"There, my dear, " cried I, "you are wrong; he should not have known them at all. ""Marry, hang the idiot! " returned she, "to bring me suchstuff; if I had them I would throw them in the fire. ""There again you are wrong, my dear; " cried I, " for, though they be copper, we shall keep them by us, as copper spectacles, you know, are better than nothing."By this time the unfortunate Moses was undeceived. He now saw that he had indeed been imposed upon by a prowling sharper, who, observing his figure, had marked him for an easy prey. I therefore asked him the circumstances of his deception. He sold the horse, it seems, and walked the fair in search of another. A reverend-looking man brought him to a tent, under pretence of having one to sell. " Here, " continued Moses, " we met another man, very well dressed, who desired to borrow twenty pounds upon these, saying that he wanted money, and would dispose of them for a third of their value. The first gentleman, who pretended to be my friend, whispered me to buy them, and cautioned me not to let so good an offer pass. I sent for Mr. Flamborough, and they talked him up as finely as they did me; and so at last we were persuaded to buy the two gross between us. "From The Vicar of Wakefield, by Oliver GoldsmithAuthor.-Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774), son of an Irish clergyman, was born at Pallas, County Longford, Ireland. He was educated at TrinityCollege, Dublin, and afterwards studied medicine at Edinburgh and Leyden( Holland) universities. Having wandered on foot over Europe, he settled down as a writer in London, where he was the friend of Dr. Samuel Johnson, Edmund Burke, Reynolds the artist, Garrick the actor, and others. He wrote one great novel, The Vicar of Wakefield; much simple and sincere poetry-The Traveller, The Deserted Village, etc.; the dramas She Stoops to Conquer and The Good-natured Man; and some charming essays, among them The Citizen of the World. He was one of the most lovable of men, as he shows in all his writings; and he was not worldly wise. "Let not his frailties be remembered, " wrote Johnson; " he was a very great man. "General.-Who is telling the story? What is a vicar? What is a fair?
What was there in Moses"s dress that indicates olden times? How is the character of the vicar"s wife revealed in the story?
Lesson 76
SIGNS OF RAIN
The hollow winds begin to blow;
The clouds look black; the glass is low;
The soot falls down; the spaniels sleep; And spiders from their cobwebs creep.
Last night, the sun went pale to bed; The moon in halos hid her head.
The boding shepherd heaves a sigh, For, see, a rainbow spans the sky.
The walls are damp; the ditches smell; Closed is the pink-eyed pimpernel.
Hark how the chairs and tables crack! Old Betty"s joints are on the rack.
Loud quack the ducks; the peacocks cry : The distant hills are looking nigh.
How restless are the snorting swine!
The busy flies disturb the kine.
Low o"er the grass the swallow wings; The cricket, too, how sharp he sings.
Puss, on the hearth, with velvet paws, Sits wiping o"er her whiskered jaws.
Through the clear stream the fishes rise, And nimbly catch the incautious flies.
The glow-worms, numerous and bright, Illumed the dewy dell last night.
At dusk, the squalid toad was seen, Hopping and crawling o"er the green.
The whirling wind the dust obeys, And in the rapid eddy plays.
The frog has changed his yellow vest, And in a russet coat is drest.
My dog, so altered in his taste,
Quits mutton bones, on grass to feast.
And see yon rooks, how odd their flight-
They imitate the gliding kite,
And headlong downward seem to fall As if they felt the piercing ball.
"Twill surely rain: I see with sorrow, Our jaunt must be put off to-morrow.
Edward Jenner
Author.-Edward Jenner (1749-1843) was an English physician; he was the discoverer of vaccination.
General.-How many signs of rain are mentioned? Can you suggestany sign that is not mentioned? If so, try to make a rhymed couplet in the style of the poem. Are any birds mentioned that are not found in Australia? What one line shows that the poem might have been written by a doctor?
Lesson 77
ALEXANDER SELKIRK
The strange adventures of a Scottish sailor named Alexander Selkirk, on an island in the Pacific Ocean, are supposed to be the foundation of the story of Robinson Crusoe. This sailor was a native of Largo, a little seaport town in Fife. He was born there in the year 1676, and from his boyhood he was remarkable for his bold and reckless conduct.
In 1695 Selkirk ran away to sea; he remained absent for about six years. During this period he visited almost every part of the world.
On his return home, he once more entered upon a course of bad conduct, which again brought him into trouble. For brawling in his father"s house, he was compelled to confess his fault in church before the whole congregation.
In the spring of 1702, he set out upon a voyage which led to the strange event that made his name famous. He was appointed sailing-master of the Cinque Ports, a galley of sixteen guns, and the smaller of the two vessels which were under the command of Captain Dampier. His own captain was Charles Pickering, and with him Selkirk was on very good terms.
While at sea, this captain died of fever, and his place was taken by a man with whom Selkirk could not agree. At last the sailing-mastermade up his mind to leave the ship as soon as he possibly could.
The two vessels captured a Spanish ship, after which they separated, and for some time the Cinque Ports cruised along the American shore. Falling short of water, the vessel ran to the island of Juan Fernandez, on which Selkirk decided to stay. He was landed there, with his chest and a few useful articles.
For a little time after the boat had gone back to the ship, the sailing-master was delighted with the position in which he had been left; but all at once a great fear fell upon him at the thought of being alone in the midst of the ocean, and he shouted for the boat to be brought back. The new captain refused to pay attention to his cries, lifted the anchor of his ship, and sailed away.