Elementary Books for Catholic Schools.

READING-BOOK.

No. III.

LONDON:

BURNS AND LAMBERT, 17 PORTMAN STREET,

AND 63 PATERNOSTER ROW.

MDCCCLX.

LET NOT THE SUN GO DOWN UPON YOUR WRATH.

THE CHAMELEON

WE MUST NOT ALWAYS JUDGE BY APPEARANCES.
THE CLOCK AND THE DIAL.

YE MARINERS OF ENGLAND
THE BIRD

FOR three hundred years after the Ascension of our Divine Lord into heaven, the Church which He had planted on earth was exposed to violent and bloody persecutions. The Roman emperors and their pagan subjects hated the religion of Jesus Christ, because it made war upon all those sinful practices in which they indulged. The more it spread among the people, the more did their rulers resolve to crush it, and year after year great numbers of Christians were put to the most cruel deaths. Some were racked and torn to pieces, others were burnt, and a great number were thrown to the wild-beasts to be devoured, whilst crowds assembled to enjoy the horrible sight. It would be quite impossible to give any idea of the numbers of these glorious martyrs;

NO. III.

B