PREFACE. THE half-yearly course of Instruction in the fifth volume of PLEASANT PAGES does not differ much in character from those of the preceding ones. In the course of MORAL INSTRUCTION the previous lessons on Truth, Justice, Honesty, and Industry, are followed by attempts to illustrate the higher virtues of Compassion, Mercy, and Charity. In the BOTANY lessons the sketches of structuralbotany in Vol. IV. are continued by an outline of the Linnæan system, and a more detailed account of twelve orders of the system of Jussieu. The course of English History extends over the important and stirring period from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to that of Queen Anne. The ENGLISH TRAVELLER has worked his way from Middlesex, through Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight, Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, Somersetshire, Devonshire, Cornwall, and the Scilly Isles. From the western corner of England he has entered the Bristol Channel, and directed his course northward, through Monmouthshire and Herefordshire; he is at present waiting in Shropshire. The FOREIGN TRAVELLER has by no means been so active; whether or not he has been disheartened by the troubles of the passport system the Author cannot say but he has himself been obliged to give his pupils a lesson or two on Switzerland and France, in order to keep up some appearance of business in that department. The course of GRAMMAR has been brought to a close, and is to be succeeded in Vol. VI. by a series of lessons in ARITHMETIC. In the MUSIC there has been a long rest-longer than that of a semibreve, or a breve—for it has extended through the space of the half year. After so long a silence, the notes ought, like released captives, to come forth again, ff, with an allegretto movement; probably they will. The Author has nothing further to add-except that to-morrow morning he is going, with alacrity, to begin his sixth, and last volume. Being somewhat lighthearted, like the traveller, on a "down-hill" course, who is getting near the end of his journey, he begs his readers, who have accompanied him through five long volumes, to sympathise with him in the satisfaction with which he looks forward to the completion of the work. THE PRIORY HOUSE, CLAPTON, "PLEASANT1 WORDS are as an honeycomb; sweet to the soul." CHAPTER I.-THE POET AND THE PRINCE. W. Ан, we are going to learn about fairies. Papa said so. L. I don't think that papa knows much about the fairies. I P. You are right, Lucy. have never seen any, except those in pictures and in books. Ion. Why, there are no real ones, papa! You said so once. P. Yes; fairies are only imaginary beings-so I am going to imagine some for you. We will rest in our course of Biography for a time, and will have a few moral lessons for a change. W. Well, begin, papa. Ion. Why don't you begin? How you keep us waiting! P. I am thinking. Do you remember the lesson we printed at the beginning of the fourth volume of PLEASANT PAGES? L. Yes, we heard about CLEMENT LANGTON. P. And I told you something of his learning to be "respectable." We call those respectable who are able to respect themselves, because others can then respect them. Respectable means "worthy of respect." Ion. Yes, we heard that. P. And you have heard of some of the qualities which men must possess to be respectable. We have talked of Truth, Honesty, Justice, Order, and Industry, but we will now learn something more. W. What is that? P. We will learn what one must have to be rich-really rich-I want you to be very rich indeed. L. Why, papa, how strangely you are talking! I have read that it is wrong to covet riches. I am sure, now, that you mean something else. Come, please tell us our fairy tale at once: A long time ago the time when the fairies used to bethere was a country where the king was dead. And there was silence all through that country-and then there was a disturbance. This is why there was silence. The people were mourning, and thinking. In every house the people sat still. They did not speak, but they sat and mourned, and they thought to themselves, "Where shall we get another king? We do not like our prince, the king's eldest son. We would rather not have him for our king. Where shall we find the man who will be as good as our dead king was?" L. And why was there a disturbance? P. That you shall know soon. I am going first to tell you of some one who lived in that city. In one of the quiet streets there was a middling - sized house, with every one of the shutters closed. Many of the people inside were mourning, for the house belonged to a young man who was one of the late king's relations-he was cousin to the prince. If you had seen this young man, and had noticed his plain dress, and the plain furniture of his house, you would not have thought him to be related to the king. But the truth is, the royal family was very large, and he belonged to a branch of the family which was extremely poor. This young man was a poet, though he did many other things besides writing poetry. He used to study very much; sometimes he collected specimens of plants, and insects, and other animals, and gave them to his rich cousin. He was fond of doing good; so, when he found any knowledge, he used to give it to men of science to put in their books; or he would teach it to the artisans in the manufactories, and to the labourers who were engaged in the gardens and fields. And the knowledge which he gave to these people was such as they could turn to good account. This young man, or "the Poet," as the people called him, was known all over the city. He had taught those who lived in dirty houses, or wore dirty clothes, to be clean; and he had shown them how to improve their houses; he had even given some of the little money he had to help to build better dwellings. And when he found that the good men who worked, and produced good things, were ruining themselves by drinking bad drinks at the public-house, he asked his uncle, the late king, for a piece of land. And with this land he made a park for the workmen and their children to play in; and when the winter evenings came he made places of amusement in-doors, where he taught them wonderful things from the works of God; and, in course of time, many of those who had children learned to stop at home, and teach the |