The principal planets are Mer'cury, Ve'nus, the Earth, Mars, Ju'piter, Sa'turn, Hers'chel, and Nep'tune; a great many other planets have been discovered within these late years, but none of them are visible to the naked eye.

LESSON VII.

THE BEGGAR'S PETITION.-THE WASP AND THE BEE. THE ROSE.

Pity the sorrows of a poor old man,

Whose trembling limbs have born him to your door, Whose days are dwindled to the shortest span, Oh! give relief! and heaven will bless your store. These tatter'd clothes my poverty bespeak,

These hoary locks proclaim my lengthen'd years,
And many a furrow in my grief-worn cheek,
Has been the channel to a flood of tears.

Yon house, erected on the rising ground,
With tempting aspect drew me from the road;
For plenty there a residence has found,
And grandeur a magnificent abode.

Hard is the fate of the infirm and poor,
Here, as I crav'd a morsel of their bread,
A pamper'd menial drove me from the door,
To seek a shelter in a humbler shed.

Oh! take me to your hospitable dome,

Keen blows the wind, and piercing is the cold,
Short is my passage to the friendly tomb,
For I am poor, and miserably old.

Pity the sorrows of a poor old man,

Whose trembling limbs have born him to your door, Whose days are dwindled to the shortest span,

Oh! give relief! and heaven will bless your store

A wasp met a bee, that was just buzzing by
And he said, "little cousin, can you tell me, why,
You are lov'd so much better by people than I?

"My back shines as bright, and as yellow as gold, And my shape is most elegant, too, to behold; Yet nobody likes me for that, I am told."

"Ah! cousin," the bee said, "'tis all very true, But if I were one half as much mischief to do, Indeed they would love me no better than you.

"You have a fine shape, and a delicate wing, [thing They own you are handsome,-but then there's one They cannot put up with, and that is-vour sting.

"My coat is quite homely and plain, as you see,
Yet nobody ever is angry with me,
Because I'm a harmless and diligent bee."

From this little story, let people beware,
Because, like the wasp, if ill-natur'd they are,
They will never be lov'd, if they're ever so fair.
Taylor.

How fair is the rose! what a beautiful flower!
In summer so fragrant and gay!

But the leaves are beginning to fade in an hour,
And they wither and die in a day.

Yet the rose has one powerful virtue to boast,
Above all the flowers of the field;

When its leaves are all dead, and its fine colour lost,
Still how sweet a perfume it will yield.

So frail is the youth and the beauty of men,
Tho' they bloom, and look gay, like the rose;
For all our fond care to preserve them is vain;
Time kills them as fast as he goes.

Then let's not be proud of our youth, or our beauty,
Since both of them wither and fade;

But gain a good name by performing our duty;
This will scent, like the rose, when we're dead.

Watts.

LESSON VIII.

THE SAXONS. THE INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY.

The Romans kept possession of the country until the year 440, when their own empire was invaded in its turn, and they were obliged, in self defence, to recall all their forces from abroad, and the Britons again became their own masters.

Having so long depended on the Romans for protection, the natives had completely lost their war-like spirit, and they became an easy prey to the Scots and Picts, who frequently ravaged the country.

Thus situated, by the advice of one of their chiefs, they invited over the Saxons, a restless, but brave people, who inhabited a part of Germany, to assist them.

The Saxons accepted the invitation, and landed fifteen hundred men, who, assisted by the natives, boldly marched against the Scots and Picts, and completely defeated them, and made them glad to retire within their proper limits.

The Saxons, finding their new country more fertile than the one they had left, determined on remaining, and they invited their countrymen to come over and join them; they came in great numbers, and made Britain their home, and as we are descended from those settlers, we are said to be of Saxon origin.

The Britons did not quietly submit to their new masters, but after some well contested battles, they were obliged to give in, and the Saxons became the rulers over the whole country, when it was divided into seven distinct kingdoms, and called the Saxon Heptarchy.*

Those natives that refused to submit to Saxon rule, were obliged to take refuge among the mountains of Wales and Cornwall, where they could not be pursued; it is on this account the Welsh consider themselves the descendants of the ancient Britons.

The Saxons, having subdued their common enemy, the Britons, began to fight with each other, until at last all the seven kingdoms were united under one king, namely, Egbert, who was crowned King of England, at Winchester, in the year 827.

To account for the new name of England, the young reader must be informed, that, when the Saxons first came over, they were accompanied by a great number of Angles, that is natives of Anglen, a part of Germany, but belonging to Denmark; and soon after the country began to be called An-glo-land, which, probably for shortness, was afterwards changed into England.

Hep'-tar-ke.

A most important event took place in Egbert's reign, namely, the introduction of Christianity by missionaries sent by St. Gregory, who afterwards became the Pope of Rome; it is said when passing through the slave market in Rome, he was struck with the beauty of some children exposed for sale, and he enquired from what country they came.

Being told they were English Pagans, he observed in the Latin language, that "If they were Christians they would be angels;" he then formed the resolution of making an effort to convert the nation to Christianity, and he succeeded, for the missionaries he sent, entered upon their work with great zeal, and the Christian religion triumphed over Paganism.

LESSON IX.

MISCELLANEOUS IMFORMATION.

By heathen mythology we understand a system of fables, or an account of imaginary beings, whom the heathen nations worshipped as gods, thus, Mars was worshipped as the god of war, and Minerva as the goddess of wisdom.

By the parochial* clergy we mean those that have the cure or care of souls, namely, rectors, vicars, and incumbents, assisted by curates.

The different animals that exist in the world may be classed into five kinds, namely, beasts, birds, fishes, reptiles, and insects.

When one man kills another without intending it, the crime is called manslaughter; if he premeditated it, it would be murder.

•Pa-ro'-ke-al