1. Privilege of the House of Commons.

I am not bound to prove a negative, but I appeal to the English History, when I affirm that, with the exceptions already stated (which yet I might safely relinquish), there is no precedent, from the year 1265 to the death of Queen Elizabeth, of the House of Commons having imprisoned any man (not a member of their house) for contempt or breach of privilege. In the most flagrant cases, and when their acknowledged privileges were most grossly violated, the poor Commons, as they styled themselves, never took the power of punishment into their own hands They either sought redress by petition to the king, or, what is more remarkable, applied for justice to the House of Lords; and when satisfaction was denied them or delayed, their only remedy was to refuse proceeding with the king's business.-Junius.

2. The Good Effects of Rational Education.

Tell me, I said to the excellent old man, what particular steps you took in your daughter's early days to lay the foundation of her noble and delightful character. "In care, reproof, correction, and encouragement," he replied, "my wife and myself (as all parents should) resolved to act, and ever acted, in perfect concert. We early taught our child submission to ourselves, assured that otherwise we should be able to teach her nothing. We endeavoured always to understand ourselves, what we wished our child to understand; to be ourselves what we would have her be; to do ourselves what we would have her practice. We were especially careful that with all religious instruction (you know my own sentiments) she should imbibe a spirit of universal candour, goodness, and charity; as far from the wildness of enthusiasm as from the narrowness of superstition and bigotry. We always addressed her understanding, and treated her as a rational creature ; we encouraged her inquiries, and used her betimes to

think and to reason. We represented vice in its true colours, which are the most odious, and virtue in her proper form of beauty and loveliness. We were espe

cially diligent to give her a deep sense of truth and integrity; and an abhorrence of all manner of falsehood, fraud, craft, subterfuge, and dissimulation, as base, dishonourable, and highly displeasing to the Allwise; and, convinced of the countless evils which attend the female sex, from their passion for dress and show, we never deceived her into a wrong opinion of herself by gaudy external ornaments; for if we had, how could we have excused ourselves?"-Dodd.

3. The Mistress of the Dame's School.

Pleas'd with our gay disports, the dame was wont
To set her wheel before the cottage front,
And o'er her spectacles would often peer,
To view our gambols and our boyish geer.
Still, as she looked, her wheel kept turning round
With its belov'd monotony of sound.

When tir'd with play, we'd set us by her side
(For out of school she never knew to chide)
And wonder at her skill,-well known to fame,-
For who could match in spinning with the dame?
Though we poor wights did wonder much in troth
How 'twas her spinning manufactured cloth.

4. Zetland Isles.

H. Kirke White.

In vain,- -no Isleman now can use the tongue
Of the bold Norse, from whom their lineage sprung.
A race severe, the isle and ocean lords,

Loved for its own delight the strife of swords;
With scornful laugh the mortal pang defied,
And blest their gods that they in battle died.
Such were the sires of Zetland's simple race,
And still the eye may feint resemblance trace
In the blue eye, tall form, proportion fair,
The limbs athletic, and the long light hair

(Such was the mien, as Scald or minstrel sings
Of fair-hair'd Harold, first of Norway's kings);
But their high deeds to scale these crags confined,
Their only warfare is with waves and wind.
Walter Scott.

5. Appeal to British Loyalty.

Come ye,-who, if (which Heaven avert) the land
Were with herself at strife, would take your stand,
Like gallant Falkland, by the monarch's side,
And, like Montrose, make loyalty your pride;-
Come ye,-who, not less zealous, might display
Banners at enmity with regal sway;

Come ye-whate'er your creed ;-O waken all,
Whate'er your temper, at your country's call;
Resolving (this a free-born nation can)
To have one soul, and perish to a man,
Or save this honoured land from every lord
But British reason, and the British sword.
Wordsworth.

6. Foolish Extravagance in Dress.

The rural lass,

Whom once her virgin modesty and grace,
Her artless manners, and her neat attire,
So dignified, that she was hardly less
Than the fair shepherdess of old romance,
Is seen no more. The character is chang'd;
Her head, adorn'd with lappets pinn'd aloft,
And ribands streaming gay, superbly rais'd;
Her elbows ruffled, and her tottering form
Ill-propp'd upon French heels; she might be deem'd
(But that her basket dangling on her arm
Interprets her more truly) of a rank
Too proud for dairy-work, or sale of eggs;-
Expect her soon with foot-boy at her heels,
No longer blushing for her awkward load.

Cowper.

7. The Storm.

The brooklet rav'd, for on the hills
The upland showers had swol'n the rills,
And down the torrents came:
Mutter'd the distant thunder dread,
And frequent o'er the vale was spread
A sheet of lightning flame.

De Vaux, within his mountain cave
(No human step the storm durst brave),
To moody meditation gave

Each faculty of soul,

Till, lull'd by distant sound,

And the sad winds that whistled round,
Upon his thoughts, in musing drown'd,
A broken slumber stole.

'Twas then was heard a heavy sound
(Sound, strange and fearful there to hear,
'Mongst desert hills, where leagues around
Dwelt but the gorcock and the deer):
And starting from his couch of rock,
Again upon his ear it broke.

Walter Scott.

XVI.-Pause and Inflections, with Modulation of Voice, requiring some degree of Force.

EXCLAMATION, COMMAND, AND APOSTROPHE.

I.-Exclamation denotes those emotions of the mind which are commonly connected with surprise or strongly excited feeling.

The sign of Exclamation is (!).

The repetition of a subject in an exclamatory form is usually termed its Echo; it not unfrequently gives a kind of exclamatory character to an Interrogation.

Exclamations, expressive of the lighter and more pleasing emotions, are accompanied with the rising inflection, and such degree of force as the subject naturally requires.

Echo also takes the rising inflection, and heightens the tone of voice.

Exclamations of the graver and more deeply emotional character, take the falling inflection.

II.-Command, particularly when expressed with energy, raises the voice, and always requires some degree of force. Generally, the word most strongly emphasized takes the rising inflection; but there are many exceptions to this rule.

III.-Apostrophe is either one of the flights of poetry, or an expression of strongly excited feeling. It addresses an absent person as if present, or an inanimate thing as if living. It breaks off, sometimes abruptly, from the direct tenour of the discourse, and when judiciously introduced, gives great effect to eloquence. It is read with such modulation and force of voice, and such pauses and inflections, as the address would require, if spoken to a living person; but always in such manner as to indicate a greater intensity of feeling.

SIMULTANEOUS EXERCISES.

Exclamation.

1. How many clear marks of benevolent intention' appear' everywhere around' us! What a profusion of beauty' and ornament' is poured forth on the face of nature'! What a magnificent' spectacle' is presented to the view of man'! what a variety of objects' set before him, to gratify his senses - to employ his understanding', to entertain his imagination', to cheer and gladden' his heart'! Indeed', - the very existence of the universe is a standing' memorial' of the goodness of the Creator'!

2. What a piece of work' is man'! How noble' in reason'! how infinite' in faculties'! in form' and moving', how express and admirable'! in action', how like an angel'! in apprehension', how like God'!"