He flung himself in low despair,

As grieved as man could be;

And after a while, as he pondered there, "I'll give it up," cried he.

Now, just at the moment, a spider dropped

With its silken cobweb clew,

And the king, in the midst of his thinking, stopped To see what the spider would do.

'Twas a long way up to the ceiling dome,
And it hung by a rope so fine,

That how it would get to its cobweb home
King Bruce could not divine.

It soon began to cling and crawl
Straight up with strong endeavour;
But down it came with a slippery sprawl,
As near to the ground as ever.

Up, up it ran, nor a second did stay
To make the least complaint,

:

Till it fell still lower and there it lay,
A little dizzy and faint.

Its head grew steady: again it went
And travelled a half-yard higher,

'Twas a delicate thread it had to tread,

And a road where its feet would tire.

Again it fell and swung below,
But up it quickly mounted,

Till up and down, now fast, now slow,
Nine brave attempts were counted.

"Sure," said the king, "that foolish thing Will strive no more to climb,

When it toils so hard to reach and cling,
And tumbles every time."

6

But

up the insect went once more!
Ah, me! 'tis an anxious minute,

He's only a foot from his cobweb door;
Oh, say, will he lose or win it?

Steadily, steadily, inch by inch,

Higher and higher he got,

And a bold little run at the very last pinch Put him into the wished-for spot.

Bravo, bravo!" the king cried out; "All honour to those who try;

The spider up there defied despair;

He conquered, and why should not I?"

And Bruce of Scotland braced his mind,
And gossips tell the tale,

That he tried once more, as he tried before,
And that time he did not fail.

Pay goodly heed, all you who read,
And beware of saying, "I can't:"

'Tis a cowardly word, and apt to lead To idleness, folly, and want.

Whenever you find your heart despair
Of doing some goodly thing,

Con over this strain, try bravely again,
And remember the spider and king.

ELIZA COOK.

King Bruce.-Robert Bruce had a long struggle before he established the independence of his kingdom. The story of the lesson occurred when he was in exile and a fugitive.

QUESTIONS:-1. Who was King Bruce? 2. When did he reign? 3. What was his condition when the incident in the lesson occurred? 4. What lesson did he learn from the spider?

dis-pelled', scattered; disper- soothe, calm, quiet.

sed.

in-tent'-ly, earnestly, eagerly.

sub-sid'-ed, fell, sank.
ver'-dant, green.

ON the 3rd of August, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain in search of the New World, in a small fleet, consisting of three vessels, the Pinta, Nina, and Santa Maria.

After touching at the Canary Islands, he directed his course westward into the unknown

ocean. As day after day passed without any signs of land, the crews became disheartened, and it needed all their brave leader's patience and skill to keep them to their duty. He tried to soothe and occupy their minds with hopes of new scenes and wonders and riches in the seas before them; but they were now beginning to regard him as a madman or a dreamer, and they would not be comforted. They seemed to have taken leave of the world for ever. Behind them was everything that is dear to the heart of mancountry, family, and friends; and before them all was mystery and peril. In their despair many of the rough seamen shed tears, and some broke out into loud lamentations.

As they sailed on, however, the signs of approaching land seemed to grow more certain, and their hopes rose. Birds began to appear in flocks, making towards the south-west. Up to this time Columbus had been steering due west; but now he determined to alter his course, and follow the flight of the birds. They proceeded in this new direction for thirty days, without seeing anything except sea and sky; and the hopes of the sailors subsided faster than they had risen. Fear again filled every heart, and impatience, rage, and despair were visible on every countenance. The spirit of mutiny soon became general. Officers and crews alike began to murmur against the admiral, and a plot was formed to throw him

Columbus was

into the sea, and turn back. aware of all this discontent and bad feeling, and, though it grieved him much, he bore it all in patience, and tried to reason with his timid companions. On the 7th of October, he called the men together, and asked them to obey his command for three days longer; and he promised that, if land were not discovered during that time, he would yield to their wishes, and lead them back to Europe.

He made this promise because he was now convinced that the long-sought-for land was not far distant. Small birds of various colours alighted upon the ships, and cheered the sailors with their song. The herbage which floated by was fresh and green, as if recently torn from the soil; and the air was sweet and fragrant as the April breezes that blow among the flowering groves of Spain.

On the evening of the third day, no land was yet in sight. As the evening darkened, Columbus took his station on the top of the castle or cabin of the high poop of his vessel. About ten o'clock he thought he saw a light glimmering at a distance, and pointed it out to a friend who was standing by his side. The next moment it was gone. Again it appeared, and again it vanished. might be a torch in a fisherman's boat, rising and sinking with the waves; or a light in the hand of some person on shore, moving from house to house.

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It