"You're right, my boy; hould up your head, And look like a jintleman, Sir; Sir Isaac Newton-who was he? Now tell me if you can, Sir." "Sir Isaac Newton was the boy That climbed the apple-tree, Sir; He then fell down and broke his crown, "You're right, my boy; hould up your head, And look like a jintleman, Sir; Jist tell me who ould Marmion was- He was hanged upon the gallows tree, “You're right, my boy, hould up your head, And look like a jintleman, Sir. Jist tell me who Sir Rob Roy was; The King of the Cannibal Islands; Was banished to the Highlands." "You're right, my boy; hould up your head, Old Bonaparte was King of France But he was kilt at Waterloo, Which ruined his constitution." "You're right, my boy, hould up your head, And look like a jintleman, Sir. Jist tell me who King Jonah was; For though the whale did swallow him, "You're right, my boy; hould up your head, And look like a jintleman, Sir; Jist tell me now where London is ; "You're right, my boy; hould up your head, Ye're now a jintleman, Sir; For in history and geography I've taught you all I can, Sir. JAMES A. SIDEY. YE CARPETTE KNYGHTE. I have a horse-a right good horse- Who scoure ye plaine in headie course, I have a saddel-"Sayest thou soe? I sayde not that I answere I have a bytte-a ryghte good bytteAs schall bee seene in tyme. Ye jawe of horse yt wyll not fytteYts use is more sublime. "You're right, my boy; hould up your head; Fayre Syr, how deemest thou of yt? And look like a jintleman, Sir. Just tell me who that Moses was, Yt ys-thys bytte of rhyme. LEWIS CARROLL PART I. IXION IN HEAVEN. [BENJAMIN DISRAELI, Earl of Beaconsfield, 18051881, born in London, son of Isaac Disraeli, a noted man of letters and author of the "Curiosities of Literature and many other volumes of essays, biography, and criticism. Benjamin studied law, which he disliked, wrote for the Tory newspapers, and at the age of 22 published his first novel, "Vivian Grey." This vivid and brilliant THE thunder groaned, the wind howled, the rain fell in hissing torrents, impenetrable darkness covered the earth. A blue and forky flash darted a momentary light over the landscape. A Doric temple rose in the center of a small and verdant plain, surrounded on all sides by green and hanging woods. "Jove is my only friend," exclaimed a fiction gave him a reputation, and was followed by wanderer, as he muffled himself up in his "The Young Duke," ""Contarini Fleming," "Henrietta mantle; "and were it not for the porch Temple," ‚"" Tancred,” “Coningsby " and other novels of of his temple, this night, methinks, would unequal merit. In 1837, political ambition led him to complete the work of my loving wife and stand for Parliament, where he took his seat at the age my dutiful subjects." of 32. His maiden speech was notable for extravagant rhetoric and gesture, which excited the derision of the always critical House of Commons to such a degree that Disraeli stopped short and declared, "I shall sit down but the time will come when you will hear me." About 12 years later he became one of the foremost of now, Parliamentary orators, and in 1852 the Earl of Derby The thunder died away, the wind sank into silence, the rain ceased, and the parting clouds exhibited the glittering crescent of the young moon. and majestic voice sounded skies:"Who art thou that hast no other friend than Jove?' A sonorous from the "One whom all mankind unite in call Opposition, displaying great talents as a debater. He ing a wretch." became Chancellor again in 1858, and in 1866. In 1868 he rose to be Premier, which office was resigned the same year, the Liberals again coming to power. In 1870, Disraeli published his curious novel "Lothair, which has his characteristic merits and defects, and rade quite a sensation by its venemous caricature of the late Mr. Thackeray. "Ixion in Heaven," one of his earliest productions, has been pronounced by many good judges one of the best pieces of Humor in the English language.] 76 Art thou a philosopher?" "If philosophy be endurance. But for the rest, I was some time a king, and am now a scatterling." "How do they call thee?" Ixion of Thessaly." "Ixion of Thessaly! I thought he was a happy man. I heard that he was just married." "Father of Gods and men! for I deem thee such, Thessaly is not Olympus. Conjugal felicity is only the portion of the Immortals! "Hem! What! was Dia jealous, which is common; or false, which is commoner; or both, which is commonest ?" Advertisement.—“ Ixion, King of Thessaly, famous for its horses, married Dia, daughter of Deioneus, vho, in consequence of his son-in-law's nonfulfillment of his engagements, stole away some of the monarch's steeds. Ixion concealed his resentment under the mask of friendship. He invited his father-in-law to a "It may be neither. We quarreled feast at Larissa, the capital of his kingdom; and when about nothing. Where there is little Deioneus arrived according to his appointment, he sympathy, or too much, the splitting of a threw him in a pit which he had previously filled with straw is plot enough for a domestic traburning coals. This treachery so irritated the neighbor-gedy. I was careless, her friends stigmaing princes, that all of them refused to perform the usual ceremony, by which a man was then purified of murder, and Ixion was shunned and despised by all mankind. Jupiter had compassion upon him, carried him to heaven, and introduced him to the Father of the Gods. Such a favor, which ought to have awakened gratitude in Ixion, only served to inflame his bad passions; he became enamored of Juno, and attempted to seduce her. Juno was willing to gratify the passion of Ixion, though, according to others," &c.-Classical Dictionary, art. "Izion." tized me as callous; she cold, her friends "A cool dog this. And Dia left | rabble, and a magnanimous wife at the thee?" "No; I left her." 66 What, craven?" "Not exactly. The truth islong story. I was over head and ears in debt." same time. They surrounded my palace; I cut my way through the greasy capped multitude, sword in hand, and gained a 'tis a neighboring Court, where I solicited my brother princes to purify me from the supposed murder. If I had only murdered a subject, they would have supported me against the people; but Deioneus being a crowned head, like themselves, they declared they would not countenance so immoral a being as his son-in-law. And so, at length, after much wandering, and shunned by all my species, I am here, Jove, in much higher society than I ever expected to mingle." "Ah! that accounts for everything. Nothing so harassing as a want of money! But what lucky fellows you Mortals are with your post-obits! We Immortals are deprived of this resource. I was obliged to get up a rebellion against my father, because he kept me so short, and could not die." "You could have married for money. I did." "I had no opportunity, there was so little female society in those days. When I came out, there were no heiresses except the Parcæ, confirmed old maids; and no very rich dowager, except my grandmother, old Terra." 66 Well, thou art a frank dog, and in a sufficiently severe scrape. The Gods must have pity on those for whom men have none. It is evident that Earth is too hot for thee at present, so I think thou hadst better come and stay a few weeks with us in Heaven." suit you. We dine at sunset; for Apollo "No arrow surer. Do you Fear not for me, Egiochus: I am always at home. But how am I to get to you?" "I will send Mercury; he is the best traveling companion in the world. What ho! my Eagle!" Just the thing; the older the better. "Take my thanks for hecatombs, great However, I married Dia, the daughter of Jove. Thou art, indeed, a God!" Deioneus, with a prodigious portion; but "I hardly know whether our life will after the ceremony the old gentleman would not fulfill his part of the contract without my giving up my stud. Can you conceive anything more unreasonable? I smothered my resentment at the time; for the truth is, my tradesmen all renewed my credit on the strength of the match, and so we went on very well for a year; but at last they began to smell a rat, and grew importunate. I entreated Dia to interfere; but she was a paragon of daughters, and always took the side of her father. If she had only been dutiful to her husband, she would have been a perfect woman. At last I invited Deioneus to the Larissa races, with the intention of conciliating him. The unprincipled old man bought the horse that I had backed, and by which I intended to have redeemed my fortunes, and withdrew it. My book was ruined. I dissembled my rage. I dug a pit in our garden, and filled it with burning coals. As my father-in-law and myself were taking a stroll after dinner, the worthy Deioneus fell in, merely by accident. Dia proclaimed me the murderer of her father, and, as a satisfaction to her wounded feelings, earnestly requested her subjects to decapitate her husband. She certainly was the best of daughters. There was no withstanding public opinion, an infuriated The clouds joined, and darkness again fell over the earth. II. "So! tread softly. Don't be nervous. Are you sick?" "A little nausea; 'tis nothing." "The novelty of the motion. The best thing is a beefsteak. We will stop at Taurus and take one." You have been a great traveler, Mercury?" "I have seen the world." "Ah! a wondrous spectacle. I long to travel." |