1. Poised, pansies, heirdom, purple, eyrie, meeken, throne. 2. What is meant by "honey-gold"? "delve"? "heirdom of my store"?" methought"? "screamed the thunder back"? "live for life"? What lesson is taught by this poem?

XLV. SOLON AND CRŒSUS.

1. Coming to Croesus at his request, Solon was in the condition of an inland man when first he goes to the sea, for he fancies every river he meets to be the ocean; so Solon, as he passed through the court, and saw nobles richly dressed and proudly attended, thought every one to be the king, till he came to Croesus, who was decked with every possible rarity and curiosity, in ornaments of jewels, purple, and gold, that could make a gorgeous spectacle of him.

2. Now, when Solon came before him, and seemed not at all surprised, nor gave Croesus the compliments he expected, the king commanded his attendants to open all his treasure-houses, and to carry Solon to see his sumptuous furniture and luxuries; and, when he returned, Croesus asked Solon if he had ever known a happier man than he.

3. Solon answered that he had known one Tellus, a fellow-citizen of his own, an honest man, who had had good children and a competent estate, and had died bravely in battle for his country.

4. Croesus thought him ill-bred for not measuring happiness by the abundance of gold and silver, and for preferring the life and death of a private man before so much power and empire. He asked him, however, if besides Tellus he knew any other man more happy.

5. Solon replied, "Yes; Cleobis and Biton, loving brothers, who were so dutiful to their mother that, when the oxen delayed her, they harnessed themselves to the wagon and drew her to Juno's temple, her neighbors all calling her happy, and she herself rejoicing; then, after sacrificing and feasting, they went to rest and never rose again, but died, in the midst of their honor, a painless and tranquil death."

6. "What!" said Croesus, angrily, "and dost thou not consider us among the happy at all?"

7. Solon, unwilling either to flatter him or to exasperate him more, replied, "The gods, O king, have given to the Greeks all other gifts in moderate degree; so our wisdom, too, is a cheerful and homely, not a noble and kingly, wisdom; and, observing the numerous misfortunes that attend all conditions, it forbids us to grow insolent upon our present enjoyment, or to admire any man's happiness that may yet in course of time suffer change. For the uncertain future has yet to come, with every possible variety of fortune; and him only, to whom

divinity has continued happiness unto the end, we call happy. To salute as happy one that is still in the midst of life and hazard, we think as little safe and conclusive as to crown and proclaim victorious the wrestler that is yet in the ring." After this Solon was dismissed, having given Croesus some pain, but no instruction.

8. Esop, who wrote the fables, being then at Sardis upon Croesus's invitation, was concerned that Solon was so illy received, and gave him this advice: "Solon, let your converse with kings be either short or seasonable." "Nay, rather," replied Solon, "either short or reasonable."

9. Croesus at this time despised Solon; but later, when, overcome by Cyrus, king of Persia, he had lost his kingdom, and being taken alive had been condemned to be burnt, and was laid bound upon the pile, he called three times as loud as he could, "O Solon!" Cyrus, being surprised, sent some one to inquire what man or god this Solon was. Croesus told him the whole story, saying, "He was one of the wise men of Greece, for whom I sent, not to be instructed, but that he should be a witness of my happiness, the loss of which was, it seems, a greater evil than the enjoyment was a good. He, conjecturing from what then was what now is, bade me to look to the end of my life, and not rely or grow proud upon uncertainties."

10. When this was told him, Cyrus, who was a wiser man than Croesus, saw in the present example Solon's maxim confirmed, and not only freed Croesus from punishment, but honored him as long as he lived. So that Solon had the glory by the same saying of saving one king and instructing another.

1. Fancies, decked, gorgeous, spectacle, complements, sumptuous, competent, sacrificing, tranquil, exasperate, insolent, condemned, uncertainties, maxim, confirmed.

2. Who was Croesus? Why did he want to see Solon? Why did Croesus want to impress Solon with his wealth? What did Solon consider the measure of happiness? Did Croesus profit by the lesson Solon taught him? What part of Solon's teachings was remembered by Croesus when Cyrus was about to kill him?

XLVI. IN MEMORIAM.

1. With trembling fingers did we weave
The holly round the Christmas hearth;
A rainy cloud possessed the earth,
And sadly fell our Christmas eve.

2. At our old pastimes in the hall

We gamboled, making vain pretence
Of gladness, with an awful sense
Of one mute Shadow watching all.

3. We paused; the winds were in the beechWe heard them sweep the winter land; And in a circle hand in hand

Sat silent, looking each at each.

4. Then echo-like our voices rang;

We sang, though every eye was dim-
A merry song we sang with him
Last year: impetuously we sang;

5. We ceased. A gentler feeling crept
Upon us; surely rest is meet;

"They rest," we said, "their sleep is sweet." And silence followed, and we wept.

6. Our voices took a higher range;

Once more we sang: "They do not die,
Nor lose their mortal sympathy,

Nor change to us, although they change:

7. "Rapt from the fickle and the frail,
With gathered power, yet the same,
Pierces the keen seraphic flame
From orb to orb, from veil to veil.

8. "Rise, happy morn! rise, holy morn!
Draw forth the cheerful day from night!
O Father! touch the east, and light
The light that shone when Hope was born!"