THE PRISONER AND THE RATS.

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companion. This was a female rat, which peeped cautiously from the hole, apparently very much afraid of the prisoner. La Tude tried to entice the stranger towards him, by throwing her bread and meat; but for a long time she refused to venture out. At length, seeing the other rat eat so heartily, she rushed forward, seized a piece, and immediately retreated. In a little while she became bolder, and even disputed some pieces with the male rat. Whenever she succeeded in taking a piece out of his teeth, he came up to La Tude, as if to make complaint, and receive consolation. When La Tude gave him a piece to make up for what he had lost, he sat down close by, and ate it in an ostentatious manner, sitting on his haunches, and holding the meat in his paws like a monkey, as if he meant to defy his female friend to come and take it from him, now that he was so near one who could protect him.

For some days the female continued to be very shy, though the male rat ate in peace near La Tude. But at length she could bear no longer to see her companion faring so well, while she was starving. One day, just as La Tude had given the male rat his first piece, she sprang out, and seized it in her teeth. The male rat held fast; she pulled violently; a severe struggle took place; and the two crcatures rolled away together towards their hole, into which the female pulled the male. La Tude was greatly diverted by this contest, and for the moment almost forgot his misfortunes.

By and by the female rat became as familiar as the other, and daily ate her dinner out of La Tude's hand. There then appeared a third, who was much less shy at first than either of the others had been. At the second visit, this third rat constituted himself one of the family, and made himself so perfectly at home, that he resolved to introduce his companions. The next day he came accompanied by two others, who, in the course of a week, brought five more; and thus, in less than a fortnight, La Tude found himself surrounded by ten large rats. He now gave each of them names, which they learned to distinguish. They would also come out whenever he called them. He allowed them for some time to eat out of his own plate; but their habits being rather

slovenly, he was afterwards glad to give them a separate dish. He would also make them leap for bits of bread and meat like dogs. When they had dined, he made them all dance around him. In short, they became to him like a family of gamesome little children, and he almost felt happy in their presence. He now scarcely wished for freedom, for in the world he had met with nothing but cruelty and oppression, while here all was affection and peace. But his pleasure with his rats was not of long continuance: at the end of two years he was removed to another room in a distant part of the prison, whither his rats, of course, could not follow him. He wept bitterly at thus parting with the friendly creatures, and for some time felt the pains of imprisonment to be more severe than they ever appeared before. We thus see how painful is complete solitude, and how gladly a human being will associate with any kind of company, rather than be altogether alone. The story also shows that, in certain circumstances, the creatures which we most loathe and despise may be of service to us.

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast; but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.-Proverbs of Solomon, xii. 10.

CONDUCT TOWARDS RELATIONS.

WE ought to be kind to all who are related to us, particularly to our father, mother, sisters, and brothers. Our father and mother fed, clothed, and took care of us when we were young and helpless; and without their kindness, we might have died of want. It is therefore proper that we should feel grateful to them, and love them, and be ready to do them all the good in our power. We should, in particular, be glad to obey them in all their reasonable requests and commands.

Brothers and sisters, being brought up together, eating at the same table, playing at the same sports, and united by the love of one father and one mother, are always cx

ANAPIAS AND AMPHINOMUS.

17

pected to love each other. If they do so, they show themselves to have good feelings, and that they are worthy of being loved by others. But if they fall out and quarrel, their conduct will appear so unnatural and wicked, that all good people will shun them. Brothers and sisters who

love each other, may also be of great use in promoting one another's welfare when they grow up: for this reason, when children, they should cultivate each other's affections with all possible care.

THE RAT AND ITS BURDEN.

Even from despised and noxious animals we may derive a lesson of regard for our parents.

In houses and ships rats sometimes become so numerous, as to do much mischief. It then becomes necessary to lay traps to catch them, or poison to kill them, or in some other way to diminish their number. Once, in a vessel sailing from New York to Lisbon for wine, the rats were found to increase very fast, and to be very mischievous. They ate so much, and destroyed so much, that the sailors grew quite angry with them, and resolved, on the first opportunity, to get rid of them. Accordingly, when the vessel was safe in Lisbon harbour, the captain ordered sulphur to be kindled in the hold. The rats, unable to endure the fumes, left their holes, and, in endeavouring to escape, were killed in great numbers by the sailors. At length, one appeared on the deck, bearing on his back another rat, which was quite gray with age, and also blind. The men, sup

posing the old rat to be the father of the young one, were affected by the sight; they could not think of killing an animal which showed so much filial tenderness; it was allowed to pass in safety, and to carry its aged parent to some other habitation.

ANAPIAS AND AMPHINOMUS.

A volcanic mountain is one which has a hollow at the top, through which smoke, flames, stones and hot melted matter are sometimes thrown with great violence. Etna in Sicily is the principal mountain of this kind in Europe. Many

B

hundreds of years ago, an eruption of an unusually violent kind took place in this mountain. Burning matter poured down its sides in various directions, destroying whole villages, and the air was thickened with falling cinders and ashes. The inhabitants of the neighbouring country fled for their lives, carrying with them the most valuable of their goods. Amongst these people, so careful of their wealth, were two young men named Anapias and Amplinomus, who bore a very different kind of burden on their backs. They carried only their aged parents, who by no other means could have been preserved.

The conduct of these youths excited great admiration. It chanced that they took a way which the burning matter did not touch, and which remained afterwards verdant, while all around was scorched and barren. The people, who were very ignorant, but possessed of good feelings, believed that this tract had been preserved by a miracle, in consequence of the goodness of the youths; and it was ever after called

THE FIELD OF THE PIOUS.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND HIS MOTHER.

Even when parents are ill-tempered and unreasonable, they should be treated with respect and forbearance by their children.

Olympias, mother of Alexander the Great, was a woman of an ambitious disposition, and occasioned much trouble to her son. Nevertheless, when pursuing his conquests in Asia, he sent her many splendid presents out of the spoils which he had taken, as tokens of his affection. He only begged that she would not meddle with state affairs, but allow his kingdom to be managed peaceably by his governor Antipater. When she sent him a sharp reply to this request, he bore it submissively, and did not use sharp language in return. On one occasion, when she had been unusually troublesome, Antipater sent him letters, complaining of her in very grievous terms. Alexander only said, "Antipater doth not know that one single tear of my mother is able to blot out six hundred of his epistles."

THE PORTUGUESE BROTHERS.

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FREDERICK THE GREAT AND HIS PAGE.

Frederick the Great, king of Prussia, having rung his bell one day, and nobody answering, opened the door where his servant was usually in waiting, and found him asleep on a sofa. He was going to awake him, when he perceived the end of a billet or letter hanging out of his pocket. Having a curiosity to know its contents, he took it and read it, and found it was a letter from the page's mother, thanking him for having sent her a part of his wages to assist her in her distress, and concluding with beseeching God to bless him for his attention to her wants. The king returned softly to his room, took a roller of ducats, and slid them with the letter into the page's pocket. Returning to his apartment, he rang so violently that the page awoke, opened the door, and entered. "You have slept well," said the king. The page made an apology, and in his embarrassment happened to put his hand in his pocket, and felt with astonishment the roller. He drew it out, turned pale, and looking at the king, burst out into tears, without being able to speak a word. "What is the matter?" asked the king; "what ails you?" "Ah! sir," said the young man, throwing himself at his fect, "somebody has wished to ruin me. I know not how I came by this moncy in my pocket." "My friend," said Frederick, "God often sends us good in our sleep. Send the money to your mother; salute her in my name; and assure her that I will take care of her and you.'

THE PORTUGUESE BROTHERS.

In the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese carracks sailed from Lisbon to Goa, a very great, rich, and flourishing colony of that nation in the East Indies. On board of one of these vessels there were no less than twelve hundred souls, mariners, passengers, priests, and friars. The beginning of their voyage was prosperous; but after they had doubled the southern extremity of the great continent of Africa, called the Cape of Good Hope, and were steering their course north-east, to the great continent of India,