cate and luxurious. All their time was spent in such exercises as made them strong and active, able to bear fatigue, and to despise wounds and danger; for they were situated in the midst of several other nations, that often had quarrels with each other and with them, and therefore it was necessary that they should learn to defend themselves. Therefore all the children were brought up alike, and the sons of their kings themselves were as little indulged as anybody else.

In Sparta, the great business of the kings (for they had two) was to command the people when they went out to war, or when they were attacked at home; and that, you know, they could not do without being brave and hardy themselves. Now it happened that the Spartans had some friends and allies who lived at a distance from them, across the sea, who were attacked by a great and numerous nation called the Persians. So when the Spartans knew the danger of their friends, they sent over to their assistance Agesiläus, one of their kings, together with a few thousands of his countrymen, and these, they judged, would be a match for all the forces that could be brought against them by the Persians, though ever so nume

rous.

When the general of the Persians saw the small number of his enemies, he imagined it would be an easy matter to take them prisoners, or to destroy them. Besides, as he was immensely rich, and had a number of palaces, and a great quantity of gold and silver, and jewels and slaves, he could not conceive it possible that anybody could resist him.

He

therefore raised a large army, several times greater than that of the Spartans, and attacked Agesiläus, who was not in the least afraid of him; for the Spartans, joining their shields together, and marching slowly along in even ranks, fell with so much fury upon the Persians, that in an instant they put them to flight. When the Persian general saw that his troops were never able to stand against the Spartans, he sent to Agesiläus, and requested that they might have a meeting, in order to treat about terms of peace. This the Spartan consented to, and appointed the time and place of the interview.

When the day came, Agesiläus arrived first at the place of meeting with the Spartans; but not seeing the general, he sat down upon the grass with his soldiers; and as it was the dinner-time of the army, they pulled out their provisions, which were some coarse bread and onions, and began eating very heartily. In the middle of them sat King Agesiläus, in no way better dressed or better fed than the others, nor was there in the whole army any man who more exposed himself to every kind of hardship than the king himself, by which means he was loved and respected by all the soldiers, who were ashamed of seeming less brave or patient than their general. It was not long before some of the Persian general's servants came, who brought with them rich and costly carpets, which they spread upon the ground for their master to rest upon. Other servants came and began to build a large tent with silken hangings, to shelter him from the heat of the sun. After this came a company of cooks and confectioners, with a

great number of loaded horses, which carried upon their backs all that was wanted for a splendid meal. Last of all came the general himself, glittering with gold and jewels, and dressed in a long purple robe. He wore bracelets upon his arms, and rode upon a beautiful horse that was as gaily dressed as himself. As he came nearer and saw the simple manners of the Spartan king and his soldiers, he scoffed at their poverty, and made comparisons between their mean appearance and his own magnificence. All who were with him were much amused with the witty remarks of their general, except one man, who had served in the Greek armies, and therefore was better acquainted with the manners and discipline of these people. This man was highly valued by the Persian general for his understanding and honesty; and therefore, when he saw that he said nothing, he insisted upon his saying what he thought, as the rest had done.

"Since you command me, general," replied he, "to speak my mind, I must confess that the very circumstance which is the cause of so much mirth to the gentlemen that are with you is the reason of my fears. On our side, indeed, I see gold, and jewels, and purple in abundance; but when I look for men, I can find nothing but barbers, cooks, confectioners, fiddlers, dancers, and everything that is most unmanly and unfit for war. On the Greek's side I see none of these costly trifles; but I see iron that forms their weapons; I see men who have been brought up to despise every hardship and face every danger; who are accustomed to obey their leader, and to fall dead in their places rather than to turn their backs. Were

the contest about who should cook a dinner or curl hair best, I should have no fear of the Persians gaining the advantage; but when it is necessary to contend in battle, where the prize is won by hardiness and bravery, I cannot help being afraid of men who are used to wounds, and labour, and suffering; nor can I ever think that the Persian gold will be able to resist the Greek iron."

The Persian general was so struck with the truth of these remarks, that from that very hour he resolved to fight no more with such invincible troops, but did his best to make peace with the Spartans, by which means he preserved himself and country from destruction.

Day.

EXERCISES IN SPELLING.

IT is admitted that there are numberless anomalies in English spelling. Many persons hence maintain that it is useless, or worse, to attempt to teach to children the sounds as well as the names of our letters. The editor of this series thinks otherwise. He knows that an intelligent and skilled teacher can give much assistance to young children in learning to read and to spell, by accustoming them early to distinguish between the alphabetical NAME, and the various SOUNDS, of a letter.

The following exercises are designed to suggest to an intelligent pupil-teacher some of the points upon which the attention of his scholars should be fixed. A skilled teacher will propose many words to be spelled by his class, LIKE those given in these exercises. He will try to teach his scholars how to spell groups or families of words. He will, almost unawares, find means of teaching them no small amount of grammar and etymology through the spelling exercises, which may be thus made to quicken the interest and sharpen the intelligence of a class, as well as to test its memory.

He will be able also to form dictation exercises from these lists of words, which will have the