The slender, silken line.

Slight as it was, his spirit caught

The more than omen; for his thought

The lesson well could trace,
Which even "he who runs may read,"
That perseverance gains its meed,
And patience wins the race.

8. Is it a tale of mere romance'?
Its moral is the same,-
A light and trivial circumstance'?
Some thought, it still may claim.
Art thou a father'? teach thy son
Never to deem that all is done,

While aught remains untried ;
To hope, though every hope seems crossed,
And when his bark is tempest-tossed
Still calmly to confide.

9. Hast thou been long and often foiled
By adverse wind and seas'?
And vainly struggled, vainly toiled,
For what some win with ease'?
Yet bear up heart, and hope, and will,
Nobly resolved to struggle still,

With patience persevere ;

Knowing, when darkest seems the night,
The dawn of morning's glorious light
Is swiftly drawing near.

10. Art thou a Christian? shall the frown
Of fortune cause dismay'?

The Bruce but won an earthly crown
Which long hath passed away;

For thee a heavenly crown awaits,
For thee are ope'd the pearly gates,
Prepared the deathless palm:
But bear in mind that only those'
Who persevere unto the close,

Can join in Victory's psalm.

QUESTIONS.-1. Will smooth seas and favoring gales make a skillful mariner? 2. What will make skillful and brave men? 3. In what respect is adversity better than prosperity? 4. What story illustrates this fact? 5. How many times did the spider try, before it succeeded? 6. In how many battles had Bruce been defeated? 7. What important lesson is taught youth? 8. What encouragement is given to the Christian?

LESSON XXXV.

O' DI OUS, hateful; offensive.
COUNT ESS, wife of a count or earl.
FAG-END', the meaner part.

NO BIL' I TY, noble rank.
BUR LESQUE', (bur lesk',) ridicule.
HE RED' I TA RY, coming by descent.
CON' STI TUTES, forms; composes.
APH' O RI$M$, precepts; maxims.
TEM' PO RA RY, continuing for a time.
BECK, sign with the hand; nod.

1LA VÄ TER, (John Gaspar,) a celebrated physiognomist, that is, one'skilled in the art of determining character by the external features, born in Zurich, in 1741.

That part of this dialogue uttered by Caroline, should be read in a very earnest and spirited style,-that uttered by Horace in a more grave, deliberate, and candid manner.

WEALTH AND FASHION.

MISS EDGWORTII.

Caroline. What a pity it is that we are born under a Republican government!

Horace. Upon my word, Caroline, that is a patriotic observation for an American.

Caroline. Oh, I know that it is not a popular one! We must all join in the cry of liberty and equality, and bless our stars that we have neither kings nor emperors to rule

over us, and that our very first audible squeak was republicanism. If we don't join in the shout, and hang our caps on liberty-poles, we are considered monsters. For my part,

I am tired of it, and am determined to say what I think. I hate republicanism; I hate liberty and equality; and I don't hesitate to declare that I am for monarchy. You may laugh, but I would say it at the stake.

Horace. Bravo, Caroline! You have almost run yourself out of breath. You deserve to be prime minister to the king.

Caroline. You mistake; I have no wish to mingle in political broils, not even if I could be as renowned as Pitt or Fox; but I must say, I think our equality is odious. What do you think! To-day, the new chamber-maid put her head into the door, and said, "Caroline, your marm wants you!"

Horace. Excellent! I suppose if ours were a monarchical government, she would have bent to the ground, or saluted your little foot, before she spoke.

Caroline. No, Horace; you know there are no such forms in this country.

Horace. May I ask your highness what you would like to be?

Caroline. I would like to be a countess.

Horace. Oh, you are moderate in your ambition! countess, now-a-days, is the fag-end of nobility.

A

Caroline. Oh! but it sounds so delightfully,-"The young Countess Caroline !"

Horace. If sound is all, you shall have that pleasure; we will call you the young countess.

Caroline. That would be mere burlesque, Horace, and would make one ridiculous.

Horace. Nothing can be more inconsistent with us, than aiming at titles.

Caroline. For us, I grant you; but, if they were hereditary, if we had been born to them, if they came to us through belted knights and high-born dames, then we might be proud to wear them. I never shall cease to regret that I was not born under a monarchy.

Horace. You seem to forget that all are not lords and ladies in royal dominions. Suppose you should have drawn your first breath among the lower classes,suppose it should have been your lot to crouch and bend, or be trodden under foot by some titled personage, whom in your heart you despised; what then?

Caroline. You may easily suppose that I did not mean to take those chances. No; I meant to be born among the higher ranks.

Horace. Your own reason must tell you, that all can not be born among the higher ranks; for then the lower ones would be wanting, which constitute the comparison. Now, Caroline, is it not better to be born under a government where there are no such ranks, and where the only nobility is talent and virtue'?

Caroline. Talent and virtue! I think wealth constitutes our nobility, and the right of abusing each other, our liberty. Horace. You are as fond of aphorisms as Lavater' was. Caroline. Let me ask you if our rich men, who ride in their own carriages, who have fine houses, and who count by millions, are not our great men?

Horace. They have all the greatness that money can buy; but this is very limited.

Caroline. Well, in my opinion, money is power.

Horace. You mistake. Money may be temporary power, but talent is power itself; and, when united with virtue, is godlike power, before which the mere man of millions quails.