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them not suffer the temples of their head to take any rest, nor cease one day or hour their earnest efforts, till a fair and noble Church is raised upon this spot where not only they but the generations which are yet for to come may reap in abundant harvest all those blessings and privileges which they have enjoyed in that now taken from them. And for those who have ministered within these walls let there be deep thankfulness and joy this day, for it shall be found in that hour when the New Jerusalem cometh down out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, that by means of this low humble sanctuary full many a goodly temple hath been raised to the LORD already in the living souls of these His people.

TALES OF THE HOUSEHOLD.

THE Company all declared themselves highly pleased with the story of the Pearl, which indeed was very interesting. A pause then ensued, and after some while a Knife and Fork stepped forward and said that they could tell a story which, though not actually relating their own adventures or those of any of their brethren, was yet closely connected with the great" Knife and Fork" question which agitated the world. The company might wonder, they said, that two persons should tell one story, but had not Beaumont and Fletcher composed a number of plays, and Hume and Smollett a History of England? There was no reason, then, why they should not conjointly relate what would be found to be partly historical and partly allegorical. After this preamble they related the story of the Queen's Dilemma.

THE QUEEN'S DILEMMA.

Once on a time there was a great queen called Queen Nicelinda, who ruled over a populous and wealthy nation.

When she was born, all the fairies in the country were of course invited to come to an entertainment, according to the invariable custom in countries where fairies live. And all of them vied with each other in giving her various gifts. One gave her wit, another wealth, another beauty, another declared she should have a most handsome and amiable prince for her husband, another said she should rule over a mighty empire, another called her Nicelinda, because she should conquer all her enemies.

Somehow or other it always happens that some old disagreeable fairy is forgotten on these occasions. Perhaps it is

best that queens, as well as other people, should not have everything exactly as they wish, they would forget that they are mortal. It is necessary that there should be some drawback to their happiness.

So it was with the young princess. In the midst of the entertainment a loud noise was heard like a clap of thunder, the door flew open, and in came a little old woman riding on a broomstick, and sailed two or three times round the room in which all the guests were sitting. The king and queen, the minister of state, the royal nurses, the butler, the footmen, in short, all that were present, were struck dumb with amazement when they recognized the fairy Sophronia, or Old Mother Prudence, as people used to call her behind her back. The king dropped his knife and fork from his hand, the queen spilt a glass of wine that she was raising to her lips, the nurse almost let the baby fall from her arms, and one of the footmen spilt a plate of soup on the lord chancellor's wig.

"Ah, you may well be alarmed," said Old Mother Prudence, "at neglecting to ask me, who am the greatest fairy in the land, to celebrate the birth of the child. I will take care to make you remember the affront. I cannot take away the gifts which have been bestowed on the young princess; she shall be witty and wise, beautiful and rich, conquer all her enemies, and rule over the greatest empire in the world: but I will predict one thing of her which will stick like a thorn in her side, and prevent her enjoyment of all her other gifts. My prediction is, that she shall have so many subjects she shall not know what to do.”

Having uttered these words, the old fairy vanished with a loud laugh, leaving behind her an unpleasant smell of sulphur and smoke.

The king and queen and all the guests stared at each other for some time before they could recover from their surprise. At last the king, who was a good-natured, easy man, said to his guests,

"This is an unpleasant business; however, it is well it is no worse. Thanks to you, my kind fairy guests, for having given my daughter so many advantages, which cannot be taken from her. We must try to make the best we can of the old woman's prediction."

So then they all proceeded with their entertainment. The king took up his knife and fork, and went on with his dinner, the queen sipped her wine, the nurse soothed the little baby, and the chief butler brought a clean napkin to wipe the lord chancellor's wig; and good humour and conviviality were again

restored.

A good many years passed, and the princess grew up all that

was delightful and amiable. At length the king and queen died, and Nicelinda succeeded to the throne. On the day of her coronation she went in procession through the streets in a magnificent coach drawn by eight cream-coloured horses, with guards before and behind on prancing horses, and after them came all the ministers of state, and maids of honour, and ladies of the bedchamber, and equerries and pages. And the people rent the air with shouts, and crowded so thick upon each other, that the procession could hardly pass by; and all the windows and tops of the houses were covered with spectators waving handkerchiefs and flags.

Queen Nicelinda viewed the crowds of people, and heard their acclamations with great delight.

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Truly," thought she, if this is all the mischief the old fairy can do me by giving me such a multitude of subjects, I think no very great harm will come of it." Soon after the queen thought she should like to have a husband; and after seeing a great many young princes, and consulting with her minister of state, she fixed on Prince Bertal, as being the handsomest, the most accomplished, and most amiable amongst them.

So Prince Bertal and Queen Nicelinda were married amidst great rejoicings, and all the people cheered and shouted as they had done before and the queen was very much pleased, and thought she could not possibly have too many subjects, if they behaved so well and dutifully.

However, as the years went on, things were somewhat changed. The times began to get worse; and as the queen drove out with her royal consort in her fine carriage, she thought the people did not look so happy, or welcome her so heartily as before. She saw a great many people in rags and tatters, and some looked half starved. At last a great mob of people collected round the palace, and declared they had no food to eat, and should be starved with their families if the queen would not do something for them.

The queen happened just to be sitting down to a great entertainment with a company of lords and ladies, when she heard the cries of the people. She was very kind-hearted, and at first she thought of asking them all into the palace to dine with her. But she was told that there were too many to ask into the palace, and besides, they were too ragged and shabby to sit down with all the lords and ladies. So for the first time she began to be perplexed to know what to do with her subjects.

At last one of the ladies, who was dressed with diamonds and feathers scarcely less magnificent than the queen herself, and had just sipped a cup of sparkling wine, observed to the queen, "What foolish people all these are! Why, if I could not get

a good dinner, I would be contented with bread and cheese, and beer, rather than starve."

"Bread and cheese, and beer!" said the queen, "what sort of food is that? I should like very much to taste some." So she ordered some to be brought in on a tray, and after tasting a morsel herself, she desired it might be handed round to the lords and ladies, and ministers of state, who all declared that, though not very palatable, they had no doubt it was wholesome and nutritious food for the poor.

Not content with this opinion, Queen Nicelinda sent for the state physician, and consulted with him whether bread and cheese, and beer, were good and sufficient food for the poor. Upon which the physician declared he must have a consultation with his brethren, and, after the consultation, he returned and said that the physicians had all unanimously agreed, that, next to roast beef and plum pudding, there was not a better sort of food for the poor than bread and cheese, and beer, and he only wished they might get it. After hearing this opinion, Queen Nicelinda called all her ministers to a council, and drew up a proclamation thus:

"Whereas divers persons had assembled together round the palace gates, to the serious annoyance of the queen and her noble guests, she hereby made proclamation that her subjects were no longer so to assemble, but that they were henceforth to live upon bread and cheese, and beer, with roast beef and plum pudding on Sundays; the queen being well assured, on the authority of eminent physicians, that no food was more wholesome for people of their condition."

When the people heard this, they were all greatly rejoiced to hear that they were to have plenty of bread and cheese, and beer, and roast beef and plum pudding on Sundays. And they all cried out, "Long live Queen Nicelinda! bread and cheese for ever! roast beef for ever! huzzah!"

After waiting some time, they were surprised to find that the queen did not send them out the good things named in the proclamation; and when they learned that they were to get it themselves, they were greatly disappointed, and began again to murmur against the queen and her ministers. It was very fine, they said, to make a proclamation that they were to live on bread and cheese, and beer, roast beef, and plum pudding, but then how were they to get it?

So the queen called another council, and proposed to them a question, where the people were to get bread and cheese, and beer. And one of the councillors rose and said,

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May it please your majesty, these people are most unreasonable. How can they expect that your majesty's larder should be

stored with bread and cheese, and beer, for such a multitude. My advice is, that they be directed to go to the bakers' and cheesemongers' shops, and to divers beer shops which your majesty has been so good as to license for that purpose, and there buy food for themselves."

This advice seemed to satisfy the council, and another proclamation was about to be prepared, when an aged minister, who had been chancellor under the queen's father, and was noted for his deep sagacity, rose and said,

"May it please your majesty, the advice just given is good in all particulars save one, and that perhaps it may be as well to consider, namely, whence the people are to get the money to buy the provisions. I fully agree with the noble lord that his advice is most commendable, provided he can show how the people are to be supplied with money."

"What!" said the queen in surprise, "have the people no money? Then indeed they will have a difficulty in buying food. My lords, this must be looked to. Let all the people have money given them.”

The first lord of the treasury then rose, and craved permission to offer his advice. It was necessary, he said, to inform her majesty, that the sum now lying in her majesty's treasury, though apparently large, yet was all appropriated to certain specific purposes,-the maintenance of the army and navy, the judges, the ministers of state, and the royal palaces and household. With all his economy he found but barely sufficient to meet this expenditure. If he might be allowed to propose a scheme, he would suggest that the people be directed to work, and sell the produce of their labour, and so they would have money to buy food.

This plan seemed the most eligible, and the council adopted it without hesitation. So all the people were directed to work for their livelihood, and not disturb the queen with their clamours.

So all the people set themselves to work, some made cloth, and some made cotton goods, and some linen, and some iron ware; there never was seen such a bustle before. And when they had made all these things they sold them to their neighbours, and with the money they bought food from the shops, according to the wise counsel of the queen's minister. And the people got so much money that they were able to buy not only what was sufficient for their maintenance, but some of them ate and drank too much, and got very tipsy and riotous.

This went on for some time. At last it happened that they became so clever at work, and made goods in such abundance, that they could not find purchasers. Their neighbours told them that they had got as many knives and forks, and spoons, and buttons, and cotton stockings, and gowns, and nightcaps, and other articles as they wanted.

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