LINES TO A NEWFOUNDLAND DOG.

When some proud son of man returns to earth,
Unknown to glory, but upheld by birth,
The sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of woe,
And storied urns record who rests below:
When all is done, upon the tomb is seen,
Not what he was, but what he should have been.
But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend,

Whose honest heart is still his master's own;
Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone,
Unhonour'd falls, unnoticed all his worth,
Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth.
While man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven,
And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven.
Oh, man! thou feeble tenant of an hour!
Debased by slavery, or corrupt by power,
Who knows thee well must quit thee with disgust;
Degraded mass of animated dust!

Thy love is lust, thy friendship all a cheat,

Thy smiles hypocrisy, thy words deceit !

By nature vile, ennobled but by name,

Each kindred brute might bid thee blush for shame.
Ye! who perchance behold this simple urn,
Pass on-it honours none you wish to mourn :
To mark a friend's remains these stones arise;
I never knew but one,-and here he lies.-Byron.

THE WISE MAN AND THE CHEMIST.

A wise man entrusted a sum of money to a chemist, and went on a journey. After a while he returned, and

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demanded back his gold. The chemist said, "You speak falsely, since you did not give me the property." The wise nan laid hold of him, and men, collecting around them, charged the wise man with making a false accusation, and said, This chemist is very upright, and never acted dishonestly; if you quarrel with him you will be punished." The wise man in despair wrote down the circumstances and submitted them to the king. The latter enjoined, "Go to the shop of the druggist, and remain there for three days, but say nothing to him; the fourth day I will go in that direction and salute you; save returning the compliment do not utter a word. When I leave the place demand your money from the chemist, and tell me what he says." The wise man, in accordance with the king's command, took his seat in front of the chemist's shop. The fourth day the king with a large retinue passed by that way, and when he saw the wise man he stopped his horse and saluted him; the latter saluted him in return. The king said, "Oh, brother! you never either come near me or tell me of your affairs." The wise man uttered not a word, but simply bowed his head. The chemist witnessed all this, and becoming alarmed, enquired of the wise man after the king had departed, "When you gave me the money, where was I, and who was present? repeat to me, maybe I have forgotten." The wise man recounted all the circumstances of the case. The chemist said, "You speak truly, now I remember." In short, he returned the money and humbly apologised.— PERSIAN TALES.

THE TWO GOLDFINCHES.

I have two goldfinches, which in the summer occupy the greenhouse. A few days since, being employed in cleaning out the cages, I placed that which I had in hand

upon the table, while the other hung against the wall: the windows and the doors stood wide open. I went to fill the fountain at the pump, and on my return was not a little surprised to find a goldfinch sitting on the top of the cage I had been cleaning, and singing to, and kissing, the goldfinch within. I approached him, and he discovered no fear; still nearer, and he discovered none. I advanced my hand towards him, and he took no notice of it. I seized him, and supposed I had caught a new bird, but casting my eye upon the other cage perceived my mistake. Its inhabitant, during my absence, had contrived to find an opening, where the wire had been a little bent, and made no other use of the escape it afforded him than to salute his friend, and to converse with him more intimately than he had done before. I returned him to his proper mansion, but in vain. In less than a minute he had thrust his little person through the aperture again, and again perched upon his neighbour's cage, kissing him, as at first, and singing, as if transported with the fortunate adventure. I could not but respect such friendship, as for the sake of its gratification had twice declined an opportunity to be free, and consenting to their union, resolved that for the future one cage should hold them both.COWPER.

FABLE-THE COVETOUS MAN AND HIS AXE.

A man was felling a tree on the bank of a river, and by chance let slip out of his hand his hatchet, which dropped into the water, and immediately sunk to the bottom. Being, therefore, in great distress for the loss of his tool, he sat down and bemoaned most lamentably. Upon this Mercury appeared to him, and being informed of the cause of his complaint, dived to the bottom of the river, and

coming up again, showed the man a golden hatchet, demanding if that were his. He denied that it was. Upon which Mercury dived a second time, and brought up a silver one. The man refused it, alleging likewise that this was not his. He dived a third time, and fetched up the individual hatchet the man had lost, upon sight of which the poor wretch was overjoyed, and took it with all humility and thankfulness. Mercury was so pleased with the fellow's honesty, that he gave him the other two into the bargain, as a reward for his just dealing. The man goes to his companions, and giving them an account of what had happened, one of them went presently to the river side, and let his hatchet fall designedly into the stream. Then sitting down upon the bank, he fell a weeping and lamenting, as if he had been really and sorely afflicted. Mercury appeared as before, and diving, brought him up a golden hatchet, asking if that was the hatchet he lost. Transported at the precious metal, he answered "Yes;" and went to snatch it greedily. But Mercury detesting his abominable impudence, not only refused to give him that, but would not so much as let him have his own hatchet again.-ESOP'S FABLES.

THE DISPUTE BETWEEN THE HUNTING HAWK AND THE

DOMESTIC FOWL.

Once upon a time a hunting hawk was engaged in a dispute with a domestic fowl, and beginning to contend, said, “You are a most faithless and treacherous bird; yet in fact, trustworthiness is the frontispiece of the page of acceptable manners; and in addition, fidelity is a perfect proof of religion; generosity and manliness, also, require that no one should inscribe the pages of his affairs wit1 the mark of treachery.”

The domestic fowl replied: "What ingratitude on my part have you seen, and what treachery have you observed ?" The hawk answered: "The signs of your ingratitude are these-that, in spite of all the kindnesses which men show to you, without trouble or exertion on your part, apportioning you water and grain, from which the springs of life derive their existence; while day and night being apprised of your circumstances, they strenuously guard and watch you, and owing to their felicity you possess food and lodging, yet whenever they wish to catch you, you flee before and behind them, and fly from roof to roof, and run from corner to corner; while I, who am a wild animal, after having associated with them for two or three days only, and eaten food from their hands, keep in sight what is their due for this: hunting the game, I give it to them, and however far I may have gone, yet on merely hearing a call, flying, I come back." The fowl replied, saying, "You speak truly. Your return and my flight are owing to this, that you have never seen a hawk cooking on a spit, while I have beheld many domestic fowls roasting in a frying-pan. Were you ever to see such a sight, you would never come near them; and if I flee from roof to roof, you would hasten from hill to hill."-FABLES OF BIDPAI.

THE ARAB AND HIS HORSE.

Giabal possessed a very excellent mare. Hassad Pasha, Vizier of Damascus, endeavoured to obtain it, but in vain, He employed threats, but with no success. At last another Bedouin, Giafar by name, came to the pasha, and asked him what he would give him if he brought to him Giabal's "I will fill thy barley-sack with gold," was the

mare.

Pasha's reply.