queen," writes an English correspondent to a Scotch nobleman in the service of James, "is troubled with a rheum in her arm, which vexeth her very much, besides the grief she hath conceived for my lord Essex's death. She sleepeth not so much by day as she used; neither taketh rest by night. Her delight is to sit in the dark, and sometimes with shedding tears to bewail Essex."

A remarkable anecdote, published in "Osborn's Traditional Memoirs of Queen Elizabeth," puts the fact of Elizabeth's deep repentance beyond all doubt. The Countess of Nottingham, who was a relation, but no friend, of the Earl of Essex, being on her death-bed, entreated to see the queen, declaring that she had something to confess to her, before she could die in peace.

On her majesty's arrival, the countess produced a ring, which she said the Earl of Essex had sent to her after his condemnation, with an earnest request that she would deliver it to the queen, as the token by which he implored her mercy; but which, in obedience to her husband, to whom she had communicated the circumstance, she had hitherto withheld, for which she intreated the queen's forgiveness.

On seeing the ring, Elizabeth instantly recognized it as one which she had presented to her unhappy favourite when he departed for Cadiz, with tender promise, that of whatever crime his enemies might accuse him, or whatever offences he might commit, on his returning to her that pledge, she would either pardon him or admit him at least to justify himself in her presence. Transported at once with grief and rage, on learning the barbarous infidelity of which the earl had been the victim and herself the dupe, the queen shook in her bed the dying countess, and vehemently exclaiming, that God might forgive her, but she never could, flew out of the chamber.

Returning to her palace, she surrendered herself without resistance to the despair which seized her heart on this fatal and too late disclosure.

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Hence," says Miss Aikin, in her "Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth," "her refusal of medicine, and almost of food; hence her obstinate silence, interrupted only by sighs, groans, and broken hints of a deep sorrow, which she cared not to reveal; hence her days and nights seated on the floor sleepless, her eyes fixed; in short, all those heart-rending symptoms of incurable—mortal anguish, which conducted her in the space of twenty days to the lamentable termination of a long life of power, prosperity, and glory."

1. What request did Essex make to the Countess of Nottingham ? 2. How did the queen receive the communication ?

3. What conclusion does Miss Aikin draw from Queen Elizabeth's chagrin and grief?

LESSON CLXXXI. JUNE THE THIRTIETH.
Earl of Argyle.

On this day, in 1685, was beheaded at Edinburgh, in the reign of James II., Archibald Campbell, Earl of Argyle. Though the sword of justice was displayed, even her semblance was not put on, and the forms of law were preserved to sanctify, or rather aggravate, the oppression.

Of five judges, three did not scruple to find the guilt of treason to be incurred by the prisoner: a jury of fifteen noblemen gave a verdict against him; and the king being consulted, ordered the sentence to be pronounced, but the execution of it to be suspended till further orders. Argyle, however, saw no reason to trust to the justice or mercy of such enemies. He made his escape from prison, and concealed himself for some time in London.

The king heard of his lurking-place, but would not suffer him to be arrested. All the parts, however, of his sentence, so far as the government in Scotland had power, were rigorously executed; his estate was confiscated, and his arms reversed and torn.

Having arrived in Holland, he remained there during the remaining part of the reign of Charles II. But he concerted measures with the Duke of Monmouth, and went to Scotland to assemble his friends. Instead, however, of meeting with the success he expected, he was taken prisoner, and being carried to Edinburgh, was beheaded upon his former sentence.

He showed great constancy and courage under his misfortunes on the day of his death he ate at dinner very cheerfully; and, according to custom, slept after it a quarter of an hour or more very soundly. At the place of execution he made a short, grave, and religious speech; and, after solemnly declaring that he forgave all his enemies, submitted to death with great firmness.

1. Who was beheaded on this day in 1685 ?
2. To what country did the Earl of Argyle go?
3. What did he at the place of execution?

THE POETS, HISTORIANS, AND ORATORS OF GREECE. 261

Of the Poets, Historians, and Orators of Greece. A DELICATELY refined taste and lively imagination, with a rich and harmonious language, have rendered the Greeks masters of literature, and models of all enlightened people their incomparable language unites, in the works of Homer, all the graces, force, and majesty of style to be conceived,—a proof that there must have been good writers before him, as perfection is slow in its progress, and must be the result of long literary labour. Poetry has at all times outstripped other kinds of writing. A species of natural instinct led men to celebrate their pleasures; the gods they adored, the heroes they admired, and the facts they wished to impress on the minds of the future generations. The aim of Homer's Iliad was to stifle discord, and excite heroism amongst the Greeks; for pacific virtues were at that time little known, and less esteemed. The poems of Homer first gave rise to tragedies, by his most admired passages being recited on the stage. Sophocles and his rival Euripides rendered tragedy more moral and affecting: thus emulation acted as the spur to talents, and produced the nearest approaches to perfection.

It is difficult to imagine how the Athenians, after having tasted the sublimity of their tragic poets, could endure, much less applaud, the indecent buffoonery of Aristophanes; or why they suffered him to satirize the gods, their government, and magistrates: but such was the licence of ancient comedy, of which the people were not ashamed to approve. Alexander was the first who corrected this abuse, by the introduction of what was called the new comedy, which painted manners and character without wounding decency. Menander excelled in that species of composition, and we have the more reason to regret the loss of his works, as they were the models of Terence. Hesiod, Sappho, Pindar, Anacreon, and Theocritus, have immortalized themselves by different sorts of poetry: odes, elegies, idyls, and epigrams, are all the offsprings of Greece, though most of them were brought to perfection by the Romans.

Herodotus, of Halicarnassus, is considered the father of history: he was born a few years after the expedition of Xerxes into Greece, and is justly accused of being too fond of the marvellous, and of exaggerating the actions of

his countrymen, in order to flatter their vanity. His works were read at the Olympic games, amid great applause: upon which occasion Thucydides, then very young, shed tears, as if at a tragedy; from which Herodotus, who saw it, presaged that he was endowed with talents of great promise. Nor was he mistaken; the History of the Peloponnesian War, which he afterwards wrote, being a model of truth and excellence. Shortly after, Xenophon distinguished himself in the same career; but his Cyropædia must not be read as a history, it being rather a moral and political novel, partly founded on facts. Polybius, Diodorus of Sicily, and Plutarch, are the most celebrated of the Grecian historians that afterwards appeared.

To Pericles is attributed the origin of true eloquence, which joins sublimity of language to strength of reasoning. By this admirable talent, Demosthenes acquired a complete ascendancy over the minds of the people: Eurycles, his rival, was often unable to resist him, and even the talents of Phocion he frequently triumphed over. In a republic where the most eloquent man became the most powerful, elocution was naturally highly_cultivated; and many masters grew rich by teaching it. But to form a truly good orator, a ready capacity, considerable practice, and a penetrating genius are indispensable.

1. What have rendered the Greeks models of all enlightened people? 2. What first gave rise to tragedies?

3. Who is considered the father of history?

4. To whom is the origin of true eloquence attributed?

LESSON CLXXXIII.

Silver.

JULY THE SECOND.

NEXT to gold, silver is the most malleable of metals. It is found in different parts of the earth; but it is in the centre of the Andes, in situations which, though immediately exposed to the perpendicular rays of the sun, are constantly covered with snow, that nature has most abundantly distributed this metal. The silver mines of Mexico and Peru far exceed in value the whole of the European and Asiatic mines: for we are told by Humboldt, that three mines, in the space of three centuries, afforded 316,023,883 pounds troy of pure silver; and he remarks that this quantity would form a solid globe of silver 91,206 English feet in diameter.