The address he made to the emperor has been preserved :—

"If my fortune had been equal to my birth, O Claudius, then might I have come here, not as a captive, but as a friend; and you, without descending, might have conferred with one royal by descent, and the head of many nations. The present state of things-glorious to you-is to me not disgraceful. I had men, arms, horses, riches; why is it strange that I should be unwilling to resign them?

But if, indeed, the power and eminence of the Romans are to be universal, we, as well as others, must submit. Had I forthwith yielded, your glory had been less eminent, my grave would have buried the memory of your triumph together with myself; but now it is in your own hands; treat me nobly, and the action will remain an everlasting monument of your clemency."

The emperor, struck by the force of these remarks, caused his chains to be removed, gave freedom to his brothers, wife, and daughter, and presented the whole family to his empress.

It will amuse you to be told that the empress desired to know from the British ladies how they could endure to live in a "region of eternal ice and snow, where the stars never set, a land altogether beyond the limits of the world!" Such were the notions then entertained in Italy of the British Islands.

Claudius.-Emperor of Rome, who in the year A.D. 43 resolved to attempt the conquest of Britain. This had been attempted ninety-seven years before by Julius Cæsar; but his success was trifling, and for close upon a hundred years the Britons were left unmolested by the Romans.

QUESTIONS:-1. What had been the chief hindrance to the success of the Britons? 2. Under whom did they agree to place themselves? 3. What was the character of the Roman general? 4. Whence did Caractacus obtain soldiers? 5. How was he esteemed by his men? 6. What was the policy of Caractacus? 7. What was the effect of this policy? 8. What line of forts had the Romans constructed? 9. What resolution did Caractacus form regarding these forts? 10. What was the result of his attempt? 11. What enabled the Romans to conquer? 12. What became of Caractacus? 13. Give an account of his address to Claudius. 14. Who was Claudius? 15. How did Claudius treat the captives? 16. What notions had the Romans regarding Britain?

LESSON XXXIII.

The Electric Telegraph.

feat, wonderful exploit or deed. | out-strip', get the start of.
re-solve', determination, high sin-cer'-ity, truth, reality.
purpose.
sub-lime', noble, high.

HARK the warning needles click,
Hither, thither, clear and quick.
He who guides their speaking play
Stands a thousand miles away
Here we feel the electric thrill
Guided by his simple will;

Here the instant message read,

Brought with more than lightning speed.

Sing who will of Orphean lyre,

Ours the wonder-working wire!

Let the sky be dark or clear,
Comes the faithful messenger;
Now it tells of loss and grief,
Now of joy in sentence brief,
Now of safe or sunken ships,
Now the murderer outstrips,
Now of war and fields of blood,
Now of fire, and now of flood.

Sing who will of Orphean lyre,
Ours the wonder-working wire!

Think the thought, and speak the word,
It is caught as soon as heard,

Borne o'er mountains, lakes, and seas,
To the far an-tipo-dēs;

London speaks at twelve o'clock,
Boston reads ere noon the shock.
Seems it not a feat sublime?
INTELLECT has conquered Time!

Sing who will of Orphean lyre,
Ours the wonder-working wire!

MARVEL! triumph of our day,

Flash all ignorance away!

Flash sincerity of speech,

Noblest aims to all who teach;

Flash till Power shall learn the Right,
Flash till Reason conquer Might;
Flash resolve to every mind;

Manhood flash to all mankind.

Sing who will of Orphean lyre,
Ours the wonder-working wire!

Orphean lyre.-Orpheus, one of the most famous Greek bards, who is said to have tamed wild animals, and to have caused forests to follow him by his marvellous power of music. But greater than the power of Orpheus, is the little electric wire that joins the most distant lands.

Antipodes. This word comes from two Greek words,

anti, opposite or against, and podes, feet; and means literally, with feet opposite. Hence it is applied to people who live on the opposite side of the globe to us, and whose feet are, of course, directly opposite to ours. Boston.-One of the most famous New England cities of America. As the time in London is earlier than in Boston, a message handed in in London at twelve o'clock, will be in Boston long before noon there.

QUESTIONS.-1. What is meant by warning needles? 2. What are the needles here spoken of? 3. Mention some of the feats of the telegraph? 4. Who was Orpheus? 5. What is meant by

Antipodes?

The Fishermen.

a-main', with all their might. con-geals', freezes.

lub'-ber, clumsy.

HURRAH! the seaward breezes

Sweep down the bay amain;
Heave up, my lads, the anchor!
Run up the sail again!
Leave to the lubber landsmen
The rail-car and the steed;
The stars of heaven shall guide us,
The breath of heaven shall speed;

From the hill-top looks the steeple,

And the lighthouse from the sand;

And the scattered pines are waving
Their farewell from the land.

One glance, my lads, behind us;
For the homes we love, one sigh,
Ere we take the change and chances
Of the ocean and the sky.

Though the mist upon our jackets
In the bitter air congeals,
And our lines wind stiff and slowly
From off the frozen reels;

Though the fog be dark around us,

And the storm blow high and loud, We will whistle down the wild wind, And laugh beneath the cloud.

In the darkness as in daylight,
On the water as on land,
God's eye is looking on us,

And beneath us is His hand!
Death will find us soon or later,
On the deck or in the cot;
And we cannot meet him better
Than in working out our lot.

Hurrah! hurrah! the west wind
Comes freshening down the bay,
The rising sails are filling,-

Give way, my lads, give way! Leave the coward landsman clinging To the dull earth, like a weed,—