murmurs of applause to my apartment, leaving advice that could be given to me. him speechless and discomfited.

Better, far better would it have been had I never attempted this. The great harmonies of Nature are not to be hushed by the rude hands of Man. Scarcely had my head touched the pillow, when the bray, half-stifled, pitiful, more harassing beyond expression than before, recommenced with hideous pertinacity, and increased in volume with every note. Presently the rope gave way, and the full tide of song burst forth again from that Jerusalem pony as the pent-up waters from an ineffectual dam; while the cock, imagining, no doubt, that it was dawn, and accusing itself of over-sleeping, and permitting another creature to be the first to salute the sun, added its shrill tribute to the din.

"I'll cut that donkey's throat," cried I, leaping out of bed, and fumbling for a razor; "the organ is situated so low down in his larynx that nothing less will stop him."

I snatched up

an enormous phial of that divine essence, and again rushed down to the back-green to silence the domestic enemy. This time I conquered; in fifteen minutes-it must be confessed, after tremendous exertion-I was standing in my dressinggown and slippers upon that prostrate Jerusalem pony like another Rarey; a victim to science, he reposed like a sleeping infant who has had enough of his bottle.

This victory, achieved in the sight of respectable though sleepless myriads, has been quite an advertisement to me. My practice is increasing, and the child's ancles are being rapidly strengthened. A breach knocked through the wall of our back-green permits the immediate cause of this prosperity to retire, after his daily labours, to a pasture at a considerable distance. Leonora is more than mollified. She has withdrawn the hasty expression once made use of, about something being no more like another thing than a

"Give him chloroform," cried Leonora, sarcasti- horse-chestnut is like a chestnut horse, and concally; "you're so fond of that."

This remark, intended to wound my professional feelings, was, as sometimes happens, the very best

fesses that a Jerusalem pony is a very good pony after all. Her sole regret now is that he is not a piebald.

THE SPANISH ARMADA.*

[By LORD MACAULAY.]

TTEND, all ye | And the tall Pinta, till the noon, had held her close who list to hear

our noble Eng-
land's praise.

I tell of the thrice
famous deeds
she wrought in
ancient days,
When that great
fleet invincible
aganst her bore
in vain

The richest spoils
of Mexico, the
stoutest hearts
of Spain.

It was about the lovely close of a warm summer
day

There came a gallant merchant-ship full sail to
Plymouth Bay;

Her crew hath seen Castile's black fleet beyond
Aurigny's Isle,

At earliest twilight, on the waves lie heaving
many a mile;

At sunrise she escaped their van, by God's especial

grace;

in chase.

And underneath his deadly paw treads the gay lilies down.

From "Lays of Ancient Rome," by permission of Messrs Longmans and Co.

So stalked he when he turned to flight, on that The fisher left his skiff to rock on Tamar's glitterfamed Picard field, !ing waves.

Bohemia's plume, and Genoa's bow, and Cæsar's, The rugged miners poured to war from Mendip's eagle shield: sunless caves.

So glared he when at Agincourt in wrath he O'er Longleat's towers, o'er Cranbourne's oaks, turned to bay, | the fiery herald flew ; And crushed and torn beneath his paws the He roused the shepherds of Stonehenge, the princely hunters lay. rangers of Beaulieu.

Ho! strike the flag-staff deep, Sir knight; ho! Right sharp and quick the bells all night rang out scatter flowers, fair maids:

Ho! gunners, fire a loud salute: ho! gallants, draw your blades;

Thou sun, shine on her joyously; ye breezes, waft her wide;

from Bristol town,

And ere the day three hundred horse had met on
Clifton down;

The sentinel on Whitehall gate looked forth into
the night,

Our glorious SEMPER EADEM, the banner of our pride.

The freshening breeze of eve unfurled that banner's massy fold,

The parting gleam of sunshine kissed that haughty scroll of gold;

Night sank upon the du-ky beach, and on the purple sea,

Such light in England ne'er had been, nor ne'er again shall be.

From Eddystone to Berwick bouads, from Lynn to Milford Bay,

That time of slumber was as bright and busy as the day;

For swift to east and swift to west the ghastly war-flame spread;

High on St. Michael's Mount it shone; it shone on Beachy Head.

Far on the deep the Spaniard saw, along each southern shire,

And saw o'erhanging Richmond Hill, the streak of blood-red light.

Then bugle's note and cannon's roar the deathlike silence broke,

And with one start, and with one cry, the royal city woke.

At once on all her stately gates arose the answering fires;

At once the loud alarum clashed from all her reeling spires;

From all the batteries of the Tower pealed loud the voice of fear;

And all the thousand masts of Thames sent back a louder cheer:

And from the furthest wards was heard the rush of hurrying feet,

And the broad streams of flags and pikes rushed down each roaring street :

And broader still became the blaze, and louder still the din,

fast from every village round the horse came spurring in:

And eastward straight, from wild Blackheath, the Till twelve fair counties saw the blaze on Malvern's warlike errant went, lonely height, And raised in many an ancient hall the gallant Till streamed in crimson on the wind the Wrekin's squires of Kent. crest of light, Southward from Surrey's pleasant hills flew those Till broad and fierce the star came forth on Ely's

bright couriers forth;

High on bleak Hampstead's swarthy moor they started for the North;

stately fane,

And tower and hamlet rose in arms o'er all the boundless plain ;

Till Belvoir's lordly terraces the sign to Lincoln sent,

And on, and on, without a pause, untired they bounded still, All night from tower to tower they sprang; they And Lincoln sped the message on o'er the wide sprang from hill to hill, vale of Trent;

Till the proud Peak unfurled the flag o'er Darwen's Till Skiddaw saw the fire that burned on Gaunt's rocky dales, embattled pile, Till like volcanoes flared to Heaven the stormy And the red glare of Skiddaw roused the burghers hills of Wales, of Carlisle.

WHAT I WENT THROUGH TO GET HER.
[By LT.-COLONEL HOUGH.]

AST year was an eventful one for me : I had a touch of the gout, the wrong horse won the Derby, my principal tenant insisted on my helping him to drain, and I lost a lawsuit. So that when I heard that Miss Sarah Potts was likely to inherit the property of her paternal uncle, Colonel Sir George Potts, late governor of Semetary Island, it occurred to me that I had danced much and carried flirtation to the very verge of proposal to that young lady, whose beauty had always fascinated, while her good temper had charmed me. Indeed, she had only needed this touch from the philosopher's stone to render her irresistible; so I packed up my portmanteau and started for Scarborough, where the Potts family were then residing.

Veni, vidi, vici!

"But," whispered the dearest and most sensible of girls, as I wrapped her opera-cloak round her pearly shoulders, on the most eventful of nights, "oh, Charles, beware how you offend my uncle, and, above all things, humour my aunt!”

If I pride myself upon anything, it is my power of making myself agreeable to everybody, of whatever age, sex, or condition-indeed, I have reason to suppose that some of my friends consider me actually stupid, so nicely can I adapt my conversation to my company-and it was with a confident heart and firm hand that I rang the bell of Colonel Potts's lodgings on the following morning.

The door opened with a suddenness which startled me, and I found myself opposite a sixfeet footman, tall, stiff, and erect as a Potsdam

grenadier, who went, at my desire, to see if his master was at home, and then returned with an affirmative answer, and heralded me up-stairs.

As I entered the apartment, I heard a rustle, and saw the door of an inner room close, which distracted my thoughts for a moment, so that it required a violent effort of will to concentrate my attention on the object before me. The object before me was a stout, short gentleman of about fifty, with white hair, white whiskers, and very shaggy white eye-brows-a chilling uniformity of colour, somewhat relieved by his having yellows instead of whites to his eyes, while the same delicate primrose tinge spread over the surface of his cheeks and forehead, the whole countenance being warmed by the rich rosy tint of his nose. He wore grey trousers, and a frock-coat not buttoned so closely as altogether to hide his fine linen shirt-frill and buff waistcoat. He carried his watch in his trouser-fob, had a great bunch of seals jingling and swaying about his epigastric regions, wore a heavy gold double eye-glass round his neck, choked himself up in a satin stock with a buckle behind it, and was altogether of the "old school.”

"I knew Miss Potts formerly, sir," said I, plunging in at once; "indeed, I may say, I was intimate with her family; so, seeing her here, and learning that she was at present residing with you, I have taken the liberty of calling

"No liberty at all, sir; as a friend of my late brother, I am delighted to make your acquaintance. Pray, be seated; Lady Potts will be down directly."

And we began to converse about a variety

"Yes, you made a favourable impression at Scarborough, and will easily get on; at least, I always do. They both spoil me. Never mind at Never mind a little roughness; they mean nothing. Aunt is the dearest, most lovable, kindest of women, so long as she has her own way, and is not contradicted. She is rather a bigot, so you had better put your liberality in your pocket; and she thinks a good deal of her family-was a Miss Montgomery, and brought this estate to uncle.”

"Ah! and Sir George?"

When I entered the drawing-room, I found Sarah asleep on the sofa, and Lady Potts hanging over a basket adorned with pink silk.

"Was it a poor little dear suffering angel, den! Was it a pretty creature, with its little brown eyes!"

"What a beautiful dog!" I exclaimed. “Is it ill?"

"Oh, very, very ill. Poor dear Flora, she has quite lost her appetite, she who always enjoyed her food so! She has eaten nothing to-day but the wing of a chicken and a few macaroons." "If you will allow me to examine her, I may be of some service; I am used to dogs. Ah! I see, has short breath, finds it difficult to stand. dear Lady Potts, if this dog is not attended to, she will die."

"Well, you must be very good, and keep your temper. Uncle is a dear, dear man, but rather inclined to order people about. You see, aunt rules him, so he likes to rule others. His temper is somewhat violent at times, but he soon comes round, if not opposed; and then he tries to atone for what he has said or done while angry. Oh, I almost forgot; above all things, be very punctual; if you are ever late for breakfast or dinner, I will not answer for the consequences; and is there anything else? yes, if you could take snuff, it would please him. There goes the bugle!" And to the tune of "O, the Roast Beef of Old England," Sir George and Lady Potts entered the room. "Welcome, Mr. Pans, to Montgomery Hall," | do?" said the lady, graciously according me her hand. "How d'ye do? glad to see you," said the colonel. Ready for the birds to-morrow? Have a pinch?"

Mindful of the final hint I had received from Sarah, I accepted the offer, and tried to drop the snuff while pretending, with much noise and apparent enjoyment, to draw it up into my nose; but a few grains more volatile than the rest insisted on making their way in, and I found it necessary to blow that organ.

"Niff, niff. Bless my soul, how disgusting! Niff, niff. What can it be? Why, it is your handkerchief! It's musk! Young man, you are offensive; come with me," said Sir George.

I am not over-patient by nature, and felt all the blood in my body fly to my face at this insult; but I thought of the stake I was playing for, swallowed my anger, and followed him.

"Throw the thing down. John, take that handkerchief away," said he, when we had reached the hall. "This way, Mr. Pans;" and he led me into his study, opened a folding washing-stand, poured water into the basin, and said, pointing to it, "Wash!"

My

"Oh, Mr. Pans. Poor Flora what shall I

"Well, I think I could save her if she were left entirely in my hands; but, above all things, no one must feed her but myself."

"Thank you, dear Mr. Pans; I will give direc tions. Oh, I shall be ever grateful to you if you should prove the blessed instrument of restoring my sweet doggy to health again!"

Lady Potts went to the other end of the room for some work, and I whispered to Sarah, “Will that do?"

66

'Ah, you dreadful hypocrite; it is quite shocking! I shall never know when to believe you in earnest," she replied, looking half-frightened, halfamused.

"It is very unpleasant. Nothing but the hope of winning you could make me stoop to such a course of proceeding."

"O yes; I know it was necessary indeed, it was I who advised it. But whatever my uncle and aunt's foibles, and however they behave to others, they are most kind to me, and it pains me to see their weak points so drawn out.”

The colonel came in, yawning, had a cup of tea, and then told me to get the backgammon-board, and play a bit with him; which I did, playing

I obeyed him, and we returned to the drawing- as badly as possible, and never taking him up

room.

"My lady is served," the butler presently announced; and as he did not speak literally, but metaphorically, I offered my arm.

When the ladies had withdrawn, the colonel ensconced himself in an easy-chair, and began

but once, when I could not help it; on which occasion he got into so violent a passion, that I was glad of my previous forbearance; but as I managed to let him gammon me that very game, he soon recovered his--what I suppose he calledgood-humour.