which he and his opponent bowed to the tribunal and departed.

It was now the turn of Bou-Akas and the cripple.

My lord cadi,' said the former, 'I came hither from a distant country, with the intention of purchasing merchandise. At the city gate I met this cripple, who first asked for alms, and then prayed me to allow him to ride behind me through the streets, lest he should be trodden down in the crowd. I consented; but when we reached the marketplace he refused to get down, asserting that my horse belonged to him, and that your worship would surely adjudge it to him who wanted it most. That, my lord cadi, is precisely the state of the case.'

6

My lord,' said the cripple, as I was coming on business to the market, and riding this horse, which belongs to me, I saw this man seated by the roadside, apparently half dead from fatigue. I goodnaturedly offered to take him on the crupper, and let him ride as far as the market-place, and he eagerly thanked me. But what was my astonishment when, on our arrival, he refused to get down, and said that my horse was his! I immediately required him to appear before your worship, in order that you might decide between us. the true state of the case.'

That is

Having made each repeat his deposition, and having reflected for a moment, the cadi said, 'Leave the horse here, and return to-morrow.'

It was done, and Bou-Akas and the cripple withdrew in different directions.

LESSON 46.

THE CADI'S DECISIONS.

(Continued.)

On the morrow a number of persons besides those immediately interested in the trials assembled to hear the judge's decisions.

The taleb and the peasant were called first.

'Take away thy wife,' said the cadi to the former, and keep her.'

Then turning towards an officer, he added, pointing to the peasant, Give this man fifty blows.' He was instantly obeyed, and the taleb carried off his wife.

Then came forward the oil merchant and the butcher.

'Here,' said the cadi to the butcher, 'is thy money; it is truly thine, and not his.' Then pointing to the oil merchant, he said to his officer, Give this man fifty blows.' It was done, and the butcher went away in triumph with his money. The third cause was called, and Bou-Akas and the cripple came forward.

'Wouldst thou recognise thy horse among twenty others?' said the judge to Bou-Akas. 'Yes, my lord.'

'And thou?'

'Certainly, my lord,' replied the cripple.

'Follow me,' said the cadi to Bou-Akas.

They entered a large stable, and Bou-Akas pointed out his horse amongst the twenty which were standing side by side.

"'Tis well,' said the judge. Return now to the tribunal, and send me thine adversary hither.'

The disguised sheik obeycd, delivered his message, and the cripple hastened to the stable as quickly as his distorted limbs allowed. He possessed quick perceptions, and having observed accurately, was able, without the slightest hesitation, to place his hand on the right animal.

"Tis well,' said the cadi ; 'return to the tribunal.'

His worship resumed his place, and when the cripple arrived, judgment was pronounced.

The horse is thine,' said the cadi to Bou-Akas; 'go to the stable and take him.' Then to the officer, 'Give this cripple fifty blows.'

It was done, and Bou-Akas went to take his horse.

When the cadi, after concluding the business of the day, was retiring to his house, he found BouAkas waiting for him.

'Art thou discontented with my award?' asked the judge.

'No, quite the contrary,' replied the sheik; 'but I want to ask by what inspiration thou hast rendered justice; for I doubt not that the other two causes were decided as equitably as mine. I am not a merchant; I am Bou-Akas, Sheik of Algeria, and I wanted to judge for myself of thy reputed wisdom.'

The cadi bowed to the ground, and kissed his master's hand.

'I am anxious,' said Bou-Akas, 'to know the reasons which determined your three decisions?'

'Nothing, my lord, can be more simple. Your highness saw that I detained for a night the three things in dispute?'

'I did.'

'Well, early in the morning I caused the woman

to be called, and I said to her suddenly, "Put fresh ink in my inkstand." Like a person who had done the same thing a hundred times before, she took the bottle, removed the cotton, washed them both, put in the cotton again, and poured in fresh ink, doing it all with the utmost neatness and despatch. So I said to myself, "A peasant's wife would know nothing about inkstands; she must belong to the taleb'

'Good!' said Bou-Akas, nodding his head. 'And the money?'

'Did your highness remark that the merchant had his clothes and hands covered with oil?'

'Certainly I did.'

'Well, I took the money and placed it in a vessel filled with water. This morning I looked at it, and not a particle of oil was to be seen on the surface of the water. So I said to myself, "If this money belonged to the oil merchant, it would be greasy from the touch of his hands; as it is not so, the butcher's story must be true."

Bou-Akas nodded in token of approval. 'Good!' said he. And my horse?'

'Ah! that was a different business; and until this morning I was greatly puzzled.'

'The cripple, I suppose, did not recognise the animal?'

'On the contrary, he pointed him out immediately.'

'How, then, did you discover that he was not the owner?

'My object in bringing you separately to the stable was, not to see whether you would know the horse, but whether the horse would acknowledge you. Now, when you approached him, the creature turned towards you, laid back his ears, and neighed

with delight; but when the cripple touched him he kicked. Then I knew that you were truly his master.'

Bou-Akas thought for a moment, and then

said:

'Allah has given thee great wisdom. Thou oughtest to be in my place, and I in thine. But I fear I could not fill thy place as cadi.'

Adapted from 'Arabian Tales.'

LESSON 47.

ON THE POETRY OF MILTON.

[In the Spectator' there are eighteen papers by Addison devoted to a critical examination of Paradise Lost'; the following is the fourth of the series.]

ammiral, admiral
cressets, large open lamps
dulcet, sweet

ethereal, heavenly, celestial
exordium, introductory part
Fesolé, near Florence

marl, clay, earth generally minium, red-lead

prone, bending forward Valdarno, valley of the Arno

incumbent, lying, resting on Virgil, a Latin author

I have seen, in the works of a modern philosopher, a map of the spots in the sun. My last paper of the faults and blemishes in Milton's Paradise Lost may be considered as a piece of the same nature. Το pursue the allusion: as it is observed that among the bright parts of the luminous body above men