Blewet, Astwood, and Long Roger. These varlets, with mountains of promises, he sought to corrupt, to obtain his escape; but knowing well that his own fortunes were made so contemptible that he could feed no man's hopes (and by hopes he must work, for rewards he had none), he had contrived with himself a vast and tragical plot. This was to draw into his company Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick, then prisoner in the Tower, whom the weary life of a long imprisonment, and the constant fear of being put to death, had softened to take any impression of counsel for his liberty. This young prince he thought these servants would look upon, though not upon himself, and therefore, after that, by some message by one or two of them, he had tasted of the earl's consent, it was agreed that these four should murder their master, the lieutenant, secretly, in the night, and make their best of such money and portable goods of his as they should find ready at hand, and get the keys of the Tower, and presently let forth Perkin and the earl. But this conspiracy was revealed in time, before it could be executed. Hereupon Perkin, who had offended against grace the third time, was arraigned and condemned, and a few days after executed at Tyburn. This was the end of this little cockatrice 10 of a king, that was able to destroy those that did not espy him first. It was one of the longest of plays of that kind that had been in memory, and might perhaps have had another end, if he had not met with a king both wise, stout, aud fortunate. 1 A scrivener, one who draws up contracts or written agreements. (Lat. scribo, I write.) 2 Distasted, distasteful, as we should say. 4 3 Invectives, speeches full of angry reproaches and biting taunts. Sanctuary, a place privileged to shelter a culprit from the arm of the law, if he reached it first, and remained within its precincts. 5 Dissembled all fear, disguised his fears. 6 His wonted compassion, his ac- 7 Sycophant, a mean flatterer. of York, who had really been smothered with his brother, Edward V., in the Tower. The "true tree" was the Earl of Warwick, son of the Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV. 10 Cockatrice, a fabulous animal like a cock with a dragon's tail; also, a kind of serpent, in which sense it 18 applied to Warbeck, from his crafty character. A FATHER'S ADVICE TO HIS SON. Y son, you are now on the threshold of manhood. As you now begin your career, succeeding life will be marked with misery or happiness; a few years' perseverance in prudence, which at your age is but another name for virtue, will ensure comfort, pleasure, tranquillity, esteem; too eager an enjoyment of every good that now offers will reverse the medal, and present you with poverty, anxiety, remorse, contempt. Let me offer you a few words of counsel and caution at this critical time of life. The most usual way among young men who have no resolution of their own is first to ask one friend's advice, and follow it for some time; then to ask advice of another, and turn to that; so of a third-still unsteady, always changing. However, be assured that most changes of this nature are for the worst. When, therefore, you have once made choice of a profession, follow it with perseverance and assiduity. To take up a profession for a time, and then drop it for another, and this for a third, is sure to end in a miserable failure. Even if you could learn to practise fairly more than one kind of business, people would give you employment in none. The surest road to competency, if not to fame and fortune, is to gain facility and skill in some one useful occupation. A conjuror and a tailor once happened to converse together. "Alas," cries the tailor, "what an unhappy poor creature am I! If people should ever take it in their heads to live without clothes, I am undone; I have no other trade to have recourse to." "Indeed, friend, I pity you sincerely," replies the conjuror; “but, thank heaven, things are not quite so bad with me, for if one trick should fail, I have a hundred tricks more for them yet. However, if at any time you are reduced to beggary, apply to me, and I will relieve you." A famine overspread the land; the tailor made a shift to live, because his customers could not be without clothes; but the poor conjuror, with all his hundred tricks, could find none that had any money to throw away. It was in vain that he promised to eat fire, or to vomit pins--no single creature would relieve him; till he was at last obliged to beg from the very tailor whose calling he had formerly despised. There are no obstructions more fatal to fortune than pride and resentment-evil passions in all men, and in poor men folly. The resentment of a poor man is like the efforts of a harmless insect to sting; it may get him crushed, but cannot defend him. Who values that anger which is consumed only in empty menaces ? Once upon a time a goose fed its young by a pond side, and a goose in such circumstances is always extremely proud, and excessively punctilious. If any other animal, without the least design to offend, happened to pass that way, the goose was immediately at him. The pond, she said, was hers, and she would maintain a right in it, and support her honour, while she had a bill to hiss or a wing to flutter. In this manner she drove away ducks, pigs, and chickens ; nay, even the insidious cat was seen to scamper. A lounging mastiff, however, happened to pass by, and thought it no harm if he should lap a little of the water, as he was thirsty. The guardian goose flew at him like a fury, pecked at him with her beak and slapped him with her feathers. The dog grew angry, had twenty times a good mind to give her a sly snap, but suppressed his indignation because his master was nigh. "Poor fool!" cries he; sure those who have neither strength nor weapons to fight at least should be civil; that fluttering and hissing of thine may one day get thine head snapped off, but it can neither injure thy enemies nor ever protect thee." So saying, he went forward to the pond, quenched his thirst in spite of the goose, and followed his master. 66 Another obstruction to the fortune of youth is that, while they are willing to take offence from none, they are also equally desirous of giving none offence. From hence they endeavour to please all, comply with every request, attempt to suit themselves to every company; have no will of their own, but, like wax, catch every contiguous impression. By thus attempting to give universal satisfaction, they at last find themselves miserably disappointed; to bring the generality of the people on our side, it is sufficient to attempt pleasing a few of the more worthy. A painter of eminence was once resolved to finish a piece which should please the whole world. When, therefore, he had drawn a picture in which his utmost skill was exhausted, it was exposed in the public market-place, with directions at the bottom for every spectator to mark with a brush, which lay by, every limb and feature which seemed erroneous. The spectators came, and in general applauded; but each, willing to show his talent at criticism, marked whatever he thought proper. At evening, when the painter came, he was mortified to find the whole picture one universal blot-not a single stroke that was not stigmatised with marks of disapprobation. Not satisfied with this trial, the next day he was resolved to try them in a different manner, and exposing his picture as before, desired that every spectator would mark those beauties he approved or admired. The people complied, and the artist returning, found his picture replete with the marks of beauty: every stroke that had been yesterday condemned now received the character of approbation. "Well," cries the painter, "I now find that the best way to please one half of the world is not to mind what the other half says: since what are faults in the eyes of these, shall be by those regarded as beauties." TH IN THE HEART OF AFRICA. HE celebrated African traveller and missionary, Dr. Livingstone, has left a journal of his last exploring expedition, from which the following account of Casembe is written, in the hope of conveying some general idea of the natives in the barbarous regions he traversed. Casembe is both the name of a town and its ruler. It is situated north of Lake Bemba, in Central Africa. Here Livingstone was honoured with a "grand reception." The chief sat before his hut on a square seat placed on lion and leopard skins. He was clothed in a coarse blue and white Manchester print edged with red baize. His arms, legs, and head were covered with sleeves, leggings, and cap, made of various coloured beads in neat patterns: a crown of yellow feathers surmounted his cap. Each of his headmen came forward, shaded |