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The latter, who had been expecting this attack, drove the spurs into his mustang, and started in full gallop across the prairie. On followed the bull, sometimes shortening the distance between him and his enemy, while at intervals the lazo, tightening, would almost jerk him upon his head.

After running for a hundred yards or so, the vaquero suddenly wheeled, and galloped out at right angles to his former course. Before the bull could turn himself, the rope again tightened with a jerk, and flung him upon his side. This time he lay but an instant, and, again springing to his feet, he dashed off in fresh pursuit.

The second vaquero now came up, and, as the bull rushed past, launched his lazo after him, and snared him around one of the legs, drawing the noose upon his ankle.

This time the bull was flung completely over, and with such a violent shock that he lay as if dead. One of the vaqueros then rode cautiously up, and, bending over in the saddle, unfastened both of the lariats, and set the animal free.

The bull rose to his feet, and, looking around in the most cowed and pitiful manner, walked quietly off, driven unresistingly towards the corral.

EXERCISE.-21. PARSING, ETC.

1. Write out the verbs in the first five paragraphs, and say whether they are regular or irregular.

2. Give the past indicative and past participle of the verbs:-open, shine, be, have, sweep, roll, spend, lie, spread, grow, stand, can, show, appear, fall, spring.

3. Analyse the first and third paragraphs.

4. Write out the indicative mood of the verbs have and be.

5. What are the participles in the last twenty lines?

6. Give the roots of:-ascended, eminence, picture, tropical, surface, verdure, orb, assumed.

THE RETORT.

ANONYMOUS.

gov-ern-or [L. guberno, to govern], one who is invested with supreme authority as the ruler of a dependency. de-cent [L. decens, from decet, it becometh], tolerable, sufficient, modest, becoming. dif-fidence [L. diffido, to distrust, from fides, faith], modesty, bashfulness. A SUPERCILIOUS nabob of the east,

Haughty and grave, and purse-proud, being rich,

A governor or general at least,
I have forgotten which,

Had in his family a humble youth,

Who went to India in his patron's suite; An unassuming body, and in truth

A lad of decent parts and good repute; This youth had sense and spirit,

Yet with all his sense

Excessive diffidence

Obscured his merit.

One day at table, flushed with pride and wine,
His honour proudly free, severely merry,
Conceived it would be vastly fine

To crack a joke upon his secretary.

"Young man," said he, "by what art, craft, or trade, Did your good father earn his livelihood?"

"He was a saddler, sir," Modestus said,
"And in his line was reckoned good."
"A saddler, eh! and taught you Greek,
Instead of teaching you to sew;

And pray, sir, why did not your father make
A saddler, sir, of you?"

Each parasite, as he in duty bound,

The joke applauded, and the laugh went round.

At length, Modestus, bowing low,

Said, craving pardon if too free he made, "Sir, by your leave, I fain would know

Your father's trade."

"My father's trade! why, sir, that is too bad!
My father's trade! why, blockhead, art thou mad?
My father, sir, did never stoop so low;

He was a gentleman, I'd have you know."
"Excuse the liberty," Modestus said, “I take,”
With archness in his brow,

"Pray, sir, why did not then your father make
A gentleman of you?"

EXERCISE.-22. MEANINGS OF WORDS.

1. Give the meaning of the following:-supercilious, nabob, patron, unassuming, diffidence, parasite, archness, applaud, secretary, conceive. 2. Distinguish between the meanings of :-pray, prey; earn, urn; you, yew, ewe; decent, descent; sew, sow, so; suite, sweet.

3. Illustrate the different meanings the following words may have :line, fine, low, leave, general, grave.

THE STUART DYNASTY.

WILLIAM III. AND MARY; ANNE.

e-lec-tion [L. e, from; lego, to choose], choice of members to serve in parliament. rev-o-lu-tion [L. re, back; volvo, to roll], a change in the constitution of a government. ca-pit-u-la-tion [L. caput, the head], a surrender in accordance with the heads or conditions of a treaty. WILLIAM III. and Mary, the daughter of James II., began their reign February 13th, 1689, just two months after the abdication and flight of the last of the Stuart kings.

A famous document was prepared by the lords and commons of England, called the Declaration of Rights, which William and Mary willingly ratified. It confirmed the principle that the sovereigns of England should only rule according to law, and exercise authority through their ministers in connection with a free parliament. It also secured the right of petition, and freedom of election and speech in parliament; and settled the succession of the

crown.

Thus was completed one of the most remarkable revolutions in history, and one of the most successful. In England no blood was shed, and it would have been well if Scotland and Ireland had accepted the change as quietly. The Highland clans rose under Viscount Dundee, but were soon suppressed after the fall of their leader in the battle of Killiecrankie, in 1689.

The Irish warmly espoused the cause of James, which encouraged him to leave his retreat and make a struggle in Ireland to regain the crown he had deserted. He made a triumphal entry into Dublin, and prepared promptly for war. Londonderry was the first point of attack; but the brave defence of the citizens effectually checked him there:

and after a siege of some months he was compelled to abandon it.

William, in the meantime, had been making his preparations in his usual quiet yet stern and determined way. Landing at Carrickfergus, he met James within seventeen days at the river Boyne, above Drogheda, in Louth, and totally routed him, 1690. James immediately took flight, and did not consider himself safe until he again reached France. The war on his behalf lingered for a year, when the battle of Aughrim, 1691, and the capitulation at Limerick, in the same year, made William undisputed master of Ireland.

After getting the three kingdoms under his rule, William bent himself to the furtherance of his unfailing policy-the humiliation of France, where preparations were now being made for the invasion of England. The combined fleets of England and Holland so completely crippled that of France, however, at La Hogue, in 1692, as to effectually prevent the further prosecution of this design. Although a continual sufferer from ill health, William led his troops in person against those of his enemy on the continent; and, if he did not gain any remarkable victories, he so far kept the French king in check as to maintain the general peace of Europe; for, had Louis been successful, his armies would have overrun the continent. This war was terminated by the peace of Ryswick, 1697.

Queen Mary died in 1694, William being left as sole ruler until 1702. His death was caused in that year by a severe fever induced by a fall from his horse,

The only blots upon an otherwise deserving name, were the unfortunate circumstances attending the massacre of Glencoe, and the Darien expedition. Seldom did he allow the opinion of counsellers to bias his better judgment; but on these two occasions he did, and bitterly did he regret the results for which he has been so much blamed. It can be safely affirmed that none felt them more keenly than he.

Anne, the second daughter of James II. by his marriage with Anne Hyde, now ascended the throne. She was the wife of Prince George of Denmark, who took no further share in the government than sitting in the House of Lords

F

as a peer of England, under the title of Duke of Cumberland. He was considered somewhat simple, and commanded little respect.

Anne diligently followed the policy of William, and therefore continued the war with France, which had again broken out, having assumed a new phase in the dispute about the Spanish succession. Germany and Holland united with Britain against France, forming what they termed the Grand Alliance. The ambitious Churchill, soon afterwards created Duke of Marlborough, being placed in command of the allies, had an opportunity of displaying his great military talents. He humbled the pride of Louis in four battles --at Blenheim in 1704, Ramilies, 1706, Oudenarde, 1708, and at Malplaquet, in 1709. In 1704, Gibraltar was taken, and still remains in our possession.

After some years of unsuccessful warfare on her part, France was glad to sue for peace, which was concluded by the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713.

The great event of Queen Anne's reign was the union of England and Scotland. The accession of James VI. to the English throne in 1603 had united the crowns of the two countries, but it was only in 1707 that the peoples became one. This union, which was much opposed at the time, has been of incalculable advantage to Scotland, causing her commerce, manufactures, and agriculture, to advance at an unprecedented rate.

Queen Anne died of apoplexy, in 1714. Her husband having died six years previously; and though she had had a family of nineteen children, not one was spared to succeed her. She was remarkably homely and simple in her tastes. She possessed no shining talents, but was a very practical person, with a good share of common sense. She was also exceedingly prudent and discreet. She had the Stuart fondness for favourites, but fortunately kept the weakness within due bounds.

Her reign was indeed a brilliant one. The victories of Marlborough made her kingdom respected and honoured in Europe, and the men of letters in Anne's time were so famous that her reign has been called the Augustan age of English literature.

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