"What news? what news? your tidings tell ;

Tell me you must and shall

Say, why bareheaded you are come?
Or why you come at all?"

Now Gilpin had a pleasant wit,
And loved a timely joke;
And thus unto the calender
In merry guise he spoke :-

"I came because your horse would come;
And, if I well forebode,

My hat and wig will soon be here
They are upon the road."

The calender, right glad to find
His friend in merry pin,
Returned him not a single word,
But to the house went in.

Whence straight he came with hat and wig

A wig that flowed behind,

A hat not much the worse for wear,
Each comely in its kind.

He held them up, and, in his turn,
Thus showed his ready wit:
"My head is twice as big as yours;
They, therefore, needs must fit.

"But let me scrape the dirt away
That hangs upon your face;
And stop and eat, for well you may
Be in a hungry case."

Said John, "It is my wedding-day,
And all the world would stare,
If wife should dine at Edmonton,
And I should dine at Ware."

So, turning to his horse, he said, "I am in haste to dine;

'Twas for your pleasure you came here, You shall go back for mine."

Ah! luckless speech and bootless boast! For which he paid full dear;

For, while he spake, a braying ass

Did sing most loud and clear;

Whereat his horse did snort, as he
Had heard a lion roar,

And gallopped off with all his might,
As he had done before.

Away went Gilpin, and away
Went Gilpin's hat and wig:
He lost them sooner than at first-
For why? They were too big.

Now, Mrs. Gilpin, when she saw
Her husband posting down.
Into the country far away,

She pulled out half a crown,

And thus unto the youth she said,
That drove them to the Bell,

"This shall be yours when you bring back My husband safe and well."

The youth did ride, and soon did meet

John coming back amain;

Whom in a trice he tried to stop
By catching at his rein; -

But not performing what he meant,
And gladly would have done
The frighted steed he frighted more,
And made him faster run.

Away went Gilpin, and away
Went postboy at his heels;

The postboy's horse right glad to miss
'The lumbering of the wheels.

Six gentlemen upon the road,
Thus seeing Gilpin fly,

With postboy scampering in the rear,
They raised the hue and cry: -

"Stop thief! Stop thief!-a highwayman!"

Not one of them was mute;

And all and each, that passed that way,
Did join in the pursuit.

And now the turnpike gates again
Flew open in short space;
The tollman thinking, as before,
That Gilpin rode a race.

And so he did, and won it too;
For he got first to town;

Nor stopped till where he had got up
He did again get down.

Now let us sing, "Long live the king;
And Gilpin, long live he;

And when he next doth ride abroad
May I be there to see."

LESSON XXXVI.

WORDS LIABLE TO BE MISPRONOUNCED.

Acts, (not ar,) facts, coasts, boasts, hosts, posts, lifts, gifts, could'st, would'st, hadst, didst, troubl'st, troubl'dst.

Singular as it may appear, many persons are more particular in regard to the adornments of the body than to the accomplishments of the mind.

Natural History. A Dialogue.

Uncle Philip. WELL, boys, this is a beautiful day. The sun is shining brightly, and the birds are singing. The insects are flying, the grass is green, and every thing about us appears pleasant.

Charles. Yes, uncle Philip, we are tired of playing now, and so we have come to ask you to talk with us, and tell us about some of the curious things you know.

Uncle Philip. I will tell you, some very strange things about animals that know how to work with tools, like a man.

Henry. Work with tools, like a man! But where do they get the tools?

Uncle Philip. Ah, boys, "The hand that made them is divine!" They get them where we get all that is useful and good, from GOD. The Bible says that He "is wise in creating, and wonderful in working; " and he has made many a poor little insect, and given it tools to work with for its comfort, as, good and perfect as any that man can make. God cares for the insects, boys, as well as for us; and we should never abuse them.

Charles. But what sort of tools do you mean? Do tell us about them.