3. Come to the festal board to-night, For friendship, there, with stronger chain, Devoted hearts already bound For good or ill, will bind again. I went. 4. Nature and art their stores outpoured; 5. And years have flown; but where are now The guests, who round that table met? Rises their sun as gloriously As on the banquet's eve it set? 6. How holds the chain which friendship wove? It broke; and soon the hearts it bound Were widely sundered; and for peace, Envy, and strife, and blood were found. 7. The merriest laugh which then was heard, Has changed its tones to maniac screams, As half-quenched memory kindles up Glimmerings of guilt in feverish dreams. 8. And where is she, whose diamond eyes 9. Beneath yon willow's drooping shade, With eyes now dim, and lips all pale, She sleeps in peace. Read on her urn, "A broken heart." This tells her tale. 10. And where is he, that tower of strength, Whose fate with hers for life was joined? 11. Go to the dungeon's gloom to-night; 12. Ask you of all these woes the cause? And maddened passions spurned control. 13. Learn wisdom, then. The frequent feast Till death, at last, the banquet spread. 14. And shun, oh shun, the enchanted cup! And sadly mixed with blood and tears. DEFINITIONS.-1. Fěs'tal, mirthful, joyous. Gär'land-ed, adorned with wreaths of flowers. 3. De-võt'ed, solemnly set apart. 4. En-hånçe', increase. 6. Sun'dered, separated. 7. Glim ́merings, faint views, glimpses. 8. Ro'şe-ate, blooming, rosy. 11. Fěl'on, a public criminal. 12. En-tiç'ing, attracting to evil. Spûrned', rejected with disdain. 13. Lure, to attract, to entice. 14. En-chant'ed, affected with enchantment, bewitched. NOTES.-8. Golconda is an ancient city and fortress of India, formerly renowned for its diamonds. They were merely cut and polished here, however, being generally brought from Parteall, a city farther south. XIX. HOW TO TELL BAD NEWS. Mr. H. and the Steward. Mr. H. HA! Steward, how are you, my old boy? How do things go on at home? Steward. Bad enough, your honor; the magpie's dead. H. Poor Mag! So he's gone. S. Overeat himself, sir. How came he to die? H. Did he? A greedy dog; why what did he get he liked so well? S. Horse-flesh, sir; he died of eating horse-flesh. H. How came he to get so much horse-flesh? S. All your father's horses, sir. H. What are they dead, too? S. Ay, sir; they died of overwork. H. And why were they overworked, pray? S. To carry water, sir. H. To carry water! and what were they carrying water for? S. Sure, sir, to put out the fire, H. Fire! what fire? S. O, sir, your father's house is burned to the ground. H. My father's house burned down! and how came it set on fire? S. I think, sir, it must have been the torches. H. Torches! what torches ? S. At your mother's funeral. H. My mother dead! S. Ah, poor lady! she never looked up, after it. H. After what? S. The loss of your father. H. My father gone, too? S. Yes, poor gentleman! he took to his bed as soon as he heard of it. (5.-6.) H. Heard of what? S. The bad news, sir, and please your honor. H. What! more miseries! more bad news! S. Yes, sir; your bank has failed, and your credit is lost, and you are not worth a shilling in the world. I made bold, sir, to wait on you about it, for I thought you would like to hear the news. XX. THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM. Robert Southey (b. 1774, d. 1843) was born in Bristol, England. He entered Baliol College, Oxford, in 1793. In 1804 he established himself permanently at Greta Hall, near Keswick, Cumberland, in the "lake country," where he enjoyed the friendship and society of Wordsworth and Coleridge, other poets of the "Lake School." He was appointed poet laureate in 1813, and received a pension of £300 a year from the government in 1835. Mr. Southey was a voluminous writer in both prose and verse. As a poet, he can not be placed in the first rank, although some of his minor pieces are very happy in thought and expression. Among his most noted poetical works are "Joan of Arc," "Thalaba the Destroyer," "Madoc," "Roderick," and the "Curse of Kehama." 1. It was a summer evening, Old Kaspar's work was done, And by him sported on the green, 2. She saw her brother Peterkin In playing there, had found; He came to ask what he had found, 3. Old Kaspar took it from the boy, And then the old man shook his head, ""Tis some poor fellow's skull," said he, 4. "I find them in the garden, 5. "Now tell us what 't was all about," "Now tell us all about the war, 6. "It was the English," Kaspar cried, Who put the French to rout, But what they killed each other for, 7. "My father lived at Blenheim then, So, with his wife and child he fled, Nor had he where to rest his head. |