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1. Ir was noon-day, and the sun shone intensely bright, when a pedlar driving his ass, laden with the choicest Burslem ware, stopped upon Delamere forest to take some refreshment. 2. He sat down upon the turf, and after consuming the provisions in his satchel, emptied his dram bottle, and then composed himself to sleep. 3. But the ass, who had travelled many a wearisome mile, without taking a morsel of food, remained muzzled by his side, wistfully viewing the blossoms of furze which grew in great abundance around them. 4. Fatigue and heat, however, overpowered the sensations of hunger, and drowsiness stole on him. 5. He kneeled down, and doubling his legs under him, rested upon his belly in such a position, that each of the panniers which he carried touched the ground, and was securely supported by it. 6. But his slumbers were of short duration. An angry hornet, whose nest had been that morning destroyed, perched upon his back, and stung him to the quick. 7. Roused by the smart, he suddenly sprung up, and by his violent motion produced a loud jarring of the earthen-ware. The pedlar awoke in consternation; and snatching his whip, began to lash the ass with merciless fury.

8. The poor beast fled from his stripes, and was heard of no more; the panniers were thrown off; and the Burslem ware was entirely demolished. 9. Thus did inhumanity, laziness, and passion, meet with deserved punishment. 10. Had the pedlar remembered the craving hunger of the ass, when he gratified his own; or had he pursued with diligence his journey, after finishing his repast, no part of these misfortunes would have befallen him; and his

loss might have been inconsiderable, if unjust severity and rash resentment had not completed his PERCEVAL.

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1. Eu'-rope, s. one of the four quarters, or rather divisions, of the world, being by far the least part, but inhabited by the most intelligent active race of people.

Scal, s. the sea-calf, an amphibious animal. Amphibious is a term applied to all animals that can live both on the land and in the water, such as frogs, seals, otters, crocodiles, &c.

4. Blub'-ber, s. the fat part of whales, &c. whence proceeds the oil. Sea-horse, s. an animal of the same class with the seal, &c.

1. THE white bear of Greenland is much larger than the brown bear of Europe. This animal lives upon fish and seals; and is not only seen upon the land, in the countries near the North Pole, but often on floats of ice several leagues at sea. 2. The following instance of its fondness for its young is taken from The Journal of a Voyage towards the North Pole:" 3. Early in the morning, the man at the mast-head gave notice, that three bears were making their way very fast over the ice, and that they were directing their course towards the ship. 4. They had, doubtless, been invited by the scent of the blubber of a sea-horse, killed a few days before, which the men had set on fire, and which was burning on the ice at the time of their approach. 5. They proved to be a she bear and her two cubs; but the latter were nearly as large as their dam. They ran eagerly to the fire and drew from the

flames part of the flesh of the sea-horse that remained, and ate very greedily.

6. The crew, from the ship, threw great lumps of the flesh of the sea-horse upon the ice, which the old bear fetched away singly; laid every lump before her cubs as she brought it, and dividing it, gave each a share, reserving but a small portion to herself.

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7. As she was fetching away the last piece, they levelled their muskets at the cubs and shot them both dead; they wounded the dam also in her retreat, but not mortally. 8. Though she could but just crawl to the place where her young lay, she carried the lump of flesh she had fetched away, as she had done others before, tore it in pieces, and laid it down before them; and when she saw they refused to eat, she laid her paws first upon one, and then upon the other, and endeavoured to raise them up.

9. All this while, she moaned in a most piteous manner. When she found she could not stir them, she went off, and when she had reached some distance, looked back, and moaned; but that not availing her, she returned, and smelling round them, began to lick their wounds. She then went off a second time; and having crawled a few paces, looked again behind her, and for some time stood moaning. 10. Her cubs, however, not rising to follow her, she returned to them again, and with signs of great fondness went round one and then round the other, pawing and moaning. 11. Finding, at last, they were cold and lifeless, she raised her head towards the ship, and seemed to growl a curse

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upon her murderers, which they returned with a volley of musket-balls, upon which she fell between her cubs, and died licking their wounds.

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Fu'-ne-ral, a. relating to a funeral, (s. a burial.)

O-ra'-ti-on, s. a speech or harangue delivered in public, upon
something very particular.

Po"-ver-ty, s. distress, want of the necessaries of life.
Vir-tue, s. goodness.

1. Vil-lage, s. a small number of houses, less than a town.
Pro-found', a. deep.

Learned.

Fi"-gu-ra-tive, a. a figurative way of speaking is that when the
sense of any thing is changed from its literal meaning to
another more remote and elegant.

2. Pea"-sant, s. a labourer, one employed in country business.
3. Pa-the" -ti-cal, a. moving, affecting the passions or mind.
4. Ve"-ne-ra-ble, a. worthy to be regarded.

Pas'-tor, s. a shepherd: (a clergyman.)

13. In-ge-ni-ous, a. having sense to invent or execute in a skilful

manner.

Rail-le-ry, s. the act of speaking reproachful language.

21. Le" -ga-cy, s. anything given by will.

22. Pro-phe"-tic, s. the act of foreseeing or foretelling future events. 25. In-ter, v. to put under ground, or bury.

26. In-vul'-ner-a-ble, a. not to be wounded or hurt.

1. As I was one day passing through a village, I saw a company of people in the act of following the body of an old inhabitant to the grave; who were in a most profound silence, with downcast looks, and, in the figurative sense of the expression, drowned in tears. 2. The singularity of the appearance struck me; and I followed them. I saw upon the brick-work pavement of this rustic edifice the body of a man, whose dress informed me he had

been a peasant, and whose countenance was even yet respectable. 3. As soon as all the congregation had assumed their seats, the minister got up into his pulpit, and pronounced this short, but yet pathetical oration, which (so strongly impressing me) I'retained, till coming to my inn at night, I put it down on paper. 4. The venerable pastor pronounced as follows: "My dear fellow-villagers," said he, "the man I am to preach upon was nothing less than rich, although a peasant, and yet for ninety years and upwards he had been a benefactor to his fellowcreatures. 5. He was the son of a husbandman : and in the tenderest season of his youth did he put forth his hand, that he might guide the plough. 6. His legs no sooner had attained their due degree of strength, but he was seen, from day-break till the time of night-fall, following his industrious father in the furrow. When years had given him that strength for which he had long wished, he took upon himself his parent's toil. From that period, every rising sun has beheld him tilling, sowing, planting, or reaping. 7. He has brought more than two thousand acres of new land into cultivation; he has reared the vine in all the neighbouring country; and to him you owe those fruit-trees, which at once furnish you with food, and shelter you from the sun.

8. "It was not avarice that made him thus unwearied in his labours: no, it was the love of industry; it was the persuasion that he fulfilled the will of Heaven, when he exerted himself for the welfare of his fellow-creatures.

9. "There were two great principles from which

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