2. "In the days of my youth," Father William replied, "I remembered that youth would fly fast; And abused not my health and my vigor at first,

3.

That I never might need them at last."

"You are old, Father William," the young man cried, "And pleasures with youth pass away;

And yet you lament not the days that have gone,
Now tell me the reason, I pray."

4. "In the days of my youth," Father William replied, “I remembered that youth could not last;

I thought of the future, whatever I did,
That I never might grieve for the past."

5. "You are old, Father William," the young man cried, "And life must be hastening away;

You are cheerful, and love to converse upon death,
Now tell me the reason, I pray."

6. "I am cheerful, young man,” Father William replied, "Let the cause thy attention engage:

In the days of my youth I remembered my God,
And he hath not forgotten my age."

SOUTHEY.

LESSON XXII.

JOHN LITTLEJOHN.

1. JOHN LITTLEJOHN was stanch and strong,
Upright and downright, scorning wrong;
He gave good weight, and paid his way,
He thought for himself, and he said his say;
Whenever a rascal strove to pass,

Instead of silver, a coin of brass,

He took his hammer, and said, with a frown,
"The coin is spurious, nail it down."

2. John Littlejohn was firm and true,

You could not cheat him in "two and two;"
When foolish arguers, might and main,
Darkened and twisted the clear and plain,

He saw, through the mazes of their speech,
The simple truth beyond their reach;
And crushing their logic, said, with a frown,
"Your coin is spurious, nail it down."

3. John Littlejohn maintained the right,

Through storm and shine, in the world's despite ;
When fools or quacks desired his vote,
Dosed him with arguments learned by rote,
Or by coaxing, threats, or promise, tried
To gain his support to the wrongful side,
"Nay, nay," said John, with an angry frown,
"Your coin is spurious, nail it down."

4. When told that kings had a right divine,
And that the people were herds of swine,
That nobles alone were fit to rule,

That the poor were unimproved by school,
That ceaseless toil was the proper fate
Of all but the wealthy and the great,
John shook his head, and said, with a frown,
"The coin is spurious, nail it down."

5. When told that events might justify
A false and crooked policy;

That a decent hope of future good
Might excuse departure from rectitude;
That a lie, if white, was a small offense,

To be forgiven by men of sense,

"Nay, nay," said John, with a sigh and a frown,
"The coin is spurious, nail it down."

CHARLES MACKAY.

LESSON XXIII.

THE VISION OF MIRZA.

1. On the fifth day of the moon, which, according to the custom of my forefathers, I always keep holy, after having washed myself, and offered up my morning devotions, I ascended the high hills of Bagdat, in order to pass the rest of

the day in meditation and prayer. As I was here airing myself on the tops of the mountains, I fell into a profound contemplation on the vanity of human life; and, passing from one thought to another, "Surely," said I, "man is but a shadow, and life a dream."

2. While I was thus musing, I cast my eyes toward the summit of a rock that was not far from me, where I discovered one in the habit of a shepherd, with a musical instrument in his hand. As I looked upon him he applied it to his lips, and began to play upon it. The sound of it was exceeding sweet, and wrought into a variety of tunes that were inexpressibly melodious, and altogether different from any thing I had ever heard. They put me in mind of those heavenly airs that are played to the departed souls of good men upon their first arrival in Paradise, to wear out the impressions of the last agonies, and qualify them for the pleasures of that happy place.

3. My heart melted away in secret raptures. I had been often told that the rock before me was the haunt of a Genius; and that several had been entertained with music, who had passed by it, but never heard that the musician had before made himself visible. When he had raised my thoughts, by those transporting airs which he played, to taste the pleasure of his conversation, as I looked upon him, like one astonished, he beckoned to me, and, by the waving of his hand, directed me to approach the place where he sat.

4. I drew near, with that reverence which is due to a superior nature; and, as my heart was entirely subdued by the captivating strains I had heard, I fell down at his feet and wept. The Genius smiled upon me with a look of compassion and affability that familiarized him to my imagination, and at once dispelled all the fears and apprehensions with which I approached him. He lifted me from the ground, and, taking me by the hand, "Mirza," said he, "I have heard thee in thy soliloquies: follow me."

5. He then led me to the highest pinnacle of the rock, and, placing me on the top of it, "Cast thy eyes eastward," said he," and tell me what thou seest." "I see," said I, “a huge valley, and a prodigious tide of water rolling through it."

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"The valley that thou seest," said he, "is the valley of misery, and the tide of water that thou seest is part of the great tide of eternity." "What is the reason," said I, "that the tide I see rises out of a thick mist at one end, and again loses itself in a thick mist at the other?"

6. "What thou seest," said he, "is that portion of eternity which is called time, measured out by the sun, and reaching from the beginning of the world to its consummation. Examine now," said he, "this sea, that is thus bounded with darkness at both ends, and tell me what thou discoverest in it." "I see a bridge," said I, "standing in the midst of the tide." "The bridge thou seest," said he, "is human life: consider it attentively." Upon a more leisurely survey of it, I found that it consisted of threescore and ten entire arches, with several broken arches, which, added to those that were entire, made up the number about a hundred.

7. As I was counting the arches, the Genius told me that this bridge consisted at first of a thousand arches, but that a great flood swept away the rest, and left the bridge in the ruinous condition I now beheld it. "But tell me farther," said he, "what thou discoverest on it." "I see multitudes of people passing over it," said I, "and a black cloud hanging on each end of it."

8. As I looked more attentively, I saw several of the passengers dropping through the bridge into the great tide that flowed underneath it; and, upon farther examination, perceived there were innumerable trap-doors that lay concealed in the bridge, which the passengers no sooner trod upon than they fell through them into the tide, and immediately disappeared. These hidden pitfalls were set very thick at the entrance of the bridge, so that throngs of people no sooner broke through the cloud than many of them fell into them. They grew thinner toward the middle, but multiplied and lay closer together toward the end of the arches that were entire.

9. There were, indeed, some persons, but their number was very small, that continued a kind of hobbling march on the broken arches, but fell through, one after another, being quite tired and spent with so long a walk. I passed some

time in the contemplation of this wonderful structure, and the great variety of objects which it presented.

10. My heart was filled with a deep melancholy to see several dropping, unexpectedly, in the midst of mirth and jollity, and catching by every thing that stood by them to save themselves. Some were looking up toward the heavens in a thoughtful posture, and, in the midst of a speculation, stumbled and fell out of sight. Multitudes were very busy in the pursuit of bubbles, that glittered in their eyes and danced before them; but often, when they thought themselves within the reach of them, their footing failed, and down they sunk.

11. In this confusion of objects, I observed some with cimeters in their hands, and others with lancets, who ran to and fro upon the bridge, thrusting several persons on trap-doors which did not seem to lie in their way, and which they might have escaped had they not been thus forced upon them.

12. The Genius, seeing me indulge myself in this melancholy prospect, told me I had dwelt long enough upon it. "Take thine eyes off the bridge," said he, " and tell me if thou yet seest any thing thou dost not comprehend." Upon looking up,." What mean," said I, "those great flights of birds that are perpetually hovering about the bridge, and settling upon it from time to time? I see vultures, harpies, ravens, cormorants, and, among many other feathered creatures, several little winged boys, that perch, in great numbers, upon the middle arches."

13. "These," said the Genius, "are Envy, Avarice, Superstition, Despair, Love, with the like cares and passions that infest human life." I here fetched a deep sigh. "Alas!" said I, " man was made in vain! how is he given away to misery and mortality! tortured in life, and swallowed up in death!" The Genius, being moved with compassion toward me, bid me quit so uncomfortable a prospect. "Look no more," said he, on man in the first stage of his existence, in his setting out for eternity, but cast thine eye on that thick mist, into which the tide bears the several generations of mortals that fall into it."

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