Sixtus the Fourth was, if I mistake not, a great collector of books, at least.

He chiefly spoke of virtue.

Without firmness, nothing that is great can be undertaken, or difficult can be accomplished.

Pharaoh-nechoh went up against the King of Assyria, and Josiah went out against him, and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.

Some productions of nature rise in value according as they more or less resemble art.

Scholars should be taught to scrutinize the sentiments carefully advanced in all the books they read.

I beg of you never let the glory of our nation, who made France tremble, and yet has the gentleness to be unable to bear opposition from the meanness of his own countrymen, be calumniated for par tisan purposes.

Stuff a cold and starve a fever.

And, seeing dreams are caused by the distemper of the inward parts of the body, there can be no reason to interpret them as inward revelations from a superior being.

What can be more extraordinary than that a person of mean birth, no fortune, no eminent qualities of body, which have sometimes, or of mind, which have often, raised men to the highest dignities, should have the courage to attempt, and the happiness to succeed in, so improbable a design as the destruction of one of the most ancient and most solidly founded monarchies upon the earth?

(The foregoing has faults of more than one kind. Point them all out. So likewise is the following, faulty in many ways.)

William Hazlitt, so his father hoped, would embrace the ministerial career, and was educated with this view,-among other things, taught music; but he never got beyond a performance of "God save the King" on the harpsichord; and though it is clear he appreciated pulpit oratory,-see his description of the noble sermon which he heard Coleridge preach at Shrewsbury, he was no more fit for the pulpit than was Coleridge, the ex-dragoon Cumberbatch, the future author of "Kubla Khan," and later, the oracular guest of the Greens at Highgate, to whose feet, as to those of a Gamaliel, persons decided or undecided in their philosophies thronged to listen for the great song of incoherent, yet deep and lofty thoughts, delivered in the noblest language and the most impressive style, which the Seer

poured out, by way of relief to himself and of comfort for those who repaired to his shrine, and bowed before the mystical speech of its Oracle.

II. Correct all the Errors and supply the vmitted Points in the following extract.

After subtracting from the general mass of the current literature of the day that which possesses an infidel tendency decidedly and a very superficial discrimination would show that it constitutes no small portion of the whole still that which remains is composed in so large a measure of that which is corrupting by its tendency to minister to the base passions or secularizing by the steadiness with which all Christian reference is ignored and repudiated that in respect of the effects and consequences upon the Christian interests of society its influence is hardly less positively injurious it is a curious fact that the largest portion of the most elegant literature of the day and especially of that which is denominated light literature and which from the nature of its topics and the attractiveness of its style constitutes the staple of the reading of the public of this country though the product of minds not disposed to doubt the authority of the Bible is for the most part destitute of all Christian reference and both in its spirit and substance is as if Christianity had no existence among men but in addition we have but to frequent the various book marts of the country to see the vast amount of impure corrupting literature without even the merit of literary excellence to redeem it which in a cheap form is retailed out to the people and which now constitutes a large portion of the reading matter of the masses it is this conduct of the literature of the world with such steadied repudiation of all Christian spirit and aim in other words it is this divorcement of literature from the spirit of Christianity which has created that aversion of literary men to evangelical Christianity about which the celebrated John Foster has written so profoundly which has tended to make the profession of literature unfavorable to right Christian perience which creating the impression that the Christian empire is not co-extensive with the mind but that there are regions of mental range unembraced in the dominion of Christianity has fostered an infidel spirit that has made literature itself an agency of secularization and for the alienation of the mind from the spirit and objects of right Christianity

PART FIFTH.

INVENTION-RESUME D.

CHAPTER XXIV.

ORIGINAL QUESTIONS FOR A PLAN.

IN Chapter III. the teacher was recommended to elicit thoughts on assigned subjects by asking questions, the answers to which were to be furnished by the pupils, and properly framed into a connected composition. It is now proper to require the pupil himself to furnish the questions appropriate to a given subject; and the subject given need not be so simple as those contemplated in Chapter III. The course proper to be pursued will be very similar to those recommended for previous exercises in Invention. First, the pupils are required to make a first draught of questions on the given subject. This must be done in the presence of the teacher. Then these first draughts are exchanged among the pupils for criticism. Among other points, the order of the questions becomes matter of criticism. When alterations are suggested, reasons should be given for the arrangement proposed. In this way, without the necessity for any local rules, the judgment and taste of the pupils will be practically trained to a rational and pleasing method of producing their thoughts.

After the first draughts have thus been amended by mutual criticism, and the second draughts made, the teacher should revise these carefully, and perfect the arrangment of the questions. Lastly, from these questions, the compositions are to be written in the same general manner as prescribed in Chapter III.

The following specimen of a scheme of questions, with the criticisms made upon it, and the final arrangement of it, will show what is meant.

BIOGRAPHY.

Questions of the First Draught.

1. What is biography?

2. What examples of biography can you cite?

3. Which is the best?

4. What is the use of biography?

5. What makes biography so interesting?

6. Are the biographies of great men interesting to young persons? 7. Are those of women to boys? Why?

8. How does biography differ from history? 9. What is autobiography?

10. Have we any autobiographies in the Bible?

Criticism on the foregoing.

JOHN SMITH.

I think that a very important question has been left out, that ought to come in as No. 2, namely: What are the different kinds of biography?

Question 4 should be altered so as to read uses for use; for there must be more than one use of biography.

I think the 8th question ought to come nearer to the first, because it is closely connected with the definition of biography.

I am inclined to think that the 2d and 3d questions ought to have been put last of all.

I would suggest an additional question or two: Is not biography more useful to the generality of mankind than history? Why?

I do not think that question 7th has sufficient connection with this subject. WILLIAM JONES

Second Draught. Amended after the Criticism.

1. What is biography?

2. What are the different kinds of biography?

3. How does biography differ from history, as to its nature?

4. What are the uses of biography?

5. Why is biography more useful to the generality of people than history?

6. What makes biography so interesting?

7. Are all kinds of biography interesting to all classes of readers? If not, specify which for which.

8. What is autobiography?

9. How does it compare with other kinds as to credibility and in

terest?

10. Are there any biographies in the Bible?

11. Which is the best biography in the English language?

JOHN SMITH.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF ABSTRACTS.

Alternately with the exercises prescribed in the previous chapter, it is recommended that the pupil be required to draw up abstracts of any pieces of good composition, selected by the teacher. He is to be taught to indicate, sometimes by short sentences, but mostly by comprehensive phrases or titles, the several topics introduced in any given discourse. In thus tracing the course of thought which gifted minds have taken, the pupil will unconsciously catch their style of arrangement. He will see how skillfully and naturally they pass from point to point, and in what manner they elaborate each point in succession. He will also learn how they subordinate one thought to another, and set forth the various subdivisions of one part of their subject, before passing to another; thus securing clearness and vigor in their handling of the subject.

As an illustration of the exercise above prescribed, we give the following abstract of Patrick Henry's great speech in favor of resisting the aggressions of Great Britain.

1. The folly of a reluctance to be convinced of an unpleasant truth. 2. Judging by the past, the intention of the British ministry is to enslave America.

3. No other reason for their sending fleets and armies to America. 4. All peaceable resources on the part of Americans exhausted. 5. The only remaining resource is war.

6. The replies to the objection based on the weakness of the Americans.

(1.) We shall not grow stronger by postponing resistance.

(2.) A proper use of our resources will prove our strength.

(3.) God will help us.

(4.) No chance left now, for the war is begun.

(5.) No retreat now but in slavish submission, which is worse than death.

As this exercise is a very important one, another example is given: the abstract of Irving's celebrated piece entitled "The Broken Heart."

1. Contrast between the nature of man and the nature of woman, as to the passion of love.