Or, like the wise Ulysses,* thrown, 4. "The daily labors of the bee 5. "From nature too, I take my rule, Can grave and formal pass for wise, *A Grecian commander at the siege of Troy. Nor would I, with felonious flight, LESSON XLVII. The Youth and the Philosopher.-WHITEHEAD. 1. A GRECIAN youth, of talents rare, By precept and example too, Would often boast his matchless skill, To curb the steed, and guide the wheel; With graceful ease, and smack'd the thong, Was praise and transport to his breast. 2. At length, quite vain, he needs would show His master what his art could do; And bade his slaves the chariot lead To Academus** sacred shade. Academus, a man who owned a place near Athens, surrounded with high trees, and adorned with spacious walks. Here Plato opened his school of philosophy, and from this, every place sacred to learning, has been called Academia. The tren.bling grove confess'd its fright, And to their inmost shades retire. 3. Howe'er the youth with forward air, 4. Triumphant to the goal* return'd, 5. For he, deep-judging sage, beheld LESSON XLVIII. Naval Action. 1. MR. Richard Hornby, of Stokesly, was master of a merchant ship, the Isabella of Sunderland, in which he sailed from the coast of Norfolk for the Hague, June 1, 1774, in company with three smaller vessels recommended to his care. Pronounced gole, a starting post. + Pronounced Beerd ́-ed 2. Next day they made Gravesend steeple, in the Hague; but while they were steering for their port, the Brancas, a French privateer, that lay concealed among the Dutch fishing boats, suddenly came against them, singling out the Isabella, as the object of attack, while the rest dispersed and escaped. 3. The strength of the two ships was most unequal; for the Isabella mounted only four carriage guns and two swivels, and her crew consisted of only five men, three boys, besides the captain; while the privateer, commanded by Captain Andre had ten carriage guns and eight swivels, with seventy-five men and three hundred small arms. Yet Captain Hornby was nothing daunted. 4. Having animated his little crew by an appropriate address, and obtained their promise of standing by him to the last, he hoisted the British colors, and with his two swivel guns returned the fire of the enemy's chase guns. The Frenchman, in abusive terms, commanded him to strike.* 5. Hornby coolly returned an answer of defiance, on which the privateer advanced, and poured such showers of bullets into the Isabella, that the captain found it prudent to order his brave fellows into close quarters. While he lay thus sheltered, the enemy twice attempted to board him on the larboard+ quarter; but by the dexterous turn of the helm, he frustrated both attempts, though the Frenchman kept firing upon him both with guns and small arms. 6. At two o'clock, when the action had lasted an hour, the privateer, running furiously in upon the larboard of the Isabella, entangled her bowsprit among the main shrouds, and was lashed fast to her. Captain Andre now bawled out in a menacing tone, "You English dog, strike." Captain Hornby challenged him to come on board and strike his colors if he dared. 7. The exasperated Frenchman instantly threw in twenty men on the Isabella, who began to hack and hew into close quarters; but a general discharge of blunderbusses forced the assailants to retreat as fast as their wounds would permit. The privateer, being now disengaged from the Isabella, turned about and made another attempt on the starboard|| side, when the valiant Hornby and his mate, shot each his man, as the enemy were again lashing the ships together. * Strike, to let down the flag or ensign. + Larboard, the left hand side of the ship. + Blunderbuss, a short gun, with a large bore, capable of sholding a number of balls. Starboard, the right hand side of the ship. 8. The Frenchman once more commanded him to strike; and the brave Englishman returning another refusal, twenty fresh men entered, and made a fierce attack on the close quarters with hatchets and pole axes, with which they had nearly cut their way through in three places, when the constant fire kept up by Captain Hornby and his crew, obliged them a second time to retreat, carrying their wounded with them, and hauling their dead after them with boat hooks. 9. The Isabella continued still lashed to the enemy, the latter with small arms, firing repeated volleys into her close quarters; but the fire was returned with such spirit and effect, the Frenchman repeatedly gave way. 10. At length Captain Hornby, seeing them crowding behind their mainmast for shelter, aimed a blunderbuss at them, which, being by mistake doubly loaded, containing twice twelve balls, burst in the firing, and threw him down, to the great consternation of his little crew, who supposed him dead. 11. In an instant, however, he started up again, though greatly bruised, while the enemy, among whom the blunderbuss had made dreadful havoc, disengaged themselves from the Isabella, to which they had been lashed an hour and a quarter, and sheered off with precipitation, leaving their grapplings, and a quantity of pole-axes, pistols, and cutlasses behind them. 12. The gallant Hornby now exultingly fired his two starboard guns into the enemy's stern. The indignant Frenchman 'immediately returned and renewed the conflict, which was carried on yard-arin and yard-arm, with great fury for two hours together. 13. The Isabella was shot through her hull* several times, her sails and rigging were torn to pieces, her ensign was dismounted, and every mast and yard damaged; yet she still bravely maintained the conflict, and at last, by a fortunate shot which struck the Brancas between wind and water, obliged her to sheer off and careen.† 14. While the enemy were retiring, Hornby, and his little crew, sallied out from their fastness, and, erecting their fallen ensign, gave three cheers. By this time, both vessels had driven so near the English shore, that immense crowds had assembled to be spectators of the action. 15. The Frenchman, having stopped his leak, returned to the combat, and poured a dreadful fire into the stern of the Hull, the body of a ship, exclusive of her masts, yards, and rigging. + Careen, to lie on one side. |