And from the farthest wards was heard the rush of hurrying feet,

And the broad streams of pikes and flags dashed down each roaring street:

And broader still became the blaze, and louder still

the din,

As fast from every village round the horse came spurring in:

And eastward straight, from wild Blackheath, the war-like errand went,

And roused in many an ancient hall the gallant squires of Kent.

Southward from Surrey's pleasant hills flew those bright couriers forth;

High on bleak Hampstead's swarthy moor they started for the north;

And on,

and on, without a pause, untired they bounded still:

All night from tower to tower they sprang; they sprang from hill to hill:

Till the proud Peak unfurled the flag o'er Darwin's rocky dales;

Till like volcanoes flared to heaven the stormy hills of Wales;

Till twelve fair counties saw the blaze on Malvern's lonely height;

Till streamed in crimson on the wind the Wrekin's crest of light,

Till broad and fierce the star came forth on Ely's stately fane,

And tower and hamlet rose in arms o'er all the boundless plain;

Till Belvoir's lordly terraces the sign to Lincoln sent, And Lincoln sped the message on o'er the wide vale of Trent;

And Skiddaw saw the fire that burned on Gaunt's embattled pile,

And the red glare of Skiddaw roused the burghers

of Carlisle.

MACAULAY.

HOME AND CLASS WORK.

Learn the spellings and meanings at the top of the page; and write sentences containing these words.

THE DYING GLADIATOR.

I see before me the gladiator lie:
He leans upon his hand; his manly brow
Consents to death, but conquers agony,
And his drooped head sinks gradually low:
And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow
From the red gash, fall heavy, one by one,
Like the first of a thunder-shower; and now
The arena swims round him-he is gone,

Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hailed the wretch who won.

He heard it, but he heeded not; his eyes
Were with his heart, and that was far away:
He recked not of the life he lost nor prize,
But where his rude hut by the Danube lay:
There were his young barbarians all at play,
There was their Dacian mother-he, their sire,
Butchered to make a Roman holiday!

All this rushed with his blood. Shall he expire, And unavenged? Arise! ye Goths, and glut your ire!

BYRON.

Leapt the loud joy from earth to heaven,

As through the ranks asunder riven,
The warrior woman rode-

Hark! thrilling through the armed line.
The martial accents ring;
"Though mine the woman's form, yet mine
The heart of England's king."

Woe to the island and the maid!
The pope has preached the new Crusade:
His sons have caught the fiery zeal,
The monks are merry in Castile;

Bold Parma on the main

And through the deep exulting sweep
The thunder-steeds of Spain.
What meteor rides the sulphurous gale?
The flames have caught the giant sail,
Fierce Drake is grappling prow to prow,
God and St. George for victory now!
Havoc in battle the Spaniards find,
And death in the storm behind;

Their shrieks are heard above the hurtling roar,

By Orkney's rugged strand, and Erin's ruthless Joy to the island and the maid

Pope Sextus wept the last Crusade.

[shore.

BULWER.

The letter of Columbus to the Spanish monarchs, announcing his discovery, had produced the greatest sensation at court. The event it communicated was considered the most extraordinary of their prosperous reign; and, following so close upon the conquest of Granada, was pronounced a signal mark of divine favour for that triumph achieved in the cause of the true faith. The sovereigns themselves were for a time dazzled and bewildered by this sudden and easy acquisition of a new empire, of indefinite extent and apparently boundless wealth; and their first idea was to secure it beyond the reach of question or competition. Shortly after his arrival in Seville, Columbus received a letter from them, expressing their great delight, and requesting him to repair immediately to court, to concert plans for a second and more extensive expedition. As the summer was already advancing, the time favourable for a voyage, they desired him to make any arrangements at Seville, or elsewhere, that might hasten the expedition, and to inform them by the return of the courier what was necessary to be done on their part. This letter was addressed to him by the title of "Don Christopher Columbus, our Admiral of the Ocean Sea, and Viceroy and Governor of the Islands discovered in the Indies;" at the same time he was promised still further rewards. Columbus

lost no time in complying with the commands of the sovereigns. He sent a memorandum of the ships, men, and munitions that would be requisite, and having made such dispositions at Seville as circumstances permitted, set out on his journey for Barcelona, taking with him the six Indians and the various curiosities and productions he had brought from the New World.

The fame of his discovery had resounded throughout the nation, and as his route lay through several of the finest and most populous provinces of Spain, his journey appeared like the progress of a sovereign. Wherever he passed, the surrounding country poured forth its inhabitants, who lined the road and thronged the villages. In the large towns, the streets, windows, and balconies were filled with eager spectators, who rent the air with acclamations. His journey was continually impeded by the multitude pressing to gain a sight of him and of the Indians, who were regarded with as much admiration as if they had been natives of another planet. It was impossible to satisfy the craving curiosity which assailed himself and his attendants, at every stage, with innumerable questions; popular rumour as usual had exaggerated the truth, and had filled the newly found country with all kinds of wonders.

It was about the middle of April that Columbus arrived at Barcelona, where every preparation had been made to give him a solemn and magnificent reception. The beauty and serenity of the weather, in that genial season and favoured climate, contributed to give splendour to this memorable ceremony. As he drew near the place, many of the more youthfu courtiers and hidalgos of gallant bearing came forth to meet and welcome him. His entrance into this