Inhumanly ingenious to find out

New pains for life, new terrors for the grave, Artificers of death! Still monarchs dream Of universal empire growing up

From universal ruin. Blast the design, Great God of hosts, nor let thy creatures fall Unpitied victims at Ambition's shrine!

LESSON LXXVII..

The Battle of Blenheim.-SOUTHEY.

It was a summer evening,

Old Kaspar's work was done,
And he, before his cottage door,
Was sitting in the sun;

And by him sported, on the green,
His little grand-child, Wilhelmine.

She saw her brother Peterkin

Roll something large and round,
Which he, beside the rivulet,
In playing there, had found:

He came to ask what he had found,
That was so large, and smooth, and round

Old Kaspar took it from the boy,

Who stood expectant by;

And then the old man shook his head,

And, with a natural sigh,

""Tis some poor fellow's skull," said he, "Who fell in the great victory.

"I find them in the garden, for There's many here about; And often, when I go to plough,

The ploughshare turns them out; For many thousand men," said he, "Were slain in the great victory."

"Now tell us what 'twas all about-"

Young Peterkin he cries, And little Wilhelmine looks up

With wonder-waiting eyes"Now tell us all about the war, And what they killed each other for."

"It was the English," Kaspar cried,
"Who put the French to rout;
But what they killed each other for,
I could not well make out:
But every body said," quoth he,
"That 'twas a famous victory.

66

My father lived at Blenheim then,
Yon little stream hard by:

They burned his dwelling to the ground,
And he was forced to fly;

So with his wife and child he fled,

Nor had he where to rest his head.

"With fire and sword the country round Was wasted far and wide,

And many a hapless mother then,

And many an infant, died;

But things like these, you know, must be

At every famous victory.

"They say it was a shocking sight,

After the field was won;

For many thousand bodies here

Lay rotting in the sun;

But things like that, you know, must be

After a famous victory.

"Great praise the duke of Marlb'ro' won,

"Nay, nay, my little girl," quoth he,
"It was a famous victory.

"And every body praised the duke
Who such a fight did win."
"But what good came of it at last?'
Quoth little Peterkin.

"Why, that I cannot tell," said he;
"But 'twas a famous victory"

LESSON LXXVIII.

The Study of History; or a Solid and a Superficial Edu cation contrasted.-From RUHNKEN.

Teacher. I HEAR that you have made great progress in history, and that you have at home a very able instructress in it.

Pupil. Yes, that is the case; our governess knows all history; and I have profited much from her instruction. T. But what have you learned? Tell me.

T. But what is all history?

P. (Hesitating.) All history? Why it is-it is what is in books.

T. Well, I have here many books on history, as Herodotus, Livy, Tacitus and others; I suppose you know those authors.

P. No, I do not; but I know the facts related in history. T. I dare say you do; I see, however, that, out of your knowledge of all history, we must deduct a knowledge of the authors who have written it. But perhaps that governess of yours has informed you who Homer, Hesiod, Plato and the other poets and philosophers were?

P. I don't think she has; for, if she had, I should have remembered it.

T. Well, we must then make one farther deduction from your knowledge of all history; and that is, the history of the poets and philosophers.

P. Why, I said just now that I did not learn those things; I learned matters of fact and events.

T. But those things, as you call them, were men : however, I now understand you; the knowledge you acquired was a knowledge of things, but not of men; as, for instance, you learned that the city of Rome was built, but you did not learn any thing of the men that built it.

P. True, true. (As if repeating by rote.) Rome was built by Romulus and Remus, twin brothers, the sons of Rhea Sylvia and Mars; they were exposed, while infants, by king Amulius, and afterwards a shepherd brought them up and educated them

T. Enough, enough, my good little friend; you have shown me now what you understand by the history of men and things. But, pray, tell me what other men and things you were instructed in; for instance, tell me who and what Sylla was.

P. He was a tyrant of Rome.

T. Was the term tyrant the name of an officer?

P. Indeed, I do not know; but Sylla is certainly called, in history, a tyrant.

T. But did you not learn that he was dictator? and what the authority and duties of that officer were? and the authority of the consuls, tribunes of the people, and other magistrates among the Romans?

P. No, I did not; for those things are hard, and are not so entertaining as great exploits, and would have taken up too much time.

T. As to that, you will perhaps be better able to judge hereafter. Well, then, from your knowledge of all history, we must strike off all knowledge of the offices of the Ro man magistrates.

P. Ah! but we took more pleasure in reading about wars and exploits.

T. Well, did you ever hear of Carthage and the wars carried on against her?

P. Oh, yes; there were three Carthagin en wars.

T. Tell me, then, which party was victorious.
P. The Romans.

T. But were they victorious at the beginning?

P. Oh, no; [as if repeating by rote] they were beaten, in four battles, by Hannibal; at Ticinum, Trebia, the Thrasymene lake, and Cannæ.

T. Did your governess tell you the causes of these defeats of the Romans?

P. No, she did not tell us the causes, but the matters of fact.

T. Perhaps you understand yourself the causes why the Romans finally retrieved their affairs?

P. To be sure I do; the cause was their bravery

T. But were they not brave also at the beginning of those wars?

P. Certainly they were.

T. Then their bravery was the cause of their being conquered and being conquerors?

P. Why-why-I don't know as to that; but I know I never was asked such hard questions before.

T. Well, well; I will ask you something easier. Is it to be supposed that the Romans would have come off victorious in that war, if the powerful sovereigns of that age had united their forces with the Carthaginians?

P. (With an air of surprise.) What sovereigns do you

mean?

T. Why, do you not know, that in that age there were in Macedonia, Asia, Syria and Egypt, all those powerful kings who were the successors of Alexander the Great?

P. Oh, yes, I know that; but we used to take up their history in another chapter. I never thought of their living at the time of the second Punic war.

T. Do you not perceive, then, that their mutual rivalry was the cause why they did not unite their forces with the Carthaginians to oppose the Romans, in consequence of which, those same kings were afterwards conquered, one by one, by the Romans?

P.

I perceive it now, since you have told me of it; and I derive much gratification from your remark.

T. It is indeed true, that the perception of the causes of