Ver, aprica rosæ tempora proferens,
Vas, in quo decor et sparsus odor nitet,

Vitæ musa canit te breve; cum rosâ

Cui curtum decus occidet.

At justorum animus, ritè vigens, trabes
Duratæ veluti, cedere nesciet;

Quum terrestria vis hauserit ignea,
Vitâ vivus erit novâ.

C. B. B.

THE DEATH OF HERO AND LEANDER.

FROM MUSEUS, 309-340.

"Twas night, and the blasts with their terrible breath
Were rife with the chill winds of Winter and Death,
And lashed without ceasing the rocks with the tide ;
When Leander, in hope of his beauteous bride,
Accustomed each night her long vigil to keep,
Was borne on the back of the ill-omened deep
Now wave rolled on wave, and the water rose high,
And the sea sent defiance aloft to the sky;
The winds in contention around were engaged,

And Zephyr with Eurus in strife fiercely raged,
And South hurled to North mighty threats in disdain,
Returned by the roar of the clamorous main.

While wretched Leander in wild eddies torn,

That laughed the soft voice of enchantment to scorn,
Offered many a vow to the ocean-born Queen,
And to Neptune, who reigns in the watery sheen,
And besought the stern North to remember the pain
That he once had endured the fair Atthis to gain.
But vainly he prayed, and in Death's evil hour
Even Love nought availed him 'gainst Destiny's power:

And battered around by th' encountering might
Of the sea, madly raging in Cupid's despite,
His feet 'gan to fail, though, still stiffly before him,
His arm cut the waves, and a little upbore him.
But the terrible wave filled his mouth, and each time
Gave him many a draught of the conquering brine.
Then vanished the treacherous light 'neath the blast,
And the life and the love of Leander were past!

But Hero still watched, and Leander delayed,
And sad grew the thoughts of the fair love-lorn maid;
And spring-born Aurora at last broke the night,
But she brought not the long-truant youth with her light;
While Hero's soft eye scanned the wild raging storm,
Perchance to discern the loved wanderer's form

Tossed about by the waves, since the winds on the stream
Of Helle that night forbad torches to gleam.

But when 'mid the breakers his corpse she descried
Swayed hither and thither, all gored by the tide,
She leapt from the tower-the sad vigil was over,
And Hero fell dead on the corpse of her lover!

D. M. C.

ON THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION.

To those who have nearly completed their education at a public school, and are on the point of leaving it for a wider sphere of action—at least to the greater part of them-the question of a profession will naturally suggest itself. There are but few here whose prospects in life will admit of their being bred to no profession, and still fewer to whom some such employment would not be beneficial, as tending to preserve them from idleness, from dissipation, and from ennui.

The dolce far niente of the Italians forms no part of the English character; and there can be no doubt that even those who are placed above the necessity of following an occupation, in order to gain a livelihood, are yet made happier and better men by studying some profession, though it be but for amusement. The results of a contrary course were displayed in the illiterate country squires of former times, who passed their lives in fox-hunting by day, and hard drinking by night, and despised learning, because they were themselves utterly ignorant. At the present day, however, when the importance of education among all ranks is so much more universally acknowledged, instances of this kind are rare indeed, and few men are destined to a life of idleness. It is in consequence of this improvement, that the professions have swelled their numbers to a degree beyond the requirements of the increased population, vast as has been the growth of the latter, and are at present greatly overstocked. The inevitable consequence of a "crowded state of the markets" is the "depreciation of prices ;" and that which is true in mercantile affairs applies with equal force to the professions. They are unquestionably much less lucrative than formerly, and the chances of success in each are diminished in proportion to the increase of competition; for though the great prizes in each are neither fewer nor less rich than before, the number of claimants and their conflicting interests necessarily leave many hungry and unsatisfied mouths after every distribution. And even in those professions in which promotion depends on individual merit rather than interest, a

greater number of competitors must be beaten before the race is won; and many even of those who combine talent with application must find the labour of a lifetime fruitless, and their efforts to attain the summit of distinction ill-requited.

We may fairly assert that these considerations should have their due weight, without laying ourselves open to the charge of advocating too worldly and calculating a policy. For though some may be in a condition to make a livelihood no object, and consult their tastes and inclinations alone, by far the greater part adopt a profession as the means, often the only means, of getting their subsistence. But our present object is rather to point out to our school-fellows the bodily and mental qualifications which may guide them in making their choice, so as to take advantage of what requirements they may possess, and to avoid embarking in a profession which they are ill qualified to adorn. We shall therefore proceed first to make a few observations on the army and navy, and afterwards on the learned professions. The navy, indeed, from the early age at which it is entered, and the technical nature of the instruction which it embraces, is not often the destination of those who are educated at a public school; and it is therefore unnecessary for us to dwell long on that part of our subject. It may, however, be remarked, en passant, that the naval service, unlike most others, requires not merely passive acquiescence in the wishes of friends, but a congenial temperament, and great power of endurance, in order to render it tolerable. It is, therefore, not to be recommended as a profession to

any one who has not a decided bias, amounting almost to an enthusiasm for the sea.

On the other hand, many who have left the public schools adopt for a time the army, which in its present condition, after upwards of thirty years' peace, with a probability of its further continuance, has, we fear, begun to be looked upon too much as a mere amusement-a genteel finish for young men of fortune. But independently of its efficiency being greatly diminished by its being thus considered as a temporary recreation, rather than as a profession, to which the energies of a life ought to be devoted, military society, as at present constituted, is one of the worst schools of morality in which the minds of young men can receive their final training; one which is calculated to render them votaries of pleasure, and to lead them into habits of dissipation and extravagance. The entertainments of the mess-room, and rivalry in splendour of appointments, open a wide field for ostentation and expense; and many a young coxcomb who has entered the Guards with more money than brains, has found even a considerable fortune insufficient to meet the demands of luxury, and has reduced his purse to a level with his understanding. The wholesome restraint provided by university regulations is shaken off too early by those who enter the army as soon as they have left school, who are thus abandoned to their own devices before their principles are sufficiently confirmed to bear entire exemption from the controul of their superiors. The army ought to be considered much more in the light of a profession-a solemn and important profes