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'Twas all in vain to tie her with a tether, For then both cord and cow eloped together.

Arm'd with an oaken bough (what folly!
It should have been of birch, or thorn, or holly),
Patty one day was driving home the beast,
Which had, as usual, slipp'd its anchor,
When on the road she met a certain banker,
Who stopp'd to give his eyes a feast
By gazing on her features, crimson'd high,
By a long cow-chase in July.

Are you from Acton, pretty lass?" he cried: "Yes," with a curtsy she replied.

Why then you know the laundress, Sally
Wrench?"

"She is my cousin, sir, and next-door neighbour."

"That's lucky-I've a message for the wench, Which needs despatch, and you may save my labour.

Give her this kiss, my dear, and say I sent it;
But mind, you owe me one-
e-I've only lent it."

"She shall know," cried the girl, as she brandish'd her bough,

you

bore me;

"Of the loving intentions But as to the kiss, as there's haste, you'll allow That you'd better run forward and give it my cow; For she, at the rate she is scampering now,

Will reach Acton some minutes before me.

New Monthly Magazine.

HUMAN LEARNING; AN APOLOGUE.

FROM THE FRENCH.

DABSCHELIM, king of the Indies, possessed a library so large, that it required a hundred Bramins to revise and keep it in order, and a thousand dromedaries to carry the books. Having no intention to read all that it contained, he commanded his Bramins to make extracts from it, for his use, of whatever they judged most valuable, in every branch of literature. These doctors immediately undertook to form such an abridgment, and, after twenty years' labour, composed, from their several collections, a small encyclopedia, consisting of twelve thousand volumes, which thirty camels could scarcely carry. They had the honour to present this to the king, but were astonished to hear him say he would not read a work which was a load for thirty camels. They then reduced their extracts, so that they might be carried by fifteen, afterwards by ten, then by four, and then by two dromedaries. At last no more were left than were sufficient to load a mule of ordinary size. Unfortunately, Dabschelim had grown old while his library was abridging, and did not expect to live long enough to read to the end this master-piece of learning. The sage Pilpay, his vizier, therefore thus addressed him: Though I have but an imperfect knowledge of the library of your sublime majesty, yet I can make an analysis of what it contains; very short, but extremely useful. You may read it in a minute, yet it will afford you sufficient matter for meditation during your whole life. At the same time the vizier took the leaf of a palm tree, and wrote on it, with a pencil of gold, the four following maxims :

I. In the greater part of sciences there is only this single word-perhaps; in all history but three phrases -they were born-they were wretches-they died.

II. Take pleasure in nothing which is not commendable, and do every thing you take pleasure in. Think nothing but what is true, and utter not all you think.

III. O ye kings! subdue your passions, reign over yourselves, and you will consider the government of the world only a recreation.

IV. O ye kings! O ye nations! listen to a truth you never can hear too often, and of which sophists pretend to doubt there is no happiness without virtue, and no virtue without the fear of the gods.

M.

THE FAIR REVENGE.

AGANIPPUS, king of Argos, dying without heirs male, bequeathed his throne to his only daughter, the beautiful and beloved Daphles. This female succession was displeasing to a nobleman who held large possessions on the frontiers; and he came for the first time towards the court, not to pay his respects to the new queen, but to give her battle. Doracles (for that was his name) was not much known by the people. He had distinguished himself for as jealous an independence as a subject could well assume; and though he had been of use in repelling invasion during the latter years of the king, had never made his appearance to receive his master's thanks personally. A correspondence, however, was understood to have gone on between him and several noblemen about the court; and there were those, who, in spite of his inattention to popularity, suspected that it would go hard with the young queen

when the two armies came face to face.

But neither these subtle statesmen, nor the ambitious young soldier Doracles, were aware of the effects to be produced by a strong personal attachment. The young queen, amiable as she was beautiful, had involuntarily baffled his expectations from her courtiers, by exciting in the minds of some a real disinterested regard, while others nourished a hope of sharing her throne instead. At least they speculated upon becoming each the favourite minister; and held it a better thing to reign under that title and a charming mistress than be the servants of a master wilful and domineering. By the

people she was adored; and when she came riding out of her palace, on the morning of the fight, with an unaccustomed spear standing up in its rest by her side, her diademed hair flowing a little off into the wind, her face paler than usual, but still tinted with its roses, and a look in which confidence in the love of her subjects, and tenderness for the wounds they were going to encounter, seemed to contend for the expression-the shout which they sent up would have told a stouter heart than a traitor's that the royal charmer was secure. The queen, during the conflict, remained in a tent upon an eminence, to which the younger leaders vied who should best spur up their smoking horses, to bring her good news from time to time. The battle was short and bloody. Doracles soon found that he had miscalculated his point; and all his skill and resolution could not set the error to rights. It was allowed, that if either courage or military talent could entitle him to the throne, he would have had a right to it; but the popularity of Daphles supplied her cause with all the ardour which a lax state of subjection on the part of the more powerful nobles might have denied it. When her troops charged, or made any other voluntary movement, they put all their hearts into their blows; and when they were compelled to await the enemy, they stood as inflexible as walls of iron. It was like hammering upon metal statuary, or staking their fated horses upon spears riveted in stone. Doracles was taken prisoner. The queen, re-issuing from her tent, crowned with laurel, came riding down the eminence, and remained at the foot with her generals, while the prisoners were taken by. Her pale face kept as royal a countenance of composed pity as she could manage, while the commoner rebels passed along, aching with their wounded arms fastened behind, and shaking back their bloody and blinding locks for want of a hand to part them. But the blood mounted to her cheeks when the proud and handsome Doracles, whom she now saw for the first time, blushed deeply as he cast a glance at his female conqueror, and then stepped haughtily along,

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handling his gilded chains as if they were an indifferent ornament. I have conquered him," thought she: "it is a heavy blow to so proud a head; and as he looks not unamiable, it might be politic as well as courteous and kind in me to turn his submission into a more willing one." Alas! pity was helping admiration to a kinder set of offices than the generous-hearted queen suspected. The captive went to his prison a conqueror after all; for Daphles loved him.

The second night, after having exhibited in her manners a strange mixture of joy and seriousness, and signified to her counsellors her intention of setting the prisoner free, she released him with her own hands. Many a step did she hesitate as she went down the stairs; and when she came to the door she shed a full, but soft, and as it seemed to her a wilful and refreshing flood of tears, humbling herself for her approaching task. When she had entered she blushed deeply, and then turning as pale, stood for a minute silent and without motion. She then said, “Thy queen, Doracles, has come to show thee how kindly she can treat a great and gallant subject, who did not know her;" and with these words, and almost before she was aware, the prisoner was released, and preparing to go. He appeared surprised, but not off his guard, nor in any temper to be over-grateful. "Name," said he, “O queen, the conditions on which I depart, and they will be faithfully kept." Daphles moved her lips, but they spoke not. She waved her head and hand with a deadly smile, as if freeing him from all conditions; and he was turning to go, when she fell senseless on the floor. The haughty warrior raised her with more impatience than good will. He could guess at love in a woman; but he had but a mean opinion both of it and her sex; and the deadly struggle in the heart of Daphles did not help him to distinguish the romantic passion which had induced her to put all her past and virgin notions of love into his person, from the commonest liking that might flatter his soldierly vanity.

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