islands," said he, “that lie so fresh and green before thee, and with which the whole face of the ocean appears dotted as far as thou canst see it, are more in number than the sands on the seashore. There are myriads of islands behind those which thou here discoverest, reaching farther than thine eyes, or even thine imagination can extend itself. These are the mansions of good men after death, who, according to the degrees and kinds of virtue in which they excelled, are distributed among these several islands, which abound with pleasure of different kinds and degrees, suitable to the relishes and perfections of those who are settled in them; every island is a paradise accommodated to its respective inhabitants. Are not these, O Mirza, habitations worth contending for? Does life appear miserable, that gives the opportunities of earning such a reward? Is death to be feared, that will convey thee to so happy an existence? Think not man was made in vain, who has such an eternity reserved for him." I gazed with inexpressible pleasure on these happy islands. At length, said I, "Show me now, I beseech thee, the secrets that lie hid under those dark clouds which cover the ocean on the other side of the rock of adamant." The genius naking no answer, I turned about to address myself to him a second time, but I found that he had left me. I then turned again to the vision which I had been so long contemplating; but instead of the rolling tide, the arched bridge, and the happy islands, I saw nothing but the long, hollow valley of Bagdad, with oxen, sheep, and camels grazing upon the sides of it. -The Spectator.

THE PERILS OF INVISIBILITY.-W. S. GILBERT.

Old Peter led a wretched life

Old Peter had a furious wife;
Old Peter too was truly stout,
He measured several yards about.

The little fairy Picklekin

One summer afternoon looked in,
And said, "Old Peter, how de do?
Can I do anything for you?

"I have three gifts-the first will give
Unbounded riches while you live;
The second, health where'er you be;
The third, invisibility."

"O little fairy Picklekin,"
Old Peter answered with a grin,
"To hesitate would be absurd,-
Undoubtedly I choose the third."

'Tis yours," the fairy said;“be quite Invisible to mortal sight

Whene'er you please. Remember me
Most kindly, pray, to Mrs. P."

Old Mrs. Peter overheard

Wee Picklekin's concluding word,
And jealous of her girlhood's choice,

Said, "That was some young woman's voice!"

Old Peter let her scold and swear

Old Peter, bless him, didn't care.

66

"My dear, your rage is wasted quite-
Observe, I disappear from sight!”

A well-bred fairy (so I've heard)
Is always faithful to her word:
Old Peter vanished like a shot,
But then-his suit of clothes did not.

For when conferred the fairy slim
Invisibility on him,

She popped away on fairy wings,
Without referring to his "things."

So there remained a coat of blue,
A vest and double eye-glass too,
His stock, his shoes, his socks as well,
His pair of no, I must not tell.

Old Mrs. Peter soon began
To see the failure of his plan,

And then resolved (I quote the Bard)
To" hoist him with his own petard."

Old Peter woke next day and dressed,
Put on his coat and shoes and vest,
His shirt and stock-but could not find
His only pair of-never mind!

Old Peter was a decent man,

And though he twigged his lady's plan,

Yet, bearing her approaching, he
Resumed invisibility.

"Dear Mrs. P., my only joy,"
Exclaimed the horrified old boy;
"Now give them up, I beg of you-
You know what I'm referring to!"

But no; the cross old lady swore
She'd keep his-what I said before-
To make him publicly absurd;
And Mrs. Peter kept her word.

The poor old fellow had no rest;
His coat, his stock, his shoes, his vest,
Were all that now met mortal eye-
The rest, invisibility!

"Now, madam, give them up, I beg—
I've bad rheumatics in my leg;
Besides, until you do, its plain
I cannot come to sight again!

"For though some mirth it might afford
To see my clothes without their lord,
Yet there would rise indignant oaths
If he were seen without his clothes!"

But no resolved to have her quiz,
The lady held her own--and his-
And Peter left his humble cot

To find a pair of-you know what.

But here's the worst of this affair-
Whene'er he came across a pair,
Already placed for him to don,
He was too stout to get them on!

So he resolved at once to train,

And walked and walked with all his main ; For years he paced this mortal earth,

To bring himself to decent girth.

At night when all around is still,
You'll find him pounding up a hill;
And shrieking peasants whom he meets,
Fall down in terror on the peats.

Old Peter walks through wind and rain,
Resolved to train, and train, and train,
Until he weighs twelve stone or so--
And when he does I'll let you know.

THE THREE WISHES.

"You've saved my life," the master said, "At risk of yours, my faithful Ned; And that a service so immense May not fail of such recompense As lies in human means to make, (Would mine were god-like for your sake!) Three dearest wishes straight unfoldEach shall be granted soon as told."

"Well, den," grinned Ned, with ivory show, "Since massa please to hab it so,

My firs' s'all be for-for-e'yah!
As much good old peach-brandy, sah,
As dis 'ere darkey an' his wife
Can jubilate in all dere life.

De nex-Virginia weed enough
For me to smoke an' her to snuff,
Till life's las' mile-stone s'al be past."
"It shall be so, Ned-now the last!"
"De las'-hem-gorry! let me see→→
W'at s'all it in partic'lar be?

Oh! now I hab him-chee, e'yah!
A leetle more peach-brandy, sah!"

THE SPELLING CLASS.-E. P. DYER.

INSCRIBED TO ALL OUR MODEL SPELLERS.

Stand up, ye spellers now and spell-
Since spelling matches are the rage,
Spell Phenakistoscope and Knell,
Diphtheria, Syzygy, and Gauge.
Or take some simple word as Chilly,
Or Willie or the garden Lily.
To spell such words as Syllogism,
And Lachrymose and Synchronism,
And Pentateuch and Saccharine,
Apocrypha and Celendine,
Lactiferous and Cecity,

Jejune and Homœopathy,

Paralysis and Chloroform,
Rhinoceros and Pachyderm,

Metempsychosis, Gherkins, Basque,
It is certainly no easy task.
Kaleidoscope and Tennessee,
Kamtschatka and Dispensary,

Would make some spellers colicky.
Diphthong and Erysipelas,
And Etiquette and Sassafras,
Infallible and Ptyalism,
Allopathy and Rheumatism,
And Cataclysm and Beleaguer,

Twelfth, Eighteenth, Rendezvous, Intriguer,
And hosts of other words are found
On English and on Classic ground.
Thus Behring Straits and Michaelmas,
Thermopyla, Cordilleras,

Suite, Jalap, Hemorrhage, and Havana,
Cinquefoil and Ipecacuanha,

And Rappahannock, Shenandoah,
And Schuylkill and a thousand more
Are words some prime good spellers miss,
In Dictionary lands like this.

Nor need one think himself a Scroyle,
If some of these his efforts foil,
Nor deem himself undone forever
To miss the name of either river;
The Dnieper, Seine or Guadalquiver.

"IN THE GARRET ARE OUR BOYS."

Here I'm sitting, stitching, darning
Little stockings, toes and heels,
While above my head the racket

Sounds like distant thunder peals.
What on earth can mean this tumult,
Whence comes this distracting noise?
Ah, I know it, yes I hear them,—
In the garret are our boys.

There is Grayson, “dead in earnest,"
Wanting things to go "just so;"
Banging all the boards together,
Placing boxes in a row;
"Make believe" he's having auction,
Selling worn-out, broken toys,
Do you wonder at the clatter?
In the garret are our boys.

Now the barrel from the corner
Fast is rolling o'er and o'er,
And the croquet balls are bounding
Here and there across the floor.
"Seize a mallet," "quick," "get ready,"

"There's your ball, and here mine goes."