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Here never could the spearman páss,
Or forester unmoved;

Here oft the tear-besprinkled grass
Llewellyn's sorrow proved.

And here he hung his horn and spear;
And here as evening fell,
In fancy's ear he oft could hear
Poor Gelert's dying yell!

And till great Snowdon's rocks grow old,
And cease the storm to brave,
The consecrated spot shall hold
The name of Gelert's grave.

Popular Stories.

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE.

HERE was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a ditch, close to the sea-side. The fisherman used to go out all day long fishing; and one day, as he sat on the shore with his rod, looking at the shining water and watching his line, all on a sudden his float was dragged away deep under the sea; and in drawing it up, he pulled a great fish out of the water. The fish said to him: "Pray, let me live; I am not a real fish; I am an enchanted prince; put me in the water again, and let me go." "Oh!" said the man, "you need not make so many words about the matter; I wish to have nothing to do with a fish that can talk; so swim away as soon as you please." Then he put him back into the water, and the fish darted straight down to the bottom, and left a long streak of blood behind him.

When the fisherman went home to his wife in the ditch, he told her how he had caught a great fish, and how it had told him it was an enchanted prince, and that, on hearing it speak, he had let it go again. "Did you not ask it for anything?" said the wife. "No," said the man; 66 what should I ask for?" "Ah!" said the wife, "we live here very wretchedly in this nasty ditch; go back and tell the fish we want a little cottage."

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THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE.

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The fisherman did not much like the business; however, he went to the sea; and when he came there the water looked all yellow and green. And he stood at the water's edge and

said

"O man of the sea!
Come, listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,

Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee !"

Then the fish came swimming to him, and said, "Well, what does she want?" "Ah!" answered the fisherman, "my wife

says that when I had caught you I ought to have asked you for something before I let you go again; she does not like living any longer in the ditch, and wants a little cottage." "Go home, then," said the fish, "she is in the cottage already." So the man went home, and saw his wife standing at the door of a cottage. "Come in, come in," said she; "is not this much better than the ditch ?" And there was a parlour, and a bedchamber, and a kitchen; and behind the cottage there was a little garden with all sorts of fruits and flowers, and a courtyard full of ducks and chickens. "Ah!" said the fisherman, "how happily we shall live!" "We will try to do so, at least," said the wife.

Everything went right for a week or two, and then Dame Alice said: "Husband, there is not room enough in this cottage— the courtyard and garden are a great deal too small; I should like to have a large stone castle to live in; so go to the fish again, and tell him to give us a castle." "Wife," said the fisherman, "I don't like to go to him again, for perhaps he will be angry; we ought to be content with the cottage." "Nonsense!" said the wife; "he will do it very willingly; go along and try." The fisherman went; but his heart was very heavy; and when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy, though it was quite calm, and he went close to it, and said

"O man of the sea!
Come, listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,

Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!"

"Well, what does she want now?" said the fish.

"Ah!" said the man very sorrowfully, "my wife wants to live in a stone castle." "Go home, then," said the fish, "she is standing at the door of it already." So away went the fisherman, and found his

wife standing before a great castle. "See!" said she, "is not this grand?" With that they went into the castle together, and found a great many servants there, and rooms all richly furnished, and full of golden chairs and tables; and behind the castle was a garden, and a wood half a mile long, full of sheep, and goats, and hares, and deer; and in the courtyard were stables and cowhouses. "Well," said the man, now will we live contented and happy in this beautiful castle for the rest of our lives." " Perhaps we may," said the wife; "but let us consider and sleep on it before we make up our minds." So they went to bed.

66

The next morning when Dame Alice awoke it was broad daylight, and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said: "Get up, husband, and bestir yourself, for we must be king of all the land." "Wife, wife," said the man, "why should we wish to be king? I will not be king." “Then I will,” said Alice. "But, wife," answered the fisherman, "how can you be king? The fish cannot make you a king." "Husband," said she, “say no more about it, but go and try; I will be king!" So the man went away, quite sorrowful to think that his wife should want to be king. The sea looked a dark-gray colour, and was covered with foam as he cried out

"O man of the sea!
Come, listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,

Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!"

"Well, what would she have now?" said the fish. “Alas!” said the man, "my wife wants to be a king." "Go home," said the fish ; 66 she is king already."

1

Then the fisherman went home; and as he came close to the palace he saw a troop of soldiers, and heard the sound of drums and trumpets; and when he entered in he saw his wife sitting on a high throne of gold and diamonds, with a golden crown upon her head; and on each side of her stood six beautiful maidens, each a head taller than the other. "Well, wife," said the fisherman, "are you king?” "Yes," said she, "I am king." And when he had looked at her for a long time, he said: "Ah, wife! what a fine thing it is, to be king! Now we shall never have anything more to wish for.” I don't know how that inay be," said she; never is a long time. I am king, it is true, but I

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66

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE.

209

begin to be tired of it, and I think I should like to be emperor." "Alas, wife! why should you wish to be emperor?" said the fisherman. Husband," said she, "go to the fish; I say I will be emperor." "Ah, wife!" replied the fisherman, "the fish cannot make an emperor, and I should not like to ask for such a thing." "I am a king," said Alice, "and you are my slave, so go directly!" So the fisherman was obliged to go; and he muttered as he went along: "This will come to no good; it is too much to ask; the fish will be tired at last, and then we shall repent of what we have done." He soon arrived at the sea, and the water was quite black and muddy, and a mighty whirlwind blew over it; but he went to the shore and said—

O mar of the sea!
Come, listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,

Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!"

"What would she have now?" said the fish. "Ah!" said the fisherman, "she wants to be emperor." "Go home," said the fish, "she is emperor already.".

So he went home again; and as he came near, he saw his wife sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold, with a great crown on her head full two yards high, and on each side of her stood her guards and attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other, from the tallest giant to a little dwarf no bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes and dukes and earls; and the fisherman went up to her, and said: "Wife, are you emperor?" "Yes," said she, "I am emperor." "Ah!" said the man, as he gazed upon her, "what a fine thing it is to be emperor! and now you must be content, for you can be nothing greater." "I will consider of that," said the wife. Then they went to bed; but Dame Alice could not sleep all night for thinking what she should be next. At last morning came, and the sun rose. "Ha!" thought she, as she looked at it through the window, "cannot I prevent the sun rising?"

At this she was very angry, and wakened her husband, and said: “Husband, go to the fish, and tell him I want to be lord of the sun and moon." The fisherman was half asleep, but the thought frightened him so much that he started and fell out of bed. "Alas, wife!" said he, "cannot you be content to be

emperor?" "No," said she, “I am very uneasy, and cannot bear to see the sun and moon rise without my leave. Go to the fish directly."

Then the man went trembling for fear; and as he was going down to the shore a dreadful storm arose, so that the trees and rocks shook, and the heavens became black, and the lightning played, and the thunder rolled; and you might have seen in the sea great black waves like mountains, with a crown of white foam upon them; and the fisherman said—

"O man of the sea!
Come, listen to me,
For Alice my wife,

The plague of my life,

Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee !"

"What does she want now?" said the fish. "Ah!" said he, "she wants to be lord of the sun and moon."

the fish, "to your ditch again!"

"Go home," said

And there they live to this

very day.

1

Notes on Common Garden Flowers.

IN TWO PARTS.

PART I.

HERE is no kind of knowledge more interesting and useful to boys and girls than that which informs them of the history and properties of things with which they are already familiar. It is hoped, therefore, that they will find the matter contained in the following papers of a nature to add increased enjoyment to their daily pursuits.

The Marigold is a common plant, found in almost every flowergarden in Great Britain. It is an annual in European countries, for it has to be sown every year; but in South Africa it flowers all the year round, and is therefore a perennial. The different varieties of the plant called French Marigold and African Marigold have been introduced from Mexico. The plant has an aromatic odour, and its taste is bitter. It was formerly much used in

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