THE CURFEW BELL.

Hark! from the dim church tower,
The deep slow curfew's chime!
A heavy sound unto hall and bower
In England's olden time!

Sadly 'twas heard by him who came
From the fields of his toil at night,

And who might not see his own hearth-flame,
In his children's eyes make light.

And woe for him whose wakeful soul,—
With long aspirings fill'd,-

Would have lived o'er some immortal scroll,
While the sounds of earth were still'd!

And yet a deeper woe

For the watcher by the bed,

Where the fondly loved in pain lay low,
In pain and sleepless dread!

Darkness in chieftain's hall!
Darkness in peasant's cot!

While freedom, under that shadowy pall,
Sat mourning o'er her lot.

Oh! the fireside's peace we well may prize!

For blood hath flowed like rain,

Pour'd forth to make sweet sanctuaries

Of England's homes again.

Gather

ye round the holy hearth,

And by its gladdening blaze,

Unto thankful bliss we will change our mirth,

With a thought of the olden days!

HEMANS.

BATTLE OF CRESSY.-1346.

marshal-army officer

relieve-rise up

constable-officer

abash-frighten

discomfited-defeated

anonsoon

fell-dreadful

let-hinder

Genoese bowmen from press-crowd
Genoa

When the French king saw the Englishmen, his blood changed, and he said to his marshals, 'Make the Genoese go on before, and begin the battle in the name of God and St. Denis.' There was of the Genoese cross-bows about a fifteen thousand, but they were so weary of going a-foot that day, a six leagues, armed with their cross-bows, that they said to their constables, 'We be not well ordered to fight this day, for we be not in the case to do any great deed of arms; we have more need of rest.' These words came to the Earl of Alencon, who said, 'A man is well at ease to be charged with such a sort of rascals, to be faint and fail now at most need.' Also, the same season, there fell a great rain and an eclipse, with a terrible thunder; and before the rain, there came flying over the battles a great number of crows for fear of the tempest coming. Then anon the air began to wax clear, and the sun to shine fair and bright, the which was right in the Frenchmen's eyes, and on the Englishmen's back. When the Genoese were assembled together, and began to approach, they made a great leap and cry, to abash the Englishmen; but they stood still, and stirred not for all that. Then the Genoese again the second time made another leap and a fell cry, and stepped forward a little; and the Englishmen removed not one foot. Thirdly again, they leaped and cried, and went forth till they came within shot; then

they shot fiercely with their cross-bows. Then the English archers stepped forth one pace, and let fly their arrows so wholly and thick that it seemed snow. When the Genoese felt the arrows piercing through heads and arms and breasts, many of them cast down their cross-bows, and did cut their strings, and returned discomfited. When the French king saw them flee away, he said, 'Slay these rascals, for they shall let and trouble us without reason.' Then ye should have seen the men-at-arms dash in among them, and killed a great number of them, and ever still the Englishmen shot where they saw the thickest press; the sharp arrows ran into the men-at-arms and into their horses; and many horse and men fell among the Genoese; and when they were down they could not relieve again; the press was so thick that one overthrew another. And also, among the Englishmen, there were certain rascals that went on foot with great knives, and they went in among the men-at-arms, and murdered them as they lay on the ground, both earls, barons, knights, and squires, whereof the King of England was after displeased, for he had rather they had been taken prisoners.

THE PILGRIM FATHERS.

The breaking waves dash'd high
On a stern and rock-bound coast;
And the woods, against a stormy sky,

Their giant branches toss'd;

And the heavy night hung dark,

The hills and waters o'er,

When a band of exiles moor'd their bark

On the wild New England shore.

Not as the conqueror comes,

They, the true-hearted, came;—
Not with the roll of the stirring drums,
And the trumpet that sings of fame ;-
Not as the flying come,

In silence, and in fear;

They shook the depths of the desert's gloom
With their hymns of lofty cheer.

Amidst the storm they sang:

This the stars heard, and the sea;

And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang To the anthem of the free.

The ocean-eagle soar'd

From his nest, by the white wave's foam,
And the rocking pines of the forest roar'd: —
Such was their welcome home.

There were men with hoary hair
Amidst that pilgrim band:

Why had they come to wither there,
Away from their childhood's land?

There was woman's fearless eye,

Lit by her deep love's truth;
There was manhood's brow, serenely high,
And the fiery heart of youth.

What sought they thus afar?
Bright jewels of the mine?

The wealth of seas? the spoils of war?—

No-'twas a faith's pure shrine.

Yes, call that holy ground,

Which first their brave feet trod!

They have left unstain'd what there they foundFREEDOM TO WORSHIP GOD!

Mrs. HEMANS.

My father was a yeoman, and had no lands of his own, only he had a farm of £3 or £4 by year at the uttermost, and hereupon he tilled so much as kept half a dozen men. He had walk for an hundred sheep, and my mother milked thirty kine. He was able, and did find the king a harness, with himself and his horse, while he came to the place that he should receive the king's wages. I can remember that I

buckled his harness when he went to Blackheath field. He kept me to school, or else I had not been able to have preached before the king's majesty now. He married my sisters with £5 or 20 nobles a-piece, so that he brought them up in godliness and fear of God. He kept hospitality for his neighbours. And some alms he gave to the poor, and all this he did out of the said farm. Where he that now hath it, payeth £16 by the year or more, and is not able to do any thing for his prince, for himself, nor for his children, or give a cup of drink to the poor.

In my time my poor father was as diligent to teach me to shoot, as to learn me any other thing, and so I think other men did their children: he taught me how to draw, how to lay my body in my bow, and not to draw with strength of arms as divers other nations do, but with strength of the body. I had my bows bought me according to my age and strength; as I increased in them, so my bows were made bigger and bigger, for men shall never shoot well, except they be brought up in it: it is a worthy game, a wholesome kind of exercise, and much commended in physic. LATIMER.