during which nothing but water below and sky above was to be seen, the sailors got frantic, and told Columbus that they would, and should, and must turn back at once. But Columbus felt pretty certain that they were at last near land. The water had got more shallow. They had met many birds, and some did not look like sea birds. Columbus told his crew that if in three days more no land was to be seen, he would give up and return with them. But before that time was over, one of the sailors saw a piece of timber floating by, which had been carved by some one. Another man picked up a branch of a tree with red berries on it. Columbus now felt so sure that land was near, that, after having had public prayers for success, he had the sails furled, and ordered a strict watch to be kept, for fear the boats should run ashore in the night.

About ten o'clock Columbus (who was looking out eagerly-how eagerly we can hardly tell) saw a light, which moved about as if carried by some one on shore. And two hours afterwards a joyful cry from the sailors on board the first ship told that they saw land. Still, it was so dark that they feared they might be mistaken. But when day dawned a lovely island was seen. sailors burst out singing the Te Deum, as praise to God for having brought them so far. Next they begged Columbus's pardon for their stupidity and impatience.

The

When the sun rose the boats rowed to land with music playing. Columbus, very splendidly dressed, was the first to spring out, his drawn sword in his hand.

The island was inhabited by savages, who were afraid of the Spaniards. They had never seen white skins before,

and the big boats in which they had crossed the sea terrified them. These savages wore no clothes, but had their bodies painted. Columbus sailed on from one island to another. Everywhere the savages were most respectful and kind, thinking the Spaniards some great people-in fact, that they were near relations of the Sun, for that was one of their chief gods.

As Columbus believed these islands to be part of India, they got the name of the West Indies, which they still keep.

The Spaniards could not make enough of him when they saw him again, and he went other voyages, on one of which he discovered the continent of America, which lies, as you know, still more westward than the West India Islands.

CHAPTER XXII.

HENRY VIII., 1509-1547.

Married, first, Catharine of Arragon, divorced; secondly, Anne Boleyn, beheaded; thirdly, Jane Seymour, died; fourthly, Anne of Cleves, divorced; fifthly, Katharine Howard, beheaded; sixthly, Catharine Parr, survived the king.

Children:-Edward, son of Jane Seymour; Mary, daughter of Catharine of Arragon; Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn. Principal Event:-The Reformation.

HENRY was popular when he first became king.

He was

a handsome, out-spoken, jolly-looking lad, and called, from his free way of speaking, "Bluff King Hal." He had not, in his early childhood, expected ever to be a king, for he was only a second son. But his elder brother, Prince Arthur, died in 1502, thus leaving Henry heir to the throne.

Bluff King Hal had one great fault. He had it

when he was a child, and it grew with his youth. He was self-willed; that is to say, "he had a temper." My dear children, never keep a temper. You had better, as far as expense goes, keep a carriage and pair. By indulging a bad temper you will lose your friends; for it is hard to love any one who is snappish, and who always wants his own way. You will lose your work, for no master likes to keep a surly servant; and if you are a cross master, no servant will like to stop with you. And, of course, you will lose your happiness, for there is no work so hard as trying to please yourself. "Self is a hard master." And so Henry found. When he was a little fellow he would lie on the ground, and roll over and over in a fury, if any one offended him. When he became a man, his temper grew worse and worse, until it was the misery of himself and of every one about him.

Bad-tempered men do not make good husbands, and therefore it is the less surprising that Henry had six wives, one after the other. His first was the Princess Catharine of Arragon, his brother Arthur's widow.

The first two years of his reign Henry did not do badly. He was extravagant, to be sure, and kicked about a good bit of money. But then his father, Henry VII., had been such a screw, that probably people only thought it was a comfort that the present king was liberal. However, the Bishop of Winchester, who was a prudent man, thought that money was flying too fast. He fancied that a steady companion would be most able to check Henry's extravagance, and so he introduced to him a clever young man named Wolsey.

Wolsey had plenty of head, but not much heart. He got all the influence over his young master that the Bishop of Winchester desired; but having got it, he only made use of it for his own ends. He was an ambitious man. It did not matter how absurd were the ideas that came into the king's head, nor how much money was thrown away in nonsense, as long as some came to Wolsey's share; and by dint of flattering the king, he obtained one important place after another. was only a butcher's son.

In 1513, Henry, like most of the kings before him, made war with the French, who were defeated in a battle called the "Battle of the Spurs," because the French soldiers made more use of their spurs than of their swords. Henry then took one French town, and afterwards amused himself by having sham fights-in those days called tournaments. Meanwhile, a battle was fought at Flodden, in Northumberland, between James IV., King of Scotland, and the English, who were commanded by Lord Surrey. There were nearly twice as many Scotchmen as Englishmen engaged; but the Scotch were defeated, and their king killed.

In 1515, the King of France died, and was succeeded by Francis I., a prince who was very fond of dress and show. England and France being now at peace, the two kings agreed to meet near Calais, and have some tournaments. Henry spent a fortnight in France; and a pretty sum of money the holiday-making must have cost. Both camps were so splendid that the meeting was called "the Field of the Cloth of Gold." There were countless tents, many covered with silk and cloth of gold; and crowds of

people flocked to see the fun, for the French always love splendour, and will go anywhere to see a smart show. Wolsey, who was now a cardinal, was there of course, arranging everything.

And now we come to the beginning of the most important event of this reign, namely, the Reformation. You know the meaning of the word Reform. It is to change for the better. A Reformer is a man who tries to change what he considers bad customs for good ones. A Reformatory is a place where bad people are sent in the hopes that they may be made good. Now, sometimes people do not agree as to what is a good thing. And what one man calls a change for the better, another terms a change for the worse.

The truth is, that most so-called reformations have some good and some evil in them. The Reformation that took place in Henry's reign was a change of religion. The English were Roman Catholics, and therefore under the power of the Pope or Bishop of Rome. fore we go on to the Reformation in England, we must talk a little about the Reformation in Germany.

But be

About the time of Henry's reign in England, many Germans had been getting discontented with the Roman Catholic religion. A German priest, named Martin Luther, was at the head of this party. He made a great stir by preaching against many doctrines taught by the Roman Catholic Church. I have not space in this short Reader to tell you much about this celebrated man. It will be enough for you to remember that the Lutheran Church in Germany still holds the doctrines which he taught. One of these doctrines was, that the Pope had no more right