upon great undertakings, which they never can finish, whereby they may have so much harm that it may never come into their hearts to devise anything against their ruler. And above all this, have tyrants ever striven to make spoil of the strong and to destroy the wise; and have forbidden fellowship and assemblies of men in their land, and striven always to know what men said or did; and do trust their counsel and the guard of their person rather to foreigners, who will serve at their will, than to them of the land, who serve from oppression. And moreover, we say that though any man may have gained mastery of a kingdom by any of the lawful means whereof we have spoken in the laws going before this, yet, if he use his power ill, in the ways whereof we speak in this law, him may the people still call tyrant; for he turneth his mastery which was rightful into wrongful, as Aristotle hath said in the book which treateth of the rule and government of kingdoms."

ON THE TURKS, AND WHY THEY ARE SO CALLED.

(From "La Gran Conquista de Ultramar," Chapter XIII.)

THE ancient histories which describe the early inhabitants of the East and their various languages show the origin of each tribe or nation, or whence they came, and for what reason they waged war, and how they were enabled to conquer the former lords of the land. Now in these histories it is told that the Turks, and also the allied race called Turcomans, were all of one land originally, and that these names were taken from two rivers that flow through the territory whence these people came, which lies in the direction of the rising of the sun, a little toward the north; and that one of these rivers bore the name of Turco, and the other Mani; and finally that for this reason the two tribes which dwelt on the banks of these two rivers came to be commonly known as Turcomanos or Turcomans. On the other hand, there are those who assert that because a portion of the Turks lived among the Comanos (Comans) they accordingly, in course of time, received the name of Turcomanos; but the majority adhere to the reason already given. However this may be, the Turks and the Turcomans belong both to the same family, and follow no other life than that of wandering over the country, driving their herds from one good pasture to another, and taking with them their wives and their children and all their property, including money as well as flocks.

The Turks did not dwell then in houses, but in tents made of skins, as do in these days the Comanos and Tartars; and when they had to move from one place to another, they divided themselve into companies according to their different dialects, and chose a cabdillo (judge), who settled their disputes, and rendered justice to those who deserved it. And this nomadic race cultivated no fields, nor vineyards, nor orchards, nor arable lands of any kind; neither did they buy or sell for money but traded their flocks among one another, and also their milk and cheese, and pitched their tents in the places where they found the best pasturage; and when the grass was exhausted, they sought fresh herbage elsewhere. And whenever they reached the border of a strange land, they sent before them special envoys, the most worthy and honorable of their men, to the kings or lords of such countries, to ask of them the privilege of pasturage on their lands for a space; for which they were willing to pay such rent or tax as might be agreed upon. After this manner they lived among each nation in whose territory they happened to be.

TO THE MONTH OF MARY.

(From the "Cantigas.")

WELCOME, O May, yet once again we greet thee!
So alway we praise her, the Holy Mother,
Who prays to God that he shall aid us ever
Against our foes, and to us ever listen.
Welcome, O May! loyally art thou welcome!
So always we praise her, the Mother of kindness,
Mother who alway on us taketh pity.

Mother who guardeth us from woes unnumbered.
Welcome, O May! welcome, O month well favored!
So let us ever pray and offer praises

To her who ceaseth not for us, for sinners,
To pray to God that we from woes be guarded.
Welcome, O May! O joyous month and stainless!
So will we ever pray to her who gaineth

Grace from her Son for us, and gives each morning
Force that by us the Moors from Spain are driven.
Welcome, O May, of bread and wine the giver!
Pray then to her, for in her arins, an infant,
She bore the Lord! she points us on our journey,
The journey that to her will bear us quickly!

ALFRED THE GREAT.

ALFRED THE GREAT, King of England, born at Wantage, 849; died October 28, 901. He succeeded to the crown, upon the death of his father, Ethelwulf, in 872, but was for a time driven from the throne by the Danes, who overran the kingdom of the West Saxons. But after many adventures and some severe reverses, he completely routed the invaders in 879, and firmly established his sway. Alfred was, says the Saxon chronicler Ethelwerd, "the immovable pillar of the Western Saxons; full of justice, bold in arms, learned in speech, and above all things imbued with the divine instructions; for he translated into his own language, out of Latin, unnumbered volumes, of so varied a nature and so excellently, that the sorrowful book of Boëthius seemed not only to the learned, but to those who heard it read, as if it were brought to life again."

Alfred the Great is one out of not more than half a dozen kings who deserve a place among authors. Indeed it would be hard to name more than these three or four: David (and perhaps Solomon) of Israel, Alfred of England, and Frederick the Great of Prussia. King Alfred set forth the principles which guided him in the work which he undertook and performed in this direction. He of course writes in Anglo-Saxon.

KING ALFRED ON KING-CRAFT.

(Comment in his Translation of Boëthius's "Consolations of Philosophy.") The Mind then answered and thus said: O Reason, indeed thou knowest that covetousness and the greatness of this earthly power never well pleased me, nor did I altogether very much yearn after this earthly authority. But nevertheless I was desirous of materials for the work which I was commanded to perform; that was, that I might honorably and fitly guide and exercise the power which was committed to me. Moreover, thou knowest that no man can show any skill, nor exercise or control any power, without tools and materials. There are of every craft the materials without which man cannot exercise the craft. These, then, are a king's materials and his tools to reign