that is, everything of which the world is composed-draws towards it every other particle of matter, with a force proportioned to its size and distance. Lay two marbles on the table. They have a tendency to come together, and, if there were nothing else in the world, they would come together; but they are also attracted by the table, by the ground, and by everything besides in the room; and these different attractions pull against each other. Now, the globe of the earth is a prodigious mass of matter, to which nothing near it can bear any comparison. It draws, therefore, with mighty force, everything within its reach; which is the cause that everything falls, or has a tendency to fall; and this is called the gravitation of bodies, or what gives them weight. When I lift up anything, I act contrary to this force; for which reason it seems heavy to me, and the heavier the more matter it contains; since that increases the attraction of the earth for it. Do you understand this?

I. I think I do. It is like a loadstone drawing a needle.

P. Yes—that is an attraction, but of a particular kind, taking place only between the magnet and iron. But gravitation, or the attraction of the earth, acts upon everything alike.

L. Then it is pulling you and me at this moment.
P. It is.

L. But why do not we stick to the ground, then?

P. Because, as we are alive, we have a power of self-motion, which can, to a certain degree, overcome the attraction of the earth. But the reason you cannot jump a mile high as well as a foot, is this attraction, which brings you down again after the force of your jump is spent.

I. I think, then, I begin to understand what I have heard of people living on the other side of the world. I believe they are called Antipodes, who have their feet turned towards ours, and their heads in the air. I used to wonder how it could be that they did not fall off; but I suppose the earth pulls them to it.

P. Very true. And whither should they fall? What have they over their heads?

L. I don't know-sky, I suppose.

P. They have. This earth is a vast ball, hung in the air, and continually spinning round, and that is the cause why the sun and stars seem to rise and set. At noon we have the sun over our heads, when the antipodes have the stars over theirs; and at midnight the stars are over our heads, and the sun over theirs. So whither should they fall to more than we ?-to the stars or the sun.

L. But we are up, and they are down.

P. What is up, but from the earth and towards the sky? Their feet touch the earth and their heads point to the sky, as well as ours; and we are under their feet, as much as they are under ours. If a hole were dug quite through the earth, what would you see through it ?

L. Sky, with the sun or the stars; and now I see the whole matter plainly. But pray, what supports the earth in the air?

P. Why, whither should it go?

L. I don't know-I suppose towards the point where there might be most to draw it. I have heard that the sun is a great many times bigger than the earth. Would it not go to that?

P. You have thought very justly on the matter, I perceive. But I shall take another opportunity of showing you how this is, and why the earth does not fall into the sun, of which, I confess, there seems to be some danger. Meanwhile, think how far the falling of an apple has carried us.

L. To the antipodes, and I know not whither.

P. You may see thence what use may be made of the commonest fact by a thinking mind.

EVE'S LAMENT ON HER EXPULSION FROM PARADISE.

O UNEXPECTED stroke, worse than of death!
Must I thus leave thee, Paradise? thus leave
Thee, native soil! these happy walks and shades,
Fit haunts of gods! where I had hope to spend,
Quiet, though sad, the respite of that day
That must be mortal to us both. O flowers,
That never will in other climate grow,

My early visitation and

my last

At eve, which I bred up with tender hand,
From the first opening bud, and gave ye names!
Who now shall rear ye to the sun, or rank
Your tribes, and water from the ambrosial* fount;
Thee lastly, nuptial bower! by me adorned
With what to sight or smell was sweet! from thee
How shall I part, and whither wander down
Into a lower world; to this obscure

And wild? how shall we breathe in other air
Less pure, accustomed to immortal fruits?

* Divine, delicious.

MILTON.

THE HISTORY AND ADVENTURES OF A CAT.
FROM "EVENINGS AT HOME."

SOME days ago died Grimalkin, the favourite tabby cat of Mrs. Petlove. Her disorder was a shortness of breath, proceeding partly from old age, and partly from fat. As she felt her end approaching, she called her children to her, and, with a great deal of difficulty, spoke as follows:

"Before I depart from this world, my children, I mean, if my breath will give me leave, to relate to you the principal events of my life, as the variety of scenes I have gone through may afford you some useful instruction for avoiding those dangers to which our species are particularly exposed.

"Without further preface, then, I was born at a farm-house in a village some miles hence; and almost as soon as I came into the world I was very near leaving it again. My mother brought five of us at a litter; and as the frugal people of the house kept cats only to be useful, and were already sufficiently stocked, we were immediately doomed to be drowned; and accordingly a boy was ordered to take us all and throw us into the horse-pond. This commission he performed with the pleasure boys seem naturally to take in acts of

cruelty, and we were presently set a swimming. While we were struggling for life, a little girl, daughter to the farmer, came running to the pond-side, and begged very hard that she might save one of us, and bring it up for her own. After some dispute, her request was granted; and the boy reaching out his arm, took hold of me, who was luckily nearest him, and brought me out when I was just spent. I was laid on the grass, and it was some time before I recovered. The girl then restored me to my mother, who was overjoyed to get again one of her little ones; and, for fear of another mischance, she took me in her mouth to a dark hole, where she kept me till I could see, and was able to run by her side. As soon as I came to light again, my little mistress took possession of me, and tended me very carefully. Her fondness, indeed, was sometimes troublesome, as she pinched my sides with carrying me, and once or twice hurt me a good deal by letting me fall. Soon, however, I became strong and active, and played and gambolled all day long, to the great delight of my mistress and her companions.

"At this time I had another narrow escape. A man brought into the house a strange dog, who had been taught to worry all the cats that came in his way. My mother slunk away at his entrance; but I, thinking, like a little fool as I was, that I was able to protect myself, stayed on the floor, growling and setting up my back by way of defiance. The dog instantly ran at me, and, before I could get my claws ready, seized me with his mouth, and began to gripe and shake me most terribly. I screamed out, and by good luck my mistress was within hearing. She ran to us, but was not able to disengage me; however, a servant, seeing her distress, took a great stick, and gave the dog such a bang on the back that he was forced to let me go. He had used me so roughly that I was not able to stand for some time; but by care and a good constitution I recovered.

"I was now running after everybody's heels, by which means I got one day locked up in the dairy. I was not sorry for this accident, thinking to feast upon the cream and other good things. But having climbed up a shelf to get at a bowl of cream, I unluckily fell backwards into a large vessel of butter-milk, where I should probably have been drowned, had not the maid heard the noise and come to see what was the matter. She took me out, scolding bitterly at me, and after making me undergo a severe discipline at the pump, to clean me, she dismissed me with a good whipping. I took care not to follow her into the dairy again.

"After a while, I began to get into the yard, and my mother took me into the barn upon a mousing expedition. I shall never forget

the pleasure this gave me. We sat by a hole, and presently out came a mouse with a brood of young ones. My mother darted among them, and first demolished the old one, and then pursued the little ones, who ran about squeaking in dreadful perplexity. I now thought it was time for me to do something, and accordingly ran after a straggler, and soon overtook it. Oh, how proud was I, as I stood over my trembling captive, and patted him with my paws! My pride, however, soon met with a check; for seeing one day a large rat, I courageously flew at him; but instead of turning tail, he gave me such a bite | on the nose, that I ran away to my mother, mewing piteously, with my face all bloody and swelled. For some time I did not meddle with rats again; but at length growing stronger and more skilful, I feared neither rats nor any other vermin, and acquired the reputation of an excellent hunter.

"I had some other escapes about this time. Once I happened to meet with some poisoned food laid for the rats, and, eating it, I was thrown into a disorder that was very near killing me. At another

time, I chanced to set my foot in a rat-trap, and received so many deep wounds from its teeth, that though I was loosened as gently as possible by the people who heard me cry, I was rendered lame for some weeks after.

"Time went on, and I arrived at my full growth; and forming an acquaintance with a he-cat about my own age, we made a match of it. I became a mother in due time, and had the mortification of seeing several broods of my kittens disposed of in the same manner as my brothers and sisters had been. I shall mention two or three more adventures in the order I remember them. I was once prowling for birds along a hedge, at some distance from home, when the squire's greyhounds came that way a-coursing. As soon as they spied me, they set off at full speed, and running much faster than I could do, were just at my tail when I reached a tree, and saved myself by climbing up it. But a greater danger befel me on meeting with a parcel of boys returning from school. They surrounded me before I was aware, and obliged me to take refuge in a tree; but I soon found that a poor defence against such enemies; for they assembled about it, and threw stones on all sides, so that I could not avoid receiving many hard blows, one of which brought me senseless to the ground. The biggest boy now seized me, and proposed to the rest making what he called rare sport with me. This sport was to tie me to a board, and, launching me on a pond, to set some water-dogs at me, who were to duck and half-drown me, while I was to defend myself by biting their noses, and scratching their eyes. Already was I bound, and just