murmur of applause was heard among our schoolfellows. Having received the sum, our preceptor continued :-"I am well aware that it is the practice among school-boys to commit such wanton acts as this, on the eve of breaking up. They seem to think that they have then a license to act just as they please. But no conduct can be more unjustifiable. It is as ungrateful as it is wanton. For only think what care I have taken of you all while under my roof; and how anxiously I have sought your best interests. By such conduct as this, therefore, Martin, you are ill-treating a friend. Hence it is, that I feel

bound to punish you. And I shall do it, not only by taking your money to repair the mischief, but I shall not permit you to partake of the treat which it is my custom to prepare for you on

these occasions."

Perhaps Mr. White could not have inflicted a severer punishment on Master Martin, than by preventing his participating in our "breaking up treat;" for this treat was one of the richest kind I ever enjoyed in my school days. Not only did our kind master provide us with cake, and fruit, and wine, but he used to invite many of his friends in the neighbourhood to join our cheerful circle. The squire and the doctor were frequently our companions on those occasions; and much innocent amusement did these important personages afford us. They would relate many a lively incident of their school days; and, unbending from their station, join us in a good game at cricket. On one occasion, I recollect that our master, the doctor, and the squire, with

some others, ventured to play against us all; but, although some of them were adepts in the game, yet we gained the victory. This was looked upon as a great triumph; and Charles Murphy used frequently to remind us of that memorable victory, and to adduce it as a proof, that though we were only what some people contemptuously term "school boys," we were not to be despised.

That part of the entertainment, on these occasions, however, which gave me the most delight, was the recitations. And for this reason: it gratified my vanity. "Will not the Philosopher shine to-day?" Charles Murphy would frequently ask our school-fellows, in my hearing; and though, sometimes, I rebuked him for it, I was always inwardly pleased with his question.

It was the custom of Mr. White to give each of his pupils some prose or poetry to learn, for the purpose of reciting it before his friends. These pieces were always remarkable for their Christian tendency; for, as a Christian schoolmaster, he was very careful not to instil into our minds anything that would injure our morals, or call forth any of those evil passions which are incident to human nature. I remember, on one occasion, the squire asked him how it was that his pupils did not recite the pieces which it was usual for masters to give their scholars as lessons for recitation. "When I was a boy," said he, "I remember that Homer, and Virgil, and Shakspeare, supplied us with pieces for such displays; and where can you find compositions so eloquent as those which are to be met with in their pages?"

To these observations of the squire, Mr. White replied: "I freely confess, sir, that I have departed from an ancient custom. At the same time, I hope to convince you that I am right. It is an acknowledged truth, that the mind frequently takes a bias from what we learn or read in youth. This is, indeed, proved by many examples on record. Thus, from reading the pages of Homer, Alexander in ancient times, and Napoleon, within your own recollection, became ambitious of obtaining the name of hero. And what fearful results followed I need not inform you. The peace of the world was disturbed by them, and they slaughtered their species by tens of thousands. Now, although I would not imagine, for one moment, that any one of my pupils would become an Alexander or a Napoleon; yet I think it the safest course to pursue, not to stir up the ambition of any of them, by giving them to learn any of those pages which throw a false glare over human actions, notwithstanding their eloquence. And I feel the more justified in departing from this custom, because the pages of modern Christian writers supply pieces equally eloquent, and infinitely better adapted to improve my pupils, than those authors you have mentioned. I will prove this, if you please, by calling upon that young gentleman to recite a passage from Milton's Paradise Lost.''

The " young gentleman" on whom Mr. White called was myself; and the passage I repeated was that in which the poet describes Satan as calling upon his fellow fallen angels to leave the bottomless pit, and to follow him to Paradise,

where he had recently effected the fall of man. It reads thus:

"Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers;
For in possession such, not only of right,
I call ye, and declare ye now; returned,
Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth
Triumphant out of this infernal pit

Abominable, accursed, the house of woe,
And dungeon of our tyrant: now possess
As lords a spacious world, to our native heaven
Little inferior, by my adventure hard

With peril great achieved. Long were to tell
What I have done, what suffered; with what pain
Voyaged the unreal, vast, unbounded deep
Of horrible confusion; over which

By Sin and Death a broad way now is paved,
To expedite your glorious march: but I
Toiled out my uncouth passage, forced to ride
The untractable abyss, plunged in the womb
Of unoriginal night and chaos wild;

That, jealous of their secrets, fiercely opposed
My journey strange, with clamorous uproar,
Protesting fate Supreme; thence how I found
The new-created world, which fame in heaven
Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful,
Of absolute perfection! therein man
Placed in a Paradise, by our exile
Made happy; him by fraud I have seduced
From his Creator; and, the more to increase
Your wonder, with an apple; he, thereat
Offended, worth your laughter! hath given up
Both his beloved man and all his world,
To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us
Without our hazard, labour, or alarm,
To range in, and to dwell, and over man
To rule, as over all he should have ruled.
True is, me also, he hath judged, or rather
Me not, but the brute serpent in whose shape
Man I deceived: that which to me belongs,
Is enmity, which he will put between
Me and mankind; I am to bruise his heel;

His seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head.

A world, who would not purchase with a bruise

Or much more grievous pain? Ye have the account
Of my performance: what remains, ye gods,

But up, and enter now into full bliss?"

When I had finished, Mr. White, again addressing the squire, observed: "I think, sir, that you can scarcely find a more eloquent piece

than this in the authors you named. And the great charm of it is, that it contains truths important to be known both by youth and manhood. In the other pieces which I select for repetition, there are truths equally important for them to know; and thus I flatter myself, that while I am endeavouring to make them scholars, I am also making them Christians."

It tends

The squire did Mr. White the justice to acknowledge that he was right; and, at the same time, congratulated his pupils in having the good fortune of being placed under so excellent a preceptor. He also did me the honour of complimenting me on the manner in which I had recited this passage, which did not a little increase my vanity. This is the chief evil attending these displays of elocution in schools. to feed the vanity of those who succeed so as to obtain praise from the auditors. For several hours after the squire had left us, I was continually reminding my fellow-pupils of his commendation; and my vanity was only checked by Charles Murphy wittily observing: "That is all very well, Philosopher. I know you deserve praise; but, then, you must recollect the squire is nobody; for we beat him at cricket."

Before we parted, on these delightful occasions, it was usual for Mr. White to present those who had been diligent in their studies, and whose conduct had been praiseworthy, with some little reward. In doing this, he never failed to observe, that this was one of the most pleasant parts of his duties. At the same time, he would offer us a word of advice. " "Boys," he would say, "I am