houses. Every morning you might have seen many men going there to learn Latin and Logic, and other things, so that they might become Priests. Such a school for men is called an University.

Amongst the men who went there every day was one called JOHN HUSS. I do not know what sort of a look he had, but I dare say he had some good thoughts. I dare say he thought, "I will work hard, and learn all that is good and true, that I may do good:" or he might have thought, "I will be a great man, and become a bishop or a cardinal."

But after he had been studying for some years, and every day had been getting more knowledge, the great God showed him that his learning was not truth, and that his labour was of no use! He found out that the Pope could not pardon sins, that he ought not to punish sin, and that no man could get pardon for himself by making sacrifices of money, or by giving himself punishments. For he had

seen God's holy Word, and there he had read the glorious truth about our Saviour Jesus Christ. What would he do, then, when he found he had made such a great mistake?

W. Why, I suppose he would go and tell the people that they were all wrong, and put them right again.

a

P. But the Pope would not let him. If he told the people this truth, they would not let him be a priest, nor could he become bishop, or a cardinal, or a great man, as he wished to be. He would be driven away from the University, and perhaps be killed. So when he thought, "If I open my mouth, I shall be punished," what could he do? Ion. I don't know, papa. Perhaps he would go and be a doctor, or a lawyer, or something else.

P. We shall see. I find we have been talking about so many things that there is not time to tell you now. We will go on with his history next week.

ORGANIC BODIES.

M. Here are the Stone, the Acorn, and the Chrysalis, again. You know the Mineral from the Animal and Vegetable, because it has never had life-but you have been told this.

Suppose that you had never seen these three things before,-how would you tell that the Acorn and the Chrysalis have life?

Ion. I should have to wait a little, mamma-because, I should try them both, to see if they would grow.

M. What do you mean by "grow?"

Ion. I mean- become larger.

M. But there are some Minerals which become larger. New "matter" is continually being added to their surface. You must understand, however, that the particles of this matter are exactly like the matter of the Mineral itself. The Mineral could not change these new particles to make them like it. L. Yes, but if we eat anything to make us grow, we change it. We eat bread and butter, and change it into flesh.

W. Ah! and we don't grow by having particles of flesh joined on to us, outside-We put the bread and butter inside us, and that makes us swell, I suppose-that's what meant by "growing."

Ion. And isn't it curious that this little Acorn should be able to feed on water, and air, and earth.

Then, from this water, and air, it can make the great, thick, solid trunk of an Oak! How it must change its food, to make it into so many different thingsinto roots, wood, bark, branches, twigs, leaves, blossoms, and fruits. So, you see, this is the great

difference. The Animals and Vegetables do not become larger by having little particles stuck on to them-outside-and another little piece, and another, every daybut, they grow, which meansthey cat food, and change it to something else.

I don't know how the plants eat air! Perhaps they don't feed on that very often-only when they cannot get any water-I think that is what I should do, if I were a plant.

M. Indeed you are mistaken, Ion-you shall hear why, another day. Well, it would be very easy to tell that the Acorn and Chrysalis are not Minerals-if you saw them growing-but, suppose now, that you might not put the Acorn in the ground, how would you tell then?

W. Ah, I couldn't tell.

M. Stop, Willie, think for a minute! Never say, "I can't tell" until you have thought carefully. Your mind will always tell you many things, if will only you set it to work.

Now, think. If the Animals have to eat their food, and change it in such a wonderful manner, they must not only have life, but something else which you do not find in Minerals-what is it?

W. Really, mamma, I don't think I do know-how can I tell?

M. Oh, Willie, don't give upthink again. If a Mineral could be made alive, and then be placed by the side of its food, could it eat it?

W. No, mamma. It would not have anything to eat it with-and there would be no place inside to put it in. Now I see! I could soon tell that the Acorn has life,because, as it must have food, it

must have something to eat it with.

L. Yes, and not only parts in its body, fit for eating food, but parts inside for changing the food.

M. That is correct-and, although you might not see much of these parts in the Acorn-yet you would know that it must have them, for it could not live on its food without them. There are some plants which have not any mouths or roots-yet they have little holes or pores in their skin, and with these, they absorb their food.

Again. A Tree gets its food, Water, at the roots which are at the bottom;-but, for this food to be changed, so as to make wood, it must be carried up to the leavesat the top.

Ion. Then, I suppose it must have different parts pipes or something-for the water to be carried through.

M. Yes. This water or sap must be conveyed up to the leaves, and down again. So, the Tree must have parts to get the foodparts to convey the food-and parts to change the food-and, by these parts, you would know at once, without seeing it grow, that it is not a Mineral.

L. What are these parts called, mamma?

M. I will tell you. You must

remember that all of these parts have something to do. Now, all Animals and Vegetables are made of such little parts-and each very little part in their bodies has some use. These parts are something like tools, except that they belong to our bodies, and we do not make them ourselves. So, we do not call them tools, we call them organs.

W. Oh, I didn't know that I had organs in me;-that's one way to know that I am an animal.

Now, that will make two differences. ANIMALS AND VEGETABLES have life, so they have organs.

MINERALS have no life, so they have no organs.

M. If you will try and remember, I will give you some new words, by which you may easily recollect these points.

Things which have life are called animate. Things which have never had life are called in-animate.

Again. Everything which has organs is called organic-and all things which have not organs are called in-organic.

So we will say now, that we may know an Animal or a Vegetable, from a Mineral, because - All Animals are ANIMATE AND ORGANIC, whilst Minerals are INANIMATE AND INORGANIC.

THE SAXON INVASION.

P. I told you in the last lesson that Britain was inhabited by a people who might have become a fine nation if the Romans had not left them. Let us see why they sent for the Saxons.

You may remember, that in one of Mr. Young's letters, he told you of a large stone wall in Northumberland. He said it was built by the Romans, to keep out the Picts and Scots, who lived in the north country.

Some of these people were as savage as the barbarians in Europe. They watched for the departure of the Romans; and, I have read that they rushed upon the Britons like hungry wolves upon a sheepfold.

The Romans had taught the Britons that the proper way to guard the wall was to place soldiers on it as "sentinels," and to relieve one another by turns; but, instead of paying attention to this, they allowed their guards to remain on the wall for several days and nights. So, when the Scots came, they found them so benumbed with the cold, that they pulled many of them down with hooks, dashed them in pieces, and climbed over the wall, into Britain.

The Britons could not even save themselves by flight; great numbers were killed-their cattle and sheep were stolen-their villages burned their fields were plundered and laid bare for many miles. Why could not they defend themselves?

W. Because, papa, you said that the strongest young men had been sent to Rome, to fight those dreadful Goths.

L. And, perhaps, because those who remained couldn't agree.

Ion. Or, perhaps, because they had been accustomed to let the Romans fight for them.

P. These were the causes, I dare say, for the Romans once sent an army to help them. But, when this army had gone, the Scots came again, so the Britons begged for help once more. They sent a very humble letter, calling themselves "wretched Britons," and saying, that "the barbarians drove them into the sea, and the sea forced them back to the swords of the barbarians". -so that they could only choose between being drowned or murdered. The Roman general was, however, too busy fighting with the fierce ATTILA, the king of the Huns, and had no soldiers to spare.

Ion. Then, I can see now why they sent to the Saxons-they wanted their help.

P. That was the reason. And the Saxons were very glad. They had often thought of the beautiful island of Britain; and, how they could enjoy themselves there. Well, they agreed! They would soon come and help the Britons, and then-they would help themselves.

So, not many days after they had their invitation, three "long ships," containing 1,600 men, came sailing near the coast of England. These men were commanded by two brave chiefs, called HENGIST and HORSA. The British king, VORTIGERN, went out to meet them, and promised that if they would drive away the Scots, he would give them the little island of Thanet

a place on the coast of Kent, near the part which we now call Margate.

The Saxons found the Piets and Scots almost in the middle of England, near Lincolnshire. They soon defeated them, and drove

them back again. As they passed through the country, however, they noticed how fertile and rich it was, and then, they determined to remain. When they returned to the island of Thanet, they quarrelled with the people of "Cantia," and drove them away. They next quarrelled with Vortigern, and killed him. They then took possession of Cantia, and formed a Saxon kingdom, which they called Kent. This was about the year 460, or 30 years after the time of the Romans.

Now, when the other fierce German tribes, in the cold northern countries, heard of this, they fitted out more "long ships," and came over quickly. Then came other tribes, then more, then more again -ship-load after ship-load; and, for the next hundred years, there were continually fresh arrivals of visitors, who came to destroy, to steal, and to kill.

You shall hear some of their names: ELLA and his three sons came with a large army; they seized a broad tract of country, and founded the kingdom of the South Saxons.

CERDIC and KENRIC landed with some other German tribes; and, seizing another great piece in the west of England, they founded the kingdom of the West Saxons.

A fierce commander, called UFFA, came next; he seized the counties of Cambridge, Suffolk, and Norfolk, and formed the kingdom of the East Angles.

Some others then seized Essex and Middlesex, and founded the kingdom of the East Saxons.

Öthers fought their way across the country to the middle of Britain, and founded the kingdom of Mercia.

And others sailed to the land at the north of the River Humber;

and, driving the Britons into the mountains of Scotland, formed the kingdom of Northumberland.

W. Then there were seven kingdoms, papa; but, did not the Britons try to prevent the Saxons from coming?

P. Yes. During all this time there was the horror of continual fighting. One British prince, named KING ARTHUR, opposed them for a long time, and caused dreadful slaughter. So brave was he, that it is said, he once killed more than 400 Saxons with his own hand; and defeated them in twelve great battles.

But, one brave king was not sufficient to drive back so many new tribes. England was now filled with all sorts of Germans. The Saxons were followed by the Angles, Jutes, Danes, Prussians, Rugians, Friezlanders, and many other people with strange names.

Their manner of fighting was, I have read, even worse than that of the Goths and Huns, who destroyed Rome. They were not satisfied with anything but complete and utter destruction. They gazed and wondered at the fine cities left by the Romans, and felt thirsty to destroy them. Not only did they kill the Britons, but pulled down towns and villages, palaces and churches, until they fell in ruins on the heads of the murdered inhabitants, and made one immense heap! The few wretched people who could not escape, and were left behind, were brought to a state of humble slavery, and all was miserable desolation.

Thus, they cared nothing for the trade or the civilisation of the Romans. The language and religion of the island were forgotten; and, in the course of 150 years from the time of their coming, the country