6. At last the head of the snake began to draw near the palm of his hand. Another inch, and its deadly fangs would pierce his flesh. He gave himself up for lost.

7. In this crisis he suddenly bethought himself of his bottle of hartshorn. Hastily pulling it out of his pocket with his disengaged hand, and removing the stopper, he poured the contents into the mouth of the serpent. The scene instantly changed. The animal, ̧ in an agony, uncoiled itself and fell harmless to the ground, where it was easily killed.

LESSON CCXXXI.

BAR'ON, a German title of nobility. CLEVER, accomplished, endowed with talent, skillful.

HYS'SOP, a bitter herb mentioned in the Scriptures. Solomon "spake of trees, from the cedar-tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall."

LEB'A-NON, a chain of mountains in
Syria. Its cedars are celebrated in
the Holy Scriptures as the noblest of
trees. A grove of aged cedars still
exists on these hills.

PEN CIL, a small brush made of fine
hair, used by painters.
THATCHED', roofed with straw.

PRONUNCIATION. - Pic'ture 18, vine'yard (vin' yard), noth'ing 33, chcer'ful 22. a-gain' 33, only (rhymes with lonely).

GOD SEEN IN HIS WORKS.

1. In that beautiful part of Germany which borders on the Rhine there is a noble castle, which, as you travel on the western banks of the river, you may see lifting its ancient towers on the opposite side, above the groves of trees as old as itself.

2. About forty years ago there lived in that castle a noble gentleman, a baron. The baron had an only son, who was not only a comfort to his father but a blessing to all who lived on his father's land.

3. It happened on a certain occasion that, this young man being from home, there came a French gentleman to visit the baron. As soon as this gentleman came into the castle he began to talk of his Heavenly Father in profane terms that chilled the old man's blood; on which the baron reproved him, saying, "Are you not afraid of offending God, who reigns above, by speaking in such a manner?"

4. The gentleman said he knew nothing about God; for he had never seen Him. The baron took no notice, at the time, of this reply; but the next morning he conducted him about the castle and grounds, and found occasion to show him a very beautiful picture that hung on the wall.

5. The gentleman admired the picture very much, and said, "Whoever drew this picture knows very well how to use his pencil."

6. "My son drew that picture," said the baron.—“Then your son is a very clever man," replied the Frenchman.

7. The baron then went with his visitor into the garden, and showed him many beautiful flowers and plantations of forest-trees. "Who has the ordering of this garden?" asked the gentleman.

8. "My son," replied the baron; "he knows every plant, I may say, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop on the wall.”— "Indeed," said the gentleman; "I shall think very highly of your

son."

9. The baron then took him into the village, and showed him a small, neat cottage, where his son had established a school, and where he caused all young children who had lost their parents to be received and nourished at his own expense.

10. The children in the house looked so innocent and happy that the gentleman was very much pleased, and when he had returned to the castle he said to the baron, "What a happy man you are to have so good a son."

11. "How do you know I have a good son?"-“Because I have seen his works, and I know that he must be both good and clever, if he has done all you have shown me.”

12. "But you have never seen him."—"No, but I know him very well, because I judge of him by his works."

13. "You do? and now please draw near this window and tell me what you observe thence."

14. "Why, I see the sun traveling through the sky and shedding its glories over one of the finest countries in the world; and I behold a mighty river at my feet, and a vast range of woods. I see pasture-grounds and orchards and vineyards; cattle and sheep feeding in green fields; and many thatched cottages scattered here and there."

15. "And do you see any thing to admire in all this? Is there any thing pleasant or lovely or cheerful in the view before you?"

16. "Do you think, my friend, that I want common sense, or that I have lost the use of my eyes," said the gentleman somewhat angrily, "that I should not be able to relish the charms of such a scene as this?"

17. "Well, then," said the baron, "if you are able to judge of my son's character by seeing his works, which are poor and imperfect, how does it happen that you form no judgment of the character of God by witnessing such wonderful works of His hand as are now before you! Let me never hear you, my good friend, again say that you know nothing about God, unless you would have me suppose that you have lost your senses.'

LESSON CCXXXII.

GOAD, to wound or irritate as with a | PUB'LI-CAN, keeper of a public-house.
sharp instrument.
RE-FRESH MENT, food, drink, or rest.
IN-TOLER-A-BLE, not to be borne. VEX-A'TIOUS, harassing, giving trouble.

PRONUNCIATION.-In-tol'er-a-ble 3b, ef-fect'u-al 18, Phil-a-del ́phi-a 7, a'gue 16.

IDLE CURIOSITY CURED.

1. On his first trip by land to visit his father in Boston, Franklin was worried almost to death by the intolerable inquisitiveness of the New-England tavern-keepers.

2. Neither man nor beast could travel among them in comfort. No matter how wet or weary, how hungry or thirsty, the poor traveler might be, he was not to expect the least refreshment from these silly publicans until their vexatious curiosity was gratified.

3. And, moreover, Job himself could not have borne such questions as they goaded him with; such as, where he came from-and where he was going-and what business he followed-and what religion he might be of—and if he was a married man -and how many children he had and so on.

4. After having been prodigiously teased in this way for several days, until at last the bare sight of a public-house almost threw him into an ague, he determined to try the following remedy at the very next tavern.

5. As soon as he alighted from his horse he desired the tavernkeeper to collect his whole family, wife, children, and servants, every soul of them; for he had something of vast importance to communicate. All being assembled and wondering what he had to say, he thus addressed them.

6. "My name is Benjamin Franklin. I am by trade a printer. I live, when at home, in Philadelphia. In Boston I have a father, a good old man, who taught me, when I was a boy, to read my book and say my prayers. I have ever since thought it my duty to visit and pay my respects to such a father; and I am now on that errand to Boston.

7. "This is all that I can at present recollect of myself that I deem worth telling you. But, if you can think of anything else that you wish to know about me, I beg you to bring it out at once, that I may answer and so give you opportunity to get me something to eat; for I long to be on my journey that I may return as soon as possible to my family and business, where I most of all delight to be."

8. A thousand sermons against idle curiosity could hardly have been so effectual as was this little piece of ridicule.

WEEMS.

LESSON CCXXXIII.

AD'E-QUATE, sufficient, fully equal to. An adequate idea is such as fully represents its object.

DIC TATE, a rule or precept uttered with authority.

EX-TRA NE-OUs, outward, foreign, not
belonging to a thing.

FORE LOCK, a lock of hair growing from
the forepart of the head."
IN-EV'I-TA-BLE, not to be avoided.

SIG-NIF'I-CANT, very full of meaning. SIM'I-LE. a comparison of two things, founded on their resemblance in some particular.

SMOOTH, properly an adjective, is used in the poetry in this lesson instead of the adverb smoothly.

SYMBOL, an emblem, or a representation to the eye of some moral quality or fact.

PRONUNCIATION.-Sym'bol 1d, fierce 9, bless'ed 33, fath'om-less le, ra'di-ant 18, fig'ure 17, i-de'as 7, Scrip'tures 18.

WHAT ARE EMBLEMS?

Cecilia. PRAY, papa, what is an emblem? I have met with the word in my lesson to-day, and I do not quite understand its meaning. Papa. An emblem, my dear, is a visible image of an invisible thing.

C. An invisible image of-I can hardly comprehend.

P. Well, I will explain it more at length. There are certain notions that we form in our minds without the help of our eyes or any of our senses. Thus virtue, vice, honor, disgrace, time, death, and the like, are not sensible objects, but ideas of the understanding. C. Yes, we cannot feel them or see them, but we can think about them.

P. Now it sometimes happens that we wish to represent one of these in a visible form; that is, to offer something to the sight that shall raise a similar notion in the minds of the beholders. For

instance, you know the court-house, where trials are held. It would be easy to write over the door, in order to distinguish it, "This is the courthouse;" but it is a more ingenious and elegant way of pointing it out to place upon the building a figure representing the purpose for which it was erected, namely, to distribute justice. For this end, a human figure is made, distinguished by tokens which bear a relation to the character of that virtue. Justice carefully weighs both sides of a cause; she is therefore represented as holding a pair of scales.

"Poise the cause in justice' equal scales;

Whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause prevails."

It is her office to punish crimes; she therefore holds a sword. This is then an emblematical figure, because it represents the invisible qualities of justice by means of visible images.

C. I understand this explanation very well. But in the picture the figure of justice has a bandage over its eyes. I should think that justice would require the very keenest vision, in order to distinguish between right and wrong. It seems to me that a pair of the most efficient spectacles would be a more appropriate symbol.

P. The bandage has a different signification. The eyes of Justice are bandaged to show that she is no respecter of persons; that she can take no note of distinctions of rank or wealth or power or social standing, but that all are alike in her presence. And we may further suppose that with the eyes of the body darkened and her attention not diverted to extraneous matters her judicial vision may be proportionably strengthened, and she may be the better able to weigh evidence, and discern truth from falsehood.

C. Your explanation seems to me to be right. I know that I can myself think more clearly and reason more closely when I shut my eyes and exclude all outward impressions.

P. Let us look at another picture. I presume you can recognize the one that I now present to you.

C. It is the representation of Death. I suppose that too is emblematical,

P. Certainly, or you would not know it means Death. How is Death represented?

C. He is nothing but bones; he holds a scythe in one hand, and an hour-glass in the other.

P. How do you interpret these emblems?

C. I suppose he is all bones because nothing but bones are left after a dead body has lain long in the grave.

P. What does the scythe represent?
C. Is it not intended to represent

that Death mows down every thing?

P. Yes. No instrument could so properly represent the widewasting sway of Death, which sweeps down the race of animals, like flowers falling under the hands of the mower. It is a simile used in the Scriptures. "He cometh up, and is cut down like a flower."

"The prince who kept the world in awe,
The judge whose dictate fixed the law,
The rich, the poor, the great, the small,
Are leveled; death confounds them all."