with the lands must change masters; they must all become the property of the Duke of Worcester. Besides, a large portion of the houses in the town must become his also; the shoemaker must give up the proprietorship of his dwelling, his garden, and his little pasture-ground, and he must become a tenant and vassal of His Grace. Many of the mechanics, and merchants, and professional men, must do the same.

With the wealth accruing from this vast rental, we must build a magnificent edifice on some commanding eminence, and call it Worcester Castle. We must fill it with pictures, and statues, and carvings, and every other article of luxury and taste. Before it, we must spread a green lawn, and in this, carve out lakes, and set cascades; behind it, we must rear a noble forest of hoary oaks, and call it a park. We must build marble stables and fill them with well-trained horses, and these must be pampered with every luxury, even though the peasant starve. The Duke's horses and hounds must be first cared for; the peasant is secondary. We must construct carriages of many forms, and assemble a retinue of servants arrayed in a livery of green and gold.

We must now create a Duke; and what shall he be? If we take the Duke of Devonshire for a model, we shall obtain one who is supposed not to be the son of his reputed father, and who as a private citizen would hardly be esteemed a decent member of society. If we take other examples, shall we do better? Shall we get a man who is distinguished for his virtues, patriotism, or humanity? Shall we not rather run the risk of obtaining one who habitually violates the most impor

tant rules of religion and morality? Shall we not in all probability get an individual who, if estimated according to his real character, and divested of rank and wealth, will be only worthy of detestation and contempt? But even though his character be such, the people must learn to look on him with reverence, as a being of superior mould; one who is above other men, and not responsible to the vulgar obligations of justice, truth, and honesty, which bind the rest of mankind. They must slave or starve their bodies to pamper him, his horses, his dogs, and my lady's poodle. They must abase their minds in subservience to his plans, whims and caprices. They must lose self-respect, and make the noble Duke the centre of their pride. Even if subjected by him to tyranny, insult, or violence— like the lashed hound, they must forget, forgive, and lick the hand that administers the blow.

It is for such a man and such purposes, that this palace is to be erected; is it for such a man that three or four thousand people are to be degraded. It is for one man, and that man worthless, if measured by a standard of truth and virtue - it is to contribute to his pleasures, to pamper his luxuries,― that the peace, happiness and dignity of thousands are to be destroyed. It is for one worthless individual that thousands are to exchange independence for dependence, and freedom of body and soul, for servility to rank; intelligence for ignorance; respectability for degradation. In other words, at least one half of the community is to be impoverished and debased-reduced from comfort and prosperity to a narrow subsistence and a withering dependence,

for the sole purpose of creating a palace that may be a depository of luxury and art, and furnishing it with a duke at once licentious and refined!

And this, no doubt, is the "consummation devoutly to be wished" by the lovers-the admirers of privileged aristocracy. But how great must be the prejudice of that mind which conceives the change we have imagined to be a desirable one; and how fearful must be the wickedness of that heart, which seeing the subject in its true light, would reduce thousands to a state of misery for the purpose of bestowing wealth and rank upon a single family!

THE TURKEY AND RATTLESNAKE.

As the sun

ON a fine day in summer, a wild turkey was walking across one of the prairies of the far West. shone upon his glossy neck, he cast his eye downward, and seemed lost in admiration of his own beauty. While engaged in this way, he heard something hissing in the grass; and soon a rattlesnake issued from the spot, and coiling himself up, placed himself before the turkey. The latter grew very red in the face, spread his tail and wings to their utmost extent, and having strutted back and forth several times, approached the snake, and spoke as follows:

"You impudent serpent! Was it you that I heard laughing at me in the grass? How dare you laugh at me, the handsomest cock-turkey of the whole prairie? Have I not the reddest wattles, the largest comb, the blackest wing, and the glossiest neck, of any bird that is seen on the plain? Did not my grandfather swallow an alligator alive, and could I not take down such a little insignificant thing as you, without winking?"

"Don't put yourself in a passion," said the serpent in reply, at the same time swelling up- his flesh writhing, and the colors of his skin growing very bright. "Don't put yourself in a passion; I know you're a

coward, like the whole of your race, and you are as vain as you are timid.”

Upon this, the turkey seemed bursting with rage; his throat was so choked, that he could not speak distinctly, but he gobbled the louder. He also strutted round in a circle, grating the ends of his wings upon the ground. At length he came bristling up toward the serpent, who being mortally offended, coiled himself into a ball, and springing toward the turkey, struck him in the neck with his fangs and inflicted a fatal wound. The latter in return gave the serpent a deep scratch in the side, and both fell dead upon the ground.

A wise ant that dwelt in a little hillock near by, and saw the whole affray, crawled to the spot, and made the following sage observations: "It would seem that this vast prairie were wide enough for the creatures that dwell upon it to live together in peace; but alas! their angry passions lead to strife, and strife ends in death. Nor is this all. As the poison of the serpent taints these carcasses, so an evil name always follows those who'die as the fool dieth!'"

團