LESSON CCII. -JULY THE TWENTY-FIRST. On this day, in 1796, died Robert Burns. In the humble employment of a ploughman, he discovered a most extraordinary genius and aptitude for poetical composition. It appears that his father, a man of superior understanding as well as of exemplary worth, exerted himself in no. common manner to procure instruction for his children; for, joining with some other heads of families of his own station, they engaged a master of considerable ability, under whom Robert became a very good English scholar, well grounded in the grammar, and possessed of a remarkable copiousness of words and expressions. His memory was retentive; and his love of reading, in proportion as proper objects were presented to him, became ardent. Though he can only rank among the minor poets, he will continue to be read and admired as long as poetry is relished, unless his productions should be prematurely hurried into oblivion by the disuse of an obscure and decaying dialect. His letters will by many be considered as extraordinary proofs of literary talents. They are in general written with a purity and command of language which would be admired in any condition; and they abound with passages of elegance, vivacity, and vigour, which genius alone could produce. The following may serve as a sketch of his own character drawn by himself: "Take a being of our kind, give him a stronger imagination and a more delicate sensibility, which between them will ever engender a more ungovernable set of passions than are the usual lot of man; implant in him an irresistible impulse to some idle vagary, such as arranging wild flowers in fantastical nosegays, tracing the grasshopper to his haunt by his chirping song, watching the frisks of the little minnows in the sunny pool, or hunting after the intrigues of butterflies; in short, send him adrift after some pursuit, which shall eternally mislead him from the paths of lucre, and yet curse him with a keener relish than any man living, for the pleasures that lucre can bestow; lastly, fill up the measure of his woes by bestowing on him a spurning sense of his own dignity; and you have created a wight nearly as miserable as a poet." ESTIMATE OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD. 289 1. Whose death happened on this day, in 1796 ? 2. What is said of his epistolary composition? 3. What is the character of Burns, as drawn by himself? LESSON CCIII. JULY THE TWENTY-SECOND. Moral Estimate of the Inhabitants of the World. THE inhabitants of the world may be classed under the respective heads of good, bad, and indifferent. The good may be divided into the active and the indolent the former are a real blessing to society; they relieve the wretched, support the oppressed, and justify the innocent;—whilst the latter are prevented by a lassitude from exerting themselves to drag Truth from the bottom of the well, where she is said to take up her abodeseldom visiting those who laugh at her obsolete maxims, and treat her with so little attention that the few beings who know her value are apprehensive that she will soon banish herself altogether-abdicating her sovereignty to her sister, Falsehood, who has long received the homage of her ungrateful subjects. Nothing but a thorough revolution in our minds and manners can restore us the blessings of Truth! Of the second order of society, the bad, which are by far more numerous, they take a malevolent satisfaction in hearing, believing, and promulgating every evil report raised by envy against the good and virtuous that can level them to their own standard; hence the encouragement given to those scandalous reports that inflict a pang on the heart of the husband and the father-the scurrilous pamphlets daily issuing from the press, propagating the lie of the day, which strut and fret their hour upon the town, and then are heard no more. It is envy of the world's approbation, and private worth, that rouses these obscene harpies to poison merit with their filth. The third and last order that composes that wayfaring world is the indifferent. We only use that word in respect to others, for to what concerns their own interest they are tremblingly alive. Let but dear self be happy, and the misery of this earth and its inhabitants will not move a muscle of their countenance-let empires fall or rise, their friends die or marry, it is all the same to these nonentities. They are better described by Prior, in the following lines, than we can do in volumes: "No man's defects sought they to know, No man's good deeds did they commend, 1. How may the inhabitants of the world be classed? 2. How is the first class divided? 3. Describe the bad. 4. What says Prior of the indifferent? LESSON CCIV.-JULY THE TWENTY-THIRD. The Balm of Content. I ROVED through early life's sad scene, And though my mind was still serene, They break upon the dazzled sight, And hither these eyes are gratefully bent, While my heart is revived by the balm of Content. So Fortune's sudden favours smile, The night of sorrow banish; As fearfully I look'd around, The gloomy prospect brighten'd; The veil that conceal'd me from knowledge was rent, In gratitude thy knee shall bow, To that all-gracious Power, Who kindly stemm'd each source of woe As trials of courage afflictions are meant, And our sorrow is soothed by the balm of Content. THE BEDOUIN ARABS. Hope, lovely maid! with smiles appears, Her form each drooping mortal cheers, "The rigours of Fate have begun to relent, 291 And I bring you," she says, "the sweet balm of Content." Ye powers on high, who wisely guide The wand'rer's path of sorrow; Nor vanish ere to-morrow. Her illusions delight us, and ever are meant LESSON CCV.-JULY THE TWENTY-FOURTH. The Bedouin Arabs. THEIR ramparts are moving sands, their lines are unlimited, their retreat is immensity; by whom, then, can they be vanquished or festrained? The Bedouins are the primitive hunters. Indolence and independence are the basis of their character; and to gratify and protect both of these, they keep themselves in a state of continual action, and endure the attacks of tyranny and want. Envy, that evil from which the abode of want is not exempt, hovers even on the burning sands of the desert. The Bedouins, who are at war with all the universe, hate and envy only the Bedouins who are not of their own horde. They enter into every war; they put themselves in motion as soon as a domestic quarrel, or foreign enemy, troubles the repose of Egypt; and, without attaching themselves to either party, they take advantage of the hostilities, and pillage both. Wherever there is booty, at the same place is the enemy of the Bedouins. Always ready to treat, because presents are the consequences of stipulations, they know no engagement but necessity. Their barbarity, however, has nothing in it atrocious. They incessantly encamp and prepare for moving; and all the tackle is packed up, and a march commenced in less than a quarter of an hour. Their goods consist of a mill for corn and coffee, an iron plate for dressing cakes, a large and small coffee-pot, a few leathern bottles, some sacks of corn, and the cloth of the tent, which serves as a vehicle for carrying the whole. A few revered customs serve them for laws. Their principles resemble virtues, which are sufficient for their partial associations, and for the patriarchal government under which they exist. The physiognomy of the Arabs is full of life and expression. Their eyes, sunk and almost hid, glisten with activity and character; all their lines are angular; their beard short, with pointed locks; their lips small, open, and discovering fine teeth; their arms muscular; and all the other parts of their frame more agile than beautiful, more nervous than well-proportioned. The religion of Mahomet does not satisfy the fantastic ignorance of the Arabs; and thus, in spite of their blind respect for the Koran, and their implicit obedience to everything which comes from their prophet, notwithstanding the anathemas pronounced against every deviation from the law, they have not been able to resist the attractions of idolatry and heresy. The Arabs retain the same passion for their tales as some have for the thousand and one tales of the Sultana Scheherasade. If their tales are not rich in natural images and just sentiment (a merit which seems to belong exclusively to the writers of the north), they abound in extraordinary events and interesting situations, occasioned by high and strong passions: these writers make abundant use of all the machinery of castles, iron gratings, poisons, daggers, night adventures, mistakes, treachery, &c. ;and yet the story always finishes very naturally, and in the clearest and most satisfactory manner. www 1. What form the basis of the Bedouin Arab's character? 2. Describe their physiognomy. LESSON CCVI. JULY THE TWENTY-FIFTH. On this day, in 1814, died Charles Dibdin. This gentleman had been long known to the world as an actor, a writer of plays, and, above all, as the author of a host of excellent and patriotic songs. His merit as a performer, in a certain range of character, was far from being inconsiderable. His " Mungo has never been equalled; and his "Giles," "Ralph," and many other characters, were portrayed with genuine simplicity, fidelity, and humour. Nor was his success as a |