The king showers princely gifts upon him; there is music and feasting; and all vie with one another in doing honor to their deliverer.

But he values little the praises they heap upon him, when he looks into Una's sweet face, and hears her words of gratitude and love.

With this last scene, the artist closes his series of pictures. He leaves it to be read between the lines of the poem, that he has told us only the same old story of the battle between Truth and Error, which is ever being waged in this world: of the temptations, the struggles, the sins; and also of the glorious victory that must always come to him who is strong enough to endure unto the end.

TWO PICTURES FROM PARADISE LOST.

TWO PICTURES FROM PARADISE LOST.

The next two pictures are by an artist whose fame will never die, who, though old and poor and blind, painted grander scenes than the world had ever beheld. Of the many that he caused to glow upon his canvas, there is not one so grand and awful in its strength as that of Satan in sight of Paradise.

"He

In shape and gesture proudly eminent

Stood like a tower; his form had not yet lost
All its original brightness, nor appeared
Less than archangel ruined, and the excess
Of glory obscured."

In his countenance, envy, remorse, despair, contend for mastery, as he sees Adam and Eve wandering through the beautiful garden of Eden in the glory of the early day. While he looks, the words of their grand morning hymn are borne upon the air; and he cannot help but listen :

"These are thy glorious works, Parent of good,
Almighty thine this universal frame,

Thus wondrous fair; thyself how wondrous then!
Unspeakable, who sit'st above these heavens
To us invisible, or dimly seen

In these thy lowest works; yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought and power divine :
Speak, ye who best can tell, ye sons of light,
Angels; for ye behold him, and with songs
And choral symphonies, day without night,
Circle his throne rejoicing; ye in Heaven:
On Earth join all ye creatures to extol

Him first, him last, him midst, and without end."

As our first parents thus pour forth their souls in prayer, Satan thinks of those happy days when his voice joined in the heavenly chorus of praise to the Creator; and a great wave of remorse sweeps over him, for he realizes that had it not been for the curse of ambition, which had made him desire equality with God, he might still enjoy his peaceful home in Heaven, might still be Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, instead of Satan, the Enemy of Mankind. His past life comes up before him, and he recalls that dark day when there was war in Heaven; how the crystal floor opened, and he and his rebel angels were cast down, down into the burning lake below.

Again he feels the horrible agony that seized him