is become my salvation; he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea; his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them; they sank into the bottom as a stone.

Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power; thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. In the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee; thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.

With the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together,—the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

The enemy said, "I will pursue,-I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them." Thou didst blow with thy wind, and the sea covered them; they sank as lead in the mighty waters.

Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like unto thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, and the earth swallowed them.

Thou in thy mercy hast led forth thy people whom thou hast redeemed; thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

The people shall hear and be afraid; fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over whom thou hast purchased.

Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place O LORD,

which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.

Exodus XV.

David lamented with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son. The beauty of Israel is slain upon the high places: how are the mighty fallen!

Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offerings; for there the shield of the mighty is cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided, they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me; thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

II Samuel, I.

LESSON XV.

ALFRED THE GREAT.-CANUTE.-HAROLD.

From the year 827 to 1016, the country continued to be governed by Saxon kings, among whom may be mentioned Alfred the Great, who particularly distinguished himself by his bravery, in rescuing his country from the Danes, parties of whom were continually landing, plundering the inhabitants, and committing every species of violence.

It is said that this good king divided the day into three portions, namely, eight hours were devoted to sleep, diet, and exercise; eight to public business, and eight to study and devotion; he also founded the University of Oxford-he divided England into counties -and established trial by jury.

In the year 1016, Sweyn, the king of Denmark, having received great provocation, landed with a large army, desolating the country whereever he went, and after a great deal of fighting, he got possession of the whole kingdom; the country remained under Danish rule for the space of twenty-six years, during which time, four different kings reigned, when the Saxon line was restored.

One of these kings was Canute the Great, who may be ranked amongst the greatest sovereigns of the age; an anecdote related of this king, is perhaps, worthy of being recorded.

Being at Southampton, and wishing to reprove the servile flattery of his courtiers, who wanted to persuade him that he was more than mortal, he commanded a chair to be placed on the sea side, whilst the tide was rising.

Being seated on the chair when the water nearly

reached him, he, with affected solemnity, thus addressed the sea, "The land upon which I sit is mine, I charge thee to approach no nearer, nor dare to wet the feet of me, thy royal master."

The waves paying no attention to his commands, he rebuked his flatterers by observing, "There is only one Omnipotent Being who can say to the oceanThus far shalt thou go, but no farther."

Harold, the last of the Saxon kings, lost his life in battle; William, the Duke of Normandy laying claim to the crown, landed with a large army with the view of obtaining it; Harold collected all the men he could, and went to oppose his advance.

A most sanguinary conflict took place between the two armies, near Hastings, in Sussex, when the English were routed, Harold being slain, also his two brothers, fighting by his side, and William, afterwards called the Conqueror, ascended the throne without opposition; thus ended the Saxon line which had continued upwards of six hundred years.

LESSON XVI.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.

Vale, valley, and dale have much the same signification; they all mean low ground between two hills, with a stream of water running through them.

A benevolent mind will endeavour to cast a veil over the failings of his fellow man; an ill disposed person will probably expose them.

Veins are small tubes in our bodies filled with blood; the arteries conduct the blood from the heart, and the

veins take it back to be renewed and made fit, to again circulate through the body.

The weathercock or vane, is a plate which turns with the wind, and points to that part from which it blows.

Norway, it is supposed, produces sufficient pine timber to supply the wants of Europe, but from the rugged nature of the country, only a small part will pay the expense of removal to the ports for shipping.

A harbour is a port, or haven, where ships can ride in safety, being protected both from the wind and waves. Lime, used for ceiling rooms, is mixed with hair taken from cows' and horses' hides, to make it a stronger cement; without hair it would not adhere to the laths.

When skins come out of the hands of the tanner, they pass into those of the currier, who dresses them and makes them fit for the use of the boot maker, saddler

and glover.

Cardinal Wolsey is said to have used these memor◄ able words, when on his death bed; "Had I served my God with the same zeal that I have served my king, he would not have deserted me in my grey hairs."

The holly is a prickly evergreen shrub, or tree, highly ornamental in the winter season, when other trees are stripped of their foliage,

If a sovereign of this country succeed to the throne before attaining the age of eighteen, he or she is said to be a minor, and public affairs are under the management of a regent, chosen by the two Houses of Parliament.

At the age of twenty-one a young man attains his majority, that is, he ceases to be a minor, and is his own master, he also comes into full possession of any property to which he is entitled.

At Monkwearmouth, in the county of Durham, the miners have to descend a shaft of upwards of five hun