In distant days of wild romance,

Of magic mist and fable,

When stones could argue, trees advance,
And brutes to talk were able;

When shrubs and flowers were said to preach,
And manage all the parts of speech,

'Twas then, no doubt, if 'twas at all
(But doubts we need not mention),
That THEN and NOW, two adverbs small,
Engaged in sharp contention ;

But how they made each other hear,
Tradition doth not make appear.

THEN was a sprite of subtle frame,
With rainbow tints invested;
On clouds of dazzling light she came,
And stars her forehead crested;
Her sparkling eye of azure hue
Seemed borrowed from the distant blue.

NOW rested on the solid earth,
And sober was her vesture,
She seldom either grief or mirth
Expressed with outward gesture;
Composed, sedate, and firm she stood,
And looked industrious, calm, and good.

THEN sang a wild fantastic song,
Light as the gale she flies on;
Still stretching, as she sailed along,
Towards the fair horizon.

Where clouds of radiance, fringed with gold,
O'er hill of emerald beauty rolled.

NOW rarely raised her sober eye
To view that golden distance
Nor let one idle minute fly,

In hope of THEN'S assistance;
But still, with busy hands, she stood,
Intent on doing present good.

She ate the sweet but homely fare
That passing moments brought her ;
While THEN, expecting dainties rare,
Despised such bread and water;
And waited for the fruits and flowers
Of future, still receding hours.

NOW venturing once to ask her why,
She answered with invective;
And pointed, as she made reply,
Towards that long perspective
Of years to come, in distant blue,
Wherein she meant to live and do.

'Alas!' says she, how hard you toil
With undiverted sadness!
Behold yon land of wine and oil-
Those sunny hills of gladness.
Those joys I wait with eager brow;
'And so you always will,' said NOW.
• That fairy land that looks so real,
Recedes as you pursue it;

Thus, while you wait for Time's ideal,
I take my work and do it;
Intent to form, when time is gone,
A pleasant past to look upon.'

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Ah, well,' said THEN, I envy not Your dull fatiguing labours; Aspiring to a brighter lot,

With thousands of my neighbours; Soon as I reach that golden hill '—

But that,' says NOW, 'you never will'

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'And e'en suppose you should,' said she
"(Though mortal ne'er attained it),
Your nature you must change with me,
The moment you had gained it:
Since hope fulfilled, you must allow,

Turns NOW to THEN, and THEN to NOW.'

(These may be done by Reduction, or by two factors.)

THE VICAR'S PEAS.

com-mo'-tion, bustle, disturbance

vic-ar-age, a vicar's residence
vic-ar, a clergyman who receives
the small tithes of a parish

grav-i-ty, seriousness

dis'-mal-ly, sadly, uncomfortably
a'-gi-ta-ted, disturbed

as-cer-tain', to find out, to learn
en-count'-er, to meet with
pro-tect', to keep in safety

com-pla'-cent-ly, in a manner ven'-ge-ance, revenge

pleasing to oneself mel'-an-chol-y, sad

em'-i-grate, to leave a country for good

har-pies, cruel and greedy crea

tures

What a commotion there was on the top of the wall that overlooked the vicarage garden! All the birds, from the blackbird to the blue tit, and even the little wren, were hopping, and running, and chirping, and chattering in a state of the highest excitement.

Friend Robert, have you seen it?' said the blackbird with gravity to a redbreast, who, in the midst of the confusion, was complacently admiring his legs.

What's it like, Bob?' said a pert little bunting, hopping round in front of him.

Like!' said the thrush (before the robin could answer), with a melancholy warble; horror of horrors! Let me never behold such a sight again. I saw it from the apple-trees in the orchard.'

Let us emigrate; pray let us emigrate,' said the wren, almost in fits.

"There certainly will be no remaining in such a land of harpies,' said the thrush, dismally.

'What are they like? what are they like?' rose the cry on all sides. "Who has seen them nearer than from the apple-trees? Can no one describe them ?'

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Gentlemen,' said a sparrow, advancing, since no more worthy speaker comes forward, I presume to address you. I have seen them, and such a sight! This morning, very early, being well aware that the vicar sowed his peas yesterday, I called my family and a friend or two to go with me, and pick up a few stray ones that might lie on the top. I have met with difficulties and dangers before now. I well remember how severely I was agitated by the vicaress's old bonnet stuck on a stick, till I found out what it was; and it was some time before I grew used to the noise the vicar made with his gun, till it was happily ascertained that he never did any other harm than break the window with return shots; but little did I expect to encounter the horrible guard with which he has now sought to protect his peas. From side to side, from corner to corner, across and across they stretch, red, blue, yellow, white, black, every colour under the sun. We had scarcely

arrived within sight of them, when the wind rose a little; and whether it was that they rejoiced in the breeze, or were making merry at their expected vengeance upon us, I can't tell you, but they danced up and down, and turned over and over like-'

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Pray don't go on,' said the wren; 'let us emigrate directly.'

There was a general feeling in harmony with the wren's proposition, and the blackbird was on the point of taking the votes of the assembly, when the blue tit (who had no mind to emigrate from his beloved peas, till he was assured of the necessity, and who somewhat suspected the sparrow's motives in thus spreading an alarm, which would get rid of all sharers in the feast), inquired whether any one besides the last speaker had seen these ferocious

monsters.

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No one had.

Pray,' said the tit, did you go quite close to them?' The sparrow confessed that he had.

'Did they attempt to bite?'

The sparrow said he did not stop to see. • Did

you get any peas?' said the blue tit. The sparrow, rather discomposed, replied, merely a taste.'

Very good,' said the tit. Friends, I am ready to head any of your number who will go with me to survey these monsters; and if you all decline, I shall go by myself. If yonder bundle of brown feathers escaped unhurt, and got "a taste" of the peas too, I don't see what is to hinder us from the same good fortune.'

The robin, the bunting, the chaffinch, several others, and at last the blackbird, fell in with the proposal, the wren declaring she would wait in a hole in the wall till they came back again. They