conquers his prudence. When suspicions from without begin to embarrass him, and the net of circumstance to entangle him, the fatal secret struggles with still greater violence to burst forth. It must be confessed, it will be confessed, there is no refuge from confession but suicide and suicide is confession

LESSON LXXVIII.

EULOGY ON HAMILTON.

He was born to be great. Whoever was second, Hamilton must be first. To his stupendous and versatile mind no investigation was difficult-no subject presented which he did not illuminate. Superiority in some particular, belongs to thousands. Preeminence, in whatever he chose to undertake, was the prerogative of Hamilton. No fixed criterion could be applied to his talents. Often has their display been supposed to have reached the limit of human effort; and the judgment stood firm till set aside by himself. When a cause of new magnitude required new exertions, he rose, he towered, he soared; surpassing himself as he surpassed others. Then was nature tributary to his eloquence! Then was felt his despotism over the heart! Touching, at his pleasure, every string of pity or terror, of indignation or grief, he melted, he soothed, he roused, he agitated; alternately gentle as the dews, and awful as the thunder. Yet, great as he was in the eyes of the world, he was greater in the

eyes of those with whom he was most conversant. The greatness of most men, like objects seen through a mist, diminishes with the distance: but Hamilton, like a tower seen afar off under a clear sky, rose in grandeur and sublimity with every step of approach. Familiarity with him was the parent of veneration. Over these matchless talents, probity threw her brightest lustre. Frankness, suavity, tenderness, benevolence, breathed through their exercise. And to his family!— but he is gone.

-That noble heart beats no more: that eye of fire is dimmed; and sealed are those oracular lips. Americans, the serenest beam of your glory is extinguished in the tomb!

LESSON LXXIX.

UNION-LIBERTY.

HAIL, our country's natal morn,
Hail, our spreading kindred born,
Hail, thou banner not yet torn,
Waving o'er the free!

While, this day in festal throng,
Millions swell the patriot song,

Shall not we thy notes prolong,
Hallowed Jubilee?

Who would sever freedom's shrine?
Who should draw the invidious line?—

Though by birth, one spot be mine,
Dear is all the rest:

Dear to me the South's fair land,
Dear, the central Mountain band,
Dear, New-England's rocky strand,
Dear the prairied West.

By our altars, pure and free,
By our Law's deep rooted tree,
By the past's dread memory,
By our Washington;

By our common parent tongue,

By our hopes, bright, buoyant, young,
By the tie of country strong,-
We will still be one.

Fathers! have ye bled in vain?
Ages! must ye droop again?
MAKER! shall we rashly stain
Blessings sent by Thee?

No! receive our solemn vow,
While before thy throne we bow,

Ever to maintain as now,

“Union—Liberty."

LESSON LXXX.

PROLOGUE.

DEAR friends, we thank you for your condescension, In deigning thus to lend us your attention;

And hope the various pieces we recite,

(Boys though we are,) will yield you some delight.

From wisdom and from knowledge, pleasure springs,
Surpassing far the glaring pomp of kings;
All outward splendor quickly dies away,
But wisdom's honors never can decay.

Blest is the man, who treads her paths in youth,
They lead to virtue, happiness, and truth;—

Sages and patriots in these ways have trod,
Saints have walked in them till they reached their God.

The powers of eloquence can charm the soul,
Inspire the virtuous, and the bad control;
Can rouse the passions, or their rage can still,
And mold a stubborn mob to one man's will.

Such powers the great Demosthenes attained,
Who haughty Philip's conquering course restrained;
Indignant thundering at his country's shame,
Till every breast in Athens caught the flame.

Such powers were Cicero's:—with patriot might,
He dragged the lurking treason forth to light,
Which long had festered in the heart of Rome,
And saved his country from her threatened doom.

Nor to the senate or the bar confined,
The pulpit shows its influence o'er the mind;
Such glorious deeds can eloquence achieve;
Such fame, such deathless laurels, it can give.

Then say not this our weak attempt is vain,
For frequent practice will perfection gain;
The fear to speak in public it destroys,
And drives away the bashfulness of boys.

EPILOGUE.

OUR parts are perform'd and our speeches are ended,-
We are monarchs, and courtiers, and heroes no more;
To a much humbler station again we've descended,
And are now but the schoolboys you've known us before

Farewell then our greatness-'tis gone like a dream,
'Tis gone-but remembrance will often retrace
The indulgent applause which rewarded each theme,
And the heart-cheering smiles that enlivened each face.

We thank you !—Our gratitude words cannot tell,

But deeply we feel it-to you it belongs;

With heartfelt emotion we bid you farewell,

And our feelings now thank you much more than our tongues

We will strive to improve, since applauses thus cheer us,
That our juvenile efforts may gain your kind looks;
And we hope to convince you the next time you hear us,
That praise has but sharpen'd our relish for books.