the hour of need. This broke his heart, and he died at the age of thirty-one.

7. His daughter, an infant at the time of his death was the beautiful and unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots, as she is called, and whom I have mentioned in the history England. She was educated in France, and was not only very handsome, but very accomplished. While she was yet very young, she married the son of the King of France, and on his death, which happened soon after, she returned to Scotland to assume the government.

8. But beauty, accomplishments, and power, cannot insure happiness. Mary's kingdom was in a troubled state; the people were divided among themselves, and Mary found it impossible to govern them. At length they took up arms against her, and her army being defeated, she fled for England, and implored the protection of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth.

9. This was as disastrous a step as remaining in Scotland could possibly have been. The claim of Mary to the English crown was, by a large party in the state, thought to be preferable to that of Elizabeth, who, in addition to her dread of her on that account, hated her as a rival in personal beauty; and she repaid Mary's confidence, by confining her for eighteen years, and at last putting her to death.

10. The son of Mary, James the Sixth of Scotland, succeeded his mother; and after the death of Elizabeth, he became king of England also, under the title of James the First. Though he lived in England, he did not forget Scotland; he was a learned man, and he caused schools to be established in every parish of his native country, where all the boys and girls might learn to read and write. These schools are continued to this day.

11. From the accession of King James, in 1603, Seotland has formed part of the British dominions, although it had a separate government till the year 1707, when

it was formally united to England. After James the Second was driven from the throne, the Scottish nation raised two formidable insurrections in favour of his family, in 1715 and 1745; since the suppression of the last of these the country has been tranquil, and all national jealousies have disappeared.

QUESTIONS. 1. What of the first inhabitants of Scotland ? What did the Roman generals do ?- -2. What of the Picts? The Scots ? -3. How was the nation divided? How did they live in the early times? -4. Who was king of Scotland in 839?5. What can you tell of Edward the First? Of Edward the Second ? When was the battle of Bannockburn? Its effects ?- -6. How long were the Scots at war with the English? When did James the Fifth begin to reign? His fate? -7, 8, 9. Tell the story of Mary of Scotland.- -10. Who succeeded Mary? What did James

do ?

-11. What of Scotland since 1603? When did the union with England take place? When were the rebellions ?

CHAPTER CXLVIII. EUROPE continued. -About Ireland.

1. THE history of Ireland, or "Green Erin," as it is called, is full of interesting matter, and I am sorry that I can only bestow upon it one brief chapter.

2. The first inhabitants, like the Britons, were hardy Celts, who fought with clubs, and seemed to love fighting better than feasting. They are supposed to have been Gauls, the same race that colonized England and Scotland. They were divided into many tribes, and their leaders were called kings. These were constantly quarrelling with each other, and the land was a scene of bloodshed. The early Irish, like the other Celtic tribes, were devoted to the religion of the druids; but, about the year 550, a Christian missionary came into the country from Scotland, whose name was Patrick.

3. He seems to have been a wise and good man, and the people were by him persuaded to adopt Christianity, and under its influence they gradually became civilized.

4. In the sixth century, the Irish were a civilized and even learned people; several of the kings, between whom the island was divided, are known to have endowed colleges and schools for the free education of all who chose to resort to them, and from these schools were sent forth missionaries to the barbarous and idolatrous Saxons, who were at that time settled in England. In the ninth century, however, the Danes began to infest Ireland, and their ravages, and the civil wars which arose in consequence, replunged the island into its original barbarism. In this state it remained till the reign of Henry the Second of England, when one of the Irish princes being driven from his dominions, repaired to Henry, and became his vassal; on which he was allowed the assistance of some English adventurers to reinstate him. Ireland, up to this time, had not submitted to the papal authority, and the pope now saw an opportunity of reducing it to obedience, by making a gift of the country to the English king. This he did, and Henry accordingly invaded Ireland, and conquered it, the natives being too much divided among themselves to oppose him.

5. From this period the history of Ireland may be said to cease. The invaders settled on the sea-coast, and built strong fortresses, by means of which they were enabled to maintain their ground; and the frequent attempts of the Irish to expel them brought great calamities on both parties for many ages; but the great numbers of English and Scotch who obtained a settlement in Ireland during the civil wars under Cromwell, and those in favour of James the Second, at length firmly established the English interest, and in the year 1800, the Act of Union with Great Britain was passed.

QUESTIONS. 1. What is Ireland called? Who were its first inhabitants? -2. What of the Celts? Religion of the early Irish? What took place in 550 ?- -3. What of Patrick? What influence civilized the people?-4. State of Ireland in the sixth century? In the ninth? What of the pope? Henry the Second ? -5. What of Ireland since that time?

CHAPTER CXLIX. EUROPE continued.

Matters.

Various

1. I HAVE now told you something about England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. I have told you something about our kings, and the battles that have been fought; but it is impossible to do justice to so great a subject in this little book.

2. Therefore there are a great many interesting stories that I have been obliged to omit. If I had time, I would give you a more particular account of the Celtic religion taught by the druids, which was very curious, together with the manners of these Celts in other respects, which you would find very amusing.

3. I would tell you of Odin, or Woden, the Scandinavian hero, who established a strange mythology, which pervaded the northern nations of Europe, and was, for a time, the religion of some of the inhabitants of Britain. I would tell you how Christianity was introduced into England sixty years after Christ; and how at first the people built rude churches of wood, and how they afterwards constructed those fine Gothic churches wherein divine service is now performed.

4. If I had time, I would tell of the gipsies, a strange race of people to be found in most countries of Europe, but particularly in England, Spain, Hungary, and Bohemia; who wander from place to place, having no fixed homes; who come from some far land, but whether from Egypt or Asia, nobody can tell; who continue from age