ment, among which there are two epistles bearing his name; and the latter in reference to the expression of Jesus, that he would bestow upon him the "kingdom of heaven."

WILLIAM. With the biography of St. Peter, we close our notice of this month.

During the Conversation, night had imperceptibly stolen on our party. To the setting sun had succeeded the silvery moon, with her attendant train of twinkling stars. All was so sublimely beautiful, that, after the first burst of admiration, they seemed individually, to indulge in that feeling of repose so congenial to the mind on such occasions. Silence was at length broken by Maria, who much affected by the scene, exclaimed, in the language o Mrs. Barbauld:

'Tis now the hour,

When Contemplation from her sunless haunts,
The cool damp grotto, or the lonely depth

Of unpierc'd woods, where, wrapt in silent shade,
She mus❜d away the gaudy hours of noon,
And fed on thoughts unripen'd by the sun,
Moves forward; and with radiant finger points
To yon blue concave swell'd by breath divine,
Where, one by one, the living eyes of heaven
Awake, quick kindling o'er the face of ether
One boundless blaze; ten thousand trembling fires,
And dancing lustres, where the unsteady eye,
Restless and dazzled, wanders unconfin'd
O'er all this field of glories: spacious field,
And worthy of the Master.

JULY.

"Vertical, the sun

Darts on the head direct his forceful rays.
O'er heaven and earth, far as the ranging eye
Can sweep, a dazzling deluge reigns; and all
From pole to pole is undistinguish'd blaze.
In vain the sight dejected, to the ground
Stoops for relief; thence hot-ascending steams
And keen reflection pain. Deep to the root
Of vegetation parch'd, the cleaving fields
Blast Fancy's bloom, and wither e'en the soul.

*

-Distressful nature pants.

The very streams look languid from afar :

Or, through th' unshelter'd glade, impatient seem
To hurl into the covert of the grove."

THUS had been the noon; succeeded, however, by an evening of mild serenity, but still of sufficient warmth to create a strong desire for the refreshing coolness of the out-of-door atmosphere. The arrangements made by Angelina and her sister, for the accommodation of their friends in the summer-house, were therefore particularly grateful to the feelings of the young party; and they arranged themselves under the bowery shade, in mild composure and social affection. Young Arthur chose the green sward to stretch himself at length, complaining sadly of the heat; when his father, observing his fatigue, took the opportunity of reminding him, that much of his even

SEVENTH MONTH, JULY.

167

"Indeed it was

ing's languor was to be attributed to his morning's sloth. "Indeed, papa!" said Arthur, raising his head; "how do you mean?" "I mean," replied Mr. Constance, "that if you were to rise earlier from your bed at this season of the year, you would gain strength instead of wasting it, and be better enabled to bear with the heat of the day. I was much displeased this morning, to find that you were not stirring when I took my leave, and hope that I shall not again have to remind you of this error." "Oh! papa," exclaimed Arthur, "it was not late." late: and as you do not appear to be sensible of the advantages of rising early, I must assure you, that you will never be a great man if you continue to spend so many hours in bed. It is a sad waste of time while there, and tends greatly to incapacitate you for exertion when up." "But is there any real harm in not rising early, papa?” inquired Arthur. "Yes, a great deal of real harm: first, as I have already mentioned, it hurts your substance, and produces lassitude, by softening the flesh and unstringing the nerves, creating a lowness of spirits, and a derangement of the whole nervous system; it occasions such a faintness as frequently to incapacitate you for any extra exertion, and makes you afraid of every little inconvenience. But the injury done to your health is not all; there is the waste of time. You went to bed last night at nine o'clock, and was not up till eight this morning: eleven hours!" Arthur hère started up with surprise, but recollecting that it was a fact, he could say nothing in reply, and his father continued :-" Now, had you rose from your bed at five o'clock, which you ought to have done, having retired to rest at nine the preceding night; or, suppose we say at six, you would thereby have gained two hours and trifling as may appear the loss or the gain of such a period of time, it is not an affair of small moment,

when we consider that two hours gained each day, that is, in rising at six instead of eight o'clock, will amount in forty years, supposing you go to bed at the same hour every night, to nearly ten years." "Ten years!" exclaimed Arthur; interrupting his papa. "Yes, ten years: and which time may be considered as an addition of that period to a man's existence; inasmuch as the difference between being awake and asleep is equal to the activity of life over the dull inanity of the grave." "Ten years!" repeated Arthur, musing; “I never should have thought it." "It is, however, true," returned his father; " and now that you are acquainted with the fact, I hope that you will endeavour to redeem your lost time. A sluggard is a disgraceful character, and ought to be looked upon with contempt." "But I hope I am no sluggard, papa," said Arthur, in a piteous tone, evidently affected by the severity of his father's concluding sentence.

"No: you are not," said Maria, who now spoke in defence of her little favourite: "and there is an excuse for him this morning, papa; he last night retired to rest much fatigued. He had been assisting me in my garden, working like a little gardener, and this morning, I suppose, overslept himself. No," she added, drawing him by her side," Arthur is no sluggard."

"Not a confirmed sluggard, Maria, I acknowledge," replied Mr. Constance; "but I have certainly noticed that he has not of late been up so soon as I could have wished; and as it is a fast growing evil, I am desirous to make him sensible of his fault, ere it be too firmly rooted. You know not, Arthur," he continued, addressing him, "what is lost by the indolent in this season of the year: the morning is the most beautiful portion of the day, and once having risen early, you will for ever regret that you wasted your time in bed. Many celebrated men have spoken in high

commendation of early rising, and perhaps you may remember the lines of the poet, where he asks

'Falsely luxurious, will not man awake,
And, springing from the bed of sloth, enjoy
The cool, the fragrant, and the silent hour,
To meditation due and sacred song?

For is there aught in sleep can charm the wise?
To lie in dead oblivion, losing half

The fleeting moments of too short a life;
Total extinction of the enlightened soul !
Or else to feverish vanity alive,

Wildered and tossing through distempered dreams!
Who would in such a gloomy state remain
Longer than nature craves, when every muse
And every blooming pleasure wait without,
To bless the wildly-devious morning walk ?'

The amiable and enlightened Dr. Doddridge had also a high opinion of the good effects of early rising, and to the practice of which he attributes the production of many of his valuable works. Various others might be instanced, who have laid the foundation of their ultimate greatness to this seemingly trifling virtue:-but as I perceive that my boy is sensible of its importance, and willing to amend his error, I shall not further delay the time appropriated to the consideration of another subject."

William bowed to his uncle's intimation to begin, and said that the month of July received its present name from Mark Antony, in honour of Julius Cæsar; who, as he reformed the calendar, and made many additions thereto, may be justly entitled to an enrolment of his name in its columns. Before his time it was called Quintilis (fifth month). By the Saxons it was styled Hey Monath, because it is the season for the hay harvest.

ANGELINA. The 2nd of this month is distinguished by Vis. B. V. M. Pray, William, what is the meaning of

these letters?

I