With an old study filled full of learnéd old books;

With an old reverend chaplain (you might know him by his looks);

With an old buttery-hatch worn quite off the hooks,

And an old kitchen that maintained a dozen old cooks,
Like an old courtier of the queen's,

And the queen's old courtier.

With an old hall hung about with pikes, guns, and bows,
With old swords and bucklers, that had borne many shrewd
blows,

And an old frieze coat to cover his worship's trunk hose,
And a cup of old sherry to comfort his copper nose,
Like an old courtier of the queen's,

And the queen's old courtier.

With an old falconer, huntsman, and a kennel of hounds,
That never hawked nor hunted but in his own grounds,
Who like a wise man kept himself within his own bounds,
And when he died gave every child a thousand good pounds,
Like an old courtier of the queen's,
And the queen's old courtier.

OLD SONG.

The Brahmin and Destruction of Life.

VENERABLE Brahmin, who had never in his days eaten anything but rice and milk, and held it the greatest of crimes to shed the blood of anything that had life, was one day meditating on the banks of the Ganges.

He saw a little bird on the ground, picking up ants as fast as he could swallow. "Murderous wretch!" cries he, "what scores of lives are sacrificed to one gluttonous meal of thine!" Presently, a sparrow-hawk, pouncing down, seized him in his claws, and flew off with him. "Poor thing!" said he, "thou art fallen into the clutches of thy tyrant!" A stronger tyrant, however, took up the matter; for a falcon, in mid-air, darting on the sparrow-hawk, struck him to the ground with the bird lifeless in its talons.

"Tyrant against tyrant," thought the Brahmin, "is well enough." The falcon had not finished tearing his prey, when a lynx, stealing from behind a rock on which he was perched,

sprang on him, and having strangled him, bore him to the edge of a neighbouring thicket, and began to suck his blood.

The Brahmin was attentively viewing this new display of retributive justice, when a sudden roar shook the air, and a huge tiger, rushing from the thicket, came like thunder on the lynx. The Brahmin was near enough to hear the crashing bones, and was making off in great terror, when he met an English soldier armed with his musket. He pointed eagerly to the place where the tiger was making his bloody repast. The soldier levelled his gun, and laid the tiger dead. "Brave fellow!" exclaimed the Brahmin. "I am very hungry," said the soldier; 66 Can you give me a beefsteak ? I see you have plenty of cows here." Brahmin. "What! I kill the sacred cows of the god Brahma!" "Then kill the next tiger yourself,” replied the indignant soldier.-Evenings at Home.

"Horrible!" cried the

Young Scholars' Compositions.

A VISIT TO THE SEASIDE.

There

NE day in summer a party of twelve went to the seaside. vere a little boy and girl of the party who enjoyed it very much, for they liked to watch the boats and waves, looking over the pier. One day when they went out the boy and girl went under the pier and tred to catch some crabs; another day they went to a park, and saw sone beautiful swans and had a swing. On the next day they had a rive, which they enjoyed greatly. At the end of a week they returned home, much pleased with the visit.

CHARLES MITCHELL (aged 12 years).

Vesleyan School, Colne, Lancashire.
The above is the work of the scholar whose name it bears.
Cane Wesleyan School.

J. BUTTON.

SLOTH makes all things difficult, but industry all easy. He that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night; while Laziness travels so slowly that Poverty soon overtakes him.-Franklin.

our

WITH whatever faculties we are born, and to whatever studies genius may direct us, studies they still must be. I am persuaded that Milton did not write his "Paradise Lost," nor Homer his "Iliad," nor Newton his " Principia," without immense labour.-W. Cowper.

Editor's Examinations.

Answers should reach the Editor by the 10th instant. They should be written on only one side of the paper, and should not contain a larger number of words than would fill one-half or three-quarters of a page of this Magazine. Each answer should be signed by the writer, and should state his age from his last birthday. Boys and girls who have completed their twelfth year are eligible to answer the first question; boys and girls under twelve must confine themselves to the second question. The papers written by scholars of the same age will be examined together, and the names of forty of the best essayists, with the addresses of their schools, published in each division. The prizes will be awarded to the papers that excel most within the limit of the prescribed ages, varying from eight to fifteen years inclusive. Papers sent from schools should contain a certificate from the teacher that they have been honestly worked; in the cases of writers who are receiving their education at home, a certificate from the parent will suffice.

Questions for this Month.

FOR SENIORS. (Boys and girls of the ages of 12, 13, 14, and 15.) Draw a map of the county in which you live.

FOR JUNIORS. (Boys and girls of the ages of 8, 9, 10, and 11.) Write a short account of the four largest rivers in England, an name the principal towns on their banks.

The Publisher has much pleasure in giving PRIZES to the writers of the two best answers to each question in every number. The first prize vill be a book of the value of FIVE SHILLINGS; the second, a book of he value of THREE SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE. Two books of each kind vill be given-four in all; but a Scholar, after taking one prize, cannot obain another until an interval of six months has elapsed. Should his paper during that time obtain the distinction which would otherwise entitle him to a prize, it will be printed in its proper position, but the prize will be awarded to the Scholar who has written the answer next in meri..

Prizes

FOR ESSAYS PRINTED IN THIS NUMBER.

A five shillings book each to JOHN MCCURDY, St. Peter's Roman Catholic School, Birmingham; and WILLIAM PLENDER, Chapel Street Academy, Stalybridge.

A three shillings and sixpenny book each to MINNIE CHITTY, Froyle School, Alton, Hants; and MARY JONES, Smallwood National School, Lawton, Stoke-upon-Trent.

The above-named Prize Essayists are desired to send to the Publisher, Mr. JOHN HEYWOOD, 141 and 143, Deansgate, Manchester, the name of any book or books, of the value referred to, which they would like to receive, and such will be forwarded, post free, within one week afterwards. The Publisher, of course, reserves to himself the right of refusing to forward any work the character of which he may think injurious; but with that single exception Prize Essayists may select any work they please. They will, doubtless, avail themselves of the advice of their parents or teachers in their selection.

A catalogue of three thousand works will be sent by the Publisher on receipt of a penny postage stamp for postage.

Answers to Questions in August Number.

The papers sent in on the first question have been fewer than usual-the subject of British coinage, though very instructive and useful, being somewhat abstruse. A large number of papers have reached us in answer to the second question; and, considering the ages of the writers, they are very creditable.

HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH COINAGE.

THE first independent coinage of England consists of two small coins called the skeatta and styca-the former of silver, the latter of copper. These belong to Northumbria. They have no inscriptions on them; a bird, a rude profile, and several unintelligible symbols, appear on them; and they are of a very debased kind. In the other kingdoms of the heptarchy silver pennies were coined, intended to beth part of a pound weight. They bear the name of the king or moneyer. A cross sometimes appears after the introduction of Christianity, and a rude head of the king or queen. These pennies, together with halfpennies, formed the sole currency till the time of Edward III. The coins of Edward III. are a great advance on the preceding ones. The silver coinage of that king consists not only of pennies, halfpennies, and farthings, but groats and half-groats. The gold coin is the noble, worth six shillings and eightpence, the obverse of which bears the king in a ship, a sword in his right hand, in his left a shield quartered with the arms of France and England. On the reverse is a rich cross flory, within a circle of eight arches, and a lion under a crown in each angle of the cross. The legend being, "Thesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat." Half and quarter nobles were also coined. The nobles coined by Edward IV. (the value being then ten shillings) were called rials; and a double rial was first coined by Henry VII. The obverse has a king on his throne, with a sceptre and orb; and the reverse has a full-blown rose, in the centre of which is a shield, with the arms of England and France. The testoon or shilling appeared in this reign, and was valued at twelvepence. Under Edward VI., silver coins, called crowns and half-crowns, appear, having for device the king crowned on horseback, in the armour of the period. On some of the shillings of Mary her bust and that of Philip face each other, having the insignia of England and Spain on the reverse. Half-sovereigns, or

rials and angels, were coined of the old type of Edward IV. In the reign of James I., copper farthings were coined, with crown, sceptre, and sword on the obverse, and a harp on the reverse; being the first copper money since the styca. Charles I. coined ten and twenty-shilling pieces of silver, and a guinea of gold value twenty shillings. Charles II. issued copper halfpennies and farthings. On the former is a device of Britannia, from the Roman coins. During the greater part of George III.'s reign the coinage was utterly neglected, and the silver pieces were worn smooth. When coins were at last issued, the quartered shield supplanted the four shields; and the Grecianised St. George and the Dragon appeared on George IV.'s shilling. His bust is taken from Chantrey's statue. The rose, shamrock, and thistle, united under a crown, appear on the reverse. Silver groats were issued in the reign of William IV. His shillings were poorer than George IV.'s. The words "One Shilling" occupy the field, surrounded by an oak and laurel branch. Silver pieces of threepence were also coined. But the principal monetary event in the present reign is the issue of the silver florin, equivalent to two shillings. This is looked on as a step towards the introduction of the decimal coinage. It represents the Queen crowned, with the legend in Old English characters; and for reverse, the four shields are once more placed in the form of a cross.

JOHN MCCURDY (aged 12 years).

St. Peter's R.C. School, Birmingham.

I beg leave to certify that the above is solely the work of the child whose signature it bears. JOHN MCCURDY.

St. Peter's School, Birmingham.

SILVER.-Groats and half-groats were struck in the time of Henry VII. and Henry VIII. The groat received its name from the French gros. The testoon or shilling was first coined by Henry VII, in 1503. The appellation of testoon was from teste or tête, with the head of the king upon it. The origin of the shilling is old but uncertain. Henry VIII. struck some patterns for a silver crown; but the first crown for currency, with the half-crown, sixpence, and threepence, were coined by Edward VI. In 1558, Queen Elizabeth coined the halfpenny; and in 1561, three-farthing pieces. Charles I. struck twenty-shilling and ten-shilling pieces; and it is worthy of remark that during all his distresses he never debased his coin. The florin was struck about twenty years ago.

GOLD.-The gold coinage of England is next to silver. The English gold coin really commences from Edward III.; for no more occurs till 1344, when that prince struck florins. The same year the noble was issued, of 6s. 8d. value. This coin, together with its divisions, continued the only gold coin till 1465, when Edward IV. struck the angel, stamped with Michael and the Dragon. In 1527, Henry VIII. struck the crown and half-crown, at their present value; and the same year gave sovereigns of 22s. 6d., rials of 11s. 3d., angels of 7s. 6d., and nobles at their old value of 6s. 8d. Charles II. first struck the guinea, so called from the Guinea gold. He also struck the half-guinea, double-guinea, and five-guinea pieces. In 1815, sovereigns and half-sovereigns of 20s. and 10s. were coined.