You will learn elsewhere the claims of this great artist to the admiration of posterity. All the academies of Europe solicited the honour of enrolling him among their members. All the kings vied with each other in enriching their national museums with the beautiful products of his genius. He was elected Prince-perpetual of the Academy of St Luke at Rome a title conferred on no other artist since his death. The funeral-ceremony with which his remains were honoured, was the grandest which had ever occurred in connection with the fine arts since the death of Raphael.

[Write from dictation]

The numerous guests congratulated the cook on the beautiful and unexpected work of art which had been introduced into the banqueting-room. The marvellous peasant-sculptor thus early exhibited his genius for statuary, and his imagination yielded fruits which were a permanent glory to his country, and will be the admiration of posterity.

THE ASS, THE FOX, AND THE LION.
[Spell and write]

alliance, impending, betray, contrived, secured, property, converted, continually, curiosity, extravagant, possession.

An ass and a fox having made an alliance, went out into the fields to hunt. They met a lion on the way. The fox, seeing the impending danger, made up to the lion, and whispered that he would betray the ass into his power, if he would promise to bear him harmless. The lion having agreed to do so, the fox contrived to lead the ass into a snare. The lion no sooner saw the ass secured,

than he fell at once upon the fox, reserving the other for his next meal.

THE ASS IN THE LION'S SKIN.

An ass having put on a lion's skin, roamed about, frightening all the silly animals he met with, and seeing a fox, he tried to alarm him also. But Reynard, having heard his voice, said: 'Well, to be sure! and I should have been frightened too if I had not heard you bray.'

Now Autumn strews on every plain
His mellow fruits and fertile grain;
And laughing Plenty, crowned with sheaves,
With purple grapes, and spreading leaves,
In rich profusion pours around

Her flowing treasures on the ground.

Oh! mark the great, the liberal hand,
That scatters blessings o'er the land;
And to the God of Nature raise
The grateful song, the hymn of praise.

2.

The infant corn in vernal hours,

He nurtured with His gentle showers,
And bade the summer clouds diffuse
Their balmy store of genial dews.
He marked the tender stem arise,
Till ripened by the glowing skies,
And now, matured, His work behold,
The cheering harvest waves in gold.
To Nature's God with joy we raise
The grateful song, the hymn of praise.

3.

The valleys echo to the strains

Of blooming maids and village swains-
To Him they tune the lay sincere,
Whose bounty crowns the smiling year.
The sounds from every woodland borne,
The sighing winds that bend the corn,
The yellow fields around proclaim
His mighty, everlasting name.
To Nature's God united raise

The grateful song, the hymn of praise.

A FROST-BITTEN NOSE.

[Spell and write]

enveloped, sallied, admirably, impression, opportunity, acclimatised, uneasiness, communicated, monosyllable, especially, desperate, determined, inability, unconcerned, enormous, generally, volubility, unnecessary.

One day I took it into my head to go my rounds on foot. I armed myself from head to foot against the inroads of the cold; I enveloped myself in a large Astracan frock-coat, I buried my ears in a fur cap, I wound round my neck a Cashmere scarf, and sallied into the street, the only part of me that was exposed to the air being the tip of my nose.

At first, everything went on admirably; I was even surprised at the little impression the cold made upon me, and I laughed to myself at the many tales I had heard on the subject. I was, moreover, delighted that chance had given me this opportunity of becoming acclimatised. However, as the first two pupils on whom I called were not at home, I began to think that chance managed matters too well, when I fancied I saw the people I met looking at me with a certain uneasiness, but still without speaking. Presently, a gentleman more communicative, it would seem, than the rest, said to me in passing: Nofs !' As I did not know one word of Russ, I thought it was not worth while to stop for the sake of a monosyllable, and I walked on. At the corner of Pear Street I met a countryman, who was passing at full speed, driving his sledge; but, rapid as was his course, he, too, thought himself bound to speak to me, and called out: Nofs! nofs !' At length, on reaching Admiralty Square, I found myself face to face with a