for the third.

Though Canute generally resided in England, he frequently visited Denmark. He was accompanied by an English fleet and carried with him pious and learned missionaries to civilize and instruct his countrymen. Of these, Bernard, Gerbrand and Rainer were promoted to the episcopal dignity and placed by him in Sconen, Zealand and Fionia. In one of his visits, in 1025, he was suddenly attacked by Olave and Ulfr with a numerous army of Swedes, and was defeated with the loss of many English and Danish thanes.. But our annalists add that Godwin, who commanded the English troops, surprised the camp of the enemy during the night and totally dispersed the Swedes. This service procured him the esteem and favor of his sovereign.

In 1026, Canute made a pilgrimage to Rome. On his road he visited the most celebrated churches, leaving everywhere proofs of his devotion and liberality. In his return he proceeded immediately to Denmark, but despatched the abbot of Tavistock to England with a letter describing the object and the issue of his journey. This letter I shall transcribe, not only because it furnishes an interesting specimen of the manners and opinions of the age, but also because it exhibits the surprising change which religion had produced in the mind of a ferocious and sanguinary warrior:

"Canute, king of all Denmark, England and Norway, and of part of Sweden, to Egelnoth the metropolitan, to archbishop Alfric, to all the bishops and chiefs, and to all the nation of the English, both

to inform you that I have lately been at Rome to pray for the remission of my sins and for the safety of my kingdoms, and of the nations that are subject to my sceptre. It is long since I bound myself by vow to make this pilgrimage, but I had been hitherto prevented by affairs of state and other impediments. Now, however, I return humble thanks to the almighty God that he has allowed me to visit the tombs of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul and every holy place within and without the city of Rome, and to honor and venerate them in person. And this I have done because I had learned from my teachers that the apostle St. Peter received from the Lord the great power of binding and loosing with the keys of the kingdom of heaven. On this account I thought it highly useful to solicit his patronage with God.

"Be it, moreover, known to you that there was at the festival of Easter a great assemblage of noble personages with the lords, and the pope John, and the emperor Conrad-namely, all the chiefs of the nations from Mount Gargano to the nearest sea, who all received me honorably and made me valuable presents, but particularly the emperor, who gave me many gold and silver vases, with rich mantles and garments. I therefore took the opportunity to treat with the pope, the emperor and the princes on the grievances of my people, both English and Danes, that they might enjoy more equal law and more secure safeguard in their way to Rome, nor be detained at so many barriers, nor harassed by unjust exactions. My demands were granted both by the emperor and by King Rodulf, to whom the

greater part of the barriers belong; and it was enacted by all the princes that my men, whether pilgrims or merchants, should for the future go to Rome and return in full security without detention at the barriers or the payment of unlawful tolls.

"I next complained to the pope, and expressed my displeasure that such immense sums were extorted from my archbishops when, according to custom, they visited the apostolic see to obtain the pallium. A decree was made that this grievance should cease. Whatever I demanded for the benefit of my. people, either of the pope or the emperor or the princes through whose dominions lies the road to Rome, was granted willingly and confirmed by their oaths in the presence of four archbishops, twenty bishops and a multitude of dukes and nobles. Wherefore I return sincere thanks to God that I have successfully performed whatever I had intended and have fully satisfied all my wishes.

"Now, therefore, be it known to you all that I have dedicated my life to the service of God, to govern my kingdom with equity and to observe justice in all things. If by the violence or negligence of youth I have violated justice heretofore, it is my intention, by the help of God, to make full compensation. Therefore I beg and command those to whom I have confided the government, as they wish to preserve my friendship or save their own souls, to do no injustice to either rich or poor. Let all persons, whether noble or ignoble, obtain their rights according to law, from which no deviation shall be allowed, either from fear of me or through, favor to the powerful or for the purpose of supplying my treasury. I have no need of money raised by injustice.

"I am now on my road to Denmark for the purpose of concluding peace with those nations who, had it been in their power, would have deprived us of both our crown and our life. But God has destroyed their means, and will, I trust, of his goodness, preserve us and humble all our enemies. When I shall have concluded peace with the neighboring nations and settled the concerns of my eastern domains, it is my intention to return to England as soon as the fine weather will permit me to sail. But I have sent you this letter beforehand, that all the people of my kingdom may rejoice at my prosperity. For you all know that I never spared nor will spare myself or my labor when my object is the advantage of my subjects.

"Lastly, I entreat all my bishops and all the sheriffs, the sheriffs, by the fidelity which they owe to me and to God, that the church-dues according to the ancient laws may be paid before my return-namely, the plough-alms, the tithes of cattle of the present year, the Peter pence, the tithes of fruit in the middle of August and the kirk-shot at the feast of St. Martin to the parish church. Should this be omitted, at my return I will punish the offender by exacting the whole fine appointed by law. Fare ye well."

The courtiers of Canute, to please his vanity, were accustomed to extol him as the greatest of kings, whose will was obeyed by six powerful nations-the English, Scots and Welsh, the Danes, Swedes and Norwegians. Canute either had the good sense to despise good sense to despise or affected to despise their flattery. On one of these occasions, as he was sitting on the shore near Southampton, he commanded the sea to respect

its sovereign; but the influx of the tide soon compelled him to retire, and he improved the opportunity to read his flatterers a lecture on the weakness of earthly kings when compared with the power of that supreme Being who rules the elements. Impressed with this idea, he is said, on his return to Winchester, to have taken the crown from his head, to have placed it on the great crucifix in the cathedral, and nevermore to have worn it even at public ceremonies.

Canute lived several years after his pilgrimage to Rome. He died at Shaftesbury He died at Shaftesbury in 1035, and was buried at Winchester. By his queen, Emma, he had two, children-a son, whom from his own name he called Hardecanute, or Canute the Hardy, and a daughter, Gunihlda, who was married to Henry, the son of Conrad, and emperor of Germany. Besides these children, Alfgive, the daughter of Alfhelm, earl of Northampton, had borne him, previously to his marriage, two sons, Sweyn and Harold. Their illegitimacy, in the opinion of the age, was no great disgrace, and the violence of party endeavored to obstruct their advancement by describing them as supposititious; but that they were acknowledged by their father is evident. To the elder, Sweyn, was given the crown of Norway after the assassination of Olave; Harold, by his promptitude and the favor of the soldiery, ascended the throne of England on the demise of Canute.

ments to expansion, to diffusion, to universality. To this I ask your attention. This tendency is directly opposed to the spirit of exclusiveness, restriction, narrowness, monopoly, which has prevailed in past ages. Human action is now freer, more unconfined; all goods, advantages, helps, are more open to all; the privileged petted individual is becoming less, and the human race are becoming more. If we look at the various movements of our age, we shall see in them this tendency to universality and diffusion. Look first at science and literature. Where is science now? Locked up in a few colleges or royal societies or inaccessible volumes? Are its experiments mysteries for a few privileged eyes? Are its portals guarded by a dark phraseology which to the multitude is a foreign tongue? No! Science has now left her retreats, her shades, her selected company of votaries, and with familiar tone begun the work of instructing the race. Through the press discoveries and theories. once the monopoly of philosophers have become the property of the multitude. Its professors, heard not long ago in the university or some narrow school, now speak in the mechanics' institute. The doctrine that the laborer should understand the principles of his art, should be able to explain the laws and processes which he turns to accountthat, instead of working as a machine, he should join intelligence to his toil-is no longer listened to as a dream. Science, once the greatest of distinctions, is becoming popular. The school-books of our children contain grand views of the creation. There are parts of our country in which lyceums spring up in almost every village for the purpose of mutual aid in the study of natural science.

The characteristic of our age, then, is not the improvement of science, rapid as this is, so much as its extension to all men.

W. E. CHANNING, D. D.

A FATHER'S ADVICE TO HIS SON IN
THE DAYS OF LOUIS XIII.
FROM THE FRENCH OF ALEXANDER DUMAS.

"MY

Y son," said the Gascon gentleman, in that pure Bearnese patois or dialect which Henry IV. could never entirely shake off—“ my son, this horse was born in the paternal family about thirteen years ago, and has remained in it ever since, which ought to make you regard it with affection. Never sell it let it die calmly and honorably of old age; and should you make a campaign with it, take as much care of it as you would of an old servant. At the court, if you should ever have the honor to go there-an honor, however, to which your long line of noble ancestors entitles you-support with dignity the name of gentleman, which has been honorably borne by your ancestors, for you and your descendants, for more than five hundred years. Never quietly submit to the slightest indignity except it may proceed from the cardinal or the king. It is by his courage mark this well it is by his courage alone that a gentleman makes his way nowadays. Whoever hesitates one moment perhaps lets that chance escape him which fortune for that moment alone has put within his reach. You are young, and ought to be brave for two reasons-the first, because you are a Gascon; the second, because you are my son. Doubt not that there will be opportunities, and look about for adventures. You have been taught to handle the sword; you

have muscles of iron, a wrist like steel. Fight whenever you can; fight the more because duels are forbidden, and consequently it requires twice as much courage to fight. I have but fifteen crowns to give you, my son, besides the horse and the advice which you now hear. Your mother will add to them the recipe for a certain salve which she procured from a Bohemian woman, and which has the miraculous power of curing every wound which does not touch the heart. Take advantage of all this, and live long and happily. I have only one word more to add, and it is an example which I offer you, not my own, for I have never been at court: I have only served in the religious wars as a volunteer. I wished to speak to you of M. de Treville, who was formerly my neighbor, and who has had the honor of playing, whilst a boy, with our king Louis XIII., whom God preserve! Sometimes their sports turned to battles, and in these battles the king had not always the best of it; yet the cuffs he received from M. de Treville imbued him with a great deal of esteem and friendship for him. Afterward, M. de Treville, merely during his journey to Paris, fought five times with other persons; from the death of the late monarch to the majority of the young king, he has fought seven times, without reckoning campaigns and sieges; and since that majority to this present day, perhaps a hundred times. And yet, in spite of edicts, ordinances and arrests, behold him now captain of the lifeguards-that is, chief of a legion of cæsars upon whom the king mainly depends, and who are feared by the cardinal, who, as every one knows, is not afraid of a trifle. Moreover, M. de Treville gains ten thousand crowns a year, and therefore is a man of

consequence.

He began the world as you do. Go to him with this letter, and let your conduct be regulated by him, that you may meet with the same success.'

Hereupon M. d'Artagnan, the father, girded his own sword upon his son, tenderly kissed him on each cheek and gave him his blessing.

Leaving the paternal chamber, the young man found his mother waiting with the famous recipe, and, from the advice he had just received, it seemed very probable that he would require to use it pretty often. The farewell of his mother was longer and much more tender than that of his father; not but that M. d'Artagnan loved his son, who was his only child, but M. d'Artagnan was a man who would have considered it unworthy of himself to give way to any emotion, whilst Madame d'Artagnan was a woman, and, what is more, a mother. She wept much; and, to the credit of M. d'Artagnan, the son, we may as well say that, whatever efforts he made to remain firm, as became the future guardsman, nature gained the day, and he shed many tears, half of which he had great difficulty in concealing.

Translation ANONYMOUS.

short. The nearest horseman, madly careering down the hill, is sure to be "in at the death" and to gain "the brush." The foremost hounds, racing so near together that you might "cover them with a pocket-handkerchief," need only a few more bounds to finish the tragedy of Reynard; but the fox, whose hole is but a few yards off, will baffle hunter and hound, and will soon sit panting and weary, indeed, but in safety, rescued out of the very jaws of death.

PROPERTY.

MY views and wishes with regard to

property were in every period of life contained within a very moderate compass. I was early persuaded that, though “a competence is vital to content," I ought not to annex to that term the idea of much property. And I determined that when I should acquire enough to enable me to maintain and provide for my family in a respectable and moderate manner, and this according to real and rational, not imaginary and fantastic, wants, and a little to spare for the necessities of others, I would decline the pursuits of property and devote a great part of my time, in some way or other, to the benefit of my fellow-creatures, within the sphere of my abilities to serve them. I perceived that the desire of great possessions generally expands with the gradual acquisition and the full attainment of them, and I imagined that charity and a generous application do not sufficiently correspond with the increase of property. I thought, too, that procuring great wealth has a tendency to produce an elated independence of mind