Calamities are allotted to man to give him the opportunity of exercising patience and fortitude.

It is the part of wisdom to repress the playful whim and fancies of imagination.

3. THE SQUIRREL.

Drawn from his refuge in some lonely elm,
Which age or injury has hollow'd deep,
Where on his bed of wool and matted leaves,
He has outslept the winter, ventures forth
To frisk awhile and bask in the warm sun,
The squirrel; flippant, pert and full of play.
He sees me, and at once, swift as a bird,
Ascends a neighbouring beech; there wisks his tail,
And perks his ears, and stamps and scolds aloud,
With all the prettiness of feigned alarm,
And anger insignificantly fierce.

HOPE AND FEAR.

He who wants hope is the poorest man alive. The wise man is provided against occurrences of every kind. The good he improves to the best advantage; the bad he bears patiently. In prosperity he betrays no presumption; in adversity he feels no despondency. The anticipation of evil is often worse than the evil itself. The ills which a man fears he shall suffer, he suffers in that very fear.

In the worst condition, hope; in the best, fear; and in all be circumspect.

No one can be happy here, without a well-grounded hope of being happy hereafter.

Fear disturbs the tranquillity of the mind, and virtue alone can repel fear.

4. DEMOSTHENES.

Persevering industry and unremitted attention will remedy even natural defects. So great was the love of science which animated the breast of Demosthenes, the prince of Grecian orators, and so extraordinary was his perseverance, that he thereby remedied defects which, to many, would have appeared insuperable. He had such an impediment of speech, that he could not pronounce the first letter of the art which he was studying; namely, rhetoric. That defect he so completely overcame by exercising himself frequently in speaking with pebbles in his mouth, that, at last, no one was esteemed to possess a more clear and distinct articulation. By incessant practice and extreme attention he meliorated into an agreeable sound and tone, his voice, which was naturally harsh and shrill. Being destitute of strength of lungs, he borrowed from exercise, that force, which nature had denied him. He often recited verses, walking up hill, with a swift pace. He shut himself up in a subterraneous cell, for two or three months together, that he might give undivided attention to gesture and pronunciation. Thus, for a long time, he struggled against nature, and finally triumphed over its deficiences, by energy of mind and persevering industry.

5. EVENING.

Come, evening, once again; season of peace,
Return sweet evening, and continue long,

Methinks I see thee in the streaky west

With matron steps, slow moving; while the night
Treads on thy sweeping train. One hand employ'd
In letting fall the curtain of repose,

On bird and beast, the other charged for man,
With sweet oblivion of the cares of day.
Not sumptuously adorned, nor needing aid,
Like homely featured night, of clustering gems.
A star or two just twinkling on thy brow
Sufficeth thee; save that the moon is thine,
Not less than her's; not worn, indeed, on high
With ostentatious pageantry; but set
With modest grandeur in thy purple vest,
Resplendent less, but of an ampler round.

THE POST-BOY.

Hark! 'Tis the twanging horn o'er yonder bridge,
That with its wearisome but needful length,
Bestrides the wintry flood; in which, the moon
Sees her unwrinkled face reflected bright.
He comes! the herald of a noisy world!
With spattered boots, strapt waist, and ragged locks,
News from all nations lumbering at his back.
True to his charge, the close packed load behind,
Yet careless what he brings; his one concern
Is to conduct it to the destined inn,
And having dropt the expected bag, pass on.
He whistles as he goes; light hearted wretch!
Cold and yet cheerful; messenger of grief,
Perhaps to thousands, and of joy to some,
To him indifferent whether grief or joy.

6. TIMOLEON.

Timoleon, the Corinthian, was a truly illustrious man. He was prudent, temperate, patient; courteous and mild in peace, skilful and brave in war, and inspired with the spirit of genuine patriotism. He enjoyed the high honour of delivering Corinth, his. native place, and the noble city Syracuse, in Sicily, from the galling yoke of tyranny. His brother, Timo. phanes, had seized the sovereign power at Corinth, and Timoleon might have shared it with him; but so far was he from being a partaker of this wickedness, that he preferred the freedom of his fellow citizens to the safety of his brother; and choose rather to obey the laws of his country, than to enslave his country. Actuated by this principle, he consented to the death of Timophanes, when he obstinately determined to retain his usurped power. After having retired for some years, from public life, being sent by the Corinthians to assist the Syracusans, who were shamefully oppressed by the tyrant Dionysius; with wonderful valour and good fortune he defeated the far superior forces of Dionysius and the Carthaginians, and expelled them entirely from Sicily. He restored their laws and liberties to its several states, and so completely re-established their peace and prosperity, that he was justly regarded as their second founder.

He divested himself of the supreme authority, as soon as he had accomplished his benevolent work; and spent the remainder of his life as a private man, at Syracuse; enjoying peace of mind, and well acquired reputation, with the veneration, gratitude, and love of the Syracusans.

7. THE SUMMER EVENING.

How fine has the day been, how bright was the sun!
How lovely and joyful the course he has run!
Though he rose in a mist, when his race he begun,
And there followed some droppings of rain.

But now the fair traveller's come to the west,
His rays are all gold, and his beauties are best,
He paints the sky gay as he sinks to his rest,
And foretells a bright rising again.

Just such is the Christian, his course he begins,
Like the sun in a mist, when he mourns for his sins,
He melts into tears; then he breaks out and shines,
And travels his heavenly way.

But when he comes nearer to finish his race,
Like a fine setting sun he looks richer in grace,
And gives a sure hope at the end of his days,
Of rising in brighter array.

8. EPAMINONDAS.

Epaminondas, the Theban, was a man of admirable talent and excellent character. He was modest, prudent, skilful in war, and possessed of most exalted greatness of mind. He was such a lover of truth, that he would not utter a falsehood, even in jest. He was patient, mild, temperate in the highest degree; secret and reserved with respect to his plans for the public good. He was ever ready to listen to information or advice, and to derive instruction from any one who could afford it. To a Persian Satrap,