4

deliberately taken off his hat, and was regarding the scene 2 with serious eyes wide-awake."-"Hush! And if he did break it, ma'am, it was quite an accident; he was standing so, and he never meant it.5 Did you, Master Sisty? Speak!7 (this in a whisper 8), or pa will be so angry."

"Well," said my mother, "I accident; take care in future, 10

suppose it was an9 my child. child. You are

11

There's a kiss; I see, to have grieved me.

sorry,
don't fret.'

>> 12

"No, mamma, you must not kiss me; I don't deserve it. I pushed out the flower-pot on purpose."

"Ha! and why ?" 13 said my father, walking up.14 Mrs. Primmins trembled like a leaf.

"For fun!" 15 said I, hanging my 16 head-"just to see how you'd look,17 papa; and that's the truth of it. Now beat me, do 18 beat me."

21

My father threw his book fifty yards off,19 stooped down, and caught me to his breast.20 "Boy," he said, "you have done wrong: you shall repair it by remembering all your life that your father blessed God for giving him 22 a son who spoke truth 23 in spite of fear.

1 Had very deliberately taken off, venait d'ôter résolument-2 the scene, ce qui se passait-3 with serious eyes wide-awake, d'un air sérieux, les yeux tout grand-ouverts-4 it was quite an accident, ç'a été par pur accident-5 he was standing so, and he never meant it, il était là comme ça, et il ne l'a pas fait exprès- did you, n'est-ce pas 7" speak then (donc)"-8 in a whisper, à voix basse-9 I suppose it was an, je suppose bien que ç'a été par-10 in future, à l'avenir11 there's a kiss, viens, que je t'embrasse-12 don't fret, voyons, ne te tourmente pas-13 why, pourquoi donc-14 walking up, en s'avançant-15 for fun, pour m'amuser (or familiarly: histoire de rire!)— 16 hanging my, en baissant la-17 how you'd look, quelle mine vous feriez-18 do, oui-19 fifty yards off, à vingt pas-20 caught me to his breast, me serra contre sa poitrine 21 boy, etc.......wrong, garçon," dit-il, "tu as commis une faute-22 for giving him, de lui avoir donné 23 spoke truth, disait la vérité.

mon

A FATHER'S FIRST LESSON TO HIS CHILD. 175

Oh! Mrs. Primmins, the next fable of this kind you try to teach him,1 we part for ever."

*

*

*

*

*

This box of dominoes was my delight.2

3

"Ah!" said my father one day when he found me ranging the ivory parallelograms in the parlour, "ah! you like that better than all your playthings, eh ?" "Ah! yes, papa."

"You would be very sorry if your mamma was to throw that box out of 5 the window and break it for fun." I looked beseechingly at my father, and made no answer.6

"But perhaps you would be very glad," he resumed,7 "if suddenly one of those good fairies you read of could change the domino-box into a beautiful geranium in a beautiful blue-and-white flower-pot, and that you could have the pleasure of putting it on your mamma's window-sill."

'Indeed I would!" 10 said I, half crying.

"My dear boy, I believe you; but good wishes 11 don't mend bad actions-good actions mend bad actions."

So saying, he shut the door and went out. I cannot tell you how puzzled I was 12 to make out what my father meant by his aphorism. But I know that I played at dominoes no more that day.13 The next morning 14 my father found me seated by myself 15 under a tree in the

1 The next, etc.......him, essayez encore une fois de lui apprendre une pareille fable-2 was my delight, faisait mon bonheur 3 when he, qu'il-4 was to, allait-5 out of, par-6 and made no answer, sans répondre- he resumed, reprit-il-8 you read of, dont il est question dans tes livres 9 that you could, que tu pusses- 10 I would, oui...... 11 wishes, intentions-12 "how much I was puzzled"13 but I know that I played at.... ......no more that day, mais ce que je sais, c'est que je ne jouai plus aux...... de la journée 14 the next morning, le lendemain matin-15 by myself, seul.

garden; he paused and looked at me with his grave bright eyes 1 very steadily.

"My boy," said he, "I am going to walk to 2——; will you 3 come? And, by-the-bye, fetch your dominobox; I should like to show it to a person there." I

5

ran in for the box, and, not a little proud of walking with my father on the high road, we set out.

"Papa," said I by the way," "there are no fairies

"Why," how then can my domino-box be changed into a geranium and a blue-and-white flower-pot ?"

"My dear," 10 said my father, leaning his hand on my shoulder, "everybody who is in earnest to be good 11 carries two fairies about with him 12— one here," and he touched my 13 forehead; "and one here," and he touched my heart.

"I don't understand, papa.

"I can wait till you do,14 Pisistratus !"

Ah! how proud, how overjoyed I was,15 when, after placing 16 vase and flower on the window-sill, I plucked my mother by the gown, and made her follow me to the spot.17

"It is his doing 18 and his money!" said my father; "good actions have mended the bad."

1 With his grave bright eyes, de ses yeux graves et vifs-2 to walk to, me promener jusqu'à-3 fetch, va donc chercher—4 there, là-bas —5 I ran in for, je courus à la maison chercher-6 and not a little, etc., " and we set out, I not a little (pas peu) proud of, etc.”—7 by the way, chemin faisant—8 what then, où veux-tu en venir-9 why, mais 10 my dear, mon ami-11 everybody who is in earnest to be good, quiconque fait de son mieux pour être bon-12 about with him, en lui. même-13 he touched my, "he touched me at the"-14 till you do que tu comprennes-15 how......how......I was, que je fus done......que je fus... 16 placing, avoir placé-17 and made her follow me to the spot, pour l'amener voir-18 doing, œuvre.

CHARACTER OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.

177

"What!" cried my mother, when she had learned all;1 "and your poor domino-box that you were so fond of! We shall go back to-morrow, and buy it back,2 if it costs us double." 3

"Shall we buy it back, Pisistratus ?" asked my father.

"Oh, no-no-no!-it would spoil all," I cried, burying my face on my father's breast.

5

"My wife," said my father solemnly, "this is my first lesson to our child-the sanctity and happiness of self-sacrifice-undo not what it should teach him to 7 his dying hour."

BULWER," The Caxtons."

CHARACTER OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.

8

There are few great personages in history who have been more exposed to the calumny of enemies, and the adulation of friends, than Queen 10 Elizabeth; and yet there is scarcely any 11 whose reputation has been more certainly determined by the unanimous consent of posterity. The unusual length of her administration, and the strong features 12 of her character, were able to 13 overcome all prejudices; and obliging 14 her detractors to abate much of their invectives, and her admirers somewhat of their panegyrics, have 15 at last, in spite of poli

1 Had......all, eut tout......- 2 and buy it back, la racheter-3 if it costs us double, quand même elle nous coûterait le double-4 burying, etc......breast, me cachant le visage dans le sein de mon père5 this is, voici-6 what it should, ce qu'elle doit-7 to, jusqu'à.

10

Few, peu de (see note, p. 61)-9 have been, past subjunctivesee note a, p. 65-11 there is scarcely any, il y en a à peine un seul 12 strong features, traits fortement marqués-13 were able to, réussirent à-14 obliging en obligeant-15 have, ils ont.

N

tical factions, and what is more,1 of religious animosities, produced a uniform judgment with regard to her conduct. Her vigour, her constancy, her magnanimity, her penetration, vigilance, and address, are allowed to merits the highest praises, and appear not to have been surpassed by any person that ever filled 5 a throne: a conduct less rigorous, less imperious, more sincere, more indulgent to her people, would have been requisite to form a perfect character. By the force of her mind she controlled all her more active and stronger qualities, and prevented them from running into excess; her heroism was exempt from temerity, her frugality from avarice, her friendship from partiality, her active temper from turbulency and a vain ambition; she guarded not herself with equal care or equal success from 10 lesser infirmities: the rivalship of beauty, the desire of admiration, the jealousy of love, and the sallies of anger.

9

Her singular talents for government 11 were founded equally on 12 her temper and on her capacity. Endowed with a great command over herself,13 she soon obtained an uncontrolled 14 ascendant over her people; and while she merited all their esteem 15 by her real virtues, she also engaged 16 their affections by her pretended ones.17 sovereigns of England succeeded to the throne in more

Few

1 What is more, qui plus est-2 sing.-3 are allowed to merit, méritent, de l'aveu de tous-4 the highest praises, les plus grands éloges 5 by any person that ever filled, par aucun des personnages qui ont jamais occupé-6 a conduct......would have been requisite, il lui eût fallu une conduite......7 to form, pour présenter-8 qualities, facultés from running into excess, de se produire d'une manière excessive-10 she guarded, etc......from, elle ne se mit pas en garde avec le même soin ou le même succès contre-l talents for government, talent (sing.) administratif-12 were founded......on, émanait

.de-13 endowed, etc......herself, douée de beaucoup d'empire sur elle-même-14 uncontrolled, absolu- 15 while she merited all their esteem, tout en méritant son entière estime (see note ", p. 10)— 16 engaged, captiva-17 by her pretended ones, par celles dont elle se donnait les apparences.