Northumberland, Queen Jane, and her husband, were committed to the tower. Three days afterwards Northumberland was executed. On the 13th November, Lady Jane and her husband were tried, and both pleaded guilty. The assurance that she must suffer death seemed to have been a welcome announcement, and she wrote to her father, saying, "I yield God more hearty thanks for shortening my woeful days, than if all the world had been given into my possession." To her sister she wrote in a similar strain, "Rejoice as I do, good sister, that I shall be delivered of this corruption, and put on incorruption." Lord Guildford passed Lady Jane's prison on his way to Tower Hill, and she gave him from her window some token of her affectionate remembrance as he went by. She was ordered to suffer within the Tower. On her way to the scaffold, she was met by the cart containing the headless body of her husband, wrapped in a linen cloth. Lady Jane gazed at the affecting spectacle, and shed her last tears over his remains, and then desired the officials to proceed.

Her last words to the crowd contained the true ground of her hope of Heaven:- "I avouch from my soul that I trust to be saved by the blood, passion, and merits of my Saviour only." She then knelt down, and with great devoutness repeated the 51st Psalm. Having taken off her gown, and tied a hankerchief over her eyes, she felt her way to the block, on which she composedly placed her head; and while uttering the words,-"Lord into Thy hands I commend my spirit," the axe fell, and she passed into the presence of her Saviour and Judge.

Soon after her execution, the Duke of Suffolk, her father, who had used all his influence in urging Lady Jane to accept the crown, was himself executed. The Duchess of Suffolk was deserted by all her friends, and ended her days in poverty and obscurity.

W.

194

Shepherds leading their Flocks.

THE Rev. J. L. Porter, in his recent work, the "Giant Cities of Bashan," whilst encamped in the neighbourhood of the ruins of Kenath (Numb. xxxii. 42), thus describes the method adopted by the Eastern shepherds in leading their flocks:

"As we sat and looked, almost spell-bound, the silent hillsides around us were in a moment filled with life and sound. The shepherds led their flocks forth from the gates of the city. They were in full view, and we watched them and listened to them with no little interest. Thousands of sheep and goats were there, grouped in dense, confused masses. The shepherds stood together until all came out. Then they all separated, each shepherd taking a different path, and uttering as he advanced a shrill, peculiar call. The sheep heard them. At first the masses swayed and moved, as if shaken by some internal convulsion; then points struck out in the direction taken by the shepherds; these became longer and longer, until the confused masses were resolved into long, living streams, flowing after their leaders. Such a sight was not new to me; still it had lost none of its interest. It was perhaps one of the most vivid illustrations which human eyes could witness of that beautiful discourse of our Lord recorded by John :

And the sheep hear the shepherd's voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out; and when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice; and a stranger will they not follow, for they know not the voice of strangers' (x. 3-5).

"The shepherds themselves had none of that peaceful and placid aspect which is generally associated with pastoral life and habits. They looked more like warriors marching to the battle-field-a long gun slung from the shoulder, a dagger and heavy pistols in the belt, a light battle-axe or iron-headed

club in the hand. Such were their equipments; and their fierce flashing eyes and scowling countenances showed but too plainly that they were prepared to use their weapons at any moment. They were all Arabs-not the true sons of the desert, but a mongrel race living in the mountains, and acting as shepherds to the Druses while feeding their own flocks.. Their costume is different from that of the Druses, and almost the same as that of the desert Arabs-a coarse shirt of blue calico, bound round the waist by a leathern girdle, a loose robe of goat's hair, and a handkerchief thrown over the head and fastened by a fillet of camel's hair; such is their whole costume, and it is filthy besides, and generally in rags."

The Israelites and their Neighbours.

THE MOABITES.-The Moabites were the descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. They dwelt on the east of the Dead Sea, along the banks of the river Arnon. This district had previously been occupied by a gigantic race called Emim, but the Lord, who gave Canaan to Israel, and Mount Seir to the children of Esau, gave this land to the children of Lot. Moab therefore expelled the original inhabitants, and dwelled in their stead. When Israel approached the territories of Moab, on their way to the land which God had given them, they encamped on the borders of Moab. Balak, the king of Moab, oppressed with fear at the multitude of the people, hired Balaam to curse the intruders, hoping thereby to render their conquest easy. This attempt failed, and the prophet, who "loved the wages of unrighteousness," lost his life as the punishment of the wicked counsel he gave to the king.

The hostile spirit displayed on this occasion showed itself frequently afterwards. In the time of the Judges, Eglon, king of Moab, oppressed Israel for eighteen years. He took up his

abode at or near Gilgal, on the west of the Jordan; and multitudes of the Moabites left the banks of the Arnon to partake of the spoil of Israel. Ehud was commissioned to deliver the oppressed people. He killed the king, and as the Moabites attempted to re-cross the Jordan, about 10,000 of them were slain. After this the Moabites often joined with their neighbours, the Ammonites, in fighting against Israel; but in the time of David they were completely subdued; "the Moabites. became David's servants, and brought gifts." After being subject to Israel for 150 years, they rebelled, but were severely chastised by Jehoram, the son of Ahab. They joined the Ammonites against Jehoshaphat, and again they suffered greatly. When the Assyrians ravaged the kingdom of Israel, the Moabites seized on the cities near them, and murdered their inhabitants in the most inhuman manner; and when Judah was carried into captivity, Moab ungenerously triumphed over the Jews. As, however, the Moabites had assisted the Tyrians against Nebuchadnezzar, that monarch severely punished them when on his way to Egypt.

For several ages after, they were subject in turn to Persians, Greeks, and Romans; but their hatred to the Jews even then showed itself whenever there was an opportunity. After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, all the tribes around Judea were denominated Arabians; and before the end of the third century, the Moabites were not known as a distinct nation. There are, however, people still occupying the same district, and the punishment threatened against the original inhabitants seems to be continued. Volney, an infidel and traveller, says, respecting Moab, "The wretched peasants live in perpetual dread of losing the fruits of their labours; and no sooner have they gathered in their harvest, than they hasten to secrete in private places, and retire among the rocks which border on the Dead Sea."

H.

Indian Generosity.

AN educated American told me a circumstance, proving, in a most affecting manner, how capable the Indians are of liberality and charity, even in their own poverty. About twenty years back, he said that he was travelling in the savage north of Wisconsin. He and his two comrades had expended all their provisions. It was winter, and deep snow covered forest and plain, so that they found difficulty in advancing, and could not possibly kill any game. They marched on for three days without sustenance, and were in a state of deep distress. At length, to their delight, they discovered an Indian lodge, entered it, and begged some food. Unfortunately, the Indians had nothing to offer, and replied to their guests' complaints with others even worse: "We," they said, "have been fasting nearly so many weeks as you have days. The deep snow has prevented us killing anything. Our two sons have gone out to-day, but they will return as usual, with empty hands. Other Indians, however, live twenty miles to the north, and it is possible they are better provided than we are.”

The American and his comrades, tortured by hunger, set out at once on snow-shoes, to try their luck with their neighbours; but they had scarce gone four or five miles, when they heard a yell behind them, and saw an Indian hurrying after them on snow-shoes. "Hi! halloh; you men, stop! Come back!"-"What's the matter?"-"Our lads have returned. They have shot a deer and brought it home. We have now a supply, and I have hastened to tell you of it." The European travellers turned back and were stuffed with food, though the deer was small and the family large.

I have, I confess, never seen any starving Indians reduced to extremities, but all the Voyageurs here present have experienced it, for the satisfaction of hunger is here the standing question the year through. They are almost always in a state of want. All the Voyageurs I questioned were unanimous in