His Saviour came not with a gaudy show,
Nor was His kingdom of the world below.
Patience in want and poverty of mind,-

These marks of Church and churchmen He designed,
And living taught, and dying left behind.
The crown He wore was of the pointed thorn ;

In purple He was crucified, not born;
They who contend for place and high degree
Are not His sons, but those of Zebedee.

9. Such was the saint who shone with every grace,
Reflecting, Moses-like, his Maker's face.
God saw His image lively was expressed,
And His own work as in creation blessed.
Still cheerful; ever constant to his call;

men.

By many followed; loved by most; admired by all.
With what he begged, his brethren he relieved,
And gave the charities himself received.

Gave while he taught, and edified the more
Because he showed by proof 'twas easy to be poor.

DEFINITIONS.-2. Härʼbin ġers, forerunners. 3. Tithes, tenths; the allowance for the support of the clergy. Chûrls, surly ill-bred 4. Ae complice, assistant. 6. Єù'rate, clerical assistant. Chaffer, to bargain. Pre fer'ment, promotion. Si'ne eūres, offices which require no labor or active service. 8. Prěl'a çy, the office or dignity of a prelate or bishop. 9. Ed'i fied, instructed.

NOTES.-Character of a Good Parson. This poem is an imitation of one upon the same subject in the Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English poetry. Chaucer was born in London in 1328, and died in 1400.

6. Paul's, the public fair, alludes to the sale of Church preferments at St. Paul's, in London.

8. Sons of Zebedee. See Matthew xx. 20-26.

112.-THE PILGRIMS IN DOUBTING CASTLE.

JOHN BUNYAN was born at Elstow, near Bedford, England, in 1628. His chief works were The Pilgrim's Progress, The Holy War, and Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. He wrote The Pilgrim's Progress in Bedford jail, where he was confined for twelve years because of the doctrines he preached. The Pilgrim's Progress has gone through more editions, and has attained a wider popularity in all Christian countries, than any other religious book except the Bible. Macaulay says of it, "There is no book in our literature on which we could so readily stake the fame of the old unpolluted English language; no book which shows so well how rich that language is in its own proper wealth, and how little it has been improved by all that it has borrowed." He died in London in 1688.

1. Now, there was, not far from the place where they lay, a castle, called Doubting Castle, the owner whereof was Giant Despair, and it was in his grounds they now were sleeping; wherefore he, getting up in the morning early and walking up and down in his fields, caught Christian and Hopeful asleep in his grounds. Then, with a grim and surly voice, he bid them awake, and asked them whence they were and what they did in his grounds.

2. They told him they were pilgrims, and that they had lost their way. Then said the giant, "You have this night trespassed on me by trampling on my ground, and therefore you must go along with me." So they were forced to go, because he was stronger than they. They also had but little to say, for they knew themselves in fault. The giant, therefore, drove them before him, and put them into his castle, in a very dark dungeon. Here they lay from Wednesday morning till Saturday night, without one bit of bread, or drop of drink, or light, or any to ask how they did they were therefore here in evil case, and were far from friends and acquaintance. Now, in this place Christian had double sorrow, because it was through his unadvised haste that they were brought into this distress.

3. Now, Giant Despair had a wife, and her name was Diffidence; so when he was gone to bed, he told his wife what he had done,—to wit, that he had taken a couple of prisoners and cast them into his dungeon for trespassing on his grounds. Then he asked her also what he had best to do further to them. So she asked him what they were, whence they came, and whither they were bound; and he told her.

4. Then she counseled him that when he arose in the morning he should beat them without mercy. So, when he arose, he getteth him a grievous crab-tree cudgel and goes down into the dungeon to them, and there first falls to rating them as if they were dogs, although they never gave him a word of distaste; then he falls upon them and beats them fearfully, in such sort that they were not able to help themselves or turn them upon the floor. This done, he withdraws, and leaves them there to condole their misery and to mourn under their distress; so that all day they spent their time in nothing but sighs and bitter lamentations.

5. The next night she talked with her husband about them further, and, understanding that they were yet alive, did advise him to counsel them to make away with themselves. So, when morning was come, he goes to them in a surly manner, as before; and, perceiving them to be very sore with the stripes he had given them the day before, he told them that, since they were never like to come out of that place, their only way would be forthwith to make an end of themselves, either with knife, halter, or poison.

6. "For why," said he, "should you choose life, seeing it is attended with so much bitterness?" But they desired him to let them go; with which he looked ugly upon them, and, rushing to them, had doubtless made an end

of them himself but that he fell into one of his fits (for he sometimes in sunshiny weather fell into fits) and lost for a time the use of his hands; wherefore he withdrew, and left them, as before, to consider what to do.

7. Now, night being come again, and the giant and his wife being abed, she asked concerning the prisoners, and if they had taken his counsel; to which he replied: "They are sturdy rogues; they choose rather to bear all hardships than to make away with themselves." Then said she, "Take them into the castle-yard to-morrow, and show them the bones and skulls of those thou hast already despatched, and make them believe ere a week comes to an end thou wilt also tear them in pieces, as thou hast done their fellows before them."

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8. So, when the morning was come, the giant goes to them again, and takes them into the castle-yard, and shows them as his wife had bidden him. "These," said he, were pilgrims, as you are, once; and they trespassed in my grounds, as you have done, and when I thought fit I tore them in pieces; and so within ten days I will do you. Go get ye down to your den again." And with that he beat them all the way thither.

9. They lay, therefore, all day on Saturday in a lamentable case, as before. Now, when night was come, and when Mrs. Diffidence and her husband the giant were got to bed, they began to renew their discourse of their prisoners; and withal the old giant wondered that he could neither by his blows nor counsel bring them to an end. And with that his wife replied, "I fear," said she, "that they live in hope that some will come to relieve them, or that they have picklocks about them, by the means of which they hope to escape."-"And sayest thou so, my dear?" said the giant. "I will therefore search them in the morning."

10. Well, on Saturday about midnight they began to pray, and continued in prayer till almost break of day. Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in this passionate speech: "What a fool" (quoth he) "am I, thus to lie in a dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty? I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle." Then said Hopeful, "That's good news, good brother. Pluck it out of thy bosom and try.”

11. Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom and began to try at the dungeon-door, whose bolt (as he turned the key) gave back, and the door flew open with ease; and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to

the outward door, that leads into the castle-yard, and with his key opened that door also. After, he went to the iron gate, for that must be opened too; but that lock went very hard, yet the key did open it. Then they thrust open the gate, to make their escape with speed; but that gate, as it opened, made such a creaking that it waked Giant Despair, who, hastily rising to pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to fail, for his fits took him again, so that he could by no means go after them. Then they went on, and came to the King's highway again, and so were safe, because they were out of his jurisdiction.

DEFINITIONS.-2. Pil'grims, those who travel to visit holy places. 3. To wit, namely; that is to say. 4. Rat'ing, scolding violently. Dis taste', anger. 7. De spătched', slain. 11. Jū ris dĭe'tión, limit of power.

NOTE.-The Pilgrim's Progress, from which this extract is taken, gives an allegorical view of the life of a Christian,-his difficulties, temptations, and ultimate triumph; and this is done with such skill that the book, though upon the most serious of subjects, is read by children with as much pleasure as the fictions written for their amusement. It is a clear stream of the current English of Bunyan's age, in all its plainness and strength.