Alexander, "Introduction to Browning," Cooke, "Browning Guide Book," Corson, "Introduction to Browning.”

A study of the diction and versification of the selections given, Painter's "Guide to Literary Criticism," Part III. A critique of the following poems: "Incident of the French Camp," 66 The Last Ride Together," "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," "Prospice," "Confessions," ""Abt Vogler," "Rabbi Ben Ezra," "Pheidippides," "The

Flight of the Duchess."

The story of the two dramas "Luria" and "A Blot on the 'Scutcheon."

Character studies of Andrea del Sarto and his wife Lucrezia. An analysis of "Cleon." A review of “An Epistle containing the Strange Medical Experiences of Karshish, the Arab Physician." A study of "A Death in the Desert."

In the study of all these poems, the use of the Introductions mentioned above is earnestly recommended. These little works will give the student a clear insight into the spirit and method of Browning, after which he will go forward with satisfaction and delight in the perusal of this great poet and teacher.

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'The Lost Leader," "How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix," "Evelyn Hope," "Home-Thoughts from Abroad,” "My Last Duchess," and "Hervé Riel" are given among the selections of Part II.

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THOMAS CARLYLE.

518. Faith in Heredity.-Carlyle had strong faith in the principle of heredity. In his famous Edinburgh address, he says: “There is a great deal more in genealogy than is generally believed at present. I never heard tell of any clever man that came of entirely stupid people." In his own biographical writings he gives prominence to ancestry and in his Reminiscences," he pays an affectionate tribute to his parents, from whom, as he points out, he inherited his leading physical and mental characteristics. Along with extraordinary mental vigor, his father, who was a mason, spoke in a style bold, glowing, and picturesque. His mother possessed the sturdy sense and forceful uprightness that made her a worthy companion of her husband. They lived in humble circumstances at Ecclefechan, Scotland, where their gifted son was born Dec. 4, 1795.

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519. At the University. It was the wish of his father that he should study for the ministry; and, accordingly, in 1809, he was sent to the University of Edinburgh. He made the journey of nearly a hundred miles on foot. Not many details of his university career have been preserved. He studied diligently, lived in comparative seclusion, and devoted a considerable part of his time to miscellaneous reading. From the chaos of the library he fished up more books perhaps than had been known to the keepers thereof. The foundation of a literary life was hereby laid." Like Bacon, Milton, and a few other illustrious English authors, he found fault with the subjects of study and methods of instruction. In the autobiographical part of " Sartor," he says, with humorous exaggeration: It is my painful duty to say that, out of England and Spain, ours was the worst of all hitherto discovered universities." He completed his studies in 1814; and while none of his professors seem to have discovered his ability, his intimate associates, with greater discernment, foretold his future eminence. .

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520. Dislike of Teaching. After leaving the university, Carlyle taught for two years an Annan, and afterward, for the same length of time, at Kirkcaldy. He was faithful in his pedagogical labors; but because he preferred his books to the visitation of his patrons, he acquired a reputation for unsociability. But pedagogy was not his vocation. His native dislike to teaching soon grew into a settled abhorrence. "At the end," to use his own words, "my solitary, desperate conclusion was fixed: that I, for my own part, would prefer to perish in the ditch, if necessary, rather than continue living by such a trade, and peremptorily gave it up accordingly." At Kirkcaldy he had his first romance, which appears in idealized form in "Sartor."

521. Doubt and Unbelief.-Carlyle had not yet found his work. His inability to subscribe to the creeds of the church led him to give up the ministry. In 1818 he went to Edinburgh, where he taught a few private pupils and, at the same time, studied law. Dyspepsia, which remained a plague throughout life, began to torment him, and to tinge his thought with gloom. He fell into a state of doubt and unbelief, which in "Sartor" he describes as "The Everlasting No." "We see him quite shut out from hope; looking, not into the golden Orient, but vaguely, all around, into a dim, copper firmament, pregnant with earthquake and tornado." In his gloom and discouragement, he thought for a time, as did Burns, Coleridge, and Southey, of emigrating to America.

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522. "The Everlasting Yea."- From this state of doubt and unbelief, which he calls his temptation in the wilderness, he finally passed into a permanent condition of faith. "This is The Everlasting Yea, wherein whoso walks and works, it is Iwell with him." This experience, which was a kind of regeneration, was the great turning-point in Carlyle's life. It made him henceforth a positive force for truth and righteousNature seemed to him as the vesture of God; life was filled with significance; duty became sacred; and an infinite love and pity took possession of his heart. He now had his divine commission as teacher; and with the courage and fidelity of a Hebrew prophet, he delivered his message.

ness.

523. Literary Career. He gave up the study of law; and