“ For he is hideous as the night; And when has ever chose A hueless, scentless rose ?" Tbe Caliph then: “ No features fair Nor comely mein are his ; And love his glory is. “ Once, when a camel of my train There fell in narrow street, From broken basket rolled amain Rich pearls before my feet. “I, nodding to my slaves, that I Would freely give them these, At once upon the spoil they fly, The costly boon to seize. “One only at my side remained ; Beside this Ethiop, none; Behind me sat alone. 6 • What will thy gain, good fellow, be, Thus lingering at my side?' • My king, that I shall faithfully Have guarded thee,' he cried. “ True servant's title he may wear, He only, who has not His lord himself forgot." So thou alone dost walk before Thy God with perfect aim, From him desiring nothing more Beside himself to claim. For if thou not to him aspire, But to his gifts alone, Has brought thee to his throne. While such thy prayer, it mounts above In vain; the golden key RICHARD CHEVENIX TRENCH. MANS MEDLEY. He wears ε stuff whose thread is coarse and And woods do ring! round, And should take place After the trimming, not the stuff and ground. Not that he may not here To this life, things of sense Taste of the cheer; But as birds drink, and straight lift up the In th' other, angels have a right by birth; head, So must be sip and think Of better drink But as his joys are double, So is his trouble; He hath two winters, other things but one; TO Both thoughts and frosts do nip Could he but take them right, and in their And bite his lip; ways. And he of all things fears two deaths alone. Happy is he whose heart Has found the art To turn his double pains to double praise. GEORGE HERBERT. HABIT. on the vicious ways of the world it mercifully falleth out that we become not extempore wicked, but it taketh some time and pains to undo ourselves. We fall not from virtue, like Vulcan, in a day. Bad dispositions require some time to grow into bad habits; bad habits must undermine good, and often repeated acts make us habitually evil. SIR THOMAS BROWNE. BENEVOLENCE. "E who does good to one person from a benevolent principle, lays an obligation on the whole species, for' he shows that he has the interest of mankind at heart, and he sets a good example. Our love of good men, therefore, partakes of the nature of gratitude; to be destitute of it is a proof of such depravity as even profligates would be ashamed of. JAMES BEATTIE. Am rayop |