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THE LAMB.

A tear bedews my Delia's eye,
To think yon playful lamb must die!
From crystal spring and flow'ry mead
Must in his prime of life recede;
Erewhile, in sportive circle, round

She saw him wheel, and frisk, and bound;
From rock to rock pursue his way,
And on the fearful margin play.
She tells with what delight he stood
To trace his features in the flood;
Then skipp'd aloof with quaint amaze;
And then drew near, again to gaze.
She tells me how with eager speed
He flew to hear my vocal reed;
And how with critic face profound,
And steadfast ear, devour'd the sound.
His every frolic, light as air,
Deserves the gentle Delia's care;
And tears bedew my Delia's eye,
To think yon playful lamb must die.

THE GRASSHOPPER.

Happy insect! what can be
In happiness compar'd to thee?
Fed with nourishment divine,

The dewy morning's gentle wine!
Thou dost drink, and dance, and sing,
Happier than the happiest king!
All the fields which thou dost see,
All the plants belong to thee.

All that summer hours produce,

Fertile made with early juice.

Man for thee does sow and plough;

Farmer he, and landlord thou!
Thou dost harmlessly enjoy,
Nor does thy luxury destroy;
To thee of all things upon earth,
Life is no longer than thy mirth.
Happy insect, happy, thou

Dost neither age nor winter know.
But when thou'st drunk and danc'd and sung

Thy fiil, the flow'ry leaves among,

Sated with a summer's feast,

Thou retir'st to endless rest.

THE ROSE.

How fair is the rose! what a beautiful flower!
The glory of April and May:

But the leaves are beginning to fade in an hour,
And they wither and die in a day.

Yet the rose has one powerful beauty to boast
Above all the flowers of the field:

When its leaves are all dead, and fine colours are lost,
Still how sweet the perfume it will yield.

So frail is the youth, and the beauty of man,
Though they bloom and look gay, like the rose;
Yet all our fond care to preserve them is vain,
Time kills them as fast as he goes.

Then I'll not be proud of my youth or my beauty,

Since both of them wither and fade,

But gain a good name by well doing my duty ::
That will scent like a rose, when I'm dead.

THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM.

The Lord my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd's care:
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noon-day walks he shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.

When in the sultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountain pant;
To fertile vales, and dewy meads,
My weary wand'ring steps he leads;
Where peaceful rivers soft and slow,
Amidst the verdant landscape flow.

Though in the paths of death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread :
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill;
For thou, O Lord! art with me still
Thy friendly crook shall give me aid,
And guide me through the dreadful shade.
Though in a bare and rugged way,
Through devious lonely wilds I stray,
Thy bounty shall my pains beguile :
The barren wilderness shall smile,

With sudden greens and herbage crown'd,

And streams shall murmur all around. ADDISON

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&.

Filial Duty and Affection.

LO! the young stork his duteous wing prepares
His aged sire to feed with constant cares;
O'er hills and dales his precious load conveys,
And the great debt of filial duty pays:
Grateful return! by Nature's self design'd,
A fair example set to human kind.

Moral.

Shouldst thou refuse thy parents needful aid,
The very stork might the foul crime upbraid:
Be mindful how they rear'd thy tender youth;
Bear with their frailties, serve them still with truth:
So may'st thou with long life and peace be blest,
Till heav'n shall call thee to eternal rest!

This bird is generally esteemed an emblem of filial love; insomuch, that it has ever acquired the name of pious, from the just regard it is said to pay to acts of filial piety and duty.

R

Storks live to a very advanced age; the consequence of which is, that their limbs grow feeble, their feathers fall off, and they are no way capable of providing for their own food or safety.

Being birds of passage, they are under another inconvenience also, which is, that they are not able to remove themselves from one country to another at the usual

season.

In all these circumstances, it is reported, their young ones assist them, covering them with their wings, and nourishing them with the warmth of their bodies; even bringing them provisions in their beaks, and carrying them from place to place on their backs, or supporting them with their wings.

In this manner returning, as much as lies in their power, the care which was bestowed on them when they were young ones in the nest. A striking example of filial piety, inspired by instinct; from which, reason itself need not be ashamed to take example!

Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, was an express commandment, and the only one to which a promise was annexed. Among the Israelites, the slightest offence against a parent was punished in the most exemplary manner.

Certainly, nothing can be more just or reasonable, than that we should love, honour, and succour those who are the very authors of our being, and to whose tender care (under Heaven) we owe the continuance of it, during the helpless state of our infancy.

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