3. At length, the dial instituted a formal inquiry as to the cause of the stagnation-when hands, wheels, weights, with one voice, protested their innocence.

4. But now a faint tick was heard below from the pendulum, who thus spoke:-"I confess myself to be the sole cause of the present stoppage; and I am willing, for the general satisfaction, to assign my reasons. The truth is, that I am tired of ticking." Upon hearing this, the old clock became so enraged, that it was on the very point of striking.

5. "Lazy wire!" exclaimed the dial-plate, holding up its hands. "Very good!" replied the pendulum, "it is vastly easy for you, Mistress Dial, who have always, as every body knows, set yourself up above me,-it is vastly easy for you, I say, to accuse other people of laziness! You, who have had nothing to do all the days of your life, but to stare people in the face, and to amuse yourself with watching all that goes on in the kitchen! Think, I beseech you, how you would like to be shut up for life in this dark closet, and to wag backwards and forwards year after year, as I do."

6. "As to that," said the dial, "is there not a window in your house, on purpose for you to look through?"-"For all that," resumed the pendulum, "it is very dark here; and, although there is a window, I dare not stop, even for an instant, to look out at it. Besides, I am really tired of my way of life; and if you wish, I'll tell you how I took this disgust at my employment. I happened this morning to be calculating how many times I should have to tick in the course of only the next twenty-four hours; perhaps some of you, above there, can give me the exact sum.' 99

7. The minute hand, being quick at figures, presently replied, "Eighty-six thousand four hundred times." "Exactly so," replied the pendulum. "Well, I appeal to you all, if the very thought of this was not enough to fatigue one; and when I began to multiply the strokes of one day, by those of months and years, really it is no wonder if I felt discouraged at the prospect; so, after a great deal of reasoning and hesitation, thinks I to myself, I'll stop."

8. The dial could scarcely keep its countenance during this harangue; but resuming its gravity, thus replied: "Dear Mr. Pendulum, I am really astonished that such a useful, industrious person as yourself, should have been overcome by this sudden action. It is true, you have done a great deal of work in your time; so have we all, and are likely to do; which although it may fatigue us to think of, the question is, whether it will fatigue

us to do. Would you now do me the favor to give about half a dozen strokes to illustrate my argument?"

9. The pendulum complied, and ticked six times in its usual pace. "Now," resumed the dial, "may I be allowed to inquire if that exertion was at all fatiguing or disagreeable to you?" "Not in the least, replied the pendulum, "it is not of six strokes that I complain, nor of sixty, but of millions."

10. "Very good," replied the dial; "but recollect, that though you may think of a million strokes in an instant, you are required to execute but one; and that, however often you may hereafter have to swing, a moment will always be given you to swing in." "That consideration staggers me, I confess," said the pendulum. "Then I hope," resumed the dial-plate, "we shall all immediately return to our duty; for the maids will lie in bed if we stand idling thus."

11. Upon this, the weights, who had never been accused of light conduct, used all their influence in urging him to proceed; when, as with one consent, the wheels began to turn, the hands began to move, the pendulum began to swing, and to its credit, ticked as loud as ever; while a red beam of the rising sun that streamed through a hole in the kitchen, shining full upon the dial-plate, it brightened up, as if nothing had been the matter.

12. When the farmer came down to breakfast that morning, upon looking at the clock, he declared that his watch had gained half an hour in the night.

MORAL.

13. A celebrated modern writer says, "Take care of the minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves." This is an admirable remark, and might be very seasonably recollected when we begin to be "weary in well-doing," from the thought of having much to do.

14. The present moment is all we have to do with, in any sense; the past is irrecoverable, the future is uncertain; nor is it fair, to burden one moment with the weight of the next.— Sufficient unto the moment is the trouble thereof.

15. If we had to walk a hundred miles, we should still have to take but one step at a time, and this process continued, would infallibly bring us to our journey's end. Fatigue generally begins, and is always increased, by calculating in a minute the exertion of hours.

16. Thus, in looking forward to future that we have not to sustain all its toil, to ings, or encounter all its crosses, at once.

life, let us recollect endure all its sufferOne moment comes

laden with its own little burdens, then flies, and is succeeded by another no heavier than the last:-if one could be borne, so can another and another.

17. Even looking forward to a single day, the spirit may sometimes faint from an anticipation of the duties, the labors, the trials to temper and patience, that may be expected. Now this is unjustly laying the burden of many thousand moments upon one.

18. Let any one resolve always to do right now, leaving then to do as it can; and if he were to live to the age of Methuselah, he would never do wrong. But the common error is to resolve to act right after breakfast, or after dinner, or to-morrow morning, or next time; but now, just now, this once, we must go or. the same as ever.

19. It is easy, for instance, for the most ill-tempered person to resolve that the next time he is provoked, he will not let his temper overcome him; but the victory would be to subdue temper on the present provocation. If, without taking up the burden of the future, we would always make the single effort at the present moment; while there would, at any one time, be very little to do, yet, by this simple process continued, every thing would at last be done.

20. It seems easier to do right to-morrow than to-day, merely because we forget that when to-morrow comes then will be now. Thus life passes with many, in resolutions for the future, which the present never fulfils. It is not thus with those, who, "by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, honor, and immortality."

21. Day by day, minute by minute, they execute the appointed task, to which the requisite measure of time and strength is proportioned; and thus, having worked while it was called day, they at length rest from their labors, and their works" follow them." Let us, then, "whatever our hands find to do, do it with all our might, recollecting that now is the proper and accepted time."

LESSON XIX.

Battle of Lexington.*-WEEMS.

1. APRIL the 19th, 1775, was the fatal day marked out by mysterious heaven, for tearing away the stout infant colonics *Lexington, a town in Massachusetts, 11 miles N. W. of Boston.

from the old mother country. Early that morning, General Gage, whose force in Boston was augmented to 10,000 men, sent a detachment of 1,000 to destroy some military stores which the Americans had collected in the town of Concord, near Lexington.

2. On coming to the place, they found the town militia assembled on the green near the road. "Throw down your arms, and disperse, you rebels," was the cry of the British officer, (Pitcairn,) which was immediately followed by a general discharge from the soldiers; whereby eight of the Americans were killed, and several wounded.

3. The provincials† retired. But finding that the British still continued their fire, they returned it with good interest; and soon strewed the green with the dead and wounded. Such fierce discharges of musketry produced the effect that might have been expected in a land of freemen, who saw their gallant brothers suddenly engaged in the strife of death.

4. Never before had the bosoms of the swains experienced such a tumult of heroic passions. Then throwing aside the implements of husbandry, and leaving their teams in the half finished furrows, they flew to their houses, snatched up their arms, and bursting from their wild shrieking wives and children, hasted to the glorious field where LIBERTY, heaven-born goddess, was to be bought with blood.

5. Pouring in now from every quarter, were seen crowds of sturdy peasants, with flushed cheeks and flaming eyes, eager for battle! Even age itself forgot its wonted infirmities: and hands, long palsied with years, threw aside the cushioned crutch and grasped the deadly firelock. Fast as they came up, their ready muskets began to pour the long, red streams of fiery vengeance.

6. The enemy fell back appalled! The shouting farmers, swift-closing on their rear, followed their steps with death, while the British, as fast as they could load, wheeling on their pursuers, returned the deadly fire. But their flight was not in safety. Every step of their retreat was stained with blood

*Thomas Gage was an officer of some distinction in the British army.He was appointed Governor of Massachusetts in 1774, and soon began that course of illegal and oppressive acts which brought on the war of the revolution. Soon after the commencement of the war, he returned to England, where he died, 1787. He was the last Governor of Massachusetts appoint ed by the King.

Provincials, those troops raised in the provinces, and sent to oppose the British army.

+ Pronounced strowd

every hedge or fence by which they passed, concealed a deadly foe.

6. They would, in all probability, have been cut off to a man, had not General Gage luckily recollected, that born of Britons, these Yankees might possess some of the family valor, and therefore sent 1000 men to support the detachment. This reinforcement met the poor fellows, faint with fear and fatigue, and brought them safely off to Boston.

LESSON XX.

Battle of Bunker's Hill.-CHARLES BOTTA.

1. WHETHER he was deceived by the resemblance of name, or from some other motive unknown, Colonel Prescott, instead of repairing to the heights* of Bunker's Hill to fortify himself there, advanced further on in the peninsula, and immediately commenced his intrenchments upon the heights of Breed's Hill, another eminence, which overlooks Charlestown,† and is situated towards the extremity of the peninsula, nearer to Boston.

2. The works were pushed with so much ardor, that the following morning, by day-break, the Americans had already constructed a square redout,‡ capable of affording them some shelter from the enemy's fire. The labor had been conducted with such silence, that the English had no suspicion of what was passing. It was about four in the morning, when the captain of a ship of war first perceived it, and began to play his artillery. The report of the cannon attracted a multitude of spectators to the shore.

3. The English Generals doubted the testimony of their senses. Meanwhile the thing appeared too important not to endeavor to dislodge the provincials, or, at least, to prevent them from completing the fortification commenced; for, as the height of Breed's Hill absolutely commands Boston, the town was no longer tenable, if the Americans erected a battery upon this eminence.

4. The English, therefore, opened a general fire of the artillery of the town, of the fleet, and of the floating batteries stationed around the peninsulas of Boston. It hailed a tempest of bombs and balls upon the works of the Americans-they

*Pronounced hites.

+ Charlestown is one mile north of Boston, and is connected with it by a bridge across Charles river.

+ Redout, a small square fort, without defence, except in front.