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ONTARIO 
TEACHERS' MANUALS 

NOTES ON 
ONTARIO READERS 
BOOKS II, III, IV 

AUTHORIZED BY THE hlINISTER OF EDUCATION 

TORONTO 
THE COPP CLARK COMPANY. LIMITED 


Copyright, Canada. 1916, by 
THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION FOR ONTA.]O 
Reprinted. 191. 1917. ]9"20. 192.1. 122, 
1923, 1923, Ir2L 


2 THE ONTARIO READERS 

PACE 4.--The funniest thing. The most curious thing. 
Which is always very slow. What is the antecedent 
of "which "? 
The way he likes to grow. As the child approaches a 
light, the shadow on the wall behind shoots up rapidly. 
Arrant sleepy head. An utter sleepy head. " Arrant" 
means thorough or shameless. Compare "an arrant 
rogue" 

THE PAIL OF GOLD 
PAC, 5.--Compare Forlune and the Beggar, Book 
IlI, p. 2. 
PAUE 7.--As you wish. The fairy makes no promise, 
but the man's eager greed fails to notice this. 

A WAKE-UP SONG 
P.a 8.--Wind's upl The 
sinks with the sun. 
Golden Head and Brownie. 
so called ? 
Rowan tree. 
fish dialect. 
Bobolinks. These return about the first of June. 
story of their migration is a very interesting one. 
Chapman's Bird Li[e. 
Cat-bird. A cat-bird is a species of American thrush ; 
its cry when disturbed resembles that of a kitten in dis- 
tress, though at other times it has a sweet thrush note. 
A lot to do. The poet is to spend the day gardening 
and wants the little ones for company. 

wind usually rises and 
Why are the two children 
The mountain-ash is so named in Scot- 
The 
See 


SECOND BOOK 7 

We were not waked. What details bring out the con- 
trast between this and the usual military invasion? 
Paraded. Keeps up the comparison. 
Their trembling beads and gray. The dandelions had 
now reached the stage when children use them to tell the 
time. 
Will, pride. No doubt on account of their military 
exploits and experience. 
Well-a-day. t Wclaway! Alas! The word is now 
usually employed with a humorous purpose. 

MARCH 

PA6E 31.--The poem depicts the freshness and glad- 
ness of awakening spring. The cock, the stream, the birds, 
and the lake are full of joyous life. Interposed in the 
picture of bustle and activity is the restful quiet meadow. 
Old and young are at work as well as those who naturally 
bear the yoke of toil. Again comes in the scene of quiet 
peace, "There arc forty feeding like one" 
On the hilltops the snow is being dispersed like an 
army in full flight, and a rejoicing welcome is given to 
blue skies hy the whooping ploughboy, the leaping moun- 
lain cascades, and the flowing streams. 

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY 
PAar 32.--Sir Philip Sidney was a courtier of Queen 
Elizabeth and a famous writer. II was General of the 
cavalry in the army sent to tile Netherlands to assist the 
revolted subjects of Philip II of Spain. Ou September 
21st, 1586, he fell in with a convoy of the enemy marchin 
toward Zutphen. With only 500 men he charged 3,0on 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

of the enemy and fell mortally wounded. So nuwh was 
he loved that, for some time after his death, no ge3tleman 
cared to appear in London except in the garb of mourning. 

NEARLY READY 
PAC, E 33.--ln the ..nou'i,g, etc. March weather. 
Far beneath our feet. Underground. 
Nofily taps the ,'pri,g, eta-. The little flowers are 
awakened from their winter sleep by the warmth of spring. 
Cheerly. Cheerfully. The word is used only in 
poetry. 

A SONG FOR LITTLE MAY 

PaaE 4.l'ompare the structure of the poem with 
.-In Apple Orchard in the Spring, Book III, p. 60. The 
poem is in the form of an address to a young child. 
O'er their ,'ay. That is, the way of the waters. 
At their feet. At the feet of the willows. 
When "lis done. After daybreak. 
The u'ooi,g breeze. The breeze is represented through 
personification as making love to the blossoms. 
With haply!! call. " Call", invitation. All things call 
upon the little maid to praise the Lord. 

THE LITTLE LAND 
PnoE 45.--The little boy beguiles his loneliness by 
visiting in fancy the fairy-land, where he himself becomes 
as small and dainty a creature as the dwellers there. To 
such little folk the clover-tops seem as large trees and the 
rain-pools wide as seas; the flowers and grasses become 
a veritable forest. Loitering in the mazes of thi 


10 THE ONTARIO READERS 

SEPTEMBER 
PAE 64.--The gentian. One very beautiful species, 
the fringed blue gentian, is common in Canada. 
The sedges. Familiar grass-like plants grwing in 
narsbes and damp hollows in meadows. 
Ma'e asler. in the brool'. Are reflected in the brook. 
The roads all flutter. A poetic transference of ideas. 
Of course it is the butterflies that flutter. 
Be.d of cheer. ('beer, in the sense of good things to 
eat--the fruits of harvest alld orchard, 

RIDING BEHIND REINDEER 

P.cs 80.--East of the nrthern port, etc. They in- 
habit indeed the Arctic regions of Norway, Sweden, and 
Russia. 
I).. 81.--Crou.ded farfher north. By the pressure 
of Norwegians. Swedes, and Russians. 
Below the horizon. Explain. 
Pa:E 3.--Travel from place to place. This is true 
only of the mouttain Lapps and the f.rest Lapps. The 
fisher Lapps do not move ab,,ut, but have permanent 
abodes. 

HOW THE LEAVES CAME DOWN 
PAGE 85.--What lesson is taught in thi poem? 
Yellow md Brown. The coiours of the leaves in 
autumn. 
Perhaps the great Tree will forget, etc. This is a 
touch of nature which establishes the kinship of the little 
leaves to other little folks. 
PA(E 86.--One from far away. Winter. 


SECOND BOOK 17 

P.,,C,F 141.--Reynard. This name is applied to the fox 
in a famous German satire on the social conditions of 
Europe during the middle ages, in which the struggle 
between the barons and the clergy is depicted as a struggle 
between the wolf and the fox; the fox by his cunning 
always coming off best. leynard means cunning. 

SEVEN TIMES ONE 
P.GE 142.--The little seven-year-old child feels quite 
grown up and demands her toll of pleasure from all things. 
Unlike the foolish lambs who know no better than to play 
in rain as well as sunshine, she, in the wisdom of her 
graver years, waits till dew is dry and task is done. She 
is a little disappointed that the moon has waned and its 
face is hidden, but hopes for he best. She thinks the 
bee has no right to all the gold that is going, and asks the 
marsh marigolds for some of theirs. 
P.GE 143.--Columbine. The columbine derives its 
name from the fancied resemblance of its four spurs to 
doves (Latin, columba, a dove). 
('uc'ool, int. The Wake P, obin, somewhat similar in 
general appearance to the Indian turnip, or Jack-in-the- 
pulpit, "the clapper" being, of course, the spadix. 

THE LAZY FROG 
P,E 144.--Willow-weed. The willow-herb. 
Money-wort. Creeping loose-strife. 
May-flies. A dull brown insect ofteu found on wall 
or pa|ings near water; very common here oward the 
end of June. 


SECOND BOOK 19 

of Attica, who penetrated the Labyrinth through the help 
of Ariadne (A-ri-ad'nO, daughter of Minos. 
The King. Minos (Mi'nos), King of Crete, famed 
throughout the world for his justice. 
PAtI 158.---A strange prison. The Labyrinth. 
His son. Icarus (Ic'arus), who by the accident, related, 
gave a name to the Icarian Sea. 

HASTE NOT. REST NOT 
PAC.E 166.--A homely paraphrase of the poem is, " Be 
sure you are right, then go ahead ". 
Mar speed. Ever)" unworthy act lessens the 
inclination to do right. 
Pond,r well. This corresponds to " Ila.te not ", just 
as " Onward then " corresponds to "rest not ". 
Reckless action. Nearly synonymous with " thought- 
less deed" 
TIc storms of fate. The ills and misfortunes of life. 
Polar. Fixed and constant. The metaphor is from 
the polar star, which alone among the heavenly bodies 
appears to retain a fixed position. 
Shall crown. Shall reward. 

INDIAN SUMMER 
PAGE 171.--Smoky hills. The haze characteristic of 
Indian summer. Compare " By the smoky amber light", 
Book IV, p. 369. 
Crimson forest. Crimson refers to the rich colouring 
of the autumn woods. 


SECOND BOOK 21 

Talents. The talent was equal to about $1,180. 
Alexander. Alexander the Great, who afterwards 
became conqueror of the known world and, as the story 
goes, wept because " he had no more worlds to conquer" 

SPEAK GENTLY 
P),.E 175.--AcccMs. Tones. 
Sands of life. This metaphor is derived from the 
hour-glass, in which time is measured hy running sands. 
In peace depart. " Now lettest thou thy servant depart 
in peace." St. Luke it. 29. 
The errbg. Those who have strayed into the paths of 
sin. 
Made them so. Made them wicked. 

LIFE IN THE DESERT 
PAC, E 181.--None too sweet. Slightly stale, or brack- 
ish, as much of the desert water is. 

THE UNION JACK 

Phone 183.--Uio Jack. The Jack wa. a quilted 
military coat covered with lcather w.rn over a c-at of 
mail. In the time of the Crusades, a cross was displayed 
upon it, so that when the three crosses were united, the 
flag came to be called the Union Jack. 

A VISIT FROM -qT. NICHOLAS 
P. 185.--St. Nicholas. The patron saint of boys; 
said to have been the Bishop of Myra in Lycia (Lyc'i-a), 
and to have died ,.D. 326. 


30 THE ONTARIO READERS 

FORTUNE AND THE BEGGAR 
Compare with this selection The Dog and His Shadow, 
and The Boy and the Jar of Nuts. They both contain 
the same moral: He tcho gra.'ps at too much is apt to lose 
all. Notice how the boy. the dog, and the beggar alike fall 
victim. to the discipline of consequences. In the punish- 
ment of the beggar there is a tou(.h of poetic ju.tice, for 
he is condemned out of his own mouth. The introduction 
of Fortune with the magic gold gives the fable all the 
charm of a fairy story; while the '" tragic irony" in the 
beggar's blinduess to his own fate, which is an open secret 
to tle reader, lends pungency to the narrative. 
Make four divisions: (1) The beggar, (2) the beggar 
philosophizes, (3) the incidet, (1; the i.sue. The con- 
clusion leaves the obvious moral unstated. 
Why is a beggar employed to convey the moral ? Notice 
that he is the usual wretched, whining, shiftless fellow. 
Iu what respects are the merobant and the beggar 
alike? Wherein different? 
Pac, e 2.--Mountain. of gold. Scarce]y an exaggera- 
tion from the beggar's point of view. as a small sum 
would seem to him an enormous fortune. 
His riches were swallowed up. The beggar allows him- 
self to become figurative while moralizing upon the folly 
of his fellow mortal.. What other figurative expressions 
does he employ? 
Do not lod it. The beggar is as deaf to warning as 
he is false to his own philosophy of life. 
Began o tremble. The transformation from philo- 
sophie contentment with little, to arrant greed, is 


THIRD BOOK $1 

THE LARK AND THE ROOK 
The poem is an allegory containing a rebuke to 
worldliness and display. 
The bird that soars on highest wing 
Builds on the ground her lowly nest, 
And she that cloth most sweetly sing 
Sings In the shade when all things rest; 
In lark and nightingae we see 
What honour hath humility. 
PAGE 4.--Tire Lark. The English sky-lark, which is 
referred to here, is a much smaller bird than the American 
meadow-lark. "The bird that occupies the second place 
to the nightingale in British poetical literature is the 
sky-lark, a pastoral bird as the Philomel is arboreaI,--a 
creature of light, and air, and motion, the companion of 
the ploughman, the shepherd, the harvester,--whose nest 
is in the stubble, and whose tryst is in the clouds. Its 
life affords that kind of contrast which the imagination 
loves---one moment a plain pedestrian bird, hardly dis- 
tinguishable from the ground, tile next a soaring, un/irin 
songster, revelling in the upper air, challenging the eve 
to follow him and tile ear o separate his notes."--Birds 
and Poefs--Bt'nnOrOHS 
The English rook is a bird resembling the crw, but 
differing from it in not feeding on carrion but on insects 
and graiu. 
Any little depression in the ground serves the lark 
for a resting-placea hoof-print, or the hollow left by a 
displaced stone. The rook, on the other hand, builds a 
large nest of looselv interwoven sticks and twigs in the 
tops of tall trees. The obtrusive habits of the rook and 
his ebon plumage are too well known and too eloquently 
described by himself here to call for more than a passing 


THIRD BOOK 

of these birds represent? The reading should express 
disdain. 
Aa ugly speck .... beams. The line is scarcely 
consistent with "at peep of day" abo'e. Compare with 
"The sun shone forth on my ebon wing ", below. 
What a foolish bird. Foolish to " waste his sweetness 
on the desert air". 
The park. Where he could be seen and admired by 
the fashionable throng. 
Made more noise ia the world. To " make a noise in 
the world" is to become famous. The line conveys the 
writer's suppressed cynicism upon the methods by which 
fame is usually acquired. Notice the double meaning 
(pun). 
Looked and wondered. That is, at his own beauty. 
Poor thig. '" You're of no account ". 
,Iy choice. Compare the life ideals represented by 
the two birds. 

THE PICKWICK CLUB ON THE ICE 
P(E 6.--The Pickwickiars have been mid-winter 
guests at Mr. Wardle's house part)', and ever)- one is out 
to-day for the skating. 
!Mr. Winkle has been posing as a " sport", a character 
which he .ometinle. finds it diiticult to sustain. He seeks 
to escape the results of his pretensions I)v pleading that 
he is out of practice; but who could refuse requests so 
prettily preferred; his second line of defence is broken 
down e'en more easily; and Dickens proceeds to relate, 
with inimitable humour, the storv of his complete dis- 
eomflture. The surprising skill of the other skaters, while 
it serves for a time to draw attention from his own odd 
performances, must have filled him with dismay. 


6 THE ONTARIO READERS 

Carnage blind. That is, purposeless. Notice the suit- 
ability of " lust", which means fierce desire, to convey 
the idea of blind, purposeless strife. 
P.c.z 13.--The blade. The sword-blade, part put for 
the whole. 
The willing lands. Nature is represented as being 
anxious to bestow her gifts. 
Oppression lifts its head. Oppression is personified 
in the guise of a serpent. 
Tyrant u'ould be lord. Repeats the preceding idea in 
concrete form. Is the poem, as a whole, true to the history 
of the progress of civilization ? 

PROFESSOR FROG'S LECTURE 
Recall the fable of The Boy and the Frogs. This 
fable is inter,deal to inculcate the lesson of kindness to 
harmless creatures, usually /he objects of a thoughtless 
persecution. As in Fortone and the Beggar, this fable 
takes the form of an interesting story, and the moral is 
enforced, though without such serious consequences, 
through the application of poetic justice. The dream 
form of the story permits the writer to employ her 
materials--the boy and the frogsin ways otherwise inex- 
plicable. The usual machinery of the fable--the speaking 
animals and the supernatural personages--would not have 
permitted the free play of light and sketchy humour in 
which the selection abounds. The lecture of the professor 
was, of course, suggested to the author by the fac that 
frogs are familiar subjects of laboratory experiment and 
vivisection. 
Pae.E 14.--Not quite sure. The description of the 
little lad, lying in the bright spring stmshine by the edo ,f 


THIRD BOOK 43 
German states, which barred his ambitions to make him- 
self master of Europe. A clear passage to the Danube was 
assured him by the accession of Bavaria to his cause, and 
he at once began to move four large, fully equipped 
armies upon Vienna, the heart of the confederacy. By the 
time that three of these had concentrated, Marlborough 
had effected a junction of his army with those of Prince 
Eugene and the Margrave Louis. The opposing armies 
met, on August 13th, 1704, near the village of Bleuheim 
in Bavaria, at a point where several small rivulets run 
through swampy ground to the Danube. It was the diffi- 
culty of crossing this swampy ground to force the French 
into action which constituted Marlborough's main obstacle, 
and here the heaviest slaughter occurred. Here, no doubt, 
Peterkin found the skull beside the rivulet. For a good 
account of the battle the teacher is referred to Allison's 
Life of Marlborough. Henry's Cornet of Horse gives an 
admirable description for the pupils. The victory of 
Blenheim put an end to dreams of French supremacy in 
Europe and gave the Teutonic nations an opportuuity for 
expansion and development. It is likely that Southey 
had never taken the trouble to inform himself fully as to 
the causes and outcome of the war, or he would scarcely 
have put the words, "our good Prince Eugene ", into the 
mouth of the Bavarian Kaspar. 
The poem is written in simple, plain language, almost 
devoid of adornment. Its purpose is to show that the 
whole question of the value of war as a factor in human 
progress needs to be reconsidered from a fresh point of 
view. Old Kaspar is quite content to accept the historical 
and conventional view. The grandchildren, with a fresher 
outlook not yet obscured by tradition and custom, demand 


44 THE ONTARIO IEADEIS 

a more reasonable justification of war with all its horrors, 
than the mere glory gained by the victor. 
PaGE 3..--Theres many. Colloquial for there are". 
I'ouny Peterkin, he cries. The repeated subject is 
especially awkward here. 
Wonder-u'aitin#. The epithet is well chosen. 
The Duke o[ Marlborough. 3ohn Churchill, Duke of 
/larlborough, was born in 1(;50. Hc entered tile army at 
an early age, ad served with distinction in France. He 
held high rank in the army in the reign of James II, but 
deserted him to espouse fle cause of William of Orange. 
Upon William's accession, he was rewarded by important 
commands in Ireland and elsewhere; but the Princess 
Anne falling under the sway of his wife. Marlborough 
formed a plot to place her on the throne. For this he 
was disgraced, but returned to court when the Princess 
was recalled after the death of Queen Mary. Upon his 
death-bed, King William recommended Anne to intrust to 
]larlborough the conduct of the war. His great fame 
began with the victory of Blenheim. 
lie died in 1722, after amassing an enormous fortune 
by peculation and avarice. 
P.c,E 33.Prince Eugene. The great grandson of the 
Duke of Savoy was born in 1663 and died in 1736. He 
was one of the greatest generals of modern times, and won 
distinction not only in the Marlborough campaigns, but 
also against the Turks. 
Why "lea.. N'otice how abruptly the little girl breaks 
in on the old man's reminiscences, as also "little Peter- 
kin " below. 
"'Nay, nay". The particle of deprecation, not nega- 
tion. 


THIRD BOOK 45 

THE RIDE FOR LIFE 
)Irs. Murray and Rana]d had taken the journey to 
carry relief to Ranald's father, who had been injured by a 
falling tree. 
The superb self-control of Mrs. Murray and the devo- 
tion of Ranald are brought out hy the terrible dangers to 
which they were exposed. The gratitude of Mrs. Murray 
forms a satisfactory conclusion to a story told with vivid 
realism. The story requires little eplanation. 
P.Gv, 35.--A dark form. Is this one of the wolves 
belonging to the pack " trying to head off their prey"? 
If so, he disappears rather oddly frtm the story. 
P.(v, 36.--Su.'picious mture. Suspicious of a trap; 
many stories are told illustratix'e of this trait aiding in the 
escape of travellers. 
Dropped it on the road. To arouse their suspicion of a 
trap. 
The dangers from the attacks f wolves have been 
greatly exaggerated. 
IAGOO. THE BOASTER 
This selection is taken from Hiatcatha (1855), Section 
XI, " Hiawatha's Wedding Feast" 
Iagoo (I-ah'-goo) is represented in the poem as old 
and ugly. 
P-6 39.--2Vokomis (No-ko'-mis). Grandmother of 
Hiawatha. 

THE STORY OF A FIRE 

The story is used as an illustration of the truth of 
Shakespeare's famous line, " One touch of nature makes 
the whole world kin". In a moment such as that 


THIRD BOOK 47 

Slender poles with cross-bars. A simple drawing will 
make this clear. The use of a single stringer would greatly 
reduce the weight of the ladder. 
Like human flies. This is almost the only figure of 
speech, the author relying mainly upon the directness and 
vigour of the language for his effects. 
Nearer arid nearer. The repetition suggests effort. 
Span. The space between the windows of one story 
and those of the next above. The distance spanned I,y the 
ladder. 
Just a.q tl, e petit-up flames. The moment of crisis is 
well described. 
PACE 42.--Like a Comalche (Ko-man'che). A raid- 
ing Indian tribe of Western Texas famous as horseback 
riders. The expression, " to yell like a Comanche', has 
become proverbial. 

THE QUEST 
The poem is founded on the ohl Erse legend that a 
boy sought the world over for the four-leaved shamrock 
which should bring him happiness, and returned, an old 
man, to find it growing beside his own door-step. The 
well-worn theme is treated with a dainty, airy freshness, 
which not only redeems it from the commonplace, but 
compels the commonplace to add to its charms. 
PAE 43. A restless boy. Hence the quest. 
Who du'elt free. Affords little excuse for 
his discontent. 
But. For all that. 
Good motler. This is changed to " Sweet mother", 
when he returns. Why? 
This little brou'n house, this old brou, n house. The 
repetition suggests the boy's mood, weary of the same dull 


THIRD BOOK 

self-denial in ancient days. lie now takes his illustration 
from the immediate present, as more likely to appeal to 
the boys of the Westminster Public School whom he 
appears to be addressing. 
P-(E 52.--Very few adrantages of birth. The West- 
minster School is for the education of the sons of the 
upper and middle classes. 
Pa(E 53.--Do you knou" of u'hom I am thinking? 
The orator must endeavour to keep his audience just a 
little ahead of him by skilful suggestion, as is done here. 
Notice in this connection the frequent use of interroga- 
tion, by which the speaker seeks to keep the attention of 
his audience and to feel his way. 
The training-ship Goliath. This ship, which is men- 
tioned in the list of battle-ships with Nels,ll at the hattie 
of the Nile, was afterwards employed as a training-ship, 
and was burned December 22nd, 1875. 
Pa(E 54.--The barge. This is spoken of above as a 
boat. A barge is a fiat-bottomed vessel used in loading 
and unloading ships. 
The u'ay at sea. For " the way at sea" compare with 
The Wreck of the Orpheus, p. 184. 

HEARTS OF OAK 

The year of Pitt's greatest triumph, 1759, witnessed 
the victories of Minden, Quiberon, and Quebec. The 
spirit of the time is well represented in Admiral Ilawke's 
reply to the pilot who conducted his fleet to the attack of 
the French at Quiberon Bay. When warned that the 
shoals were impassable, he coolly replied : " You have done 
your duty iu this remonstrance, now lay me alongside the 
French Admiral" 


52 THE ONTARIO READERS 

The poem has the salt air of breezy seas in its breath. 
P,c.F. 55.--Conic, c]eer up, my lads. Addressed to 
sailors sad at leaving home. 
Tlis u'onderful year. See above. 
To lwnour u'e call you. Compare with " to glory we 
steer ". 
Not press you. " Press", in contrast with "call", 
refers to the institution of the "press-gang" which 
scoured England for suitablc men to serve at sea. 
Wlo are so free? The interrogation develops the con- 
trast iu.tituted in the foregoing lines. 
Sons of the u'aves. A title well calculated to arouse 
the pride of the sailors in their calling. 
l[carls of oak agab and again. This con- 
stitutes a fine chorus with a ringing close. 

A WET SHEET AND A FLOWING SEA 
The theme of the poem is the fierce joy that a sailor feels 
in the war with roaring tempests. The swinging, heaving 
pitch of tlm wood ship as she dashes on throuv.h foaming 
billows, the splintering flash of the lightning, and the 
wild, shrill music of the piping winds fill him with a joy 
of mastery altogether kingly; so that the ship becomes 
his palace and the sea his heritage. As the poem proceeds, 
the fresh free wind becomes a gale, and with moonrise a 
tempest. 
PAGE 56.A wet sleet. The sheet is not the sail, but 
the rope which, attached to the boom, regulates the posi- 
tion of the sail. 
A flowing sea. A sea with onward-sweeping billows. 
Rustling sail. lustling as it fills. 


THIRD BOOK 53 

And bends the #allant ,hast. Observe that the repeti- 
tion of the line gives freedom, verve, and swing to the flow 
of the rhythm; for the production of like effects see The 
Fighting Tkmraire (Tt-m-rtr'), p. 273. 
On the lee. Would not England be to windward of a 
ship leaving her with a following wind? One may sup- 
pose that the general meaning is, /eaves the sheltering 
of the coast. The language is obviously that of a sheer 
landsman. 
The snoring breeze. Describes a steady, heavy breeze 
--the opposite of the "soft and. gentle breeze" above. 
PaGE 57.--Yon hornkd moon. A moon with clearly 
defined upward pointing horns is, as every sailor knows or 
believes, a sure sign of coming storm. 

A FAREWELL 
The poem is said to have been written under depre.- 
sing circumstances, for a young lady who had asked the 
poet for an autograph, as he was on the point of leaving 
a country house at which he had been visiting. 
PaG 59. Xo lark could pipe. Develop the compari- 
son. 
Who hails the dawn. See notes and reerenees under 
The Lark and the Rook, page 4. 
The breezy down. A down is a stretch of hilly 
country. 
To earn. How to earn. 
Poet's laurel. The laurel, or sweet bay, was sacred to 
Apollo, and chaplets of it with berries adhering were 
placed upon the heads of victors and poets. 
Do noble things. Let the poets dream them. 
That vast [orever. Eternity. 


THIRD BOOK 55 

PAGE 60.--Spreading trees. Suggest such trees as the 
pear, the Lombardy poplar, the mountain-ash, or rowan, 
as contrasts to these. 
Hoary. The trees just before the buds burst present 
the appearance of being covered with hoar frost. 
Glory. Glorious beauty. 
The marts. The throstle, or song-thrush. This bird's 
rich song may be heard from early spring to autumn. It 
frequents copses, groves, and orchards, and feeds on worms 
and snails. 
Caught their subtle odours. Calls attention to tile rich 
variety of odours due to tile honey secreted by tile blossoms. 
Pink buds u'hile. Notice tile prevalence of 
labials and liquids (b's, p's, and l's) in these lines, giving 
the impression of velvety softness. 
Pink cascades. Showers of apple blossoms. Distin- 
guish cascades, fall, cataract. 
Compare Wordsworth's Green Linnet : 

Beneath these fruit-tree boughs that shed 
Their snow-white blossoms on my head. 
With brightest sunshine round me spread 
Of spring's unclouded weather, 
In this sequestered nook how sweet 
To sit upon my orchard-seat! 
And birds and flowers once more to greet. 
lIy last year's friends together. 

Silver brooklets. This is suggested by "cascades" 
above, and supplies the necessary sound accompaniment to 
the falling cascades; notwithstanding this, the line seems 
a trifle out of place here. 
The cuckoo bird. "These birds frequent gardens, 
groves, and fields, in fact any localities where their insect 
food is abundant In habits the cuckoo is 


60 THE ONTARIO READERS 

second, an apostrophe to the harp; whilst the first four in 
each refer to the Minstrel-boy and carry on the narratix'e. 
Read iu connection with this lesson: The Harp That 
Oce Tlro,gh Tara's Halls, Book IV, p. 174. 
t'aE 71.--Tie ranks of death. The ranks of the 
doomed. 
His wild lmrp. The adjective is descriptive of the 
free, untaught melodies rather than of the harp; trans- 
ferred epithet. 
Land of sog. Ireland. 
Tle warrior-bard. Unites the ideas of "'sword" and 
" harp", though it is somewhat out of keeping with 
" Minstrel-boy" above. 
Tied" all the v'orld betrays thee. Paraphrase "I am 
ready to fight for nay country even if I have to fight 
aloe ". ('mnpare "" Ote sword " below. 
The foema's chai. Discuss the propriety of the 
metaphor. 
Brbg lis proud soul uder. Subdue. 
Spoke again.. Xote the personification. 
The poets refuse to sing while their country is in 
chains. In connection with thi% the teacher will do well 
to recall lhat it was the Welsh bards who protracted the 
hopeless struggle for freedom against overpowering odds 
in the time of Edward First and kept alive the spirit of 
freedom until they were butchered by the order of the 
King. Poetry has always given its voice for freedom. 
Read Tennvson's Of old sat Freedom o the heights, 
and Yo, ." me n'ly : also Bms' Scot.q wire hae. 
"We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst 
thereof. For there they that carried us away captive 
required of us a song: and they that wasted us required of 
us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion."-- 
Psalm cxxxvii. 9.. 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

A noble shame. What reason had he for shame? Why 
is it described as "noble "? 
PAe): 9.--Names sed to mean fhing.. This sug- 
gests that early memories are being aroused. 
PAGe, 80.--She--gets it, sir. Compare above, " and 
snatch something and steal like Joe", 
Be wondering for me. Looking anxiously for me. 
P,6, 81.--Made less noise. Suggests--what ? 
"Forty dollars "', Why quotation marks? 
PaaE 82.--But he ordered chicken, etc. Note tile long 
sentence without a single break, appropriately used to 
express one long unbroken feast. 
What is to be learned from this lesson ? 
Might be yet. This phrase satisfies the reader with its 
promise of repentance and reformation for the hero of 
the story. 

THE FROST 

Tile first stanza describes how the frost works. The 
second shows how he dresses nature. The third shows his 
work as an artist. The fourth introduces a touch of 
humour describing the mischief he does. 
What contrast is brought out in the first stanza? 
P,G, 83.--That blustering train. " The wind and the 
snow, the hail and the rain." The frost compares his own 
silent method of work with that of other natural agencies. 
Pou'dered its crest. An allusion to the habit of dress- 
ing tile hair with powder. 
The trees are compared to ladies decked with jewels; 
the lake to a warrior defended by a coat of mail; the 
rocks to spearmen armed for battle. 
Like a fairy. :Noiselessly. 


THIRD BOOK 

Explain the action of frost on the window pane in a 
warm room with a moist atmosphere. 
Distinguish between "bevies" and "swarms ". 
PAE 84.--Sheen. Brightness. 
Had forgotlen. What preparation might they have 
made? 

CORN-FIELDS 
The introduction includes stanzas one and two. The 
conclusion is given in the last stanza. Each of the remain- 
ing four contains a reference to a Biblical story. 
The theme as given in the introduction and explained 
in the couclusion is "lemories awakened by gazing on the 
fields at harvest-time". 
What simile occurs in the first stanza? Wherein does 
the likeness consist ? 
P.E 85.--1 feel the day; 1 see the field. A rather 
unpleasant conjunction. I feel the influences of the day. 
Its calm and restfulness put the writer in the dreamy, 
reminiscent frame of mind suitable to development of the 
ideas expressed in the poem. 
Good old Jacob and his house. Jacob and his household. 
The story of Joseph's dream referred to is given in 
Genesis xxxvii. 7. For tho beautiful story of Ruth and 
Boaz, see the Book of Ruth. Explain to the class 
"sickles" and "gleaners "; use pictorial illustrations if 
possible. The story of the Shunammite is given in 2 
Kings iv. 20, et seq. The story of the Saviour in the corn- 
fields is given in St. lIatthew xii. 1. These stories should 
be read fo the class before the study of the poem is com- 
menced at all. 
How do you justify the printer's indentations in the 
verse form ? 


THIRD BOOK 

It'll take longer to do the mutton then. Compare 
above, " Only till the mutton's done". 
Dryly. Ironically. 
P.OE 90.--The knuckle. Toward the end of the knee- 
joint; a piece from this would not be much noticed. 
PAOE 91.---An educalional box on the ear. Ruskin, 
as might be guessed, was not in sympathy with these edu- 
cational methods. 
Amen. So be it. Schwartz's expression is'taken liter- 
ally; this indicates the coolness of the little gentleman. 
PAOE 92.--A drying-house. A place for drying meat 
so as to preserve it. 
WalkWThe single word emphasizes the rudeness of 
Hans. 
Red-nosed fellov.'. A reference to the brassy tint of his 
nose. 
A little bit. The modesty of the request justifies the 
retribution which followed its refusal. 
P,,GE 94.--Double bar the door. To prevent the 
entrance of the unwelcome guest. 
P,GE 95.--A hole in lhe shutter. All the shutters had 
been put up. 
P, 96.--Horror-struck. Or horror-stricken. 

THE MEETING OF THE WATERS 

Moore sings of conviviality, love, friendship, and 
patriotism. His longer poems are for the most part 
romantic or sentimental. Classify this poem. Many of 
his lyrical poems derive their beauty from the undertone of 
sadness. Nature is only attractive to him as the scene 
of human joys and sorrows, loves and friendships. The 
teacher should trace this last idea throughout the poem. 


THIRD BOOK 

WORK OR PLAY 
The selection is in Mark Twain's characteristically 
humorous style. The humour of exaggeration is em- 
ployed; }Jut more effective are the delightful touches in 
which he depicts the peculiarities, the likes and dislikes of 
his boys, and the singular felicity of his idiomatic boy- 
talk. 
The divisions of the story are: (1) Tom's depression. 
(2) His plan. (3) How it, worked. (4) The lesson he 
had learned. 
The world pictured in the first paragraph as so full 
of inviting delights accounts for Tom's gloom on account 
of not being able to share in them. 
PAGE lO1.--Conlinent of unwhitewashed fence. In 
what sense is "continent" used ? 
His sorrows multiplied. Why? 
Delicious expeditions. Suggest some of them. 
At this burst upot lim. How does Tom 
show his utter despondency? From being a dark and 
gloomy pessimist, Tom's practical philosophy changes him 
into a cheerful and contented optimist. 
PAGE 102.--Hove in sight. This suggests the keen 
outlook Tom kept up for possible scoffers. 
Personating a steam-boat. The writer draws on a per- 
sonal experience for his illustration. One of his most 
popular books is Life on the Mississippi. 
No answer. Superb acting on Tom's part. What is 
it intended to suggest ? 
How does Tom show the delight of an artist in his 
work ? 
I'm going in a-swimming, I am. Where is the em- 
phasis ? Note the triumphant close. 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

Tom contemplated the boy. In an affectation of won- 
der. At what? 
PAG 103.--It suits Tom Sawyer. Why does Tom 
refer to himself by name ? 
Like it? By what methods does Tom make the boys 
anxious to share in the work ? 
PAGE 104.--The slauyhter of more innocents. Note 
the humorous periphrasis. The allusion, now lost through 
long usage, is to Herod's massacre of the innocents. St. 
Matthew, Chapter it. 16-18. 
Came to jeer, but remained to whiteu'ash. Humorous 
allusion to those '" who came to scoff, remained to pray", 
in Goldsmith's The Deserted Village. 
PAGE 105.--Bought in. The language of the stock 
exchange. " Slaughter of more innocents" is also a stock 
exchange phrase. 
Itollow world. The language of the blas6, humorously 
attributed to a mere lad. This is the humour of incon- 
gruity. 

THE BURIAL OF SIR JOHN MOORE 

Sir John Moore was born at Glasgow in 1761. He 
entered the service as an ensign at the age of fifteen. At 
the beginning of the Peninsular War, the command of 
the second division of the British Army was intrusted to 
him. After a series of disasters, he withdrew his troops, 
by-the most masterly retreat recorded in the annals of 
history, to the harbour of Corunna (KS-run'ha), where he 
expected to re-embark. The fleet had not yet arrived. 
Here, on Januarv 16th, 1809, the French, under Soult, 
gave battle, and Moore was mortally wounded in-the hour 
of victory, the British loss being 800 as azainst n Frn,,h 


THIRD BOOK 69 

loss of 3,000. The story of his death and burial is thus 
recorded by /he historian: "When life was just extinct, 
with an unsubdued spirit, as if anticipating the baseness 
of his posthumous calumniators, he exclaimed, ' I hope 
the people of England will be satisfied. I hope my coun- 
try will do me justice'".--NArlEI. During the night 
the body was removed by the officers of the staff to the 
citadel in which, in accordance with his wish to be buried 
near the scene of his glory, it was resolved to inter his 
remains. As the feeble light of a wintry morning broke 
over Corunna and the French guns were opening fire 
upon the barbour, the chaplain of the Guards read the 
funeral service by a hastily dug grave, into which the 
body of the deceased general was lowered " with his 
martial cloak around him", there being no means to 
provide a coffin.--Abbreviated from Clinton's Peninsular 
War. 
The usual military funeral with all its details--the 
slow-moving procession, the muffled drum, the military 
band, the coffin covered with the flag, the riderless steed, 
the arms reversed, the farewell volley, etc., should be con- 
trasted with the deseri|)tion here given. See The Burial 
o[ Moses, Book IV, p. 80. 

But, when the warrior dieth, 
His comrales in the war, 
With arms reversed and muffled drums, 
Follow his funeral car. 

Who is supposed to be telling the story? 
PAGE 106.--Where our hero we buried. A rather weak 
and awkward line yielding to the exigencies of the rhyme. 
Darkly. Secretly. Why ? 
Struggling. Explained by "misty". 


70 THE ONTARIO READEBS 

Like a warrior taking his rest. As if he were merely 
asleep. It would be some consolation for them to remem- 
ber him thus. 
P,E lo7.--Tho,ght of the lnorrow. This refers to 
the sense of bereavement they would feel on account of the 
loss of their gallant commander. 
O'er his cold a.hes upbraid him. They fear that the 
h,e and the stranger will upbraid him, or perhaps the 
reference is to the storm of hostile and ignorant criticism 
of his conduct of the war. in Egland. See introduction. 
Sullenly. Sullen after their defeat. 
Fresh and gory. An unhappy conjunction of ideas. 
Carved nt a lin. Erected no memorial stone. 
The teacher will observe that the story is told strictly 
in order of the events--the funeral march, the digging of 
the grave, the funeral service, the filling in of the grave. 
Ilead in connection with the above Collins' Ode 
Written in 176, Book IV, p. 315. 

THE WHISTLE] 

Written in the grave and precise style and elegant 
diction of .Xddison, of whom the author was an imitator 
and admirer. To a modern ear it is prosy and stilted. 
3.n amusin. story is told in the first paragraph, illus- 
trating a childish propensity. In the second, the story is 
made use of to coi a llrase, quite in tim author's usual 
way. In the third, this phrase is given currency. The 
two following paragraphs make special application to life 
of the lesson contained in the phrase. The last paragraph 
sums up. 
PAcE 108.A whistle that I met. An unusual use of 
the verb. 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

each in his own way, the essentials of the story alone being 
preserved in each. 
Its variety of fortune in war. The heroic defence of 
Haarlem from December, 15;2, to July, 1573, against the 
Spanish forces under Don Frederick, son of the Duke of 
Alva, is one of the most romantic and heroic struggles in 
the history of the world. 
But happily still more so. The first paragraph sug- 
gests the ethical purpose of the story, namely: "That 
Peace hath its victories', that the performance of the 
simplest duties may call for a more unselfish heroism than 
the greatest military achievements. See also the con- 
cluding paragraph. 
PAGE lll.--Rather than above it. Parts of the coast 
of ttolland are lower than the sea; hence the necessity of 
the sea-wall. 
The cock of a [ountain. The kitchen tap. 
The dike. The canal embankment, used commonly as 
a road in Holland. 
PAGE ll2.--That the bbe of tle flowers, etc. All 
colours tend to the same shade as night comes on. 
Every object is perceptible. Explains his finding the 
hole in the sluice gate. 
His injunction. What was this? Itow had he shown 
that he wished to obey it ? 
The ravine. Probably only a hollow on the inner side 
of the dike, a few feet deep. What is the proper meaning 
of the word ? 
The beach. The sea-shore. He had been travelling 
along on the landward side of the dike. 
Upon pebbles. The sloping sides of the dike were faced 
up with pebbles. 


THIRD BOOK 

Instant perception. Compare with second paragraph. 
Pao l13.--To see, to throw away the flowers, etc. 
:Note the rapidity of his actions. How is this suggested 
by the literary form ? 
All very well. The emphatic " all " suggests a con- 
trast, in this case introduced by '" But ". 
No o,e came. Note the succession of short sentences 
indicating the boy's excitement. 
The boy moved not. :Note the special force of the nega- 
tive sentence. 
What circumstances are recorded to show the lad's 
courage and tenacity of purpose ? 
Pxo l l4.--Wrilhing from pain. An unusual use of 
the preposition. 
Was the answer, in perfect simplicity, of the child. An 
unusually stiff inversion. The child was unconscious of 
his heroism. 
The Muse of History. Clio. Who were the remaining 
Muses ? 
Real. Suggests that those honoured by history are not 
always true heroes. 

FATHER WILLIAM 

The poem is a parody on Southey's Father William. It 
is to be treated so as to bring out its humorous absurdities. 
The flippancy of the old man, and the correction of his 
follies by his son. humorously alter the situation presented 
in Southey's Father William: 

"You are old, Father W.llllarn," the young man cried; 
"' The few locks which are left you are gray; 
You are hale, Father Wllllam,--a hearty old man: 
Now tell me the reason, I pray." 


74 THE ONTARIO READERS 

" In he days of my youth," Father William replied, 
"I remembered that youth would fly fast. 
And abused not my health and my vigour at first, 
That I never might need them at last." 

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE 
The Charge of the Light Brigade occurred in the Battle 
of Balaklava during the Cri_ean War. See Book IV, p. 
316. 
The rhhm adopted by the poet, though found in 
earlier British poetry, is said to have been suggested by 
the line "' Some one had blundered", vhich occurred in 
the original newspaper report of the battle. The poem 
vas written next day after reading the report, in a moment 
of patriotic fervour. In the ring and clangour of its 
rhythmical effects it is scarcely surpassed. 
The features of the Charge, presented successively, are: 
The order to charge, the advance, tle charge, the carnage, 
the return, the conclusion. 
P.GE 123.--H, lf eage. The repetition of the 
phrase emphasizes the terrible destructio] to which the 
soldiers were exposed in that half league through "the 
valley of Death ". 
All. What part of speech? 
Ifo fIe valley of DeaI,. The language is borrowed 
from Psalm xxiii. 4: " Yea, though I walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" 
Rode le six ]dred. What is the purpose of the 
inversion ? 
ClaLqe for ]e gs. The order was to attempt to cap- 
ture a Russian battery--an impossible feat, which could 
only result in a useless sacrifice of 


THIRD BOOK 

Note the symmetry of form in the first stanza, the last 
two lines in each quatrain corresponding. 
Select other examples of poetic symmetry, and note 
the frequent use of parallel construction to gain the effect 
of hurry and excitement. 
Not tho" the soldier knew. Illustrating the soldier's 
unquestioning obedience to duty. See note on "' Charge 
for the guns" 
To do awd die. Compare in Burns' Scots wha hae, 
"Let us do or die ". 
Cannon in front of tlera. Compare with the fifth 
stanza, and account for the change. 
PAGE 124.--The jaws of Death the mouth of 
Hell. .Note the force given by the metaphors. 
They turned. That is, the sabres. The sabre is the 
short caralry sword. 
Charging an army. Emphasizes the disparity in num- 
bers. 
Cossack. A Russian light horseman drawn from the 
steppes in the vicinity of the Don River. 

MAGGIE TULLIVER 

This selection is taken from The Mill on the Floss, 
Chapter VII. 
The story is divided into three scenes: the greeting, 
the rash act, the punishment. 
Treated as a story, these are the divisions. Much more 
significant, however, is the passage as a character study. 
Bring out the contrast between Maggie and Lucy. 
PA 125Heyday. t An exclamation of surprise and 
deprecation. 


76 THE ONTARIO READERS 

Loud enphasis. Suggests the unsympathetic char- 
acter of Aunt Glegg. 
Do little boys f Why is the question asked in the third 
person ? 
POE 126.--She ,anted to 'lHsper, etc. An author's 
aside to the reader, suggestive of the fact that Mrs. Tulli- 
ver herself stood a little in dread of the aunts. 
Look 1 . Clearly Aunt Glegg is the family regulator. 
Aunt Pullet is not quite so outspoken in her disapproval, 
but still somehow manages to make remarks which sound 
disagreeable. 
Shutting her lips. Suggests the answer she would 
have liked to make had she felt at liberty. 
Mr. Tulliver comes with rough humour and sympathy 
to the rescue of his daughter; though he, too, has fallen 
into the family habit of eriticising his rather weak wife. 
Pao 127.You ],'now 1 did. A petulance natural 
under the circumstances. 
For this. Maggie is in too much of a hurry to explain 
fully; besides, she wants to surprise even Toni. 
P,. 128.--My buttons. The teacher will note 
throughout, Tom'. idioms. Compare Tom Sawyer in 
Work or Play, p. 100. 
It was ratler good fun. Tom is inconsiderate even 
beyond the common run of boys; of a nature purely 
egoistic, and lacking sensitiveness. 
PA. 129.--,'pitfire. Tom, with his accustomed self- 
ishness, throws the whole blame of the affair on Maggie. 
P,o 130.--Who waited at table. Even the servants 
would laugh at her. 
Perhaps her father and her uncles. Why "perhaps"? 
Apricot pudding and the custard. What a dreadful 


THIRD BOOK 77 

price, with her childish love of goodies, she had to pay 
for her impulsiveness. 
What have you been a-doing? Dialect suitable to the 
maid. 
PAor. 131.--Bitter. How well the word expresses her 
experience. 
Ye-e-es. Doubtfully, yet preparing to give in. 
The dessert, you know. ,Some consolation in nuts, 
apples, and raisins, even for woes as great as hers. 
Looked reflectire. What was she reflecting upon? 
The keenest edge. Explain the metaphor. 
Slowly slowly. Parallel construction; why 
employed ? 
Dining-parlour. Dining-room. 
Peeping in. Doubtful of her reception. 
An empty chair. How tempting it all looked! 
Too much. Too much to resist. 
PAo. 132.--What little girl's this? Uncle Glegg good- 
humouredly tries to treat it as a joke. 
Fie, [or shame! Aunt Glegg, true to herself, uses the 
tone of severity. Compare above, as also Aunt Pullet. 
Pao. 133.--In a pitying tone. Her tone, rather than 
her words, expressed her real feeling. 
Derikion. Maggie, in her distress, fails to understand 
Uncle Glegg. 
Supported by the recent appearance, etc. What insight 
is given of Tom ? 
Ran to her [atler. Who had a more perfect under- 
standing of her than had her weaker mother. 
-ive over crying. A colloquial expression for "stop 
crying ", as we should say in Canada. 
lad done very ill. Cant expression for "had left them 
poorly provided for ". 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

THE CORN SONG 
The first three stanzas are introductory. The next 
six stanzas present in succession: the ploughing, the sow- 
ing, the growing, the harvesting, the preparation of the 
corn, and the feasting upon it. The last stanza forms the 
conclusion. 
PaGe. 134.--W.intry hoard. For "winter hoard ". 
Autumn poured. Personification. 
Her larish horn. An allusion to the fabled cornucopia, 
or horn of plenty, represented as filled with fruits and 
flowers. 
The second and third stanzas develop a contrast be- 
tween the corn of the northern latitudes and the fruits 
of milder climes, wholly favourable to the former. 
Glean. Used in the sense of gathering joyously. What 
is the usual significance .9 
The apple from the pine, etc. Pine-apples, oranges, 
and grapes. Of what countries are these the special 
products ? 
Glossy green. 
in these words. 
The hardy gift. 
implied. 
Our rugged tales. 
Changeful April. 
above. 
Frigh tened 
this usually done ? 
P.GE 135.--Its soft 
reference ? 
Moon-lit e,es. Explain why specially applied 
autumn. Why not speak of summer's moon-llt 

The leaf of the orange is well described 
Corn; bring out the contrast 
Especially of New England. 
Explained by "sun and showers ", 
the robber crows away. $Iow is 
and yellow hair. What is the 
to 


THIRD BOOK 79 

The fabled gift. Probably an erroneous reference to 
the Golden Apples of the Hesperides. 
Get the exact significance of " vapid " and " loll ". 
Bowl of samp. Bowl of corn mush. 
By homespun beauty poured. Paraphrase, and bring 
out in full the contrast suggested in this stanza. 
Wide old kitchen hearth. Characteristic of the New 
England farmhouse. 
The kindly earth. Gene.rous. 

SPORTS IN NORMAN ENGLAND 

The selection is from a description of London by 
William Fitzstephen, probably written in the reign of 
Henrv II. The description is quoted in Social England, 
edited by H. D. Traill, Vol. I, p. 376, etc. 
The teacher should examine specially the quaint style, 
noting the frequent use of the adjective phrase where we 
should now use adjectives. 
Distinguish "sport " from "play" 
P,(]. 136.--The field of the suburbs. Suggests an 
unfenced common surrounding the city. 
Address themselves to. As though it were a serious 
matter of business; compare "whose business it is to 
laugh ", below. 
Of each school. Private schools at which the children 
of the wealthier classes were educated, especially in French. 
The particular trades. In early times these cultivated 
esprit de corps in various ways. 
Participation o[. Now "in " would be used. 
Festive sons. Would now be used only for a humorous 
effect. 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

The conclusion of the fourth stanza is more natural 
and effective than the more ambitious ending attempted 
in the preceding stanza. 
Comfort wain. Paraphrase these lines. 
Land of Contentment. Poetic depth of feeling con- 
verts the last part of the stanza into an apostrophe, or 
direct address to Canada. 
Forest arches. Compare Indian Summer, Book IV, p. 
369. 

A MAD TEA PARTY 
The severely literal, logical, and somewhat superior 
littIe girl comes off rather badly in her unlooked-for con- 
test with the clever absurdities of the sharp-tongued 
Hatter, the milder and more conciliatory March Hare, and 
the justly incensed Dormouse, the butt of the party. 
PACE lt2.--Talking over its head. Shows their un- 
concern. The sleepy Dormouse counts for nothing in the 
conversation. 
P:(3E 143.--ll'ith great curiosity. An unbidden guest 
should receive criticism in a proper spirit. 
Opened his eyes very wide. Suggests that he was sur- 
pri.ed at Alice's rudeness. 
[ can guess that. The alliteration in raven and writ- 
ing-desk, the ink and the ink-black feathers of the bird, 
the quill pens and the feathers of the bird, no doubt made 
the riddle seem a simple one. 
Find out the answer. The Hare is a stickler for the 
exact use of language. Are the expressions referred to 
synonymous ? 
PaoE 1-14.--Hastily. And then she reconsiders, as 
shown by her hesitating answer. 


THIRD BOOK 

You know. Coaxing assent. 
Alice's hasty answer is made to appear more and more 
absurd until the Hatter snubs the Dormouse. 
I haven't the slightest idea. Alice is righteously 
annoyed at such a " take-in" 
PAE 145.--Than wasting. Or than waste? 
Change the subject. The odd humour consists very 
much in the restless jumping from one thing to another 
all through. 
A hoarse, feeble voice. That belied his words. 
Once upon a time. The story is begun in due form. 
In a great hurry. Why? 
PAGE 146.--So they were. The Dormouse in his nat- 
ural pride of authorship is fully prepared to defend his 
lapses. 
Take some more tea. The )larch Hare wants to hear 
the story. 
Your opinion. She had been talking to the March 
]Z[are. 
P,c_, 147.--May be one. Willing to concede some- 
thing for the sake of hearing the story. 
P,6, 148.--This last remark. "' Eh stupid?" 

THE SLAVE'S DREAM 

The Slave's Dream is in reality a "liberty" poem. and 
concludes appropriately with the liberation of the slave from 
the bonds of the body. Worn out by exhaustion, the slave 
at work has fallen to the earth in a swoon which passes 
into a dream of his native land where, before his capture, 


THIRD BOOK 

" By east the isle of May, twelve miles from all land 
in the German seas, lies a great hidden rock called Inch- 
cape, very dangerous for navigators, because it overflowed 
every tide. It is reported, in old times, upon the said 
rock there was a bell, fixed upon a trie (tree) or timber, 
which rang cmdinually, beinff moved by the sea, giving 
notice to the sailors of the danger. This bell or clock was 
put there and maintained hy the Abbot of Aberbrothok, 
and being taken down bv a sea pirate, a year thereafter 
he perished upon tile same rock, with ship and goods, in 
the righteous judgment of God ". 
Stevenson built a lighthouse up}n tile hwlwape or Bell 
Rock in 1811. It lics duc cast of the mouth of the Firth 
of Tav. Aherhrothock or Aherbrothwi.k. now Arhroath, 
lies on tile coast, not far north of tile Firth of Tay. The 
prefix " AI)er ", as also tile dialectic form " Inver ", means 
"where waters meet ". Thc prcfix " hwh " means island. 
Some sketch of the roving pirates--the gentlemen 
adventurers of the sea--and their operations, should be 
given to the class. 
The piratical rover is usually represented as a man of 
reckless impiety and daring, and fond of practical" joking 
in his lighter moments. 
Get the class to picture as clearly as possible the 
dangers of tile sea from storm and mist and reef. 
In this poem there are two scenes, with an interlude. 
Fix these divisions. 
The style is that of the simple, dramatic narrative in 
which Southey excels. 
Note that lines three and four in stanza one repeat the 
ideas in lines one and two respectively. 
la(}E 159.Sign . of their shock. No breakers. 


THIRD BOOK 89 

A ROUGH RIDE 
The selection is taken from the tenth chapter of Lorna 
Doone. The scene is laid in Exmoor, at the headwaters of 
the River Exe, in the northern part of Devonshire; hence 
the dialect. 
PaCE 161.--Standing stoutly -up. Althou._,zh questioned 
so rudely. 
Being a tall boy nou,. Ile was about fifteen years of 
age at this time. 
Such a beauty, sir. Obviously an ingratiatin. speech to 
secure the lonffed-for privilege. 
P.CE 162.--Hare o burden but mine. ('arry nobody 
but me. 
To kill thee. To let her kill thee. 
But 1 could tackle. "But" equal. "which not". 
Which I could not tackle; here, " tackle " mean. to tame. 
Those leathers. ('ontemptuously, of the saddle and 
girths. 
Dry, little whistle. Ironically. 
Thrust his hands into his pockets. Sugestive of in- 
difference to one beneath notice. 
Grinned. At what he chose to consider ehihlish folly. 
Annie. Annie Ridd, the sister of Jan (John), the 
hero. 
Tire worst of all. As it ave no chance for reply. 
I u'ill not orerride ler. Jan imputes a motive to sting 
the other's pride in his mare into compliance with his 
request. 
Go bail. Be surety. This means, "] have no manner 
of doubt about that" 
My son. Contemptuously. 
Come out into the yard. {}ut of the garden into the 
stack or stable-yard. 


90 THE ONTARIO READERS 

Pride must have its fall. Proverbs xvi. 18: " Pride 
goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a 
fall" 
l'.tGV 163.--As ererybody l,'nozrs. Tom Faggus was 
a well-known highwayman of the Exmoor country, re- 
nowued for his generosity, liberality, courage, and cour- 
tesy. Many tales of his exploits are still current in Devon. 
Demurely. 3_. if there were some secret under- 
standing between them. 
Droppiay her soul. Submitting herself. 
Led by lore to anything. Pwady to do anything for 
love of her master. 
Came bad," again. As if too dainty for defilement. 
This finely exhibits the horse's free and graceful action. 
l'p for it slill? Still determined to make the trial? 
Faggus perhaps hopes that the boy's courage may have 
failed him, or else asks the question to provoke him to 
further rashness. At any rate be clears himself of all 
responsibility for the consequences. 
PC,E 16t.ls she able to leap, sir? The boy dis- 
dains to answer when his courage is questioned and 
adopts the same tactics as above. See note on, " I will 
not override her". 
Good take-off. Good ground on which to prepare for 
a leap. 
Good tumble-off. Faggas gives the same kind of 
punning reply above. See "override her". 
The sub.dance of their sZ'ull.*. A kindly reference to 
Jan's stupidity, which he admits in the narrative to be 
almost proverbial. 
I will try not to squeeze her ribs in. The boy's 
petulance does much to excuse Fam' 


THIRD BOOK 91 

John Fry and Bill Dadds. Farm servauts, or, in those 
kindly days, retainers of the Ridd household. 
Duello. A battle between two. 
P.6E 165.--Brcal]tcd to ]ti.q breat]t. As if in response 
to bet master. 
The nia'en. The refuse heap. 
Minced abotd. Moved daintily with her short steps. 
Gee wugg. (let along. 
Flung li." lat p. In admiration of his young nmster's 
pluck. 
Outraged not. Kept her temper. 
Ctzrbed. Curvetted. 
P.,,6E 166.--Comb. The part of the horse's head be- 
tween the ears. 
Robin Snell. This recalls a sanguinary figl,t at the 
boys' school which Jan had attended--Blundell's 
Tiverton, where Blackmore him,elf received his early 
education. 
I lrow. I vouch, I avow. 
The cob wall. .k cob wall is one built of mud and 
straw. 
To cruslt ]ter. By letting her smash against the wall. 
Dear ne. The words in the original text are " Mux 
me ", meaning " bless me " 
Courtyard. Stackyard, called courtyard here, as it 
would be partial/y surrounded by stables and outhouses. 
Quickset hedge. A hedge, usually of hawthorne; that 
is, hedgethorn, set out with living plants; not of brush, 
stuck into the ground. " Quick" means "living" 
As if tlte sky were a breatlt to her. This describes the 
wildness of the leap. 
Scattering clouds around her. Clouds of vaporous 
breath. 


94 THE ONTARIO READERS 

THE POET'S SONG 
The poem was published in 184. in the volume con- 
taiuing English Idylls and Other Poems. The poem 
seems to iudicate that Tennysou's view of the poet's 
mission was that lie should be, not tile voice of the time, 
but rather tile voice of its highest aspirations and ten- 
denotes, those, lmmely, which are to create the future: 
For he sings of what the world will be 
When the years have died away. 
After the publicatiou of the 1832 volume, there was 
a "stroug depreciation" of Tennyson " in certain literary 
quarters". A friendly critic, Venables, advised Tenny- 
sou to adopt as hi. themes " objects of high imagination 
a,d il,tense popular feeling". These he affirmed were 
uot to be sought in " ally transient fashions of thought, 
but in the couvergcnt tendencies of many opinions on 
religi-,n, art, and nature". " My father", says the son, 
in his memoirs of Tcuny.on, " pondered all that had been 
said. and after a period of utter prostration from grief, 
and many dark fits of black despondency, his passionate 
It,re of truth, of nature, and of humanity drove him to 
work again, with a deeper and fuller insight into the 
requiremel,ts of the age ". It is hoped that the discerning 
teacher will see in this sketch the spiritual sources of the 
poem. 
PAOE 173.--The rain bad fallen, the Poet arose. After 
a period of ghom, tim poet takes up his work again with 
freshened energies. 
He passed by tl, e town. " By" instead of "through ", 
as utterly regardless of it. He escapes from the pressure 
of the preseut and tile transient, as represented by the 
life of the town, to draw his inspiration from the eternal, 
as represented by nature herself. 


THIRD BOOK 99 

PAGE 179.--All hail. A form of greeting extended 
to those held in high honour. 
The broad-leafed maple. The sugar maple is the 
emblem, not, as is often represented in pictures, the soft, 
or red, maple. 
Changeful dress. Observe bow the delicate yellowish 
green with reddish brown shadings of early spring, gives 
place to the more pronounced tints of summer, and later 
to the gorgeous colourings of autumn. 
Dark-browed firs. The spruces, balsams, and hem- 
locks are all dark green in foliage. 
Like the dau'n of the brighter future, etc. The com- 
parison seem. a trifle strained, but something mu.t be 
allowed to patriotic enthusiasm. 
Downs. Are low, rounded, grassy hills. 
PaGE 180.--Like drops of life-blood welling. "' Well- 
ing" is here surely out of place, in view of its use in the 
fourth stanza. 

DAMON AND PYTHIAS 

PAGE 181.--So hard a ruler. Dionysius (Di-o-nis'i-us). 
xvho flourished about four hundred years befre Christ. 
Similar friendships recorded in literature are those of 
David and Jonathan, Pylades (Pil'a-dGz) and Orestes 
(O-res'tSz). 

THE WRECK OF THE ORPHEUS 

The poem probably refers to the wreck of the Orpheus, 
which was sent out to New Zealand early in the Iaori 
(Ma'o-ri) war, and was wrecked off the coast, on the 


THIRD BOOK 101 

THE TIDE RIVER 
This selection is from Charles Kingsley's Water 
Babies. 
The poem, which describes the course of a river clear 
and pure at first, then defiled by contact with the filth 
poured into it, and at last purified again, finding its free 
way to the sea, may be regarded as an alle.uory of human 
life, which, pure at first, becomes defiled bv contact with 
the world, but redeemed at last, is nmde one with f;od. 
P.GE 185.--Clear and cool. Observe the emphasis 
given to these characteristics hy repetition and inversion 
(cool and clear), and notice corresponding effects in the 
following stanzas. 
Laughing shallow and dreaming pool. Contrast. 
When the rier is shallow, it runs swiftly, dimpling like 
laughter; in deep pools it moves slowly, as if asleep. 
Shining shingle. Alliteration. The shingle, con- 
sisting of pebbles rounded smoothly by the water, would 
shine in the sun. 
Weir. A weir is a dana in the stream over which the 
water pours, or a line of stakes set up in it to preveut the 
passage of fish; in either case the epithet " foaming" is 
appropriate. 
Ouzel or ousel. An old name of the blackbird; here 
the water-ouzel, a species of thrush, is meant. 
The i.ied call. The Euglish ivy clothes the church 
towers in green. 
Undefiled for the undefiled. The undefiled river for 
the undefiled mother and child. The mother and child 
are taken as representafive of purity. Possibly fhe poet 
had in mind Raphael's famous picture of " The ]Iadonna 
of the Chair ". 


11)2 THE ONT/kRIO READERS 

PAO. 186.wDank. Usually applied to moisture oozing 
out of noisome places, as "dungeons dank ". 
Cou'l. The smoke is represented as hanging over the 
town like a cowl on the head of a monk. 
Slimy bank. Is suggestive of unwholesome filth and 
corruption. 
The richer I grow. Richer in foul matters won from 
drain and sewer. 
The leaping bar. Tide rivers usually deposit sand- 
bars at the point where the current slackens in its en- 
counter with the waters of the ocean. 
Leaping. Transferred epithet. 
In the infinite main. See introductory note. 

THE ORCHARD 
The poem has a good deal of lyric sweetness, sim- 
plicity, and freedom. It is cyclical in form, and the three 
stanzas constituting the " treatment" of the theme are 
artistically linked together. 
P.6. lgS.--Just a sea of frogront blo.soms. Retains 
only a part of the original force of the metaphor as 
employed in the second stanza, where the bees are repre- 
sented as swimming in it, for it is difficult to imagine a 
sea " drenched in dew ". 
Which holds the spice o" youth. Which suggests joy 
and gladness. 
Holds the best o" things, forsooth. A weak line 
specially condemned by its last word, as " forsooth" is 
usually employed ironically 


1D4 THE ONTARIO READER 

Curres and elongates. This is further illustrated by 
"' twin footprints". Explain. 
With no apparent purpose. Compare with the descrip- 
tion of a " real boy" above. 
To scold an intrtder. Compare with The Squirrel 
following this selection. 
Pa6 191.--The chipmunl ". Sometimes called the 
ground squirrel from his habit of burrowing in the ground, 
especially in banks near streams or ponds. 
From one rigid altitude to another. Notice the 
felicitous use of the word " twitching" to picture this 
change of attitude, and the not less happy comparison 
employed in "electrified by the crisp atmosphere" which 
further illustrates the jerky movements of the squirrel. 
The repellent bark. The shell-bark hickory, which 
bears the edible nut, is covered with scales of thick old 
bark projecting loosely below, thus presenting a surface 
difficult to climb. 
Frtgality. Scarcely a suitable word here; the writer 
means "' providence" or " thrift ". 
That the boys may not annoy him with stones or 
sticks. When the trees are stripped bare they offer no 
temptation to the boys. 

THE SQUIRREL 
The poet gives a dainty and amusing picture, full of 
life and grace, of one of those wild, harmless things that 
he loves. 
PaE 192.--Refuge. From the winter storms. 
Ventures forth. Suggests the short period of sun- 
shine of the .,-1, 


THIRD BOOK 105 

The squirrel. Some care should be taken to see that 
the pupils uuderstand the inverted construction. 
His brush. His bushy tail. 
Perks. Pricks up. 
Prettiness of feigned alarm. He merely pretends 
alarm and puts on all tl:e airs of a petted aud spoiled 
beauty. 
Insignificantly fierce. Powerless as fierce. 

SOLDIER. REST 

The song is from The Lady of the Lake, Canto i. 31. 
It is sung by Ellen Douglas for the entertainment of 
James FitzJames, the Knight of Snowdon, who in the 
eagerness of the chase bad become separated from his 
followers, lost his way, and been hospitably entertained 
at the retreat of the outlawed Duglas on the Island in 
Loch Katrine. The trochaic measure, the douhle rh3maes, 
the repetition of lines slightly varied in form, all con- 
tribute to its beauty of rhythm and movement. The 
theme of the song is the contrast between the peace and 
security of his present surroundings, and the stress, 
turmoil, clangour, and danger of war. The key to this is 
given in the first line: 

Soldier rest, thy warfare o'er. 

PA(E 192.--Battled fields. Hard-fought fields. 
! 
Our isle. See introductory note. 
Enchanted hall. Explained by "Hands unseen", and 
"Fairy strains", and "in slumber dewing" as though 
he had reached in his wanderings a fairy-land of enehant- 


106 THE ONTARIO READERS 

merit. The song carries out the playful turn given by 
Ellen to the Knight's inquiries as to his whereabouts: 
"Weird women we! by dale and down 
We dwell, afar from tower and town. 
We stem the flood, we ride the blast, 
On wandering knights our spells we cast; 
While viewless minstrels touch the string1 
'Tis thus our charmed rhymes we sing," 
She sung, and still a harp unseen 
Filled up the symphony between. 

P.a. 193.--Fighling fields. Fighting, the adjective, 
not the gerund. ('ompare "battled fields" in the first 
stanza. 
War steed chaT,ping. Champing the heavy military 
bit. 
Pibrocl. A Highland air suited to the passion the 
musician wishes to arouse. Sometimes a war-song, at 
others a lament for the dead. Here the word is appa- 
rently used for the pipe itself to correspond with "trump"- 
]'el lice larlc's s]rill fife drum. Note that 
the fife and drum are instruments of military music, and 
account for the employment of the adversative "Yet". 
The bittern. A bird which makes a loud booming 
noise. It frequents marshy places. 
Guards or warders. " Guards" of a camp, " warders" 
of a c, astle. 
Challenge. The usual challenge to the approaching 
stranger takes the form, '" Vho goes there ?" 

FISHING 
This selection is taken from Torn 
Days, Chapter IX. 

Brown's School 


THIRD BOOK 109 

The next three stanzas centre about its tireless and 
tameless energy; the seventh summarizes what precedes; 
the last contains the application to life. 
The teacher will observe the paradoxical form of ex- 
pression employed in " Motion thy rest", and "Changed 
every moment, Ever the same ". 
PA(E 199.--Full of the light. Refers to the sunlight 
gleaming on the spray of the fountain. 
PAGE 200.--Happy at midnight, etc. From this point 
onward the fountain is endowed by the poet with life and 
feeling. 

BREAK. BREAK, BREAK 
The poem was written when Tennyson was immersed 
in grief on account of the death of his friend, Arthur 
Hallam. It was written, the poet says, " in a Lincolnshire 
lane at five o'clock in the morning ". This is of little con- 
sequence, as the scenery before his mind's eye i that of 
Clevedon in Somersetshire, the burial place of the Hallams, 
where, from the top of the cliff, the eye traverses the 
broad estuary of the Severn with its moving ships. To 
the poet, the waves dashing on '" the cold gray stones" 
seem to be singing a mournful dirge for the dead, and he 
wishes that he, too, could give expression to his feelings 
and so find relief. . 
But. for the unquiet heart and brain 
A use In measured language lies, 
The sad mechanic exercise 
Like dull narcotics numbing pain. 
--In Memoriam 

With the fisherman's boy playing with his sister in the 
surf, with the sailor lad fishing near the harbour bar, as 


THIRD BOOH 111 

P(E 202.--What greater pleasure. The entertainment 
of the stranger was the most sacred of Greek religious 
obligations. 
Hear tales from them of foreign lands. This ]o'e of 
the strange, new, and marvellous was a passion with the 
ancient Greeks. 
PA(E 203.--They never saw the like. Observe the 
double meaning. An instance of " tragic irony". Com- 
pare "as he never slept before ", below. 
Fits him to a hair. tIair's-breadth. 
Churlish. Lacking in good manners, self-centred. 
He shrank from the man, he knew not why. This is in 
the Germanic, rather than the Greek spirit. Oddly enough, 
Kingsley at once proceeds to tell why. 
Till a horror fell on Theseus (Th'sfis). Note the con- 
creteness, given force by the use of the article. 
PAE 204.--Their ware. Their goods, what they had 
for sale. 
Had laid down his faggot. Expresses his weakness and 
weariness. 
PAGE 205.--Who I am my parents know. He had 
never seen or known his father. 
Clapped his hands together. In grief. 
PAE 26.--0n thy youth. On thee, because of thy youth. 
But yesterday. 0nly yesterday. 
Procrustes. Procrustes means the " stretcher" 
Laid his hand, etc. To silence. 
Evil death. Dreadful death. 
PE 207.--As green as a lizard. Compare the pre- 
vious comparison of his voice to a toad's voice. 
Squea]cing like a bat. A comparison frequently em- 
ployed by the Greeks in speaking of the souls of the de- 
parted in :Hades. 


THIRD BOOK 113 

Rainbowed thicket. Refers again to the autumn colour- 
ing, as seen through the haze referred to in "hazy uplands". 
('reeks the cricket. The cricket derives its name from 
its "creek'. The sound is made by rubbing the wing 
cases together. 
Chorus. Usually refers to the part sung by several 
voices, perhaps eml,loyed here to iadicate that the I,ird's 
song is self-responsive, or possibly only to its reiteration 
again and again. 
Why should we not companions be? See introductory 
note. 

RADISSON AND THE INDIANS 

By virtue of the explorations ,f St. Lusson {San 
LiissSn) to the waters of Lake Superior. an,I of Father 
Albanel up the Saguenay River, the French laid claim to 
the tract of territory in the region of lIuds,n Bay. The 
brothers-in-law, Groseilliers (GrS-za-ya} and Pierre Radis- 
son (Py'r Rad-Ps-sSn), penetrated into the country be- 
yond Lak.e Superior. Here they learned from the Assini- 
boines of a great inland sea lying far to the uorth. Fail- 
ing to secure the SUlTort of the French Trading Company, 
they went to England, where they succeeded in interesting 
Prince Rupert in their scheme of explorati,,n. In two 
small ships, they ma,le a safe w,yage, to lluds,n Bay, and 
at its southern extremity erected F-rt Charles in honour 
of the English sovereien, Charles I I. IIcre they entered 
into a profitable trade with the Indians; and their report 
induced the King to grant a charter, dated May 2nd. 1670, 
to "The Governor and Company of Merchant-Adventurers, 
trading into Hudson's Bay", of which Prince Rupert was 
the first governor. :No sooner had the new Company begun 


114 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

its trading operations than Radisson, becoming discon- 
tented with the treatment he received at the hands of the 
new officials, abandoned the English cause with the same 
versatility with which he had previously forsaken the 
French; and just previous to the opening of the story had 
taken and burned the little English trading post on the 
Island. in reprisal for similar amenities of the English to- 
ward the French traders, whom they wished to expel from 
these regions. The story is told with a good deal of 
dramatic power, and is interesting as an account of the 
early struggles of the Iludson's Bay Company, as well as 
of Indian character and habits, and the methods employed 
by the bold and often unscrupulous adventurers in keeping 
the Indians under control. 
PAC, E 2og.--The tribe. Probably the Crees. 
Pemmican. The dried lean of venison, pounded into a 
paste and moulded into cakes. 
Those who make no such profession. The English. 
P.. 210.--A dog. The brave ,'ho had just spoken. 
Had adopted ldrn. The practice of adoption 
is ery common among the Indians. Many captives 
taken in foray were spared to replenish the tribal popula- 
tion. 
P..E 211.--.4t the head of the Bay. To Fort Charles. 
Take lhis. The gift of tile knife or dagger is the token 
of perpetual enmity.. 
Factory. So the trading posts of the Hudson's Bay 
Company were called ; for example, York Factory. 
P.. 212.--Sogarnile. Probably the much-prized In- 
dian d.ish of parched rice or corn, pounded up with meat 
and flavoured with bear's grease and maple sugar. The 
root "sagam " which means "to grow" is a common one 
in many Ind ;o'  


THIRD BOOK 115 

Thy grandmother's skull. Many of the Indian tribes 
trace their lineage through the female line. 
Three fathons of tobacco. West Indian tobacco is 
still twisted into the form of a rope and sold by the foot. 
Women's tobacco. In the absence of the genuine 
article, many substitutes, such as dried leaves, the inner 
bark of some trees, etc., were used to replace it. This was 
contemptuously called "women's tobacco ". One of the 
lobelias is still called Indian tobacco. 
In tile cow, Mr!! of the lyxes. Probably in the country 
of the Montagnais south of the divide, where lynxes were 
common and beaver scarce. This is simply another way 
of telling them to "go to the mischief ". 

THE BROOK. 
This selection is the lyric in The Brook, first published 
in 1855. The brook at Somersbv in southern Lincoln- 
shire, where Tcnnyson's father lived, no doubt furnished 
many suggestions for the poem. The four sections of the 
lyric, each concluding with the lines: 
For men may come and men may go, 
But I go on for ever 
are the interludes in the idyllic poen bearin the above 
title. The nmtivc of the poem, as thus suggested, is the 
transitoriness of human life and affairs as compared with 
the permanence of nature. 
The lyric has throughout the clear note of untram- 
melled joy and gladness. 
PAv. 212.--Coot. A wading bird of the rail family, 
with a blue body, short tail, and lobated toes; the bird is 
about fifteen inches in length. 


THIRD BOOK 

Eddying bays. Why "eddying "? Note the careful 
description, which is a leading characteristic of Tenny- 
son's style. 
Fret. Wear away; form curves. 
Fallow. Cultivated but unseeded land. 
Fairy foreland. Little promontory. Fairy suggests 
beauty and diminutiveness. 
Willow-weed. A tall, purple flowering weed growing 
iu damp places, represented in Ontario by two familiar 
varieties, one of which is often called " fireweed", as it 
grows densely in bush clearings which have been run over 
by fire. 
Mallow. The lilac-flowered mallow is familiar to every 
one. 
Tennyson was an enthusiastic collector of plants, aud 
loved to look them up in his Baxter's Flowcrbg Plants. 
A grayling. A fish with a large dorsal fin, found in 
clear, rapid streams. 
Waterbrcak. A diminutive rapid, a shallow over which 
the water breaks in a slight fall. The word is a coinage 
of Tennyson's. 
P. 214.Draw hem all along. " All" here includes 
trout, grayling, and foamy water flake. 
I steal. Move slowly and silently, as if by stealth. 
Hazel covers. Thickets; hazel shrubs grow thickly 
along the hanks of streams. 
Grow for ]appy lovers. Used by them as tokens o[ 
mutual affection. 
I gloon, I glance. Tennyson is fond of the word 
"gloom " to signify "to darken ". 

For every movement gleamed 
His silver arms and gloomed. 


122 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

The dull, tame shore. Outlines the appropriate con- 
trast to the picture just presented. 
Backwards flew. Not simply to hurry back, hut to 
alter his proposed course. Notice the alliteration which 
gives added emphasis to the words involved. 
Like a bird. Suggest the points of likeness. The 
simile prepares the way for the rather startling revelation 
contained in the last line, which also introduces the next 
stanza. With how much truer sense of the poetic pro- 
prieties does Bvrm say: " For l was--as it were--a child 
of thee ", etc.. See Byron's address to the " O.ean ", from 
('l, ilde lIarohl's Pilgrimage. (Book IV, p. 216} 
Pc,E 223.--The wares morn. In simplicity 
and wealth of suggestion, this is the finest line in the 
whole poem. Notice thai the inversion in the last clause 
emphasizes the contrast. Compare the less vigorous effect 
in " Tile wave was white, the morn was red" 
Red morn. A red sky in the morning portends storm. 
Tle porpoise. It belongs to the whale family, of 
which it is a diminutive member. ,qhakespeare refers to 
the porpoise's wonderful prescience of coming storm in 
Pericles, . i. 
Scene 1. rd Fisherman--Nay, master, said I not as 
much, when I saw the porpus (porpoise) how he bounced 
and tumbled a plague on them! they ne'er come but 
I look to be washed. 
The dolphin has on his back a dorsal fin half the 
width of his body, extending from the crown of his head 
to within two or three inches of his tail. This fin is in 
colour a burnished yellow gold, in striking contrast with 
the dazzling peacock blue of the hack. 
With weallh to spend. He lacked inclination, not 
opportunity , 


124 THE ONTARIO READERS 

PG 233.--Bred in France. The land of gaiety and 
romance. 
Monsieur le Plaisir. Sir. Pleasure. 
,','ome people are of opinion etc., that old 
Mr. Toil was a magician. This prepares the way for a 
better interpretation. 

THE SANDPIPER 
l,'ead with thi. poem, Cooper's Bob White, p. 208; 
BryaJJt's To a Water-Fowl, Book IV, p. 377 ; Longfellow's 
Fire of Driftwood, and Burns' To a Mouse. 
PAGE 2:;4.--,','andpiper. There are many varieties of 
these, most of them being shore or marsh birds. The 
nest is a mere depression of sand or gravel in the beach, 
usually containing four .mall eggs placed with the small 
ends together. This prevents them beiug rolled out of 
position by the wind. They are coloured in such a way 
as to elude observation. The sandpiper is a companion- 
able little fellow, keeping only a few paces ahead of the 
beach wanderer, and looking round with an eye of piercing 
brightness. The movement is rendered oddly quizzical 
by a beak of extreme length in comparison with the size 
of the bird. 
Across flit. The line presents a swiftly 
drawn picture of the companion fires as they pass to 
and fro "' Across the beach", ziagging onward as the 
driftwood is gathered. 
One little sandpiper and 1. This is the refrain, and 
carries in it the general meaning of the poems" Are we 
not God's children both?" 
Fast I gather. To provide against the approaching 
storm. 
Bit by bit. Explained hy "scattered" below. 


126 THE ONTARIO READERS 

My driftwood-fire to what warm sheller. 
Note the contrast. The teacher should try to impart 
some sense of the force and beauty of the description in 
which " the loosed storm breaks furiously" and "The 
tempest rushes through the sky". Notice how the change 
of rhythm contributes to the effectiveness of the descrip- 
tion. 

THE LEGEND OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER 
Sain ('hristpher wa. x uative of Lyeia (Lis'i-a), or, 
as other. say, a Canaanite, who flourished in the third 
century. " tie was very tall and fearful to look at. So 
proud was he of his bulk and strength that he would 
serve only the mightiest masters." At length he entered 
the service of the Devil, but observing that his master 
quailed before the image of Christ he resolved to seek 
out and follow our Saviour. Him he finally found in a 
little .hild whmu be attempted to carry a.ross a river: 
when he would have sunk under his iucreasing burden, 
tl.e child declared him.elf to be Christ and wrought a 
miracle to prove it. Christopher embraced Christianity, 
perfirmed miracles, was martyred, and canonized. His 
image, which was thought to be a protection from sick- 
hess and the visitations of God, was painted of colossal 
size on the outside of churches and hol.es, especially in 
Italy, Spain, and Germany. The Greek f'hurch celebrates 
hi. festival on the 9th day of May, the loman on the 25th 
of July. 
Like the great Giant Christopher It stands 
Upon the brink of the tempestuous wave. 
Wading far out among the rocks and sands, 
The night o'ertken mariner to save. 
The Liohthouse--..' .... 


THIRD BOOK 127 

The point of interest in the poem lies in the fact that 
the giant found his master in tile guise of a little child, 
after seeking him among tim great and mighty of the 
earth. 

WILLIAM TELL AND HIS SON 
William Tell is said to have lived in the earlier part 
of the fourteenth century, and to have taken a leading 
part in freeing his fellow countrymen from the Austrian 
yoke. The main authority for tile story is tile Chronicle 
of Tschudi, quoted in the easily accessible IIiMory 
Germany by Wolfgang Menzel; tile only variation being 
that in the Chronicle, Tell is made to say that he had not 
noticed the cap at all, but would do it homage for the 
future if released. The story here given presents Tell in 
a mueb more heroic light. It has often been questioned, 
but there is little, if any, doubt that the story, though 
considerably embellished, is, in the main, true. 
PAE 241.--Allorf. The chief town of the Canton 
of Uri (5"rl. The four Lake Cantons, Uri, gehwyz 
(Shvts), Unterwalden (Un'ter-viil-den}, and Lucerne 
were concerned in the rising against the Austrians. 
Gessler (Ges'ler). The governor of Uri and Sehwyz. 
P_,,E 242.--Refined act of torture. To compel him 
to purchase his son's liberty and his own at the risk of 
slaying his son. 
t'.', 2-13.--To a linden tree. The whole road here 
'as lined with lindens. 
And one arrow. By what clever trick did Tell manage 
to possess himself of the second arrow? 
Roused himself drew the bow, etc. Note 
the interrupted construction expressixe of breathless 
suspense. 


THIRD BOOK 131 

and captured it; though the English assault upon the 
Redan was aain checked, qhe city was evacuated by the 
Russians. The war was closed by the Treaty of Paris, 
1856. The incident of the poem may be assigned appro- 
priately to the eve of either of the two assaults mentioned 
above, but more probably to the latter. 
The song Annie Laurie, by William Douglas, may be 
found in any collection of Scottish song. 
PaGE 250.--The outer trenches. It is said that dur- 
ing the three hundred and thirty-six days of the sie._-e fifty 
miles of trenches had been dug to cover the approaches to 
one bastion alone. 
In silent scoff. Suggests that it was impregnahlc. See 
above. 
Belched its thunder. ]Ietaphor. Note the felicity of 
"belched" 
The forts. The Redan and the 5Ielakoff. 
Sing tchile u'e may. Let us be happy while we may. 
ll'ill bring enough of sorrov. Alludes to the havoc 
to be wrought at the storming of the forts. 
Severn, Clyde, Shannon. Representative rivers of 
England. Scotland, and Ireland. 
PGE 251.--A different name. Whose? 
Like an anthem. The song takes on a sa.red t'hara.-ter 
from the circumstances. It becomes a confession, such as 
warriors were wont to make to the priests upon the eve of 
battle. 
He dared not speal'. Why? Explain the contrast in- 
troduced here by "' But ". 
Darkening ocean. The Black Sea. 
The bloody sunset's embers. Fixes the time, but is 
also prophetic of the carnage of the morrow. 


THIRD BOOK 133 

The su'eetness of life's repose. The sweet and common 
joys of home. 
The ethical merits of the conclusion reached in the last 
stanza are perhaps open to question, but at any rate we 
are indebted to the poet for emphasizing a set of human 
relations too much disregarded in the hurly-burly of life, 
and for giving us in lyrical form the expression of a mood, 
delicate, tender, and true. 

KING RICHARD AND SALADIN 
The selection is froln ('hapter XXVII of The 
Talisman. 
In 1187, Jerusalem was taken hy Saladin, the noblest 
of the Saracens; Riclmrd the Lion-hearted of England, 
and Philip Augustus of France led the Third t'rusa,le for 
its recovery. They quarrelled, and Philip returned home. 
Richard carried on the war for nearly a year and a half. 
During this time he fell sick of a fever, an.-'l his generous 
enemy sent him fresh fruits from Damascus and snow 
from the mountain-tops. Courtly compliments were fre- 
quently exchanged between them. The great strength of 
Richard is illustrated by the weight of his battle-axe, with 
twenty vmnds of steel in its bead. The iucident described 
in the lesson took place at the Diamond .f th,. lk.scrt at 
a point equally distant between the camps of the Crusaders 
and the Soldan, where a trial by combat had been arranged 
between the Knight of the Leopard and ('onrade of 
/vlontserrat. The lists had been prepared by the Soldan, 
who was the host of the occasion. 
PaE 253.--Pavilion. A large tent raised on posts, 
with the roof sloping equally on all sides. 
De Vaux. The rough, sturdy, and faithful attendant 
of the King. 
10 a 


THIRD BOOK 137 

PAGE 259.--The hurricane. Refers to typhoons, fear- 
ful cyclones in these seas. 
The torrent-floods. The great American rivers. To 
which of these is the description peculiarly applicable. 
Cohmbia (America). These are two nalucs for the 
western coutinent, derived from their first discoverers. 
Who were these? 
Like rose leaves. Explain the purpose of the simile. 
Fresh wreaths. Of piue boughs. The allusion is to 
the wreaths placed upou the graves of the illustrious dead. 
Roncesvelles" field. The scene of a fanmus battle, aud 
hence the field of glory. ]|ere ('harlemagne was defeated, 
and his bravest knights slain. (Pronounced R,n-thes- 
'al'yes) 
P.(E 260.--The cold-blue desert. That is, of iceberg 
from the Arctic seas. The frozen seas. 
Their corse is done. They sail the seas no 
more. 
Observe the cyclic form of the poem, the first two 
stanzas correspondilig il form with the last two. 

HOHENLINDEN 

The poet describes the battle with tile vividness of an 
eye-witness, tie, indeed, sw some of the battles of this 
campaign, though uot tile battle here depicted. 
Napoleon's General, Moreau, in COlnmand of the 
French army in Germany, met tile combiued forces of 
Austria and Bavaria under tile Archduke John, at 
ttohenlinden on December 3rd, 1800, and utterly routed 
them. Their loss was eight thousand men killed or 
wounded, twelve thousand prisoners, and eighty-seven 
pieces of cannon. Moreau followed the Austrian retreat 
to within a few leagues of Vienna. where an armistice was 


THIRD BOOK 141 
appearing. The mood is suggested in the first line. It is 
one of melancholy sadness, scarcely relieved even by the 
contrasts introduced in stanzas two, three, and four. Tile 
idea mainly emphasized, if not the theme of the poem, is 
that the most precious tllings of life so soon perisll. 
While the pupils should, throughout the year, have been 
familiarized with tlle images froln nature here employed, 
tile teacher should avoid, when tl,e lesson is reached, nmk- 
ing it into a nature study discussion. 
PAOF. 267.--,qere. Parched. 
They rustle to the eddying gast, etc. An evidence of 
their lifelessness. 
The fair and good of ours. Our loved ones. 
Calls not from out the gloomy earth. As the spring 
rain would. 
P.OE 68.--The n'ind flou'er. The anemone. 
Orchis. Known also as orchid. 
The brightness of their smile. Personification. Stqect 
other examples. 
As still some days will come. How would the mean- 
ing be modified if " will " were omitted? "Will ", in 
spite of the season. 
Their winter home. Describe. 
Twinkle in the smoky light the u'aters of the rill. The 
line is the only one in the poem in a lighter strain. 
Tile smoky light. Explained by the condition of the 
atmosphere in ]ate autumn. 
The Soldh wind, etc. A heautiful hit of personifica- 
tion, gathering up in conclusion the sentiment in the 
poem. 
Select from the poem the passages in which the fate of 
humanity is compared to the fate of the flowers. 


149. THE ONTA1RIO READE1RS 

'TIS THE LAST ROSE OF SUMMER 
The motive of the poem is given in the two concluding 
lines : 
Oh! who would inhabit 
This bleak world alone! 
Life is worthless without the sweet companionship of 
those we love. 
Moore's genius is at its best in his songs of love and 
friendship. The sweet, sad melody of his characteristic 
rhythms is especially suitable to these themes. Compare 
with this poem The Meeting. of the Waters. The present 
poem is free from the overloaded imagery in which he 
sometimes indulges even in his masterpieces. Apart from 
the personifi.ation, there is but one figurative expression in 
tile whole poem. In other words, he relies solely upon the 
beauty, the propriety, and tile naturalness of the sentiment 
for poetic effect, and this is the ideal of lyric poetry. 
Constru.t from the poem the incident upon which'it 
may he supposed to be founded. The poet, observing a 
solitary belated rose in his garden, scatters its petals upon 
the ground, and desires for himself under like circum- 
stances, a similar fate. 
PaGE 269.--To reflect back her blushes, Or gire sigh 
for sigh. N-ore how tile attributes of personality increase 
in life and ralue throughout the stanza. At first it is only 
a rose. "Alone" gives the first hint of personification, 
"companions" enlarges this, then "kindred", then 
"' lovers" 
To pine. Contrasted with the anticipated " to bloom". 
Shlni. crcle. The metaphor is that of a ring set 
with gems. 
True hearts. Friends. 
Fond ones. Lovers. 


THIRD BOOK 143 

A ROMAN'S HONOUR 

Carthage had made herself mistress of the northern 
coast of Africa from the Straits of Gibraltar to the Gulf 
of Sidra. She deemed it essential to her commercial 
supremacy to assume control of the islands in the Medi- 
terranean. It was upon the Island of Sicily nearly 
adjacent to her position on the African coast that she came 
into contact with the Roman power; and then began the 
First Punic War (B.c. 2--211). In the course of this 
war, the Roman Consul, M. Attilius Regulus (Attil'li-u e 
Reg'u-]us), .ai]ed for Africa, and occupied a strc)ng mili- 
tary position at ('lupea to the east of Carthage, and soon 
made himself master of two hundred places along the 
coast. The Carthaginians in distress sued for peace, but 
being unwilling to accept the terms proposed bv their 
haughty conqueror, secured the assistance of Xanthippus 
(Xan-thip'pus), the great Greek general, who thoroughly 
reorganized their forces, offered battle to the Romans and 
utterly routed them. Regulus and five hundred of his 
troops were taken prisoners. Some years later, the tide of 
victory turned again, and the consul, Cacilius (('a,-cil'i-us), 
defeated the Carthaginians in a great battle in the neigh- 
bourhood of Panormus (Pa-nor'mus). Desiring peace and 
an exchange of prisoners, they sent Regulus on the mission 
described in the selection. 
Thanks to their god. The Phoenician god Moloch was 
worshipped by burning human sacrifices upon his altar. 
P.E 2"iO.--Hm'ing first made him swear, etc. He was 
given his liberty on condition that, failing in his mission, 
he would return to captivity. 
They little h'new, etc. Still they must have conjectured 
it or they would not have let him go. The sentence, how- 


THIRD BOOK 147 

Quixote. Quixada, a Spanish gentleman of small 
means, lived in a little village of the Province of La 
/Iancha with his housekeeper and his niece, and on terms 
of intimacy with the priest and with the barber-surgeon. 
He became infatuated, through much reading of books 
of chivalry, with the exploits of knights-errant there 
recorded, and in the desire to emulate their glorious deeds 
furbished up the armour of an ancestor, selected a strap- 
ping wench of the neighbourhood as his lady patroness, 
mounted his rickety old mare, and set forth in quest of 
adventures. These, unfrtunately, came only too soon, 
and having boldly attacked a company of merchants whom 
he met on the road, be was returned in grievous case to 
the home and friends he had left. These, ascribing his 
misfortunes to the influence of the books of chivalry, took 
the bold step of burning the whole library, explaining 
its loss to their master as due to the machinations of 
Freston, a notorious sorcerer. Quixada, who had by this 
time adopted for himself the name of l.n Quixote, as 
more in accordance with his present diznity, had also 
acquired the services of a simple-minded and lt,val country- 
man, Sancho I'anza, as is squire. Nothing daunted by 
his previous misfortunes, after undergoing the necessary 
repairs, be made a second essay into the world of Chivalry 
and Romance. The adventures here recorded took place 
early in his second expedition. 
To fight with 'in,lmills has become a proverbial ex- 
pression for a foolish and useless attempt to make head 
against overpowering odds, or to run one's head into 
dangers which do not properly lie in one's way, and the 
adjective "quixotic" has been used to express foolish 
though chivalrous self-sacrifice. Don Quix,te is often 
referred to in literature as "the knight of the sorrowful, 


THIRD BOOK 149 

So many Moors. For five hundred years, until the 
fall of Granada, the Moorish capital in 1491, continual 
wars had been waged between the Moors and Christians 
in Spain. These wars were celebrated in the Spanish 
romances. 
Holm. Tile evergreen oak. 
PAGE 280. An't plea,e you. If it please you. 
Sideling. Leaning to one side. 
And yet Hearth knows my heart. Tbc g,,,,,l-lmtured 
but plebeian Sancho feels, tllougb he fears to say so lest 
he should offend his master, that a little pride might well 
be sacrificed for the sake of all easeful groan. 

THE ROMANCE OF THE SWAN'S NEST 
A romance originally meant a tale of wonderful ex- 
ploits written in verse in one of the Romance languages. 
These tales centred around such worthies as King Arthur 
and his Court in Britain, Roland and Oliver in France, 
and Bernardo del Carpio and the Cid in Spain. In 
mediaeval times, knights-errant set forth to redress all 
manner of wrongs under the warranty of their lady-loves, 
who usually gave them, on their departure in quest of 
adventures, some gift in token of their favour, and suit- 
ably rewarded their successful return. Why is this poem 
called a romance? 
The poem is an exquisite picture of ingenuous and 
artless childhood, with its dreams and fancies, and the 
inevitable disillusionment. The preface of the poem is: 
So the dreams depart. 
So the fading phantoms flee, 
And the sharp reality, 
Now must ct its l)art. 


14 THE ONTARIO READERS 

P-GE 289.--His gloriots rugged head aad massive 
figure. A brief, but accurate description of the musician. 
See photographs. 
A wihl, elfin passage. The scherzo movement referred 
to a)ove. 
Ayitato finale. A hurrying close. 
Read in connection with the selection Frances Ridley 
I Iavergal's poem, The Moonlight ,qonata. 

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD 
The poem is the fond, sad recall of vanished youth. 
It may be compared as to moc, d and manner of treatment 
to Christina G. Rossetti's poem, The First Spring Day. 
See Book IV. p. 17. 
Describe in your own words the appearance of the bird. 
Select the expression directly descripttve of the bird's song. 
What emotion does the song of the bird suggest or inspire 
in the heart of the poet? What recollections does the 
song arouse? Upon what characteristic of the bird is 
emphasis specially laid? What is ile refrain? Select 
two instances where the drift of ideas is interrupted, to 
give intensity to the expression of emotion. 
The poet's description of the bird's song is also appli- 
cable to the poem. 
P_c, 290.---Black benealh a. the night glow. 
Note the contrast between the terms of the similes. 
Morning glow. The red glow of sunrise. 
Sooty. Dull black, like soot. 
Throat float. Note the internal rhmae. 
Float. Well expresses the low. smooth note of the bird. 
Ravishing. Filling the hearer with a oassionate toy. 


THIRD BOOK 55 

Liquid, low. Note the equivalence of the consonants 
with those in " O-ke-lee" 
Bliss that ne'er can flee. An implied contrast; the 
bliss of life fails, but the bliss of the bird's song, never. 
Sweet fall. Sweet cadence, falling from one note to 
another. 
P.GE 291.--To tlarill my frame. Compare " Ravish- 
ing ", above. 
TIo igtt is tenderly black" brig]t. These 
lines are in poetic correspondence with the two opening 
lines of {he poem. 
T],at old, old spring i. blossoming. It. recollections 
are so vivid as to approach realitv. Note that " In the 
soul and in the sight" is a climax. 
Brbags my lost youth bac'. An amplification of the above. 
Tl, e swale. Colloquial. The red-winged bla,.kbird 
frequents marshy lands, overgrown with reeds and rushes. 

TO THE CUCKOO 
The poem is a delightful expres.ion of the poet's joy 
in the freshness and beauty of spring, given concentration 
and intensity by being addressed to the cuckoo. Apply 
the criticism. Compare as to mode of treatment Tle Red- 
winged Blach'bird, Wordsworth's To tl, e Cuch'oo, and 
Edmund Gosse's Return of the Swallows. 
The poem falls into two divisions: (1) The poet's wel- 
come to the bird. (2) Regret at his departure. The last 
stanza is the conclusion, identifying the bird with per- 
petual spring. 
What appellations are given to the bird? How is his 
return prepared for and welcomed? Note throughout the 
poem the continued use of personification. What fixes 


THIRD BOOK 157 

THE STORY OF A STONE 

This selection presents in a gral)hic and popular way, 
with something of a story interest, the successive Geological 
Ages of the world, which are given roughly below : 

Life Forms 
Age of Man 
Age of Mammals 
Age of Reptiles 
Age of Acrogens and Amphibians 
Age of Fishes 
Age of Invertebrates 
Archman Age 

Rock System 
Recent 
Tertiary 
Secondary 
Carboniferous 
Devonian 
Silurian System 
Laurentian System 

Pa(E 293.--Washed the highest crests of the Alle- 
ghanies. This implies that the emergence of the Lauren- 
tian surface from the ocean was earlier than that of the 
Alleghanies. 
Wrote its name. Refer. to the "ripple marks " on the 
face of these rocks, supposed to have been carved by the 
action of the tides. 
The Pictured Rocks. The Pictured Rocks in Michigan 
on the south shore of Lake Superior are sandstone cliffs 
about 300 feet in height. 
A Polyp. Also denominated as a radiate. See illus- 
tration, p. 294. The name, which means many-footed, is 
explained below, "a whole row of feelers ". The coral 
polyp is propagated either from an egg or by branching; 
both these nmdes are referred to in the lesson. 
Gathering little bits of limeMon. The coral polyp 
is composed of gelatinous and almost transparent tissue. 
The animal, however, has the power of extracting carbon- 
ate of lime from sea water and depositing it within its 
own body. 


THIRD BOOK 161 

Looked in. This expression is in harmony with their 
ghostly appearance. 
Nothing we could call our ozvn. Nothing we could 
identify; the whole face of the surroundings was changed. 
The glistening wonder. The world nletamorphosed. 
No cloud above, no earth belozv. Explained in the line 
following, and amplified in the details afterwards given. 
Belt of wood. Strip of woodland. 
PA(m 300.--The bridle-post, etc. Gives a touch of 
comicality to the description. 
ll'ell-curb. A I)ox-shaped frame over the mouth of a 
well. 
A Chinese roof. A high cone with out- and up-coming 
base, not displaying any of the sharp angles of the ordin- 
ary roof. 
The long sweep. The long pole set in the top of a post 
and used as a lever, with a rope attached to one end, for 
drawing water from a well. 
Pisa's leaning miracle. The T.wer of Pisa in Italy, 
180 feet high, deviates more than fourteen feet from the 
vertical. The miracle, of course, is that it retains its 
position without falling oer. It is now feared that the 
tower will soon fall, owing to its rapidly increasing in- 
clination. 
Buskins. Here, top-boots. 
The solid n'bileness. The abstract for the concrete, the 
whiteness for the white snow. 
Rare Aladdin's. The epithet refers to the storv of his 
wonderful adventures as told in The Arabian Nights" En- 
tertainment. Aladdin's cave consisted of three halls lead- 
ing into a garden full of trees, laden with jewels of every 
description, and illumined by his famous lamp. 


THIRD BOOK 163 
What dil he dread more than the death he was pre- 
paring for himself and his comrade? 
PAGE 303.---Put on a hat. Why ? 
For our country and our religion. The Iroquois and 
the English were at this time (Frontenac's second admin- 
istration) engaged in a fierce struggle with the French. 
French enterprise in the New Worhl was stimulated by 
the desire to acquire new territory and by the missionary 
spirit. 
DLstrusting the soldiers. Who might take possession 
of the canoe and desert. 
PAGE 30t.--A ruse. A trick to decoy them. 
A sortie. A surprise attack from a besieging force. 
Put so bold a face on it. Paraphrase the idiom. 
Lurking. Distinguish from "hiding" 
Site then assembled. Madeline is abruptly dropped into 
the third person. " After assembling her troops", would 
have made an easier transition. 
Bastions. In this case these were projecting towers at 
the corners of the fort, so that each would colnlnand two 
approaches to it. 
PAGE 305.--Were behaving. What gave her ground 
for anxiety as to their behaviour ? 
P.GE 306.--Who goes there? The usual challenge of 
a sentry. 
Gallantly. With the chivalrous courtesv due to the 
gentler sex. 
La'e Chhmplain. The old military highway during 
these wars was by way of the River Richelieu and Lake 
Champlain. 


166 THE ONTARIO READERS 

In crery livbtg thing, etc. This is scarcely an accurate 
description of Iudian pautheism. 
For him to breallte upon. Cartier made a poor return 
for the idolatrous veneration in which they held him, when 
he carried off several of their chiefs to France. 
The river. The St. Lawrence. 
Its freshness for a hundred leagues. 
to fact. 
PAG lO.Presented o his sighf. 
prosaic. 
The fortress cliff. Quebec. 

This is contrary 
The expression is 

ANTS AND THEIR SLAVES 

For interesting matter relative to the hal,its of ants, 
see Sir .lohn Lubbock's .ltt., Bees, ad ll'a.ps, and Grant 
Allen's Fla.hlights on Nature. 
The industry and intelligence of ants has been the 
subject of remark and investigation from the earliest 
times. The selection will present few difficulties. It is 
necessary only to remark upon its literary form that it is 
a plain piece of story-telling, rendered interesting by the 
analogy set up to the practices of barbarous warfare; and 
by the interesting moral and scientific truth, that func- 
tions not employed tend to become atrophied. 

LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT 

The poet, in this sublime prayer for the idance of the 
Yfolv Spirit. declares his willingness to accept faith rather 
than knowledge as his guide. Compare the introduction 
to Tennyson's In Memoriam for a similar sentiment. Corn- 


THIRD BOOK 167 

pare also Bryant's To a Water-fowl in Book IV, p. 377. 
Upon what does Bryant found his faith, in the poem re- 
ferred to? What is the foundation of faith in this poem? 
The poet contrasts his past with his present state of 
feeling. In the past, his pride compelled him to accept 
the conclusions arrived at by his own reason as his only 
guide, even though he felt and feared that its light might 
lead him astray. Ite now repents this folly and asks for 
forgivenes,,, resting only upon the guidance of the Holy 
Spirit, however little may be revealed, and secure in his 
self-surrender. Trace throughout the poem the expression 
of these ideas in poetic form. The image employed in the 
first stanza is that of a solitary and benighted traveller far 
from home, guided on his way, step by step, by a light in 
the darkness. What does each part of the pic.ture--the 
traveller, the darkness, the way, the light, his home-- 
represent? How are the difficulties of the journey repre- 
sented in the last stanza ? . 
PXE 316.--The garish day. Suggests that the light 
of human knowledge merely "leads to bewilder, and dazzles 
to blind ". 
The morn. The awakening in heaven. 
Those angel faces smile. The friends who have gone 
before. 
Lost a while. Suggests a blessed reunion. 

THE JOLLY SANDBOYS 
Thi. selection is from Old Curiosity Shop, Chapter 
XVIII. 
Dicken.% in his early days as a newspaper reporter, 
must have been familiar with such a scene as that de- 
scribed here. 


170 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

THE GLADNESS OF NATURE 
Compare the sentiment expressed in the poem with that 
in the opening lines of Bryant's Thanalopsis. 
The mood of cheery buoyancy is well expressed by the 
tripping metre. The poem is full of glad laughter and 
merry smiles. Select the expressions which justify this 
description. 
P.e:E 324.--Is ilis a time, etc. The question is one of 
surprise, or deprecation. 
Our roof her Nafure. With whom we should rejoice. 
Laugls around. Explain. 
E'en fle deep blue learens. " Even" as these express 
calm serenity rather than gladness. 
Gladness breaHes from, etc. The sweet odours of the 
opening blossoms should fill the heart with gladness. 
Tle lmng-bird. The oriole, so called frem its mode o 
hanging its ne.t, often on the lowest sprays of the droop- 
ing wayside elm. 
Gossip of swallows. The twittering of the swallows. 
Tle groined-squirrel. The chipmunk, which burrows 
in the ground. 
('lirp.. Well describes the sound. 
And lere fley sfrech o le frolic clmse. The cloud 
shadows seem to be racing after each other along the 
ground. 
And fhere. In the sky. 
Apen bower. The aspen often grows in clumps. As 
the leaf stems are flat, the leaves tremble in the slightest 
airs. 
Beechen. To harmonize wth "aspen". 
PAGE 325.--Broad*faced. And so, jovial. 
Smiles i " " ..... ' 


172 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

Mosaic. :Mosaic is inlaid work consisting of little 
pieces of enamel, glass, marble, etc., set in cement, and 
forming a pattern. Consult dictionary for derivation. 
P.,GE 327.---Boasted cushions. "Boasted" in the 
sense of, were furnished with. 
The work of demolition. The idea in demolition is 
amplified in the epithets which follow, "great ", "huge", 
" vast", and the descriptive substantives, "horns", 
" wedges ", "lumps ", "piles" 
Melted like magic. As if by magic. For similarly 
abbreviated expressions with "like" compare "He ran 
like mad". The allusion is to the famous vanishing trick 
empl,yed by most conjurers. 
PaGE 32S.--Retired into prirate life. Itaving secured 
a competency; note the touch of humour. 
Officious slaves. Slaves eager to render services. The 
word "offit.iou." usually implies tiresomely eager. 
PaGe 329.Drinking-bout. Note that the expression 
implies a contest 
PGz 33.--Human burden. What is the significance 
of "" burden" here ? 

PUCK'S SONG 

Note the general form of the stanza; the first two 
lines put in the form of a question, the last two in the 
form of an answer. There is between these two parts of 
the stanza a well-defined contrast, especially well-marked 
in stanzas one. five, and seven, whilst in all, the change 
between the olden and the present time is strongly marked. 
PaGE 330.--The dimpled track. Dimpled, explained 
hy "hollow" in the line following. The track worn deep 
by hauling the heav mm n 1  * *-- r .... e 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

'.',c,,E 345.--Calm and bright. Both wind and rain 
have ceased. 
The jay ,akes answer. The jay seems to delight in 
mocking mimicry of the bird voices he bears. 
Note that the concluding line in each stanza has an 
extra foot, thus giving an air of completion. 
All things that lore the sun. Suggest some of these. 
Thc sky rejoices. Comparc 
The moon doth with delight 
Look round her when the Heavens are bare. 
Intimations o] lmmortalty--WoavsWOaTr 
Plashy. Covered with pools of water. 
Runs with her. The mist is elevated into a thing 
animated with feelings of play and companionship. 
Notice how in each stanza the joy of Nature changes; 
calm and sweet at first, then glad, then gleeful. 

CROSSING THE BAR 
IAGE 346.--Sun.ct and et'ening star. These words 
set the keynote of the poem, written in the premonition 
of death, as is suee._ted . in the expression, " one clear 
call for me" 
Moaning of the bar. Refers to the mournful plash 
of the waves over the bar, or shoal, at the mouth of the 
harbour. Explain the formation of such bars, where the 
river current meets the dead waters of the sea. 
It will be seen that the poem may be separated into 
two equal parts. Assign a subject to each. 
Note the careful correspondence between the parts of 
the first stanza in each: " Sunset and evening star" with 
"Twilight and evening bell " 
Sun.et and evening star. These typify the creeping 
on of old age. 


190 THE ONTARIO READERS 

Peccari (pek-kfivi). I have sinned. 
I beliere you. An understatement for the sake of 
emphasis. Maggie's question is treated by Tom as an 
assertion. 
All u'omen are crosser than men. A distinct triumph 
for Tom's views on the sexes. 
,lu,t Glegg. See notes on Maggie Tulliver, Book III, 
P,E 8.--It'll be very wicked. Maggie's use of the 
indicative for a supposition shows how deeply she is 
affected by the possibility of Tom's displeasure. 
Oh, bother, never mind. 5faggie's sense of futurity is 
pressing and immediate. Tom is willing to let the future 
take care of itself. His present troubles are quite enough 
for him. 
P.te 9.--Mathematical mortificalion. A humorous 
application of the adjective. 
PaE lO.--Xo donke9s. Account for the use of the 
plural. 

INGRATITUDE 

(From As You Like It. Act II, vii) 

PAGE lO.--The speaker endeavours to escape from the 
buffetings of men, or at any rate to alleviate their force by 
encountering the fierce buffetings of nature. Corapare 
King Lear, Act nr, ii. 
Spit, fire! Spout, rain! 
Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire, are my daughters: 
I tax not you. you elements, with unkindness; 
I never gave you kingdom, calrd you children. 

To what is "Ingratitude" compared in the first stanza ? 


FOURTH BOOK 193 

The Pinta. In command of Martin Pinzon; Columbus 
sailed in tle Santa Maria. 
Pa(;E 16.--.in island. San Salvador, sighted seventy 
days after leaving Palos. 
Te Deum. "'Te Dcum Laudamus.'" The psalm be- 
ginning with the words " We praise Thee, (t God !" 
Transports. They were beside themselves with re- 
joicing. 
The paragraphs mark accurately the stages in the 
development of the narrative. Give the suhject of each. 

THE FIRST SPRING DAY 

Pa(E 17.--The poet, suffering under a sense of irrepar- 
able loss, is longing for the coming of spring in the hope 
that the joy of the season will bring some a.ssuagement of 
her grief. 
The Poem is lvric in form; that is, it is the free, 
spontaneous, and unrestrained expression of some single, 
deep emotion. The essential chara'tcr of lyric poetry is 
that it aims to reproduce the whole mental experience of 
the writer in the mind and heart of the reader. The 
writer's thoughts, moods, and emotions thus become re- 
incarnated. The melody of the verse suggests the mood; 
the fall of the metrical accent hrings out the words on 
which the stress of meaning or emotion lies ; the symmetry 
of form regulates the development of the ideas. It is not 
necessary to make the child a literary critic to secure his 
understanding of these principles, as exemplified in a poem 
like this, of rare delicacy and heautv. 
Stanza I. The poet has heard the first doubtful notes 
of the robin's song, and in the ensuing silence, she asks for 


FOURTH BOOK 201 

PACE 29.--Shadou's of, etc. Premonitions of his 
death; compare "Coming events cast their shadows 
before" 
Qui rive f (kS-v6v). Equivalent to " Who goes there ?" 
A con,,oy from Bougai, ville. All Montcalm's supplies 
were drawn from Montreal and Three Ilivers, and so 
passed through the hands of Bougainville (BS-gan-vSl'), 
who was stationed at Cap Rouge. Wolfe's attempt to gain 
the Plains of Abraham aboc the city was inspired by the 
hope of cutting off Montcalm's supplies; for lie expected 
that the French would choose a stele, not a battle, and 
here, perhaps, ]fontcalm's generalship failed. 
PAE 31.--The vessels had dropped downu'ard. From 
Cap louge the force had been carried down in thirty large 
bateaux and sonic boaL. 
Plains of Abraham. So called from Abraham Martin, 
once the owner of the land. These lie to the west of the 
city, guarded on the south by the precipitous cliffs of the 
St. Lawrence and on the north by a .atura] glacis, the 
('6t Ste. G6neviSve, sloping down to the swampy flats of 
the St. Charles. 
His wide-extended camp. It stretched from the city 
to the mouth of the Montmorenei, about eight miles to 
the east. 
The ciril power had thu'arted him. Vaudreuil 
(VS-dru'y), the Governor-general, was jealous of Mont- 
calm's superior military rank and his popularity and did 
all that he could to thwart his plans, whilst claiming all 
the glory of his success. Bigot (BrigS'), the Intendaut, 
by an infamous system of peculation, had debauched the 
civil service and beggared the army commissariat. 


FOURTH BOOK 205 

"waits ", who went from house to house, usually receiving 
some refreshnlent. The most famous of these carols 
beginniug, 
God rest you, merry gentlemen, 
May nothing you dismay, 
was sung bv a small boy through Scrooge's key-hole on 
Christmas Eve. 
PAGE 39.--ll'as his own. This iteration is a favourite 
trick of Dickens to euforce an idea. Compare below "a 
splendid laugh, the chuckle ", etc. 
The Spirits o] all Three shall strife within me. His 
memories of his youth, with its fancies, its affections, and 
its :joys; the clear knowledge of his present sordid self; 
and especially the thought of the possibilities of making 
amends to humanity for his selfish coldness, and thereby 
reviving in himself the joy of his youth, would henceforth 
direct his life and conduct. 
Jacob Marley. His former business partner, seven 
years dead, who had been such a man as himself, had 
appeared to him at the beginning of the vision to warn 
and, if possible, to reclaim him. 
Answer to his call. Respond to his will. 
They are not torn down. In the vision of "Christmas 
to come" the bed curtains had been plundered by the char- 
woman and sold to the second,hand dealer. 
PaOE 40.--Laocoon (La-oc'o-on). (See VnoIL, .Eneid 
ii. 40. et seq.) A priest of Apollo, who with his two sons, 
as a punishment for endeavouring to persuade the Trojans 
to destroy the wooden horse consecrated to Minerva. was 
crushed to death in the folds of two serpents sent against 
him up out of the sea by the incensed goddess. Dickens 
humorously compares the stockings to the serpents. 


OURTH BOOK 207 

The chuckle the chuckle the chuckle. 
Ringing the changes on the same expression. 
Requires attention. A humorous use of understate- 
merit. 
PAGE 45.--His nephew's house. The grasping nature 
which had growu in 8t.rooge had overlaid his early tender- 
heSS for his sister, and lie had neglected and quarrelled 
with her son in the selfish fear that his help might he 
looked for. 
Show you up.tairs. To the waiting-room. In London 
the drawing-room, parlour, or waiting-room is generally 
upstairs. 
PAGE 46.--Will yo let me in, Fred? Fred had asked 
him to dinner on Christmas Eve, hut had met with an 
insulting refusal. 
PAGE 47.The Tank. The little outer offlcs in which 
the clerk worked; so called by Dickens to epress its 
narrow, cramped, gloomy appearaace. 
PAGE 48.--Strail-u'aislcoat. A long-sleeved garment 
used to restrain lunatics. 
Bishop. Punch. 
Their fill of laughter. Dickens hated a cynic. 
PAGE 49.--Spirits. The rather commonplace pun is 
quite in place in bringing the narrative to an easy and 
pleasant close, though it must be admitted that Dickens' 
fondness for this sort of wit sometimes betrayed him into 
its use when ilappropriate. See, in particular, previous 
parts of A Christmas Carol. 
The spirit of Dickens as displayed in his writings 
and in his life is this Christmas spirit, which was born 
in Scrooge by his terrible experiences. 


208 THE ONTARIO READERS 

HANDS ALL ROUND 
Tennyson was a strong Imperialist, and to him Canada 
owes a debt of gratitude for discouraging the sentiment, 
at one time str.ng in Eugland, of allowing her to drift 
away from the Empire. 
The scene presented is a patriotic banquet at which 
toasts were dru,k, the guests joining hands after drinking 
tl,e glass. 
Tho toasts are to " Queen and Country", to "The 
Colo,ies", and to--as we simuld say in Canada--" Our 
Legislators ". 
PAGE 49.--This solemn night. The night of an 
annual festival; the word "solemn " originally meant 
annual. 
Cosmopolite. A citizen of the world. The reference 
is to the " Little Englanders", consisting of a coterie of 
statesmen who belie'ed that, ia rebuking a patrioti-.m 
which centred wholly in England and the extension of 
her power, they were the apostles, of a higher political 
morality. They prided them.elves upon their co.mopoli- 
tanism, and instead of looking to the prosperity of Eng- 
land alone, they conceived it to be the policy of the 
highest statesmanship to forward the progress of ciiliTa- 
tion without regard to the interests of any particular 
coun.try. 
Freedom's oak. The oak, emblematic of England, is 
identified with the cause of liberty. 
The true Conserralire. CoSaservatism has sometimes 
been taken to mean the policy of preserving the systems 
of the past in their integrity; but, as Tennyson saw, a 
policy is a growth; and just as a tree can be preserved 
only by lopping away the rotten or the rottine limb._ - 


FOURTH BOOK 211 

Baal. Bel, ,pelles (A-pel'les), all three names are 
given to the sea god of the Assyrians. Sometimes identi- 
fied with Apollo. 
The idols are broke. The ..ssyrians are represented 
as taking revenge on their gods for their defeat. 
Note Byron's excessive employment of poetic imagery; 
the images in his hands become more important than tSe 
thought underlying them. He belongs to an age when, 
as has been truly said, the body of poetry was more highly 
esteemed than its soul. Like IacauIay b prose, he was 
fond of striking lights and shadows. Note the effective 
contrast employed in the second stanza. 
Byron is always graphic. Note the correctness of the 
details given to picture the utter overthrow of the 
Assyrians. 
The poem is far below Moore's in lyrical spirit, partly 
because it is too full of detail, and partly because tim 
narrative form is adopted too exclusively. The key to 
this difference is found in the opening lines of each poem. 

Sound the loud timbrel-- 
The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold. 

THE LARK AT TH] DIGGINGS 

The scene is laid in Australia after the outbreak of 
the gold fever in 1,57. The persons are miners, most .f 
them, perhaps, convicts, for Australia was a convict colony 
until 1853. 
P.tGE 58.--The friends. George Fielding and Tom 
Robinson had been fellow-lodgers in England: Fielding 
had emigrated to Australia, where he had failed as a 
farmer. Robinson, who had been sent out to Australia 


212 THE ONTARIO 

to look for him, found him in the last stages of a severe 
illness. [;old was discovered, and the txo friends started 
for lhe mining camps. 
Note how carefully the writer works out the idea of 
a little hit of England dropped down in the heart of the 
Australian '" hush" Point out the significant details. 
Mo.t of theln diggers. As ,corge wanted the scene 
wholly English, this little bit of Ausiralia jars upon him. 
A gigantic cage. To give the little bird a sense of 
freedom. 
Ptz 59.--The lark. A cant phrase fr a piece of 
svrt ; and it was in this sense that Tm had under- 
stood it. 
From the other rn,l of the camp. The camp at 
Ballarat e'tended for some miles, so that these miners 
did not know the two friends. 
Like most singers. A touch of nature. 
Sotto vote (s,t'tS-vO'[.ha). Softly, in a low voice. 
P_c, 60.--Gave music back. That is, in gratitude, as 
a repayment. 
Out burM. Note the order of words in this sentence, 
and the hreaks in it to suggest the suddenness with which 
the bird breaks out into full song. 
To thin of its theme. ]n contrast with this, recall 
Wordsworih's "' So might'st thou seem. proud privilege, 
to sing, all independent of the leafy spring" 
Dulce domum. Sweet home. 
Sing this rery song. " Out burst in that distant land 
his English song." 
Pc,F. 61.They. The miners. "They" must be 
emphasized strongly in reading fo bring out the reference. 
Song-shine. A beautiful coinage from sunshino 


214 THE ONTARIO READERS 

Cleared. Expresses the difficulty of getting a sailing 
vessel out of the harbour. 
Below the l'irl'. Account for the order of the details. 
Upon the left. They were sailing south. 
O'er the n,cst. At the equator, the sun is over the 
mast at noon. 
Ba.soo. A wind instrument, a |)ass horn. 
Paz 63.--The Bride minstrel.y. A dainty 
picture of the olden time. 
Nodding lleir heads. Keeping time to the music. 
Minstrelsy. Band of minstrels. 
Cannot choose but ]tear. As if bound by a mesmeric 
spell. 
The storm-bla.t. The blast takes on the guise of a 
spirit of evil. Note the vigour of the personification. 
With .lopbg 00.l.% etc. Note (1) the vividness of 
the description ; (2) the means by which hurry is suggested, 
namely, the alliteration, the rhythm, the compression of 
six lines into a stanza, the use of the internal rhyme, the 
bold and striking simile. Use the black-board to illustrate 
the meaning. 
Cold. ()riginally written "' cauld", as emerald, 
"" emerauld". The ship has now reached the region of 
the South Pole. 
P.,(;E 6.--Throtzgh the drifts. Between the moving 
ice-floes. 
Cliffs. Old form of cliffs, snow-clad icebergs. 
Sheen. Here a noun; the word is often used as an 
adjective. 
Nor shapes of men. So far south are they that they 
get glimpses of neither men nor beasts; one old writer 
says that the albatross may be found in waters where no 
fish can live. 


218 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

Or feet our crown star. A little 
florid. 
The honeyed words. His eloquence. 
Masl'. llepresents the political theories of the states- 
men opposed to Imperialism as clothed in language so 
specious as to pass for profound wisdom. The fool is wise 
in his own conceit. See Proverbs xxvi. 5. 
The sequence of ideas is scarcely convincing or satis- 
factory, but the poem i,as merit i, tl,e vigour of its phrases 
and in its forcible n,etapl,ors, as well as in its spirit of 
ardent loyalty. 

THE BLq:tIAL OF MOSES 
The scene is one of sublime grandeur, presented with 
a dignity of language, a nobility of thought, and a rich 
and solemn metrical movement entirely worthy of it. 
P. SO.--Bnt no ron. Note the use of contrast here 
and elsewhere in the poem. 
Train. Funeral procession. The similes taken from 
the dawn of day and the spring-time are beautiful and 
appropriate. 
Them that wept. lefers to the Oriental custom of 
employing professional mourners at the funerals of the 
great. 
Pa 81.--Eyry. What is the derivation? 
Stalking. Hunting by stealth. 
Arms reversed. So the arms are carried at a soldier's 
funeral, indicating that war is over for the dead. 
Mffled drums. Shrouded with black cloth, with the 
same idea as above. 
Funeral car. Usually 


FOURTH BOOK 

The minute-gun. Fired at intervals of a minute, 
corresponding to tile tolling of church bells. 
These incidents of a military funeral should be carefully 
explained to the class. 
Minster transept. In cruciform churches, the transept 
forms tile arms of the cross, the head of the cross is the 
choir, the nave corresponds to the larger supporting beam. 
There is a reference to Westminster Abbey, where rest 
England's bonoured dead. 
Lights like glories [all. From stained glass windows. 
E,blazo,ed wall. With richly decorated tablets in 
memory of the dead. 
Pa(r'. 82.--ll'arrior, poet, pl, ilosopher. Suggested from 
Ihe preceding stanza. 
The hillside [or his pall. A pall is properly a drapery 
covering a coffin; its meaning here is obscure. 
Lie in state. The honoured dead for some days after 
death are placed in coffins covered bv a pall, on a dais ill 
some great church illuminated by constellations of candles. 
Bier. The carriage which conveys tile corpse to the 
grave. 
Shall break again. Refer to the story of the Trans- 
figuration. St. lIatthew xvii. 2, 3. 
The hills he nerer trod. The hills of Palestine, the 
Promised Land which he was not allowed to enter. 
The stri[e. Christ's life, sufferings, and death. 
P.n 83.--Curious. Inquisitive. 
The poem is applied as an illustration that the ways of 
God are "past finding out ". It teaches the lesson of 
simple, unquestioning faith. 
Read the Funeral o[ lVelli,glon, p. 324, and the Burial 
o[ Sir John Moore, Book III, p. 106. 


FOURTH BOOK 221 

Mace. A long-handled hammer, with a spiked ball for 
a head. 
Address. Practised skill. 
PAGE 87.--Hs harness. His armour. 
PA(E 88.--Lingua franca. A mixture of Italian with 
Turkish, Arabian, and Greek. 
Emir. A title bestowed on all independent chiefs, and 
descendants of Mohammed through his daughter Fatimah. 
Nazarene. A follower of Jesus of Nazareth. 
Moslem. Mussulman is a corrupted form of the word 
M,slem ; a Mohammedan. 
A synthesis of the lesson may be worked out on these 
lines : 
1. What advantages had each of the combatants? 
2. How did they strive to make use of them ? 
The conclusion, like that of The Battle of the Pipes, 
leaves everybody satisfied. 

MERCY 

This selection is taken from The Merchant of Venice, 
Act IV, i. 
PAGE 89.--Strained. Forced; in reply to Shylock's 
" On what compulsion must I ?'" 
Droppeth. In contrast with "strained" 
Sceptre. The sceptre is emblematic of the kins 
power and authority, and so is suggestive of him as 
executing justice. 
Attribute to awe. The appropriate emblem of awe. 
Attribute to God. A part of God's nature, a quality 
that helps to make up man's idea of God. 
Shew. Appear. 


FOURTH BOOK 225 

See Milton's catalogue of the fallen angels, Paradise 

Lost. Bk. 1. 
King of Kings. 
Stare of Slates. 
King of Kings. 
Perfect freedom. 

Revelation of St. John, xix. 16. 
Ruskin's coinage, by analogy with 

See the Book of Common Prayer, 

the Collect for Peace : "Whose service is perfect freedom ". 
Slavery. Because in this latter case one gives work 
grudgingly, the object being money; and in the former 
gladly, the object being the perfection of the work. 
Note throughout the uses of contrast and the rhctori(.al 
means by which these contrasts are rendered effective. 
In what way does Ruskin give vivacity to the illustra- 
tions which he employs ? 

UNTRODDEN WAYS 

The poem is based on the proneness of humanity to 
regard the lot of others as hal,pier than their own. It 
consists of a well-marked introduction, development, and 
conclusion. 
The introduction 1)resents a scene of idyllic beauty. 
The development shows the lonely ploughman halting his 
team to catch some glimpse of the life of the great city, 
which seems to him embodied in the passing train, which, 
as it rapidly recedes from view, leaves llim in a reverie 
upon the joys and excitements of city life in comparison 
with his own dull round ; by way of contrast with this, the 
wearied travellers on the train, enchanted with the beauty 
of the scene, think life to the ploughman must be one long 
holiday. 
The conclusion gives the application to life ; each sees 
only one side of the picture---that illumined by fancy. 


FOURTH BOOK 227 

as their life span is but a single day. (See Comstock's 
Insect Life, Chapter IV.) 
From tle mould. The ephemera, in the state of larvae 
and pupae, are aquatic. When ready for their final change, 
they creep out of the water, generally toward sunset, and 
shed their whole skin (mould), propagate their species, 
and die, taking no food in the perfect state. 
Gossamer. The webs spun by small spiders on stubble 
or grass, and rendered easily visible on a dewy morning. 
(See Comstock, Chapter VIII.) 
Come up. The ground is dr)-, and so ready for the 
plough on the hilltop earlier than in the damp valleys. 
The bigh-]ole. This bird, also called flicker, and 
golden-winged woodpecker, or yellow-hammer, arrives 
about the middle of April. "It is chiefly a ground feeder, 
ants forming a large portion of its food", for the capture 
of which its tongue is specially adapted. 
Tle woodgrbs. Observe that each bird selects food 
to his taste. 
The assemblage of details in the last stanza gives 
movement, colour, life, and reality to the picture. 
The pupils should write papers, telling all they know 
about the habits of these birds. 

THE ARCHERY CONTEST 

The extract is from Scott's Irahoe, Chapter XIII. 
The incident took place at the close of the second day's 
tournament at Ashby, in the presence of Prince John, at 
that time deep in a plot to seize the throne of his brother, 
Richard I. The latter had been imprisoned in a castle 
in the Tyrol by the Duke of Austria, whose enmity he 
had incurred in the Holy Land. The tournament is indeed 


228 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

a part of the plot against the King, of whose liberation 
Prince John had just heard. 
PAGE 97.--Waldenar. Fitzurse, confidential adviser to 
Prince John. 
Yeoranlih'e. Creditably to this class. The yeomen 
were the substantial common people of England below the 
ranks of the gentry; from this class the archery of Eng- 
land were mainly drawn. 
.4 forester. As we should say, a game warden. 
MIcoisin. A Norman baron in the service of John, 
who had competed in the tournament. 
Try conclL.ions. As we should say, "see who will come 
out best ". 
,,'ith. Old form for " since" 
It be no better. No better terms are offered. 
Braggart. A name scarcely deserved in view of 
Locksley's modesty of speech. 
The bgle. A bugle was to be the prize for the winner. 
Silcer penies. The silver penny was a coin containing 
twenty-four grains of silver. 
Hastings. When the Conqueror came over. 
PG 98.--The former target. This paragraph is a 
fine examp|e of graphic description. Note the carefully 
elaborate details which produce this effect. 
Anxiety to pause. In contrast with Hubert's delibera- 
tion. 
An. In case. 
Runagate. Vagabond. 
Kna'e. A low fellow. 
POF 99.--Generation. Descendants. 
Mend. Better, improve. 
Shivers. Splinters. 


FOURTH BOOK 231 

AUTUMN WOODS 
PA(E 103.--The two opening stanzas set forth the time 
and the place. The time is when the trees, depleted of the 
luxuriance of their summer foliage though not yet 
stripped bare by the tempests, are gay with the rich colour- 
ing of autumn. The place is a ,'alley embowered in the 
heart of woodland slopes rising into mountainous peaks in 
the distance. In the second stanza, the poet's fancy 
idealizes the scene; the mountain peaks become groups of 
richly attired kings; the vale becomes enchanted ground. 
Note, too, in the stanza, the slower and more dignified 
metrical movement. The following stanzas describe the 
poet's walks along the woodland slopes, sweetened by the 
companionship of the south-west wind, and brightened by 
the mild beams of the early autumn sun. The poem con- 
cludes with the reflection that a life spent among such 
scenes as these would be happier than that permitted to 
mortals. 
lXTote the uses made of personification throughout the 
poem and the varied rhythms in the metre. 
Note the use made of contrast, especially in the sixth 
and seventh stanzas. 
In the seventh stanza, explain "strange" 
Bryant's literary work, notwithstanding its employ- 
ment of suspended and even involved constructions, is, 
on account of its grammatical exactness and the propriety 
of its expressions, always of an admirable lucidity. To 
this he adds a singular power of condensation. Test the 
justice of this criticism. 

IN A CANOE 
The extract consists of a description of the canoe: 
(1) As it glides over the smooth surface of a lake or down 


23 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

some swift stream; (2) as it rushes headlong de)wn the 
rapids. Note the long sentences in the first part, broken 
only by one or two short sentences for tile sake of variety, 
as compared with the quick, incisive, short sentences and 
sentence phrases in the exciting part. of the description. 
Note, too, the succession of participial phrases in parallel 
construction. These devices are employed to give the 
reader a sense of excitement. The justic.e of this remark 
may perhaps be exhibited by altering the form of one of 
these sentcuces only slightly. " Before you there is a 
seething mass of foam with its whiteness broken by lurid 
black rocks, whose jagged sides with a single tout'h, after 
ripping the canoe into tatters, would hurl you iuto eter- 
nity." The change in effect is entirely due to the linking 
of the phrases more closely te)gether and the adoption of 
the periodic structure. 
Much of the effectiveness of tile description depends 
upon the sense of hearing--for example, "the sharp, 
quick beat of the paddles", " the roll of their shafts 
again.t the gunwale ", " the hiss and ripple of the stream ", 
and the use of onomatopoetic expressions. 
Note tile use of the second personal pronoun and the 
present tense throughout, to impart vividness. 
PG l*5.--Thwnrt. The crossbar upon which the 
paddler rests. 
PE 108.--Crash ! You are right on that rocl'. His 
fears are so vivid as to assume the guise of reality. 

AFTON WATER 

Alton Water is a small tributary of the Nith in Ayr- 
shire, near Alton Lodge, which was the house of Mrs. 
Stewart, formerly of Stair. "This song was presented to 


FOURTH BOOK 233 

her in return for her notice--the first Burns ever received 
from any person in her rank of life." {ilbert Burns, how- 
ever, asserts that the poem is addressed to IIigbland Mary. 
P.(JE 109.--Den. A wooded hollow. Compare Ilaw- 
tbornden, IIazeldean. 
Lapu'ing. The lapwing, sometimes called the peewit 
from its cry, is a bird of the plover family, and derives 
its uame from its leaping or jerking mode of flight; lap 
equals leap. 
P,(E llO.--Mild eeening weeps. Refers to the 
evening dews. 
Birk. Birch. The birk shares the honours of Scottish 
poetry with the pine and rowan. 
Wanton. Parse. The line contains a beautiful 
picture. 
Write a description of Afton Water as here portrayed. 
What is the pervading feeling in the poem? 
Observe that poetic symmetry is attained: (1) By the 
similarity in form of the opening and closing stanzas; 
(2} by the arraugemeut of ideas in each stanza--the first 
part devoted to the praise of the stream, the second to 
the expression of a tender affection for the beloved one. 

DAVID COPPERFIELD'S FIRST JOURNEY ALONE 
The selection is from David Copperfield, Chapter V. 
This is a little comedy in three acts, representing 
David's embarrassment, his guilelessness, and his awaken- 
ing. 
What circumstances emphasize David's embarrass- 
ment ? 
What incidents present his guilelessness and sim- 
plicity ? 


FOURTH BOOK 235 

I sleep on the coals. 
with considerable artistic skill. 
Received up 
incongruity. 
PaE liB.--Qualities, etc. 
life. 

The waiter works up his climax 
thumb. Humour of 
Gives the application to 

THE BAREFOOT BOY 

The divisions of the poem are as follows: An intro- 
ductory and a concluding address to the barefoot boy. 
The introduction, however, has two main divisions, indi- 
cated, as all the main divisions are, by lines concluding 
with "barefoot boy". The development consists of three 
parts, each opening with the expression of a wish, " Oh 
for", etc., and containing reminiscences, for which the 
line "I was once a barefoot boy" prepares us. 
The motive is well expressed in the concluding lines: 

Ah! that thou couldst know thy Joy 
Ero it passes, barefoot boy! 

What characteristics of the barefoot boy are described 
in the first part of the introduction ? 
What in the second? 
PAGE ll8.--Prince thou art Only is republi- 
can. The reflection is a little out of place in an address 
to a barefoot boy. The boy claims service from all. 
Everything is to minister to his wants and caprices. He 
is thus a prince. He will learn, when he grows up, that 
he has no more claim to service than any one else, and 
that in republican phrase---" All men are free and equal " 
The reach of ear and eye. This idea is fully worked 
out in the succeeding lines of the poem. 


238 THE ONTARIO READERS 

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA IN THE " THIRTIES" 
The style is simple and naturah It scarcely departs 
anywhere fr,n, direct statement (Note exceptions.) The 
paragraphs are each headed with a statement of the 
suhject and contain an exposition of that and nothing 
else. There are here and there some gentle touches of 
humour. 
P.E ] 25.--Drags. Harrows. 
P6E l?7.--Spbzet. A stringed instrument of trian- 
gular form, not unlike a harp; so called because in playing 
it the strings were twitched with a spine or quill. 

HEAT 
Describe what the poet sees; what he feels; what he 
hears. 
Make a sketch of the scene, introducing: (1) The dis- 
tant background of hills; (2) the road climbing up hill; 
{:)) the wagoner and his horse; (4) the bridge, the stream, 
the near-by fields, the distant shelteri,g elms. The 
teacher should encourage the pupils to select carefully 
the relative positions in which these objects are to be 
placed in the picture, so as to accord with the scene pre- 
sented in the poem. 
In what way does each of these images contribute to 
the object of the poem? 
PE ]S.--Tlat reel. Swim before the eyes in the 
sun's glare. Compare with "seems to swim" 
Idly clac'i,g ,']eels. What other fine example of 
imitative harmony occurs i, the poem ? " Idly clacking" 
conveys the idea of slow, leisurely, lazy movement. 


244 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

lines, perhaps, better than anything else in the poem indi- 
cate the poetical bent of :Roberts' genius. 
Than its summer canopy sifted. Make a grammatical 
analysis of the line. The metaphor is ri.hly suggestive, 
and is a great improvement on the "' chequered shade" of 
the older poets. 
And oh! to be near it still. Note the fulness of sug- 
gestion in this line. 
THE GREENWOOD TREE 
PAC, E 142.--The selectiou is from As You Like It, v. ii. 
This is the truest and nmst natural presentation of 
the "'simple life" in literature. The appeal is to a uni- 
versal longing for temporary respite from social bondage 
to live the life of the birds and flowers and all the sveet 
and gentle kindred of the wild. Compare with this poem 
Hogg's The Skylark, p. 32, and the closing stanzas of 
Bryant's Autumn ll'oods, p. 104. 
Man's ideal of happiness, properly understood, is per- 
fect freedom, tlere it is freedom from care that is 
emphasized. 
It is notable that the poem is almost devoid of orna- 
ment of any kind; its effect depends solely upon the depth 
and sincerity of the sentiment. 

LAKE SUPERIOR 

The selection depends for its effectiveness upon a pic- 
turesque grouping of well-known facts, each of which, 
taken by itself, is uninteresting; but grouped as they are, 
offset by a vigorous contrast, and expressed in language 
always rhetorical and sometimes poetic in its rhythm and 


FOURTII BOOK 245 

freedom, they are invested with the charm of the imagina- 
tion. The paragraph arrangement is not quite satisfactory, 
and the loose adjectival clause at the end is a little dis- 
appointing. 
P.E 143.--English miles. What is the length of a 
geographical mile ? 
Cedar Rapids. The rapids on the St. Lawrence River 
above Montreal are, in order, the Lachine, Cascade, Cedar, 
Coteau. The Cedar Rapids marked, in 159, the western 
limit of Canadian settlement. 
PAE 144.--The only ones thai ecer lasl. Allusion to 
"the everlasting hills", Genesis xlix. 26. The Lauren- 
tian hills are of Archaan formation; these primitive rock 
formations suffer less from the agencies of denudation and 
erosion than the subsequent stratified rocks. 
There are rivers. Compares the waters from Lake 
Superior, which flow through the St. Lawren(.e channel, 
with such rivers as the Mississippi and the Rhiue. Sig- 
nificant comparisons such as these may be found in the 
School Geographies. 
The teacher shouhl endeavour to apply the introductory 
criticism in the teaching of the lesson. 

THE RED RIVER PLAIN 

The opening sentent.e would seem to suggest a very 
different line of treatment from that which follows. The 
writer is wholly preoccupied with the immensities of 
things. Compare, in this respect, what it is that appeals 
to him most in Lake Superior. Even in what is pr.ac- 
tically a second paragraph, beginning with "The effect of 
sunset ", where one would have expected the emphasis to 
17  


248 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

Spiked candlesticks. The spiked foot of the candle- 
stick was thrust into the wood wherever convenience sug- 
gested. 
Marred that player's enjoyment. Humour, by ironical 
mildness of statement. 
PA61 151.--Draughts. Cheekers. 
Bull-bail. Still a favourite Spanish amusement. 
The lance. See the Chronicles of De .loinrilIe (I) 
Zhoan-vl ) and Froi.sarl's (Froissirt') Ch ton icle 
(Ew.r,-la x's L,,ar). 
Garlic. A kind of leek or onion. 
P).31 152.--ll'ith a cross. We still have our "Hot 
Cross Buns" on Good Friday. 
Rufus. William II. called Rufus, or The Red, on 
account of his complcxion, second son and successor of 
William the Conqueror. 
Acquiremenls. Accomplishments. 
Pac, E 153.--Ma.s-prieM. A priest whose rank entitled 
him to administer the c,,mmunion. 
The cloister. The monastic life. 
Tilt. Joust. A sport in which opposing knights rode 
at full tilt against each other, armed with long. steel-shod 
lances with which each endeavoured to kill or unhorse his 
opponent. 
Pagehood, squirchood. The knight had to serve first 
as page, then as squire, before being admitted to the 
honours of knighthood. 
In matters of style, note the skilful alternation of long 
and short sentences, and the dear, simple, lucid, and inter- 
esting presentation of ideas. Especially in the second 
paragraph, note the graphic series of pictures. Note also 
the effective use of comparison and contrast. 


FOURTH BOOK 249 

YE MARINERS OF ENGLAND 
The poem may be summarized as follows: Your ances- 
tors have left you a heritage of glory ; you are called upon 
to emulate their deeds. These historic memories will 
inspire you in your task. Britain looks with proud con- 
fidece to you alone as her defence. England will not be 
unmindful of you when your task is done. 
PAC, E 154.--0ur native seas. Coined after "our native 
land". What are the native seas? 
Brm'ed the battle and the breeze. The flag 
is used for the might of wbich it is emblematic. 
A thousa,d years. Alfred the (-;rear is popularly sup- 
posed to have founded the fleet toward the close of the 
nintb century; as this poem was completed in 1800, the 
fleet had existed for nearly a thousand years. 
Launch. Fling forth to the breeze. 
To match another foe. In the year of the poem, the 
Armed Neutrality League had been formed, consisting of 
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Russia, with the Czar 
Paul at its bead. (See Green's llistory of the Engli.,h 
People, Bk. IX, ('bapter 5.) The Battle of the Baltic and 
the assassination of the Czar put an end to its existence. 
It is amusing to recall that in this year, part of which the 
poet spent in France, he was arrested there as a spy. The 
search made of bis belongings revealed nothing more trea- 
sonable than this poem, and he was at once set at liberty 
as he was "only a poet " 
Where Blal'e atd nighty Nelson fell. The line stood 
originally " Where Blake, the boast of freedom, fell ". 
Nelson was already made famous by his destruction of 
the French fleet in the Bay of Aboukir (A-bS"kr) on 
August 1st, 1798. It was uot till five years after the pub- 


FOURTH BOOK 251 

Dangeds troubled night. The gloom cast over Eng- 
land by the threatening attitude of Napoleon. 
The storm has ceased to blow. The corresponding 
lines in the preceding stanza. are taken literally; here 
the "storm ", hv metaphor, represents war. 
The poem stirs the blood like the sound of a trumpet. 
Suggest three reasons for this. 
q'he stanza at the foot of page 155 is from Tennvson's 
You ask e why. 

HOME THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD 
P.. 157.--0h, to be in England. Browning spent 
a great part of hi. time in Italy. 
April's there. A personification, as though April were 
a friend one would wish to meet. 
Whoerer wakes. The joy is universal--shared hy 
every one. 
Unaware. Unexpectedly. 
The brushwood sheaf. The suckers at the foot of the 
tree trunk, and pos.ibly the growth from adventitious buds 
along the bole. 
The chalnch. A British finch, whose song is heard 
from early spring till midsummer, possibly so called from 
its note. Compare the Canadian period for the American 
goldfinch. 
In Enfflandnow. The break, which should be well 
marked in the reading, indicates emotion roused in the 
poet's mind hy the far-off, beloved scene. 
White-throat. A small British bird of the warbler 
family. 


FOURTH BOOK 253 

imitative harmonies being a special feature of the com- 
position. The double rhymes have called for a rare ingenu- 
ity, which, though generally successful, works out in 
some cases at the cost of sober sense. The defects, how- 
ever, escape notice in the maze of wonderfully woven 
melodies. Apply the criticism. 
PaE 158.--River Lee. The river on which Cork is 
situated. 
TI, y belfry. The spire of Shandon Church was built 
on the ruins of old Shandon Castle. 
Adrian's Mole. Adrian's Mausoleum at lome, after- 
wards reconstructed as the Castle of St. Angelo. Adrian, 
or ttadrian, will be remembered as the Emperor who built 
the Roman Wall from the Tvne to the Solway in a.D. 120. 
The Vatican. The Pope's palace at Rome. 
Notre Dame. The great cathedral at Paris is intended. 
P.tE 159.--The dome of ,'. Peter. St. Peter's at 
Rome, which was rebuilt. The dome was designed by 
Michael Angelo, the celebrated Italian painter, sculptor, 
and architect. A good idea of St. Peter's and the Vatican 
may be got from Robinson's Inlroduction o lle History of 
ii'eler, Europe, pp. 3---5, illustrated with a cut. 
A bell i, lloscow. "' The Monarch of Moscow." The 
largest bell in the world, twenty-one feet in diameter, and 
weighing one hundred and ninety-three tons. It was 
broken by a fall in 1797, and now forms the dome of a 
chapel. The poet, in 1834, the date of the poem, evidently 
assumes that it was still in use as a bell. 
Kiosk. Properly a summer-house; here it seems to 
mean an open tower. 
Saint Sophia. Originally a Chri.tian church at Con- 
stantinople, but con'erted by the Turks into a Moham- 
medan temple. 


FOURTH BOOK 257 

It is one of our fatal human frailties that we continu- 
ally rob ourselves of the joy in beauty through a barbarous 
covetousness which desires to possess itself in some way of 
the beautiful object. We cannot see a noble deed done 
without applauding it, and thus claiming credit for simi- 
larity of intention, if not of act. 
Compare, in some respects, tile sentiments in Each and 
All by the same poet, and also Wordsworth's ]'arrow Un- 
visited, and The Highland Girl. 

MERCY TO ANIMALS 
PAe, E 169.--Fine sense. Culture, refinement. 
Wanting. Lacking. 
Sensibility. Tenderness of heart; thoughtfulness for 
others. 
Forewarned. That is, if forewarned. 
The reptile. Any creeping tiling; here the snail. 
Vermin. Used chiefly in the plural, here singular. 
Alcove. A recess intended for a couch or seat. 
Refectory. An eating-room. 
The sum. The principle. 
Eztinguish. Override. 
This didactic poem is written in English heroic metre 
(iambic pentameter). It is a protest against thoughtless 
and unnecessary cruelty. It forms good subject-matter 
for re-statement in plain prose. 

THE UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS 
PAGE 170.--Inaugurated. The use of the 
"inaugurated" in this sense is open to criticism. 

word 


FOURTH BOOK 259 

PAGE 172.--To Chippewa. To avoid Niagara Falls 
and the Rapids. 
Sir Richard Bonnycastle. He wrote The Canadas in 
1841, and Canada and the Canadians iu 1846. 
The Pilgrim Fathers. These were a body of Noncon- 
formists who, toward the end of Elizabeth's reign, went 
to Holland, but finding it difficult to maintain themselves 
them returned to England in July, 1620. At Southamp- 
ton they embarked in two small vessels, one of which, the 
Speedwell, had to be abandoned as unseaworthy at Ply- 
mouth. In the other, the Mayflower, they reached the 
coast of Massachusetts in November, and shortly after- 
ward selected the site of their new settlement, which they 
called Plymouth, in memory of the port from which they 
had last sailed. Half of their number perished through 
hardships before the folloxving spring. 

OFT, IN THE STILLY NIGHT 
P),3 E 173.--Stilly. 
an adverb. 
Slunber's chain. Note Moore's fondness for 
metaphor. 
Fond Memory. Note personification. Explain 
sense in which the word is here used. 
The light of other days. The vision of the past. 
idea is expressed in a beautiful poetic phrase. 
The six following lines fill in the details of the vision. 
Sad Memory. -ote the change from "fond" to 
" Sad" Explain. 
P.,3E 174.--Linked. Linked by the ties of love. 
Fall like leares. What figures are employed? Are 
the images consistent ? 

Silent. The word is also used as 
this 
the 
The 


FOURTH BOOK 261 

Compare : 
The soul of music slumbers in the shell, 
Till waked and kindled by the master's spell; 
And feeling hearts, touch them but rightly, pour 
A thousand melodies unheard before! 
Human LiIe--ROGERS 
Shed. Like light, all-pervading. 
The pride. The pride that inspired men to noble 
deeds; compare the following expressions: " beat high for 
praise '; and "glory's thrill ", which suggest the same idea. 
Beat high [or praise. I{ead in any Irish history the 
exploits of Fin McCool and his famous band. 
That pulse. Here a noun, equivalent to "throb" or 
"thrill ". 
PAOE 175.--Chiefs and ladies bright. This conjures 
up a scene of gay festivity, suggestive of the glories of 
the ancient capital. 
That breaks. The chord gives forth the single musical 
sound in the breaking. This represents the few, spas- 
modic utterances of the Irish muse, wrung from her by 
the bitterness of her grief. 
Thus freedom. The sadness of the patriotic Irish is 
the only sign that the spirit of Freedom still survives. 
The comparison introduced by "Thus" between the 
breaking chord which shows that the soul of music is not 
quite dead, and the breaking heart, which shows that 
freedom still survives, should be fully developed. 
Moore's mastery of melodious verse is well exemplified 
in this poem. 

HUDSON STRAIT 

PAOE 175.--Resolution Island. A small island off the 
southernmost extremity of Baffin Island. 


266 THE ONTARIO READER 

B,uce. See History of England. 
Lotr. Threaten; also spelled, lower. 
Proud Edward's. Edward II. 

ST. AMBROSE CREW WIN THEIR FIRST RACE 
This selection is taken from Tol, Brown at Oxford, 
Chapter XI] I. 
PA(E 180.--Harl'. The reader is placed in the scene 
of the race. 
Tle first gu. The signal to make ready for the race. 
Sent Tom's leart iafo his todl. The centre of 
interest in the story lies in following out Tom's emotions 
and feelings as the race goes on. 
Se,eral of flee boats ];..led o. The racing boats 
were lying at regular intervals along the banl,:. How are 
boats usually placed at the beginning of a race in Canada? 
Crowds of men. Mainly students of the different 
colleges of which Oxford University is composed. The 
men of each college would be naturally assembled in the 
vicinity of their college boat. 
The slacou, of the combg excitemet. Coming events 
cast their shadows before. 
The St. Atbrose. St. Ambrose and Exeter are the 
only colleges named in the extract. 
Th.e stretchers. Bars laid across the bottom of the 
boat against which the feet of the rowers are braced. 
Bow (pronounce as "bough"). The first oarsman, 
seated in the bow. 
Turtted on his seat. The coxswain, or steersman, was 
seated in the stern with the captain in the next seat, facing 
him. 
Up the boat. Toward the bow. 


FOURTH BOOK 267 

To pass from him into the crew. Compare Vital 
Lampada, page 395. 
PaGE 181.--To get way on her. To get the boat in 
motion, to give momentum. 
The lemon. Used by athletes to keep the mouth and 
throat moist and clear of phlegm. 
Poised their oars. Placed them in position for the 
stroke. 
Number two. In a race the oarsmen are addressed 
by number. The captain and Number Two each held a 
right-hand oar, and so could conveniently thrust the boat 
off. 
Pay out. Let it slide out gradually. 
Her place. The place assigned to her for starting. 
P.GE 182.--You must back her. The Captain speaks. 
To keep her behind the starting-line. 
On stroke side. The right-hand oarsmen. 
No easy matter. Their whole mind was bent on going 
ahead, not backward. 
The torpids. Junior races. 
Unshipping his oar. Removing it from the rowlocks. 
Short minute indeed. In their excitement it seemed 
an age. 
PaGE 183.--Taut. Tight, with the pull of the rope 
against the push of the boat-hook, necessary to maintain 
the boat's exact position for the start. 
Before the sound. At what rate does sound travel? 
Light? 
Can roll up the river. The race was upstream, and 
the starting-gun fired from far in the rear. 
In leash. As hounds are held by means of thongs 
before the hunt begins. 


FOURTH BOOK 271 

Hawks. Hawks were used for fowling, for which 
their strong, swift flight and mighty talons peculiarly 
fitted them. They were taken into the field with their 
heads covered with a hood, and were attached to their 
owner's wrist with a leash until the suitable moment, 
when they were released. Then they shot up into the 
air with tile velocity of an arrow until well above their 
prey, which they pounced down upon. Compare " Let 
the hawk stoop, his prey is flown" 
Horns are knelling. Read the well-known song Do 
ye ken John Peel? 
Knelling. What is the usual significance? 
Merrily, merrily mingle they. Note the quickened 
measure and the alliteration. 
The mountain gray. The gray granite of the mountains. 
Springlels. A coinage. Mist is rising from the little 
pools where the mountain springs have gathered their 
waters. 
The brake. Probably thickets of heather or of the 
bracken fern; though the word simply means a thicket. 
PatE 190.--The greenwood. A familiar expression 
in tile border minstrelsy. See Shakespeare's The Green- 
wood Tree, p. 142. 
]'onlh and mirth and glee run a course. And so 
come to an end, when their course is run. The moralizing 
at the close is not at all in the spirit of the minstrelsy, 
which has hitherto furnished the model for the poem. 
Baulk. The more modern spelling is "balk"; the 
word originally meant an impediment in the shape of a 
beam laid across the way, and so came to its verbal use 
of "to frustrate". The moral is that of Horace, " Carpe 
Diem "' Enjoy the present, let the future take care of 
itself. 


FOURTH BOOK 273 

movement of bodies of armed men. The little dramatic 
touch in the second line renders the scene more vivid. 
Note the vigorous explosive opening of the successive 
lines, well calculated to rouse the martial spirit. 

THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER 
P,C,,E 192.--The loon. The characteristics of the 
loon, so well portrayed in the skctch, are its sleepless 
activity, its dreary, expressionless cry, its graceful swim- 
ming, its suspicious nature, its pride in its handsome 
personal appearance, its steady, strained, energetic flight, 
its graceful, silent dive, its maternal solicitude. 
The work is evidently that of a close and sympathetic 
observer of nature, whom we recognize in the angler 
picturesquely protected bv a mosquito net. The pictures 
are presented with the ease and viva.ity of a pen that 
never lacks the appropriate expression. The phrases ex- 
pressive of t'olour, sound, and movement are singularly 
suggestive. The style is so simple and direct that annota- 
tion seems superfluous. 
Tremolo. A musical term to designate the vibration 
of the voice. 
The roice of the bhospitable night. Approaches the 
poetic in freed-m of expression. It brings up a picture 
of the lone night wanderer to whom all doors are closed. 
The ear of Mght. The silent night. Night is repre- 
sented as listening in silence. Would the ear of day have 
any meaning ? 
And sometimes, etc. Note the exquisite beauty and 
truth of the picture in this sentence. 
P,oF 193.--His kinship. He belongs to the same 
family as the duck, all the members of which take a delight 
in preening themseh'es. 


FOURTH BOOK 277 
Cuckoo and the Vighlingale. These poems should be 
read ; each will be found to contribute something to the 
understanding of this poem. 

ON THE GRASSHOPPER AND CRICKET 

The music of nature is never silent, for when the 
summer heat has drowsed the birds, the grasshopper's 
cheery voice is heard; and when the chill of winter has 
tilled the note of SOllg, tile cri.kct comes to take tile place 
of the grasshopper, and does it so well that he who drowses 
by the fireside dreams of summer chirpings upon sunny 
hills. 
The sonnet consists of an o.tave and a sestette. The 
octave usually luay be arranged as two quatrains. The 
arrangement of the rhymes is variable. In the present 
instance, the rhyme scheme for the two quatrains is 
a b b a; a b b a and for the sestette c d e; e d e. 
P.,,E 197.--,"tttttttter ltt.rttry. The delights of summer. 
His deliglls. What are his delights, as set forth here? 
Pa6E 198.--Some plea.att tceed. Weed in its original 
sense of a "growing thing'. The word has deteriorated. 
Is cea.bg. Why the imperfect tense? 
The Cricket. Describe its haunts. 

THE GREAT NORTHWEST 

Note here, as in The Red Rirer Plain, page 1-t5, the 
writer's fondness for dwelling on the immensities. Select 
nouns, adjectives, and adverbs in the extract, expressive 
of this idea. 
A valuable exercise on the lesson will be to have pupils 
re-state the facts in precise form. 
19  


280 THE ONTARIO READERS 

Makes the voice of solitude audible. 0nly serves to 
intensif.v the feeling of loneliness. 
Compare with this passage I3rvant's Prairies and 
Byron's Ocean. " Such as Creation's dawn beheld, thou 
rollest now", from the latter, is so nearly parallel that 
the writer must have had it in mind. 

RULE. BRITANNIA 
PA, 202.--At tlearen's command. Britain is repre- 
sented in the poetic ision as rising from the waves at 
tile cmmand of |leaven, while her assembled guardian 
angels announce in choral s)ng her mission as mistress of 
the seas. It is important that the reader should fully 
image the picture. 
The charter of the land. This would specify the lib- 
erties and privileges of the land thus brought to birth. 
Specify in your own words what these are. 
Px6 2[.3.--Xot so blest as thee. Thee or thoug 
To tyrants fall. To native or foreign tyrants? Com- 
pare in Byron's Orean--"Assyria, Greece, Rome, Car- 
thage, what are they ?" 
More dreadful. ]lore to be dreaded. 
Each foreign stroke. Each attack of foreign nations; 
for example, the attack on England by the Invincible 
Armada. 
Tame. Subdue. 
Thy generous flame. Thy noble spirit, in especial the 
spirit of freedom. 
Their woe and thy renown. An effective contrast. 
The rural reign, etc. Britain shall be first in agricul-. 
ture, in commerce, in naval power, and in colonial great- 
aess. Illustrate each of these. 


FOURTH BOOK 291 

The Muses, still with Freedom found. This gives ex- 
pression to the idea that poetry can flourish only in a land 
that is free. Compare, for poetical expressions of the same 
view, Byron's Isles of Greece, M,ore's Minstrel-Boy, Book 
III, p. 71; The IIarp Thor Once Through Tara's IIalls, 
Book IV, p. 174. 
And manly heart.. This is out of construction with 
the preceding line. 
Note throughout the poem the use made of allitera- 
tion, contrast, simile, vi.ion, and apostrophe. 

THE SPACIOUS FIRMAMENT 
Refer to Psalm xix. 1. 
Note sequence of general and particulars. 
PaGE 205.--The spaciou. a shining frame. 
What part of these lines seems to refer to the skies by day 
and what to the skies by night? 
Firmament. This designation is retained from a time 
when the celestial sphere was conceived as a solid concave 
in which the stars were set or fixed. Compare "a shining 
frame" below. 
Their great Original proclaim. That is, proclaim the 
greatness of their Creator. How? 
To every land. As the earth revolves. 
Soon as. Supply the ellipsis. 
The wondrous tale. Of creation. 
Nightly to the listening Earth, etc. A beautiful poetic 
invention, embodying a sublime truth. 
The dari" terrestrial ball. The earth. Would the earth 
appear dark to the inhabitant. of the other planets? 


FOURTH BOOK 253 

abounding that every sense feels it. The poem from be- 
ginning to end, in its subtly woven melodies, is a piece of 
music, 'opening with a soft and thrilling sweetness and 
growing richer and bolder toward its triumphant close. 
The careful art with which the poet links together 
related ideas by varied rhyme schemes and grammatical 
devices is worthy of note. Examine, in this particular, the 
last section of the poem from " We may shut our eyes" to 
the close. 
P.GE 206.--So rare. So exquisite. 
If erer. What is the effect of the qualification? 
Towers. Implied simile; " towers" is applied to the 
upward flight of a bird. 
Cowslip. The cowslip belongs to the same family as 
the primrose (prinula). It is found in Britain in damp 
places. The name is sometimes applied in America to 
the marsh-marigold, and this is probably the flower re- 
ferred to here. 
Startles. Starts up. 
Nice ear. Delicate, exact ear. 
P,w,v. 207.--CreelS'. Bend in the coast. 
Robin is plastering his house. What sort of nest does 
the robin build ? 
Couriers. Messengers. 
Chanticleer. Chaucer's name for the cock. 
The new wine o[ the year. What figure? 
('ompare in some aspects Chaucer's prologue to The 
Canterbury Tales. "When that Aprille", etc. 


FOURTH BOOK 285 

Hewn stone. An evidence of its magnificence. 
PAGE 214.--YOU vay endanger your life. Note the 
way in which the interest is continually carried forward. 
Tlrew cocoa-nLts at us. This is still said to be the 
habit of apes when enraged. 
PAGE 215.--ll'lere pepper grows. The East Indies. 
The isle of Comari (Kom'a-rP). Probably Comoro 
(Kom'o-rS), off the coast of Africa, near Madagascar. 
A-pearl-fi.l[bg. "A" equals o. This usage is now 
only archaic and poetic. Ceylon is noted for its pearl 
oyster fi.heries. 
P,u..oral. Bassorah, or Basra, at the head of the 
Persian Gulf. 
Bag,lat. Bagdat, or Bagdad, on the Tigris River. See 
note on Tl, e Vi.qion of Mirzal, p. 254. 

OCEAN 

The leading characteristics of the poem are its sonorous 
and magnificent eloquence, its vigour and force of expres- 
sion, the vividness of the pictures it presents, the life given 
to it by its effective contrasts, the interest of its historic 
allusions, the sublimity of its conception in the fifth stanza, 
and its graceful and pleasing close. But with all that, one 
hesitates whether to describe it as a poem or merely as 
a magnificent piece of declamation. Its beauty is marred 
by a bitterness of spirit for which there is small excuse, 
even had the poet been as badly used by his fllow men as 
he conceived himself to be; and this is scarcely redeemed 
when he professes to find in the o'ean the embodiment of 
the Divinity. Conceding everything to the exigencies of 
art, is it necessary to make man so contemptible, to glorify 
the ocean? Was not man, too, made in the image of the 
Creator? The sentiment, but for Byron's magnificent 


FOURTH BOOK 259 

The common. The cleared, unfenced area in the 
vicinity of the fort. 
Arlifice. tlere, trickery. What is its usual meaning? 
The pale warrior. The Governor adopts the Indian 
mode of speech, describing, not naming, the person re- 
ferred to. This was Sir Reginald Mort,,n, the Wacousta 
of the story. Ite, for purposes of private vengeance, had 
adopted the Indian mode of life and is represented as the 
friend and counsellor of Pontiac. 
Glanced. Usuallv intransitive. 
P.CE 220.--Is his 'oice still sick? Still the Indian 
mode of expression by particularization. Compare below, 
" the tongue is full of wisd,m ". 
It arose before. Note the rnmntfi" interest 
thus given to the historical des,.ription. The whole selec- 
tion is full of fine dramatic effects. 
A second or tu'o, etc. The sentence will repay close 
study. Note especially the arrangement and rhythm. At 
times there seems to be in English prose a sort of heroic 
measure, " the wild' and deaf' ning yell' of a le' gion of 
fiend' ish voi' ces" 
The dratcbridge. Across the moat which surrounded 
the fort. 
Tomabau'k. The tomahawk, the how, and the scalping- 
knife are the weapons of Indian warfare familiar to our 
imagination. 
Pac 221.--The scarlet cloth, etc. Another fine 
dramatic" situation. 
Assured him. Scarcely the appropriate word. Suggest it. 
Piazza. lere a verandah ; properly an open space sur- 
rounded by buildings or colonnades. 
The surprise of the Indians, etc. The surprise was so 
great that they could not help showing it. 


290 THE ONTARIO READERS 

PAGE 222.--A field-piece. A cannon. 
Lighted matches. Torches for igniting the powder. 
The bloclc-]ouses. See introduction. 
The 9'nard-roorn. A room for the accommodation of 
the soldiers detailed for duty as guards, or sentinels. 
Coz'er. Protection. 
PAGE 223.--A land grenade. A shell of iron or glass 
filled with explosives. 
PAGE 221.--The ]urdle. The lacrosse stick. 
P.GE 25.--The fall of Ponliac. Pontiac, on entering 
the gate, had prctcnded to stumble and fall, to furnish a 
pretext for the signal agreed upon. 
Secessions. Dcparture, withdrawal. 
The whole sclection should be studied carefully in 
respect of (1) thc narrative arrangement--the problem 
beforc the writer beig to correlate the two threads of his 
story, namcly, what was going on outside the fort, with 
what was going on withiu it; (2) the production of the 
dramatic effects--the sudden transformation of the scene 
being pcrhaps the most powerful; (3) the sentence 
arrangement; (4) the life and interest given to the whole 
by the particularity of its descriptions; (5} the rhythmical 
movement of the more impassioned passages. It is to be 
observed, too. that while this kind of writing is apt to 
become grandiose or tumid, the writer's control of his 
material and his sanity, prcserve it from both these faults. 
His flights are never so long as to give the impression of 
insincerity: and whilst it is obvious that the author's con- 
ception of the situation has supplied him with imaginative 
details, even these are stamped with the verisimilitude of 
historic facts. 


FOURTH BOOK 291 

MY NATIVE LAND 
From Canto VI, Stanza i, Tle Lay of the Last 
Minstrel. 
The poem is a spirited expression of patriotic feeling 
in the form of a condemnation of the man so wrapped up 
in his own petty concerns as to have no feeling for his 
country. Such an one, however highly placed, lives with- 
out honour, and dies a double death in that he dies the 
death of the body and ceases to live in the affectionate 
memories of his fellow-beings. 
P.U}E 227.--Breathes there fire man. Why d,,es the 
sentence conclude with an exclamation mark instcad of 
an interrogation point? 
As home shore. Account for the selection 
of such an occasion. 
No minsfrel raptures swell. He has no appreciation 
of the poetry of noble or generous deeds. 

MORNING ON THE LIVRE 

The Livre flows from the north into the Ottawa River 
a few miles below the Capital. It must thus have been 
a familiar scene to the poet. 
The poem presents us with a scene typically ('anadian, 
and notwithstanding some obscurities of expression, in 
part accounted for by the difficult nature of the rhythm, 
fin part by the somewhat strained effort to produce an 
effect identical with that of a picture by suspending the 
sense until the details are filled in, and partly, it must be 
admitted, by an incompleteness of expression, the main 
features stand out with sufficient distinctness. The break- 
ing of day is announced by a jay screaming where the 
mists rise and hang over a wooded gorge, like vapour 


292 THE ONTARIO READERS 

from a gigantic forge. Otherwise the silence of forest 
and stream is unbroken, save by tha silvery drip of the 
water from the paddle blades. The mirror-like surface of 
tile river gives back the purple gray of the mists which 
bang alcove it as far as the distant bend, where the forest 
shadows lie in dream-like stillness on its surface. All at 
once, this silence is broken with st.artling suddenness by 
tile flurried rise of a flock of wild ducks out of the reeds, 
xvhere a little stream joins the main river. 
PGE 22,q_.---Matins. ]Iorning song. What name is 
given to the evening song ? 
Amethyst. A clear, translueeut stone, with a eolour 
inclining to purple. 
Out of learing of the clang. What is the grammatieal 
relation of this phrase? 
S'irls of mist. :Refers to the drooping fringes of the 
mist. 
,'ky above and sky below. The surface of the river 
reflects tile sky in its depths. 
Silvery drip. May refer to the sound, as well as to 
the colour, of the water drops, as they fall on the surface 
of the stream. 
Crystal deep of the silence. "' Deep" is here a notua, 
"crystal" an adjective; the expression means simply 
"the deep unbroken silence". The exact value of 
" crystal" is not evident. The translucence of air and 
water no doubt suggests it. " Crystal" is transferred 
from air and water to the silence. 
Of the forest. What is the relation of this phrase ? 
River reaches. :River stretches, that is, the straight 
part of a river between two bends. 
Shear away. Take an oblique direction; to slip or 
move aside. 


FOURTH BOOK 295 

AN ELIZABETHAN SEAMAN 
Sir Walter Raleigh was born in 1552. His life was 
full of adventurous enterprises. When only seventeen, he 
took part with the Huguenots in the civil wars in France, 
and afterwards fought in Holland and in Ireland. In 
1583 he went with his half-brother, Sir Humfrey Gilbert, 
to Newfoundland, and afterward tried to found a colony in 
North Carolina. When the war with Spain broke out, his 
privateers were the dread of the Spanish treasure ships. 
He was high in favour with Queen Elizabeth and received 
from her large estates both in England and Ireland. IIe 
was imprisoned by Jalnes I for plotting .against hinL 
The twelve long years which he spent in prison were 
occupied in writing The llislory of lhc World. He was 
released to go on an expedition to South America in 
search of a gold mine, but fell f, ul of the Spaniards and 
burned the little town of St. Thomas. On his return, he 
was again thrown into prison, and, in 1618. was beheaded 
on his former sentence. "'Tis a sharp medicine", said 
he, as he felt tile edge of the executioner's axe, "but it 
cures all diseases" Interesting references are made to Sir 
Walter Raleigh in Scott's Kenihcorth, and a note is given 
at the end descriptive of his personal characteristics. 
PAC.E 231.--Dartmouth. On the English Channel at 
the mouth of the River Dart, in Devon. 
Manor House. A Manor is a large landed estate; the 
:Manor House is the residence of its proprietor. 
May ride. That is, at anchor. 
Must lmre net. Indicates that this is the author's 
reconstruction of the facts. 
Humfrey. Afterwards Sir Humfrey Gilbert. 


FOURTH BOOK 297 

Tu,iliglt iglts. The sun does not drop far below the 
horizon in these latitudes in summer. Explain. 
The AmericAn sore. As distinouished from the 
Greenland shore. 
]IZalsingham. Sir Francis Walsingham was one of the 
Protestant exiles in Mary's reign. He afterwards became, 
with Cecil, a Minister of Elizabeth. She repaid his great 
services with the foulest ingratitude. 
Burleig]. Cecil, Lord Burleigh, Elizabeth's sagacious 
and most trusted counsellor. 
Vates sacer. An inspired bard. 
P,tOE 235.--The Easter, seas. The Indian Ocean and 
neighbouring waters. 
A :/utah'. A fiat-bottomed ship used by the Chinese and 
Japanese. 
As t]e fool dieth, so dieth tl, e wise. The same fate 
awaits all. 
Epamino,das. The great leader of the Thebans. See 
" Epaminondas" {E-pam-i-non'das), in Cornelius Nepos' 
Lives, where his death is described. He died fighting 
bravely at Mantinaa, .c. 362. As the enemy were well 
aware that he was the soul of the Theban power, they bent 
all their efforts to take him alive. " I have lived", said 
he, "long enough; for I die unconquered". It would 
have seemed more fitting had Davis met his death in an 
encounter with some of those gigantic forces of Nature 
which all his life he had braved. 
In tle flo,'er of their days. In the prime of life. 
Raleigh was executed by James I; Gilbert perished in the 
seas off Newfoundland, in an attempt to explore and 
colonize the northern coasts of America. 


298 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

PAGE 236.--It is beautiful, but not the most beautiful. 
This short senteuce marks the transition from one member 
of the comparison to the other. 
There is anolher life. Notice that the descriptions 
" hard, rough, and thorny" prepare us for the full-blown 
metaphor in " trodden with bleeding feet ", etc. 
The cross is the symbol. Compare with "a holy 
sacrifice offered up to duty" 
The grave is won. Compare with "the slow- 
dropping mellow autumn ". 
They to whom highest work. Such men as 
St. Paul, Socrates, Savonarola (Si-von-i-rS'li). 
The same bitter cup. The lan.,..uage recalls our 
Saviour's words in the garden of Gethsemane. 

THE SEA-KING'S BURIAL 

The sea-king. were Norsemen, who, two centuries B.C., 
expelled the Keltic iuhahitaut. of Norway aud took pos- 
session of the country. About the fifth century, A.D., they 
began that career of piracy which made them the terror 
of the coasts; and afterwards they made expeditions of 
conquest which extended their power along the northern 
coast of France. hence called Normandy, and even as far 
as the Gates of the Mediterranean. The pagan belief to 
which they adhered for a thousand years of the Christian 
era was of a very high type. For the purpose of under- 
standing the poem. the following explanations are neces- 
sary. Odin is the highest and oldest of the gods, and all 
the others honour him as their father. Odin's hall is 
Valhalla; the ceiling is made of spears covered with 
shields, and its benches are ornamented with coats of mail. 
To this place Odin invites all who have fallen in 


FOURTH BOOK 299 

The sport of the invited heroes is to go out every day and 
fight and kill each other, hut toward evening they awake 
to life again and ride home as friends, where Odin's 
maidens, the Valkyries, fill their horns with mead. Odin 
is also the god of wisdom and poesy. Thor, the son of 
Odin, is the strongest of all the gods. None who die of 
sickness or age are allowed to enter Valhalla. These are 
sent to Helheim, the Place of Evil. Balder, the hero of 
this poem, derives his name from a son of Odin. 
P.GE 238.--In nail. In armour. 
The purple. The purple cloak worn as an emblem of 
royalty. 
Ancltor ready u'eiglted. Hoisted from the bottom so as 
to release the ship. 
The slips. The leash. 
P.OE 241.--Drit'itg keel. The ship cutting its way 
through the waves. 

MY CASTLES IN SPAIN 
This selection is from " My Chateaux" in Prue and I. 
P.GE 243.--Castles in ,'pain. An equivalent expres- 
sion to "castles in the air" 
May of iliem lie in tlie west. This is suggestive of 
the pleasure of dwelling on the beauties of cloudland at 
sunset until a new and more glorious world seems actually 
present to the view, and is a particular instance of the 
delight in the imaginative contemplation of natural 
beauties in general. 
Are in Spain,. The writer makes the expression mean 
hopes that may never be realized, a past gone for ever but 
still present to the imagination and enri.hed hv its glow: 
or a retreat in which the soul escapes from the pressure of 


300 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

the present to live in a world of its own creation. Examine 
the selection, so as to see clearly where each of these con- 
ceptions of a castle in Spain is suggested. The location 
of these air castles in Spain is suggested by its out-of-the- 
way remoteness, and, as the writer tells us, because it is 
a country "famously roinantic". The selection is 
marked by a mood half sad, half playful, and the varia- 
tions are interwoven with remarkable lightness and deli- 
cacy of touch. The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan, 
which Coleridge saw in Xanadu. and the fine Castle of 
Indolence belonging to Thomson, and the Palace of Art 
which Tennyson built as a " lordly pleasure house for his 
soul", are among the best statistical accounts of these 
Spanish estates. 
Describe the contrast between Mr. Bourne and his 
business partner. 
Why is a mad poet selected as the only person who had 
viewed these estates? 
How is Mr. Bourne's double nature, as an active, prac- 
tical business man and as a dreamer, suggested? 
P.,(TE 246.--T/e Nortlu'est Passage. One of the most 
notable voyages made to discover this Passage was that of 
Sir Jf,hn Franklin in 1845. In this year, two ships, the 
Erebus and Terror, were fitted out and set sail. No news 
was heard of the explorer until 1858, when Sir L. Mc- 
Clintock found a cairn on King William Island containing 
papers which told the fate of the expedition. Sebastian 
Cabot was the first to attempt the discovery of this 
Passage. Over two hundred voyages were made in search 
of it before its discovery by Captain ]tlcC]ure in 1857. 
Po ?47.--CymbeHne. One of the most delightful 
of Shakespeare's romantic olavs. 


FOURTH BOOK 301 

A Canterbury Tale. One of Geoffrey Chaucer's 
Canterbury Tales. 
What answer does the writer supply to his own query ? 

ALADDIN 
This poem is taken from Under the Willows, and other 
Poems; with it should be read Longfellow's Castles in 
Spain. 
The poet compares the joys of the boy whose fancies 
elevate him above the misery of his surroundings, with the 
disappointment of the man whose fancies have hardened 
into realities. 
The meaning of the poem is, that no successes which 
we may achieve in after-life can ever give the same joy 
as the fond, ambitious imaginings of boyhood's days. 
PaOE 247.--Aladdin in The Arabian Nights" Enter- 
tainment, is an idle little lad, the son of a poor widow. He 
is led by a magician to a wonderful cave. At the end of 
a long passage, he reaches a garden with its trees laden 
with gems and finds there a magic lamp, which, when 
rubbed, summons a genius, the slave of the lamp. The 
magician had also given him a ring with the same magic 
properties. The genii of the ring and the lamp accomplish 
all his wishes as soon as they arc spoken. By their aid. he 
marries a daughter of the Sultan of China and builds a 
beautiful palace in a single night. 
In Lowell's interpretation, the genii are the power 
youth has to convert a real world, however sordid, into an 
imaginary one of rich and magnificent beauty; for a 
similar idea compare Wordsworth's Cuci'oo, last stanza. 
See note on The Cuc'oo, in Book IV, p. 274. 
PAtE 248.--Castles in Spain. See notes on preceding 
selection. 


FOURTH BOOK 303 

Scoured. To clean them of barnacles, sea mould, etc., 
u'hich would retard their progress. 
The rigging. Masts, spars, shrouds, halliards, etc. 
Sails new bent. Provided with new ropes. 
Ansu'ering to the February. Explain. 
P.xGE 251.--Port St. Julian. On the east coast of 
Patagonia. 
Heaving the lead. Measuring the depth with the 
sounding-line. 
Infinite seals. A great number of seals. 
Penguins. The penguin is a swimming bird, allied to 
the auk. It has rudimentary wings, useless in flying, 
though they assist it in swimming. 
No peaceful ocean. The name Pacific was given to 
this ocean by Magellan, as it was calm when he entered 
it. It had been named the "South Sea" by its discoverer, 
Balboa, the Spaniard, on September 25th, 1513. Cook, 
Anson, Van Dieman, and Vancouver explored considerable 
portions of it in the eighteenth century. 
Instantly that. Suggest an equivalent expression. 
PaOE 252.--Winter. Commander of the Elizabeth. 
Valparaiso. A port of Chile. 
Tierra del Fuego. Land of Fire. So named on account 
of its volcanoes. 
Golden Hin. This was also the name of the vessel in 
which Sir Humfrey Gilbert made his disastrous voyage. 
Galleon. A Spanish ship, formerly used by the 
Spaniards in their commerce with America. 
The fruit. Note the cynicism of this comparison. 
POE 253.--To cross. To make the sign of the cross. 
Hatches. Trap-doors in the deck of a ship, entering 
tho hold. 


FOURTH BOOK 305 

Afteru'ards published. When the Spaniards claimed 
redress from the Queen, instead of granting it she 
knighted Drake and wore in public the jewels derived 
from his plunder, with which he had presented her. 
P,t3E 257.--Gualulco (Gwi-tiSl'cS). A port of 5Iexico 
on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. 
The best way for his country. The best way home. 
Stem. The beam in the bow to which the planking 
is fitted. 
The lndia Archipelago. The East Indian Islands. 
The Celebes (Sel'O-bOz). South of the Philippines. 
Pa(JE 259.--Vampires. A sort of bat. 
The remainder of the voyage should be carefully fol- 
lowed on the map. Other incidents in Drake's career are 
worthy of mention. He afterwards sailed with a fleet of 
twenty-five vessels to the Spanish Main, where he burnt the 
cities of St. Domingo and Carthagena, and plundered the 
coasts of Cuba and Florida. Upon news of the Armada, in 
1587, he burned the Spanish storeships and galleys in 
the harhour of Cadiz, stormed the ports of the Faro 
Islands, made a descent upon Corunna, and was only re- 
strained from attacking the Armada itself by orders from 
home. He, however, did signal service in its subsequent 
defeat. 

THE SOLITARY REAPER 

The poem exemplifies Wordsworth's power to enrich 
a commonplace incident with the glow of imagination. 
All that is given is the fact of a Highland girl singing, 
as she reaps in a field by the wayside. Out of this scanty 
material he has made a song rich in its appeal to human 
sympathy. The scene is for the poet so full of emotional 


FOURTH BOOK 311 

Doubt not. Why does Fitz-James correct himself,9 
PA6E 273.--Point. Sword point to sword point. 
Dubious. As to the issue. 
Darkly. Fiercely. 
Targe. A round shield, or target, of light wood, 
covered with leather and studded with brass. 
Trained abroad. Fitz-James had spent some time at 
the Court of France, which, at that period, produced the 
best swordsmen in Europe. 
Unequal war. Unequal combat. His opponent had 
the advantage of skill in fencing. 
Showered his blows. Apprehensive that his strength 
would soon fail. 
lnrulnerable. What variation is this from the usual 
meaning .9 
Foiled. Baffled. Note contrast. 
At adrantage ta'en. Upon obtainin an advantage. 
Front his hand. A favourite trick of the expert 
swordsman was to weaken his adversary's sword-hand, 
and then to jerk away his weapon by a deft twist of his 
own blade. 
PAGE 274.--Recreant. One who is false to the cause 
he has espoused ; but see dictionary. 
His dagger bright! The full Highland equipment 
consists of the targe, which he had thrown away, the clay- 
more, which had been forced from his hand, and the 
dagger, which he now attempts to use. 
Hate and fury ill supplied. Ill replaced the strength 
he had lost through his bleeding wounds. 
PAGE 275.--To turn the odds. All the odds had been 
in favour of the Saxon, and tloderick's present advantage 
had come too late to alter them. 


314 THE ONTARIO READERS 

Every boy was lhere but every boy. What is 
the effect of the reiteration? Compare further, "every 
eye, every head". There is a sort of mockery here. 
PAGE 281.--The usher. An undermaster at an English 
public school. 
Had he boasted such a decoration. A humorous peri- 
phrasis. 
PAGE 283.--We'll try and find out. Expressive of the 
brutality of Squeers. 
PA(E 284.--"Wretch,'" rejobed Nicholas, fiercely. 
Dickens here makes the mistake he so often makes, and 
which he would have been the first to ridicule in others, of 
putting stilted and affected language in the mouths of his 
leading characters. 
Have a care. Such expressions as this and the above 
go far to justify a criticism sometimes made, that Dickens 
uses his leading chara-ters as lay figures for the expression 
of proper sentiments. This is the only charge of literary 
insincerity which can he laid against him. 
PAE 285.--Horossed the enemy in the rear. otice 
here, and everywhere, the lightening touches of humour 
with which Dickens relieves every situation, no matter 
how far removed from laughter. 
Pa( 786.--I the full strength of his volence. In his 
rage and excitement. 
Form. A bench on which the pupils sat. 
The story is a fine example of the working out of 
" poetic justice ". At the outset, the hideous brutality, 
and later, the triumphant and heartless tyranny of Squeers 
and his wife, are purposely painted in strong colours, so 
as fully to justify the punishment administered by 
Nicholas. These points, and the underplay of humour ,'ad 


FOURTH BOOK B15 
irony, should be carefully studied in the teacher's prepara- 
tion of the lesson. 

DICKENS IN THE CAMP 
The grandson of Thomas Hood picked up a copy of 
The Lue" of Roaring Camp on a London bookstall, and 
becoming interested in the style, forwarded a copy to 
Charles Dickens, receiving the reply that the story was 
already known to him, and that he had written Bret Harte 
a complimentary letter referring to it. Bret Harte was 
at that time the editor of The Overland Monthly in San 
Francisco, and happened to be away at Santa Barbara 
when he saw the report of the death of Dickens in a local 
newspaper. IIe at once went to his hotel, and, denying 
himself to all visitors, is said to have composed this poem 
in two hours, the publication of The Overland Monthly 
being held by his telegram for forty-eight hours. On re- 
turning to San Francisco, he received Dickens' letter. 
Dickens had no warmer admirer than Bret tlarte, the 
writer of this poem, who was himself one of the greatest 
of American novelists. Harte's own manner as a writer. 
while essentially different from Dickens', is imbued with 
the same spirit of universal sympathy and boundless 
charity. Perhaps his Gabriel Conroy is the best represen- 
tative of his genius. Two of his little stories, called A 
Waif of the Plains and M'liss, are charming books for 
children. 
The first stanza la,'s the general scene in some rude 
canyon of the Sierras, through which a river brawls; half- 
way up the heights on either side the tall pines stand, 
backed by the everlasting snow of the treeless peaks above. 


FOURTH BOOK 

He who wrought that spellf Dickens died June 9th, 
1870, at his house, Gadshill, in Kent ; the poem was pub- 
lished in July following. 
Towering pine tell. As the pines may be sup- 
posed to mourn over the departure of those wont to 
assemble around the camp-fire, so the church in 'hich 
Dickens worshipped mourns him who will return ro more. 
Its fragrant story. The story here told of the camp- 
fire; the fragrance of fir, pine, and cedar seem to be a sort 
of incense to the memory of the " Master", ju.t as are 
the odours of the Kentish hopvines. 
The pensive glory hills. A glory derived 
from the memory of Dickens. They were the hills his eyes 
daily gazed upon and his feet trod in this life. 
P,ov. 289.--0a1, ad lwlly, ad laurel. The oak, em- 
blematic of England, the scene of his tales : the holly, which 
Dickens loved as the emblem of Christmas-tide ; the laurel, 
as the emblem of his mastery in his art. 
Too presuptuon,s. Ilarte, with fine delicacy of feel- 
ing, fears that his own feeble talents are unworthy to con- 
tribute any offering worthy of a place among those dedi- 
cated to the memory of the " Master ". 
This spray of Western pine. This refers, of course, to 
the present poem. This stanza is suggested by the floral 
offerings placed upon the graves of the dead by those who 
hold their memory in love and reverence. 

DOST THOU LOOK BACK ON WHAT HATH BEEN 

Tennyson's poem In Memoriam, from which this poem 
is selected, was written in menmry of his friend, Arthur 
Henry Hallam, son of Henry Hallam, the historian. Young 
Hallam was one of the brilliant '" Tennyson group" which 


FOURTH BOOK 

His birth's inridious bar. Suggests that a man of 
hmnble birth in England has little opportunity of rising 
to places of trust and influence. 
Grasps the s'irls. Chance, or Fortune, is represented 
often in literature as riding swiftly past, and the difficulty 
of seizing upon her is suggested in this phrase, it may be 
rendered " seizes the lucky moment ". With this compare 
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Iv, iii. 

There is a tide in the affairs of men, 
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; 
Omitted, all the voyage of their life 
Is bound in shallows and in miseries. 

Breasts the blows of circumstance. The figure seems 
to be taken from a swimmer against a stormy sea. 
E,il star. A reference to astrology, which taught that 
the destiny of man was controlled by the stars. Compare 
"disaster". The expression would thus mean, "over- 
comes all obstacles" 
By force. Compels a recognition of his greatness, 
though sprung from low estate. 
Tke golden 'eys. The keys of office; the post of the 
Prime Minister. 
To mould the throne. This refers to the 
function of his office, as chief adviser of his sovereign, and 
director of the policy of the State. 
Fortune's crowning slope. When he has attained his 
highest ambitions. 
Pillar of a people's hope. The man on whom the 
nation's hopes depend; expand the metaphor. 
The centre of a world's desire. Humanity's hopes of 
progress and advancement are centred in him. 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

p.,v. 290.--When all his active powers are still. In 
the reverie of his leisure moments. 
A distant dearness. The distance that "lends en- 
chantment"; the stream is enshrined in the halo of 
memory. 
A secret sweetness. A joy so purely personal and in- 
timate that to reveal it to his prent associates would be 
to violate his sanctities. Note the alliteration in this and 
the preceding expression. 
The limit of his narrower fate. The hill and stream 
marked the boundaries of his world in his boyhood. 
Vocal springs. The music of the waters of the stream. 
He played at counsellors and Z'ings. This suggests his 
turn of mind, the root of his budding ambitions. 
Does my old friend remember ,e? Compare with the 
first line of the poem. The question is asked by the humble 
ploughman. 

TIlE PASSING OF ARTIlUR 
The Morte d'Arthr, completed in 1740, was drawn 
from many French sources, and is of the greatest impor- 
tance in English literature. 
From this narrative of Sir Thomas Malory is derived 
lhe material for Tennyson's Morte d'Arthur, which should 
be read. 
P,eE 290.--The passing. Whether or not to death, is 
a doubtful matter. 
Dressed tl, em togetter. Arrayed themsel'es for battle 
against each other. 
This nhappy day. In whiA his own subjects were 
warring against each other; Mordred, his kinsman, had 
rebelled. 


FOURTH BOOK 321 

Foining. Thrusting. 
Many a deadly stroke. Supply, was exchanged. 
I'AGE 291.--The battle of Sir Mordred. The hosts of 
the enemy. 
Stinted. Desisted, lost ardour. 
The doa'n. The battle was fought "upon a down be- 
side Salisbury, and not far from the seaside'. 
Wroth. Angered, enraged. 
So slain. So, of degree; not of manner. 
Then was he ware. Then he became conscious that. 
b'ir Lucan de Butlere. Sir Lucan had been butler to 
the King. 
They full were sore wounded. They were full sore 
wounded. 
Jesu mercy. Jesus have mercy--a form of objuration. 
Where are all my noble knights becontenf What has 
become of, etc. 
Where were. Note the subjunctive in an indirect 
question. 
PAGE 29?.--Until him. Unto him. 
The might that he had. All the strength that he had 
left. 
The bur. The ferule, where the handle of the spear 
joined the shaft. 
Right so. Even so, that is, although mortally wounded. 
In both his hands. To mend the blow delivered by one 
in such sore straits. 
,Stark dead. Stone dead, as we should say. 
Heaved him. Raised him with effort, for they were 
both grievously wounded. 
The one part the other part. By his body 
and by his lower limbs. 
PGE 293.--Heavy sight. Sorrowful sight. 


FOURTH BOOK 323 

Three q,,ens. Ttmir names are elsewhere given by 
Malory. "That one was King Arthur's sister, Morgan le 
Fay, the other was the Queen of Northgalis (Wales), the 
third was the Queen of the Waste Lands. Also there was 
the chief Lady of the Lake." 
PAGE 296.--Vale of Acilion. Possibly the valley of the 
River Brue or Bret in Somersetshirc. In this river is an 
island, the site of Glastonbury Abbey, where a coffin, be- 
lieved to be that of King Arthur, was discovered. 

THE ARMADA 
Read Kingsley's Westward Ho! 
P.c.E 296.--Atterd, all ye. A time-honoured way of 
beginning a popular ballad. 
List. Wish. Compare " The wind bloweth where it 
listeth ". 
Thrice famow. An effective form of the superlative. 
Great fleet invincible. The " Invincible Armada " sent 
by Philip II of Spain to invade England in the reign of 
Elizabeth, 1588. 
Spoils of Mexico. See Drake's Voyage Roud the 
World. The Aztec Empire had fallen before the power of 
Cortes in 1521. 
The stoutest hearts of Spain. Along with the Duke of 
Medina Sidonia (MS-dS"ni S5-dS-n-i), himself entirely 
unfitted for the post of Admiral, came Juan de Martinez 
(Ju'an d Mir-t'nez), and Miguel Orquendo (M-gel' 
Or-ken'dS). It is said that no noble Spanish family 
lacked a representative. 
PE 297.--A warm summer day. On the 29th of 
July, the sails of the Armada were seen from the English 


FOURTH BOOK 327 

The royal city. London. 
P),C,E 3Ol.--Blackheath. in Kent, now an open com- 
mon. 
Itampslead's swarthy moor. In the northern era'irons 
of London. 
Mah'ern's lonely height. Malvern Ilills, between Wor- 
cester (WSs'tSr) and Hereford (He're-ford). Toward 
the south and east they look out on a wide stretch of level 
country. 
Wrekin's crest of llgIt. Wrekin, a noted hill in Shrop- 
shire, one thousand three hundred and twenty feet high. 
Ely's stately lane. The Cathedral on the Isle of Ely, 
in the Ouse River (Sz), Cambridgeshire. 
Bch'oir. In England pronounced " Beaver". The 
Duke of Rutland's castle in Leicestershire. 
P-(;E 3o2.--Skiddaw. A mountain in Cumberlaud. 
Gaunt's embattled pile. Gaunt House, near Oxford, 
rebuilt by John of Gaunt. 

DEPARTURE AND DEATH OF NELSON 
The opening paragraph of this select'ion is taken from 
Chapter IX, paragraph 5, of Southey's Life of Nelson. It 
refers to " The Departure of Nelson from Portsmouth". 
The rest is from paragraph 22 to the close. 
Nelson left Portsmouth on September 14th, and 
arrived off Cadiz on the 29th. The action was fought on 
October 21st, 1805, just off the Cape Trafalgar shoal, 
south of Cadiz. 
The theme of the first paragraph is "The love of his 
fellow-countrymen for Nelson ". How did they show their 
love ? What qualities in him commanded it? 


FOURTH BOOK 1 

The chariots and the horses of fire. What is the allu- 
sion ? See 2 Kings ii. 11. 
A mantle of inspiratlon. 1%call the mantle of Elijah 
which fell upon Elisha. 
The management of the sentences, the propriety and 
freedom of expression, the simplicity and directness of the 
language employed, are worthy of careful study. 

WATERLOO 
This metre was first employed by Edmund Spenser in 
The Faerie Queene. 
PAOE 311.--Belgium's capital chit'airy. A 
ball was given by the Duchess of liehmond, wife of the 
British Ambassador in Brussels, on the eve of Quatre Braz. 
Beauty and her Chivalry. Note the use of the abstract 
for the concrete. 
Bright. The adjective for the adverb. 
Fair women and brave me,. ]epeats the idea in 
" Beauty and Chivalry" above. 
A thousand hearts. "A thousand", in the sense of 
"many " 
Eyes wh ch spake. A form of metaphor. 
Merry as a narrage bell. What figure? ote the 
use made of contrast, the swift change from joy to fore- 
boding, and then to despair. 
Hush. t harlt'.t The poet places the reader on the scene. 
Compare "Did ye not hear it?" 
"Twas but the wncL The pleasure seekers try. to 
reassure themselves and to forget their forebodings in a 
wilder hilarity. 


FOURTH BOOK 335 

Evan's, Donald's. Sir Evan Cameron fought with dis- 
tinction at Killiecrankie, 1715; his grandson Douahl, 
espousing the cause of the Young Pretender, was severely 
wounded at Culloden in 1746. 
And Ardennes, etc. Note again the change of tone. 
What is the prent mood of the poem ? 
Ardennes (At'den}. A wood (Soignies, or Soigny), 
which lies between Brussels and the field of Waterloo, is 
so named by the poet because of "its association with 
nobler memories than those of war". Tie fore.t of 
Ardennes proper lies on the borders of France and Bel- 
gium; it is the scene of Shakespeare's comedy .4. You 
Like It. 
Dewy with Nature's tear-drops. By a beautiful fancy 
the poet conceives of the forest as grieving over the brave 
men now passing through on a road by which they will 
return no more. 
If aught inanimate e'er grieves. Does the reservation 
here strengthen or weaken the idea expressed ? 
P.OE 314.--Which nov beneath hem. Supply th 
ellipsis. 
But above shall grou" in its next verdure. Rearrange, 
and supply omitted words. 
In its next verdure. Replace bv an adverbial clause. 
Note the fulness of the imaginative content in the con- 
trast. 
Fiery mass of liring valour. The metaphor is sug- 
gested by the lava stream pouring down upon the plain 
beneath, or possibly from an advancing conflagration. 
Burning u'ith high hope. Is a continuation of this 
metaphor. 
Moulder. Crumble into dust. 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

Cold and low. With all its fires quenched. In con- 
trast with "' burning with high hope" 
Last noon, etc. The concluding stanza of the poem 
in the first five lines makes the actior pass again in pano- 
ramic view before the reader. A veiled momentary 
glimpse is given of the battle, and then the cloud is 
removed, to expose to full view the frightful carnage. 
Beauty's circle. Explain. 
Battle's magnificently stern array. There is a noble 
eloquence in this line. :Note the retarded rhythm to sug- 
gest the stern and magnificent grandeur of the scene. 
Tluder-clouds close o'er it. Explain. 
Which wlen rent. And when these are rent; the con- 
struction would lead us to expect a verb as predicate to 
" which ", "' which when rent (reveal that) the earth, etc." 
With oliver clay, u'hch ler own. The contrast is neat, 
almost to the point of artificiality, perhaps even to such 
an extent as to detract from the " seriousness" of the 
line. Compare "the grass which now beneath them ", etc., 
above. 
One red bural blent. The fierce enmities and bitter 
revenges are become as naught. 
Why does the poet avoid all description of the actual 
engagement? What is his main purpose in the poem? 
In what respects does the poem resemble Aytoun's 
Edbburgl After Flodde? 

ODE WRITTEN IN 1746 
p(v. 315.How sleep. How well they sleep. Com- 
pare England's Dead, Book III, p. 258, for the same senti- 
ment. 


FOURTH BOOK 39 

afterwards distinguished himself in the suppression of 
the Indian Mutiny. 
Muscovite. Muscovy is another name for Russia. 
The whole preceding paragraph is in the nature of a 
parenthesis. 
His massive squadrons. The heay cavalry brigade. 
Corps d'lite (Kor-d-lt'). A select troop, judging 
from their rich uniforms. 
PAGF 318.--They came in sight. The British cavalry, 
being concealed behind the ridge {see above), would 
neither see the Russians nor be seen by them until the 
latter had reached the summit. 
The shock of battle. Note throughout the vigour and 
force of the expressions. 
Zouares. Certain French Light Infantry Corps, ori- 
ginally organized in Algeria. 
The boxes of a theatre. Compartments in a theatre, 
partitioned off, which afford the best view of the stage. 
Canter trot halted. Gradually 
diminishing, instead of increasing their pace, as they 
would have done had they thought it necessary to get the 
advantage of added impetus in the charge. 
They evidently despised but their time was 
come. Note the effective way in which the contrast is 
pointed by the cutting directness of the short phrase 
above quoted. 
Greys. A famous Scottish cavalry, regiment, recently 
disbanded. So called from the colour of their horses. 
Gather way. Reach full speed. 
Quite space sufficient. This must refer to the space 
between themselves, and not, as the language suggests, to 
the space between them and the Russians. 


FOURTH BOOK 341 

Being most dangerou.s. A front attack is easily met 
by a cavalry charge; the attack on the flank cannot be 
so met; hence the neces.4tv of .quadrons in column, that 
is, in bodies narrow in front, but deep from front to rear. 
Redoubt. A temporary fortification. 
P.GE 322.--And far indeed. A weak and lumbering 
addition to the effective beginning of the sentence. 
Than by those who beheld these. Awkward. Supply 
the words necessary to complete the construction. 
Rushing to the arms of Death. Develop the meaning 
of this vividly descriptive metaphor. ' 
Thirty iron moulh.x. Thirty cannon. 
Steeds flying wounded or riderless across the plain. 
The line is Homeric. 
Russians had laid. An expression signifying p]acing 
in position and aiming a large gun. 
PaGE 324.--Grape and canister. Shot put up in cases, 
which burst on being discharged. 
At thirty-fire, etc. }low long had it taken to accom- 
plish the havoc described ? 

FUNERAL OF WELLINGTON 
This is the tir.t of Tennyson's Laureate Poems. The 
Duke of Wellinzton died in his eighty-f,urth year Sep- 
tember 14th, 1852. The Ode on the Death of the Duke 
of Wellington, froln which this is an extract, was published 
on the day of his funeral. Iic is buried in the crypt of 
St. Paul's Cathedral, where also lies the body of Lord 
Nelson. 
P.,., 324.--Who is he. The poet makes the shade of 
Nelson ask the question. 
28  


FOURTH BOOK 345 

words : " Do what we would, we could not venture to break 
the solemn hush ". With what startling effect the "" awful, 
inexplicable roar" breaks in upon tile solenm silences. 
II'hence Ihe noise came or u'hat had produced it. Ex- 
plains the rather unsuitable word " inexplicable" above. 
Thunderous rererberalions. Note again the harmony 
of sound and sense. 
PAGv. 329.--Hearls thumping bosoms. This 
seems homely after the highly wrought passage imme- 
diately preceding; and tile apologetic " Really, tile sensa- 
tion was most painful ", is weak, but it at any rate relieves 
the tension of feeling. 
A goodly bull-ltumpbacl'. Bullen, in his relief, fairly 
bubbles over with joyous loquacity, lie can think now of 
tile odd saying of the old negro and can dress up a modern 
maxim to correspond with it; his harpooner is now a 
"gallant harpooner with semi-savage instincts", and tile 
whale is "old Blowhard ". 
What comparison is instituted to describe the new situa- 
tion developed by the attack on tile whale? What are the 
points of similarity on which the comparison depends? 
P.GE 330.--Gumption. Practical e,nnnon sense. 
Radiation of tle disturbance. The waves, flowing out 
in circles from the point at which the whale had played, 
would drive the boat up against the walls of the cavern. 
P.3v. 331.--lVe sl ran" togeller li'e tnfledged ct iclcens. 
Serves the double purpose of showing how frightened they 
were, and at the same time by its hnmoar reassures the 
reader as to the issue of the catastrophe. It would he very 
bad art to renew the strain experienced above. 
Tlat mountainous carcass fell. Xote the emphatic use 
of "that . Compare with " tile confinement of that 
mighty cavern ", above. 


46 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

Carcass. Why does the author emplov a word which 
usually means a dead body .9 
The rebound. The thrust of the water from below 
against the wall would produce a refluent wave. 
A resumption of the clamour. A renewal of the 
clamour. 
The night ebb. Explain. 
Leare the premises. Note the humorous touch in these 
expressions. 
Dead or had gone out. The reader is kept in the same 
state of mind as the adventurers, hy the author's conceal- 
ment of what has already taken place. 
PaE 332.--The skipper. The captain of the whaling 
vessel from which the boat had put off. 
The blackness beneath was lit up. For fuller account 
of this phenomenon and the voracity of the shark see "The 
Shark" in Denizens of the Deep. 
Inferno. Hell; a rather vigorous metaphor. 
Tartarus. Classical name for the infernal regions, the 
lowest hell. 
PAE 333.--Titanic. The Titans were the twelve 
gigantic children of heaven and earth, defeated by Zeus 
and thrown into Tartarus. 
l'ery grie,ed. "Very" not usually directly attached to 
the perfect participle; "very much grieved ". 

THE GLOVE AND THE LIONS 

"Lions Street took its name from the huilding and 
courts wherein were kept the Kins great aud small lions. 
One day whilst Francis I anmsed himself looking at a 
combat among his lions, a lady, having let her .lm,, 


FOURTH BOOK 347 

said to De Lorges: ' If you would have me believe that 
you love me as much as you swear you do, go and recover 
my glove'. De Lorges went down, took up the glove in the 
midst of these famous animals, returned, and threw it in 
the lady's face and, notwithstanding all the advances she 
made and all the arts she used, wouhl never see her after- 
wards."--II istorical Essays upon Paris. 
It will he observed how closely Leigh IIunt has fol- 
lowed his source; and yet with what a wealth of realism 
he has clothed his descriptions. 
A different turn, and more favourab]e to the ]ady, is 
given by Browning in The Glot'e, which the teacher should 
read. 
Stanza one describes the scene in the gallery. Stanza 
two describes the scene in the pit. Stanza three states the 
lady's plan. Stanza four tells how the lady's plan worked 
out. 
PaE 334.--Hearty. One who took all the pleasures 
he could out of life; further explained by " and loved a 
royal sport ". 
The court. An inclosed space, the arena. 
A #allaM thing, fallant, nearlv in it. original sense 
of gay, showy, splendid" compare "gala " day. 
Crownin# show. Superior to all others. 
Valour and lo'e. By metonymy for the lords and the 
ladies. 
Ramped. P, eared up on the hind legs. Compare 
"rampant ". 
Ramped and roared the lions. What is the effect of 
the inversion ? 
Laughing laws. What is the va|ue of the epithet in 
amplifying the idea expressed in "horrid " 


FOURTH BOOK 349 

vividness and picturesque detail, is purely illustrative. 
The local and historic setting should be treated briefly, so 
as not to withdraw attention front the pictures presented 
and their purpose. 
Maximilian I (1459-1519), Emperor of Germany, 1493, 
inherited the Tyrol on the death of his cousin, Archbishop 
Sigismund. Ile was extremely fond of hunting and fish- 
ing, and was beloved by his people on account of the free- 
dom of his manners. His chief delight was in those feats 
in which he could di.play his personal courage, strength, 
ad gallantry. The picture of him presented here is drawn 
with careful truth. 
You are standing. The reader is brought into the scene. 
To draw itself. The fire of speech endowing the road 
with action, vividly depicts the difficult pass. 
The Ri,er I,n. The Inn flows through the Tyrol into 
the Danube. 
Buttress. Here a projecting precipice. What is its 
proper meaning ? 
Throu, your head far back. Nothing could heifer ex- 
press the idea of great height. 
Mark! He loses his footing, etc. Note the short, 
broken, interrupted expressions. What is the purpose? 
The Abbot of Wiltau. Wiltau. a small village in the 
Tyrol, containing a monastery. The introduction of the 
Abbot suggests the Divine interposition whit.h saves the 
Emperor's life. See introduction. How is this idea further 
worked out ? 
Imperial destiny. An emperor in mortal peril; the 
abstract for the concrete. 
Pa. 337.--Crampons. Irons fitted to the shoes for 
mountain climbing. 


FOURTH BOOK 351 

and what do we hear ?" What is the need of mystery and 
secrecy ? 
PAGE 338. Now wither in a moment before the 
derisive laugh of the storm. Note and explain the bold 
and striking figures employed. 
Melee. A mob, here a band of men moving without 
orderly array. 
There is another vision. Compare above, " a vision of 
a plumed hunter" 
Inn.bruck. The capital of the Tyrol on the River Inn. 
Carinthia. A division of the Austrian Empire east of 
the Tyrol. 
PaC, E 339.--His teeth firmly set. Suggests the stub- 
born pride of the great Austrian. 
Charles V. Charles V (1500-1558), grandson of Maxi- 
milian I. In 1555, after the conclusion of the Peace of 
Augsburg, worn out with incessant wars and ever-shifting 
diplomacies, he abdicated in favour of his son Philip. 
A stern lesson. The author's point of view i. that 
Charles V, by his oppression of his Prote.tant subjects, 
had called down the wrath of God, and that his present 
sufferings and humiliations and ultimate deliverance were 
intended as a discipline to bring him to the feet of Him 
whose "long-suffering would lead to repentance ". 
Aenger of blood. Allusion to Joshua xx. 3. 
Maurice of Saxony (1521-1553). The Duke and Elec- 
tor of Saxony, who succeeded his father in 1541. 
PAGE 340.--Star of ,4uMria. His lut.ky star. He was 
Archduke of Austria, and believed, in the phrase of the 
astrologer, "that the star of Austria was ever in the 
ascendant ". 
In 1805, the Tyrol, so long nominally a dependency 
of Austria, but really a free commonwealth, was ceded by 


FOURTH BOOK 353 

The same disaster as that recounted above befell 
Burscheidt later, on August 8th, 1809, at the Bridge of 
Pontlatz. 
The selection at the foot of page 3-t2 is from Tenny- 
son's I Memoriam, Canto cxiv. 
The poem, while it deprecates any attempt to limit the 
scope of human inquiry and investigation in the search 
of knowledge, still insists that, unless knowledge be guided 
by wisdom, it may be rather a curse than a blessing. 
l|'ho shall fi.r her pillar.s? " Wisdom hath builded her 
house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars."--Proverbs 
ix. 1. 
2Vol the tirol. Wisdom is the first. Knowledge the 
second. 
I all be nol in rain. If here is no higher ruth than 
Knowledge can reveal, then is the saying justified : " Van- 
ity of vanities, all is vanity". 
The yoner child. Knowledge. 

MARSTON MOOR 

Compare this spirited ballad with Macaulay's The 
Caralier's March to London, which opens " To horse! 
to horse! brave Cavaliers". Macaulay's poem represents 
the cavaiiers as bloodthirsty, ruffianly, riotous, and licen- 
tious. Even courage is denied them as a virtue, in his 
Naseby. The picture here presented of a gallant cavalier 
who loves his home better than the courts of Kings, who 
goes forth to battle like a knight of old bearing the token 
of his true love--his sweet and noble wife--and who fights 
to the last extremity when all is lost, presents a truer, cer- 
tainly a nobler, view of men whose gallantry and self-sacri- 


FOURTH BOOK 355 

in-chief of the Parliamentary Army, he never desired the 
utter overthrow of the King. The language used here, 
natural enough in the mouth of a Royalist, does little 
justice to this great and patriotic leader. 
Oliver. Oliver Cromwell was looked upon by the 
Royalists as an utter hypocrite. It may be conceded that 
he made religious fanaticism a weapon of war. 
The braggarts Rhine. The author concedes 
that there were in the ranks these two classes of adherents 
unworthy of the Royalist cause. 
Stout. Brave. 
Langdale. Sir Marmaduke Langdale commanded the 
Royalist cavalry of the Northern counties at Marston Moor 
and Naseby. 
Astley. Sir Jacob Astley, leader at Stow, in 1616, of 
the last Royalist rally. 
Newcastle. The Earl of Newcastle had mustered the 
King's forces in Northumberland and secured York for 
his cause throughout the war. 
The German boor. Prince Rupert had slipped past 
the forces of Fairfax into York, and might have lain there 
in safety. The line suggests the feeling of envious 
like entertained by the English Royalists for Prince 
Rupert as one who had usurped a post which should have 
been theirs. 
PaE 3t5.--And now be burns a stave, And nor be 
quotes a stage-play. Why are these interjected? What 
characteristics of the cavalier are indicated? 
Belial. Satan. By the Roundheads the Cavaliers 
were called "The Sons of Belial" for their godless gayety. 
I would, etc. What characteristics of Cromwell are 
brought out in this speech ? 


358 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

the beauty imparted by the first rays of the rising sun, 
its smokeless silence, and freedom from the stress and 
turmoil of the day. The whole poem derives much of its 
force and beauty from its underlying contrast of the scene 
with that which London preseuts by day. 

HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD NEWS FROM GHENT 
TO AIX 
(tf this poem, Browning says: "I wrote it under the 
bulwark of a vessel, off the Atria.an coast, after I had 
been at sea long enough to apprcciate even the fancy of 
a gallop on the back of a certain good horse ' York' then 
in my stable at home". The poem has no foundation in 
fact ; it is simply the expression of delight in rapid motion. 
The route followed may easily be traced on the map of 
Belgium. They go north-easterly to Lokeren, then keep 
due east to Boom, and then more south-easterly to Aershot, 
about ten miles from Louvain. They probably passed be- 
tween tlasse]t on the one side, and Looz and Tongres on 
the other, riding straight across country to Aix-la- 
Chapelle. The ride can hardly bare been less than one 
hundred and thirty miles. 
The poct imagines thrce ridcrs hurrying on a secret 
mission from Ghent to Aix-la-('hapelle in Rhenish Prussia 
on the Belgian frontier, during the pariod of resistance to 
Spanish rule in the Netherlands, in the sixteenth and 
seventeenth centurie.. Examine this poem in detail to 
discover how the ideas of baste, secrecy, and speed are 
brought ont. N'ame the three riders. 
PA6E 351.--Tle walcl. The warder of the gate. 
Speed/ ec]oed the wall. -N'ote the accuracy of detail 
only the last wo.rd is echoed, 


FOURTH BOOK 359 

Postern. A small covered gate in a fortification, usually 
in the flank of the bastion. 
3lidnight. Deep darkness. 
P,6 352.--The great pace. The speed of the horses 
and their long stride are both icluded in the meaning. 
-A'erer cbaging otr place. Keeping side by side. 
Pique. The pommel of the saddle. 
5"or galloped less steadily. These movements on the 
part of the rider would have thrown any steed but the 
gallant Roland out of his stride. 
]'ellow star. The morning star. Why yellow? 
Against hint the cattle stood black. A flue hit of 
realistic description. Why did they look " black"9 
PA(;E 353.--A/ last. Suggests the anxiety of the rider 
as to his horse's plight after so fierce a ride. 
Each bulling aray the haze. Suggests in one phrase 
the stubborn gallantry of the horse and the thickness of 
the mist through which they were galloping. 

As some bluff ricer headland. 
Note the simile. 
And his loc head and crest. 
the verb "saw" above ? 
One eye's black intelligence. 

Bluff, high and steep. 
What are the objects of 
A poetic and beautiful 

rearrangement for "one intelligent black eye" 
His own master. Suggests affection and fidelity. 
,q'pume-flakes. Flakes of foam from his horse's mouth. 
Fierce lips. Suggests the horse's indomitable spirit. 
The whole description is unsurpassed in careful detail 
and wealth of suggestion. 
Dirck groaned. At the failure of his horse. 
Roos. Name of Dirck's steed. Joris tells him (Dirck) 
to drop out of the race, and they would send back assist- 
anee from Aix. 


FOURTH BOOK 365 

Is this all that can be said. Sharply reverts to the 
main subject. One is apt to forget its value as a great 
naval depot in the contemplation of its beauty. 
In connection with this lesson Parkin's Round the 
Empire should be consulted by tile teacher and portions 
of it read by the class. 

ENGLAND, MY ENGLAND 
The first stanza of the poem furnishes a pretty com- 
plete model for all the rest, and the variations are worked 
out with poetic spirit and skill. This al,plies especially, 
of course, to the first four and the last two lines of each 
stanza. 
The expression of love for, and devotion to, England 
is deep and impassioned. 
The central thought, that England is the special in- 
strument of Divine Providence, appeals to a sentiment 
which has been growing in force since the time of Eliza- 
beth, and which is the source of a good deal of our national 
pride. 
P(}E 363.--What hare I done for you? Express this 
idea in assertive form. 
Austere. Removed from all that is mean or trivial; 
full of the vision of destiny. 
Where shall the watchful sun done. Para- 
phrase. 
Agen. So spelled by tile poet to rhyme with "men" 
As come foru,ard. As volunteer for service against 
fearful odds--one to ten. 
Take and break us. A sublime expression of willing 
sacrifice. 


FOURTH BOOK 875 

Can necer under.tand, lie is so eniirely filled with 
the preoccupations of his avocation, that he has no 
imagiuation left for the keen joys of the sympathetic 
observer of nature. 
The waters under the earth. In tile language of the 
Second Commandment. 
3locing and motionless. A paradox, finely suggestive 
of the fish gliding onward, apparently without any effort 
of its own. 
More tangible. As the shadow is jet black and the 
fish merely gray, and so almost of the colour of the water 
by torchlight. 
Mottled. Spotted, variously coloured. 
Indentation. The indentations are the depressions of 
the river bed in which the hadows lie. 
Sheaf of wriggling glimmers. A graphic description 
of the effect of the refraction of light on a rippled surface, 
which must have been seen to be fully appreciated. 
The waiting pike. Fascinated bv the glare of the 
torchlight. 
Cannibal. "The pike is one of the most voracious of 
our fishes, feeding upon any form of animal life which it 
is able to overpower." See Vertebrates of Ontario, page 
68--XaSH. 
P),(E 381.--His dcadly zpear. The primitive weapon 
harmonizes with the description of man as a cannibal: the 
use of the word cannibal has been extended for artistic 
purposes to mean a feeder on all kinds of flesh. What is 
its strict meaning ? 
There is no moon. Note the succession of short sen- 
tences indicating excited suspense. 
Savage joy. Keeps up the idea expressed in cannibal. 
The slack of a clothes-line. The loose, or spare end. 


376 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

PAGE 382.--Yet we wonder u'hy, etc. It is small 
wonder that a lad of so many devices should succeed. 
The seductire glimmer. Explained helow as the ignis 
[atuus which the vorld calls success. 
Ignis fatuus. May be translated as '" fool's fire" It 
is usually called " the Will o' the Wisp" or "Jack o' 
Lantern", and is a glimmering light which hangs over 
boggy places, and sometimes lures travellers to destruction. 
In connection with the last paragraph, the selection 
from Ronola, p. 38J,, should be read, as illustrative of a 
higher kind of "' success" 

DAFFODILS 

This poem, written in ls[t, was published in 1807. 
In the " Journal " of Dorothy Wordsworth, the poet's 
sister and constant (.Oral)anion, there is the following: 
" When we were in tile woods below Gowbarrow Park, we 
saw a few daffodils close to the water side. As we went 
along there were more, and yet more; and at last, under 
the boughs of tile trees, we saw that there was a lar 
belt of them along the shore, about the breadth of a 
country turnpike road. I never saw daffodils so beauti- 
ful. They grew among mossy stones, about, and above 
them. Some rested their heads on the stones, as on a 
pillow for weariness: and the rest tossed, and reeled, and 
danced, and seemed as if they verily laughed with the 
wind that blew upon them over the lake. They looked 
so gay, ever glancing, ever changing" 
In this poem, Wordsworth expresses the solace and 
joy he ever)where feels in the close companionship and 
communion with Xature. This joy he feels not only in 
the presence of natural objects, but even with rr,ter 


FOURTH BOOK 379 

Europe. tomola's father had been a savant, in whose 
library.the Greek, Tito, had been employed. She would 
thus naturally be interested in tile works of the great 
Florentine who had exerted so profound an influence on 
Italian thought. 
While life was new. See introductory note. 
That entertainment. A mild irony suggestive of the 
degree of absorption Romola exhibited. 
P.(E 386.--The Tuscan peasant. The boy's mother. 
Mamma Romola. As Romola had been almost a 
mother to him. 
A great deal of glory. Presents the usual theory of 
greatness. 
PAGE 387.--Haring a good deal of pleasare. Tile boy 
is very like his father. 
By hating wi,le thoughl.. Observe the painful sim- 
plicity with which 12omola tries to make her meaning clear 
to the boy. 
Whal we would choose before ererything. The philo- 
sophical and reflective cast of the writer's mind is here 
evident. 
Gets strength to endure. Tito is still the background 
of her thought. Compare with tile teaching of tile whole 
paragraph the simple and noble words of f'brist: "Who- 
soever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will 
lose his life for my sake shall find it". St. Matthew 
xvi. 25. 
Pa(}E 388.There was a man. See introduction. 
He denied his falher. His foster father had been cap- 
tured and sold into slavery. It had been in Tito's power 
to ransom him ; this he put off from time to time, until, 
when finally confronted by him, he denied all knowledgo 
of him. 


3gO THE ONTARIO READERS 
Romola, in the extract, is of course the medium of 
expression for George Eliot's own views. 

THE PRIVATE OF THE BUFFS 
The incident upon which the poem is founded occurred 
in the ('hinese War of 1860. 
" Some Seiks and a private of the Buffs, having re- 
mained behiiid with the grog carts, fell into the hands of 
the ('l,inese. On the next morning they were brought 
before the authorities and commanded to perform the 
Ko-lou (Kow-tow). The Seiks obeyed, but Moyse, the 
Eglish soldier, declaring that he would not prostrate 
himself before any Chinaman alive, was immediately 
knocked upon the head, and his body thrown upon the 
dung-hill."--London Times. The Kow-tow consisted in 
prostrating one's self and touching the ground with the 
forehead nine times. 
The poem presents the picture of the typical British 
soldier, who, however ignorant and debased he may some- 
times be, still preserves that proud and stubborn indepen- 
dence of spirit upon which Britain's greatness mainly 
rests. 
PGv. 389.--The Buffs. The East Kent Regiment, so 
called from the buff facings on their uniforms. 
Never looh'ed before. Took no thought of the future. 
Last nigltt to-day. Note the contrast. 
In Elgin's place. Lord Elgin was the British Ambas- 
sador to China. 
Ambassador. He felt that his duty to his country 
demanded that he should show his enemies that an Eng- 
lishman can never be humbled, and so he is the bearer of 
England's message. 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

tions, and altogether Cyclopean. His speculative and his 
practical philosophy largely influenced the thought of his 
time, especially of Ruskin, who, in some respects, imitated 
even his style. 
PAo 391.--Two men I lonour. Note the abrupt 
opening. 
Craftsraen. The capitals are used throughout to 
emphasize or to elevate. 
A cunning rirt,e. A skilful deftness. 
Indefeasibly royal. Royal beyond dispute. Indefea- 
sible is a legal term apl)licd to titles which cannot be 
attacked. 
As of the S'ceptre of this Planet. This may be roughly 
paraphrased as '" any upon earth" 
,S'ceptre. A staff, the emblem of royal dignity. 
A man liri,g nmnlike. What contempt of idleness 
lies beneath these words! See note on p. "29 (To-day, 
Book III). 
O. bd. " But" in the sense of "only" or "even". 
The expression is in the form of a paradox. The rude 
and humble toiler is even for his rudeness and lnisery all 
the more to be venerated. 
Hardly-entreated. Badly used. 
Our Conscript. A conscription is a compulsory enrol- 
ment for military service of those under a certain age, 
from which drafts are made by lot from time to time as 
the need arises. The labourer is like the conscript, in that 
his lot is determined by destiny and not by himself. 
Weft so marred. Such sympathy as this with the 
toilers led Ruskin to devote himself to their service. 
A god-created Form. In allusion to the Platonic 
" Idea" or form ; according to Plato's theory all 


FOURTH BOOK 

usually learn fully to value their opportunities only after 
they are gone. 
My Maker. hnplies his sense of responsibility. 
True accoM. Compare the language of the Parable, 
"' reckoneth with them "; an "account" is a "reckoning ". 
Day labour, liglt de,ic,l. Does God exact day labour 
while denying the day light ? 
Fodly. Foolishly. This is thc primary meaning of 
the word. 
His own gifts. The talents given to man. 
His mild yoke. The service aud suffering His will 
imposes. See St. Matthew xi. 29, 30. 
His state is kbgly. Explained by what follows. 
Tho,sa,ds at Hi. bid,thug speed. Explains why God 
does not ueed man's work; thousands of angels serve IIim. 
Post. Hasten; the allusion is to the speed at which 
the letters were carried in earlier times from post to post, 
with fresh relays of horses. 
They al.o scr'c. The last line of the sonnet has in 
it the sublimity of simple pathos. 

MYSTERIOUS NIGHT 

As Adam, forewarned by God of approaching night 
which should blot the world from view, awaited its 
approach with dread, so we await the approach of death, 
which removes us from the scenes of earth. And as when 
night fell, Adam saw the beauties of earth obscured only 
to reveal the infinities of boundless space gemmed with 
a myriad worlds, what realms of light and loveliness may 
we not expect to behold, when we have passed into the 
shadow of death! 


FOURTH BOOK 

begin with a wide general assertion whi.h, while not 
requiring attention, still arrests it. (2) It allows blm to 
conclude with a statement fully warranted and, so, con- 
vincing. In addition to this, the attention is kept in sus- 
pense until the interpretation is reached. 
As to all .... rest. Explains the bearing of the 
text. 
There is no power .... done. Again repeats in 
more emphatic terms the idea that the past is irreparable, 
thus producing an effective climax. 
Such repetitions as these are a necessity in oratorical 
composition. The speaker is compelled to be diffuse, so 
as to avoid taxing the memory and attention of his hearers. 
He is allowed to repeat, provided that he gives a new turn 
to the expression or introduces a fresh point of view. 
PArAGaAPrt 2.--Let us procccd .... of thls. Of 
this principle. 
"This principle .... misspent youth." This is the 
topic sentence of paragraphs two, three, and four. The 
special topic of this paragraph is given in the third sen- 
fence: "The young are, hy (od's Providence, exempted 
in a great measure from anxiety". The main business of 
this paragraph is to establish the parallel set up in the 
next sentence. 
They are, etc. They are (in the same relation) to 
their parents as " the apostles .... to their Master'. 
The second and third menfl)ers of this sentence are ampli- 
fications of its first. 
They are ot called upon .... ohers. :Expresses the 
same idea as above, introducing particulars. 
P),(w. 397.They get their brpad. .... smile. Fur- 
ther particularizes and emphasizes the leading idea. 
26 1 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

first seems to le endeavouriug to discover the policy of 
Brutus and his attitude toward himself. 
Were sligl, ted off. Disregarded. 
You u, rong'd yourself. Put yourself in a false position. 
This is in effect a politic rebuke. 
In such a time. Note how the form suggests that 
this is a retort to Brutus' speech closiug " in such a case ". 
('assius is willing to sacrifice principle to expediency; he 
is the typical practical politician. 
Erery nice offence. Nice here means petty, trifling. 
" hice" at first seems to have meant foolish, then foolishly 
precise. 
His comment. "Its" had not come into general use 
in Shakespeare's time. 
P.6F 403.--Let me tell you. To be plain with you. 
('ondenn,'d to l, are. Accused of having. 
,4t itc],ing paint. A fondness for bribes. Explain 
the figure. 
.lIart. To market, to offer for sale. 
Udesercers. The uudeserving. 
]'ou are ]:,'rutus tltat speal" tltis. Suggests that Brutus 
is taking undue advantage of their mutual friendship. To 
this Brutus retorts that he is, on the contrary, conceding 
much to friendship in withholding chastisement. 
Remember Marcl. tle ides of .l[arcl remember. A 
warning rendered impressive by its form. Notice the 
arrangement of the words. 
Great J.ulius. Julius Cesar, who was murdered by 
the conspirators in the Roman Forum on the ides of 
March (March 15th ), .c. 44. 
Villain. Common fellow. Note "deterioration" in 
the modern 


FOURTH BOOK 895 

The argument is that when the meanest of the Romans 
had such a high regard for justice shall we, the noblest, 
repeat the crimes for which we condemned Ceesar? For 
a different interpretation see W. Aldis Wright's note on 
this passage in the CLARENDON PRESS SERIES. " Who 
was such a villain of those who touched his body, that he 
stabbed for any other motive than j,stice?" 
Tle miglt!! space of mr large loours. The great 
offices in our gift ; with the underlying meaning, " prove 
ourselves unworthy of the high place ve have attained". 
Trasl. Money : 
Who steals my purse steals trash; 
But he that filches from me my good name 
Robs me of that which not enriches him, 
And makes me poor indeed. 
--Othello, , 111 
Bay tl, e moon. Typifies idle folly. 
P.aE 4o4.--Bay not me. This means, " don't drive 
me into a corner, don't press me too far'. This is also 
read "bait not me'; which is in any case the meaning: 
"worry not me" 
To l, edge me in. That is, by checking his misconduct. 
I am asoldier, I. The"I" at the end has the effect 
of a repetition of the whole clause with added emphasis. 
To make co,dilions. Cassius claims greater political 
sagacity, though, as the line ends at "yourself ", the first 
meaning that would occur to the hearer would be that 
he claims to be an able soldier, and it is in this meaning 
that the quarrel proceeds. 
Go to. An old expression indicating contemptuous 
disbelief. 
Urge me no more. Press me no more; the whole ex- 
pression means, " Don't press me too far, or it will be at 
your peril ". Compare above. 


FOURTH BOOK $97 

dition to "the quiver of suppressed emotion from his own 
deep seated private grieYs, on account of the suicide of 
his wife Portia, passing into unwonted emotion of resent- 
ment at what looked in Cassius like want of honour and 
of friendly care. Cassius is quick of temper; Brutus 
habitually calm; hut Cassius has now to wonder at lhe 
sensitiveness of his friend, whose anger has hut a short 
life, and whose alnends for it are generous and full". 
P..CE 406. Arm'd so .trong in lozesly. Y[onesty of 
purpose. Righteousness; compare "Thrice is he arm'd 
that hath his quarrel just". 2 Het, rg VI, HI, ii. 
Drop my blood for dra(l, mas. The drachma was a 
Roman coin. The expression is explanatory of "coin my 
heart ", above. 
Indirection. Crookedness, injustice. 
Rascal courtiers. There are several references in the 
plays of Shakespeare to the practice of his time of casting 
up accounts by means of sticks, each representing certain 
coins. Brutus, in speaking of coins as counters, makes 
them appear to have no value in themselves, thus 
emphasizing the epithet "rascal " applied to them. 
He u'as but a fool. That is, he misunderstood my 
meaning. 
Rired. Torn. 
PACE 407.--Bear lis friend's infirmities. Make allow- 
ance for, hence the propriety of the contrast below. 
Till yo pracfi.e fl, ern on me. Try them on me. This 
speech, on its face, is unworthy of Brutus. He, however, 
means merely that Cassius has, bv his conduct, abolished 
that friendship which should condone the faults of a 
friend. 


AUTHORS 

Andersen, Hans Christian (1805-1875), a Danish 
writer of fairy tales and travels, was born at Odense, in 
the Island of Funen. IIis talents secured him friends, 
who placed him in the University of Copenhagen and 
afterwards obtained for him a money grant from the 
King. IIe travelled extensively through France, Ger- 
many, and Italy. In 1835, appeared his first collection of 
Fairy Tales. He continued writing until 1872, when an 
accident befell him at Innsbruck, from which he never 
recovered. IIe died at Copenhagen. 

Bates, David (1810-187o), an Alncrican poet. Died 
at Philadelphia, Pa. His principal work was The .Eoliaa, 
a collection of poems (1848). 

Blackmore, Richard Doddridge (1825-1900), a dis- 
tinguished English novelist, was born at Longworth, Berk- 
shire, and educated in Tiverton and at Exeter College, 
Oxford. After graduation in 18-17, he studied law and 
was called to the Bar in 1857. Ahandonin the ]axv after 
some years, he devoted himself to literature and market- 
gardening at Teddington-on-Thames, where be died. Ills 
best known works are Lorna Doone (1869), The Maid of 
Sker (1872), and Cripps tl, e Carrier (1876}. 

Blewett, lean McKishnie (1869- ), Canadian 
poet, was born at Scotia, Lake Erie, Ontario, ano was 
educated at the St. Thomas Collegiate Institute. In 
1886, she married Mr. Basset Blewett. IIer chief w',rks 
are Out of tle Depths, Heart Songs, and Tle Cornflot,'er 
and Other Poems, all distinguished hy "that subtle gift, 
the power to make you hear, see, and feel with her" 
Irs. Blewett has contributed verse and prose to 
Globe, Toronto, and The Canadian Magazine. 


THE ONTARIO READERS 

Carlyle, Thomas (1795-1881), celebrated Scettish 
essayist and historian, was born at Ecclefechan, Dum- 
friesshire. He was educated at the Annan Academy and 
at Edinburgh University. Here he attended the classes 
in Arts until 1813, when he began to prepare for the 
ministry of the Church of Scotland. In 1818, he moved 
to Edinburgh to study law, and supported himself by 
tutoring and by writing for encyclopaedias. In 1824, he 
paid his first visit to London and remained there until 
Mart:h, 1825, superintending the publi.ation of his Life 
of Schiller. In October, 1.q26, he married Miss Jane 
Welsh and settled in Edinburgh. Here he became con- 
nected with the Edinburgh Rerie,v. In 1828, he removed 
to Mrs. Carlyle's property of Craigenputtock. During the 
six years spent here, he produced his essays on Burns, 
Jolnson, Goetl, Diderot, and Voltaire, a. well as his 
most characteristic and greatest work, Sartor Resartus. 
In 18.q4. he removed to Chelsea, London, where he con- 
tinued to reside until his death. The works produced dur- 
ing the Chelsea period were The French Rerolution 
(1837), PaM and Pre.ent (1843), Cromu'ell's Letters and 
?,'peeche.q (1.q45), Life of John ,<,'titling (1851), and The 
Hstory o Frederick the Great (1858-1865). 

Carroll, Lewis (.q37-1.9.). "' Lewis Carroll " was 
the pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, English 
mathematician and writer of fairy tales. He was edu- 
cated at Christ Church. Oxford. where he became mathe- 
matical lecturer. 1855-1881. Besides his works on mathe- 
matics, which were published under his own name, as 
"Lewis Carroll" he wrote those delightful stories for 
childrenAlice's 4drentures in Wonderland (1865), and 
its sequel, Through the Looking-glass (1872). These 


AUTHORS 417 

title of The Life and Pas.ion of Archbishop Becket. It is 
in the preface to this work, edited by Dr. Pegge in 1772,, 
that the description of the b'ports in Norman England 
occurs. 

Follen, Eliza Lee (1787-186(I), Eliza Lee Cabot, 
American author and reformer, was born in Boston, Mass., 
and in 1828 was married to Professor Charles Follen. She, 
with her husband, took an active interest in the caml, aign 
against slavery, lter principal publications are Poems 
(1839), Twilight Stories (1858), and Home Dramas 
(1859). 

Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790), American states- 
man, diplomatist, and aulhor, was born at Boston, Mass. 
He began life as a prinler's boy. ttis most famous pro- 
duction, Poor Richard's Ahnanac, otherwise known as 
The Way to Wealth, begun in 173, was continued till 
1757. His scientific researches into the laws of electricity 
are embodied in various letters and papers. He wrote 
also numerous essays and an autohiography of great 
interest and value, ltis style was consciously modelled 
upon that of Addison. In 1776, as Minister Plenipoten- 
tiary, he visited the court of France and secured for the 
revolted colonies the sympathy and support of the French. 

Froude, James Anthony (1804-1894), English his- 
torian and man of letters, was born at Darlington in 
Devonshire. He was educated at Merton and at Oriel 
College, Oxford. There he came under the influence of 
the Tractarian movement, but his later scepticism and 
heterodoxy are shown in his Shado,'. of the ('louds 
(1847), and The Nemesis of Faith (1848). In 1869, he 
was chosen Lord Rector of the University of St. Andrew's, 


AUTHORS 421 

Harte, Francis lBret (1839-1902), American novelist 
and humorist, was born at Albany, New York. In 1,q51, 
he went to California, where be became in turn a school- 
master, a miner, and a compositor. In 1857, he obtained 
an engagement on The Golden Era in San Francisco, and 
later, with S. L. Clemens, became a contributor to The 
Californian. IIe founded The O'crland Monthly and 
contributed to it many of the stories whi.h have made him 
famous; amongst others The Luck of Roaring (__'amp, 
Tennessee's Partner, and The Idyll of Red Gulch. lie 
held consular appointments in Germany and Scotland. 
He died in London. 
Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1.qft-186t), American 
novelist, was born in Salem, Mass. Here be was prepared 
for entrance to Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, 1821. 
At college he was dreamy, sensitive, and diffident. After 
his marriage with Miss Sophie Peabody, he took up resi- 
dence in the Old Manse at Concord and received an 
appointment in the Custom House at Salem, a position 
which he lost in 1849. Before this time he had published 
Tu'ice Told Tales, Mosses from a Old Manse, Grand- 
father's Chair, and The b'now Image. The Scarlet Letter 
appeared in 185, and then successively, The llou.,e of 
The Seven Gables, The Blilhedale Romance, The Wonder 
Book, and Tanglewood Tales, all within the next three 
years. 
In 1853, Hawthorne was appointed American Consul 
at Liverpool. Before the expiration of his term, he 
resigned the office and made a visit to France and Italy. 
Returning to England in 1859, he wrote his romance, 
The Marble Faun. In 1860, he settled at " The Wayside ", 
in Concord. The leading characteristics of his writings 
are a sle of classic purity of expression, a lively fancy, 


422 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

a dainty humour, and a romantic imagination, hic.h, 
while it casts an atmosphere of unreality over his whole 
work, imparts to it a peculiar elegance. 
Hemans, Felicia Dorothea Browne (1793-1835), 
English poet, was born at Liverpool. In 180, her father, 
on account of some business.reverses, removed his family 
into North Wales. Here beside the sea, inspired with 
the love of nature, Felicia was brought up. Her England 
and ,_'pain (18fig) attracted some favourable attention. 
In 1,12, she published The Dome.tic Affections and was 
married in the same year to ('aptaiu Ilemans, who had 
served in Spain. Among her other works are the Forest 
Sanctuary (1,q?6), Songs of the Affections (1830), Hymns 
for Childhood, and Scenes and Hymns of Life (1834). 
Her poems are marked by grace, sweetness, and tender- 
hess. 
Henley, William Ernest (1849-]903), English critic 
and poet, was born at Gloucester, England. lie was an 
intimate friend of Bobert Louis Stevenson, and collab- 
orated with him in the production of a series of plays. 
]Icnley edited several serials, two or three anthologies of 
lyrics, and an edition of Burns. The London Voluntaries, 
published with The Song of the ,','t'ord (197). For Eng- 
land's Sa/cc (l 90 }, and Ha,'lh oru and Larender (19nl ), 
arc perhaps his most notable productions, llis poetry i:_." 
vigorous and vivid in expression, rapid in movement, and 
shows a f.ndness for odd words and curious locations. 
Hogg, James (177o-1835), Scottish poet, song-writer, 
and essasist , known as " The Ettrick Shepherd," was 
born in the parish of Ettrick, Selkirksbire. In 1801, he 
published a small volume of verse, and heinz introduced 
to Sir Walter Scott, assisted him in the preparation of 


424 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

and Kingsley in their work among the London poor. In 
1.qso, he asst.,ted in founding a settlement in Tennessee. 
His principal works are Tom Brou'n at Rugby, and Tom 
Brown at Oxford. A statue of him was erected at Rugby 
in 1899. 

Hunt, James Henry Leigh (178-i-1859), English 
essayist, critic, and poet, was born at Southgate in Middle- 
sex. He was educated at Christ's IIospital till his fifteenth 
year. In The Examiner, a paper started by himself and 
his hrother, he ridiculed the Prince Regent as a "fat 
Adonis of forty", and for his vivacity was sentenced to 
two years' imprisonment. On leaving prison, he published 
Rimini. in 1;16. and two small volumes of poetry, The 
Feast of the Poets (114}. and Foliage (118). In 1822, 
he went with his wife and children to Italy to reside with 
Lord Byron. In 1825, Hunt returned to England, and 
for twenty years eked out an existence by precarious 
journalism. During the last ten years of his life, he 
enjoyed pensions from the Shelley family and the civil 
list. Hunt's fame rests principally upon his work as an 
essayist and critic. S-me of the titles of his works not 
before mentioned arc: Imagination and Faacy, Wit and 
Humour, Stories from the Italian Poets (1_46). Men, 
Women, and Books (1847), A Jar of Honey from Mount 
Hybla, and The Town (18-;). 

Ingelow. Jean (1830-1897), English poet and 
novelist, was born in Lincolnshire. Miss Inffelow was a 
very popular writer of poems and novels and also of short 
stories for children. 

Jackson, Helen Hunt (131-1885), American 
writer, was born at Amherst, Mass. Her first husband was 
Captain Edward Hunt of the American Army. Twelve 


456 THE ONTARIO READERS 

bridge University. In 1869, he resigned and was ap- 
pointed a ('anon of Chester and afterwards of Westmin- 
ster. In 187], he made hi. voyage to the tropics, lie 
became editor of (ood l|'ordx in |72, made a lecturing 
tour in America in ]83-4, and was appointed Chaplain 
to the Queen. His mst importat works are Ih.lpat;a 
(1,q53}, l|'estcard I[o (1,q55), Tu'o ]'ears Alo (1857), 
Tle Heroes (1q58}, and ll'ater Babies (1863). 
Kipling, Rudyard (1865- ), English journalist, 
writer of short stories, poet. and novelist, was horn at 
Bombay, India. He was educated at the United Services 
College, Westward IIo, North Devon. P,t'turning to India, 
he acted as assistant editor on Tle ('icil and Militarj 
Gazette, and The Pioeer. He has travelled extensively 
in ('hina, Japan, Africa, Australia, and America. He 
stories are renarkable for vigor and directness of expres- 
sion and the accuracy with which they represent the sol- 
dier's life in India: his verse, for metrical dexterity, and 
in The Recessional and some of his ballads, for nobility 
of sentiment and descriptive vividness. Some f 3It. 
Kipling's publicaticns are Departmental Dillies, ,%ldiers 
Tltree. Tle Phantom Ric'slau', T]e Li.llt float Failed. 
Barrac1'-room Ballads, .lIan!! In'entions, T]e .lungle 
Boo's, ('aptains Courageot, and The Day's ll'ork. 
Lamlaman, Archibald (1861-1899), Canadian poet, 
son of the late Rev. Archihald Lampman, was born at 
]lorpeth, in Kent County. Ontario. He was of U. E. 
Loyalist stork on both sides. He was educated at Trinity 
College School, Port Hope, and at Trinity University, 
Toronto, from which, in 1882, he was graduated with 
honours. He entered the Canadian Civil Service at 
Ottawa in 1883 as a clerk in the Post-office Department. 


436 

THE ONTARIO READERS 

187t, he issued Moorland Rhymes and, in 1891, Poems, 
Songs, and Sonnets. 
Richardson, John (1796-1852), Canadian soldier and 
author, was born near the Falls of Niagara, Ontario. His 
father, Dr. Robert Richardson, afterwards became surgeon 
to the Governor and garrison at Fort Amherstburg; and 
it is to the vivid impressions made upon his young mind 
by the frontier scenes enacted there, that we owe the thrill- 
ing dramas in his tales of Canadian and Indian life. He 
served in the 41st Regiment in the war of 1812 and, at its 
conclusion, he went to Europe to serve under Wellington; 
but arriving after the Battle of Waterloo, he remained for 
some tilue in London. In Spain he fought with the 
British Legion. He returned to Canada in 1838 as corres- 
pondent of The Times, and shortly after published news- 
papers in Bror'kville and Kingston. About 1848, he went 
to New York, where he died in extreme poverty in 1852. 
The best of ,Major Richardson's works is Wacouxla, or The 
Prophecy; other works are The Canadian Brothers, or The 
Prophecy Fulfilled, and Eight Years in Canada. 
Roberts, Charles Gordon Douglas (1860- ), 
Canadian novelist and poet, was born at Douglas, near 
Fredericton. N.B. He was graduated at the University of 
New Brunswick in 1879. He was principal of the Gram- 
mar School, Chatham, N.B., 1879-1882, and afterwards of 
York treet School, Fredericton, until the fall of 1883, 
when he removed to Toronto to Iecome editor of The lVeek. 
Later, he held the chair of English Literature and Econ- 
omics in King'.* College, Wind.-:or, N.S., until 895, when 
he resigned to devote himself exclusively to literary work. 
Mr. Roberts is now engaged in literary and journalistic 
work in New York. As a poet he specially excels in his 


AUTHORS 437 

descriptions of nature. These, and his stories of the forest, 
are distinctively Canadian. Among his best kno.wn con- 
tributions to literature arc: gongs of tle Common Day, 
Earth's Enigmas, The Forge in tle Forest, A History of 
Canada, and The Heart of the .lncient Wood. 

Robertson, Frederick William (1816-1853), Eng- 
lish preacher, was born in London and educated at the 
:New Academy, Edinburgh, and at Oxford University. 
After occupying various subordinate clerical posts and 
spending some time in travel on the continent, he hecame, 
in 1847, incumbent of Trinity College, Brighton, and re- 
tained this position until his death. He was very popular 
both as a preacher and lecturer, but his real fame was 
posthumous. His Sermons and Addresses, published after 
his death, are widely and favourably known. 

Robertson, William (1721-1793), Scottish historian 
and popular preacher, was horn at Borthwick, Midlothian. 
He became, in 1762, principal of Edinhurgh University. 
His chief works are a llistor!l of Scotland, a History of 
Charles V, and a History of America. His style is marked 
by a classical dignity of expression. 

Rossetti Christina G. (1830-1894), an English poet, 
was the daughter of Gabriele Rossetti, the Italian patriot, 
and sister of Dante Rossetti. She was horn in London, 
where she spent the greater part of her life, devoting her- 
self to the care of her mother, her religious duties, and her 
literary work. The series of sonnets, entitled Monna 
Innominata, are supposed to be suggested by incidents in 
her life. " She has that rarest of gifts, the gift of express- 
ing deep feeling in quiet speech and perfect musical 
cadence. Iter poems are full of that beautiful redundance 
29  


AUTHORS 443 

important work is The Life and Correspondence of Dr. 
Arnold (1844). 

Steel, Flora Annie (1847- ), was born at 
Harrow and educated at home. In 1867 she married a 
Bengal civilian. Her stories of Indian life bare a wide 
popularity. The principal of these are The Potter's 
Thumb (1894), On the Face of the Waters (189-6), The 
Hosts of the Lord (1900), A ,','overeign Remedy (1906). 

Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850-1891), the essayist 
and romance writer, was the grandson of Robert Steven- 
son, the builder of the Bell lock Lighthouse. His mother 
was Margaret Balfour, of the old Scottish family of the 
Balfours of Pilrig. He was born in Edinburgh. IIis 
education was much interrupted on account of the delicacy 
of his health, and much of his time was spent in travel. 
He studied engineering at Edinburgh University, but in 
1871 abandoned it to read law. He teJ[Jk every oppor- 
tunity for the study of human nature in its wild, adven- 
turous, and perhaps its sordid aspects, both as revealed in 
books and as presented in his rambles in the Lowlands 
and lIghlands. In 1880, he married a Californian lady, 
Mrs. 0sbourne, his future critic and collaborateur. In 
1889, he made his voyage to the Southern Seas and settled 
in Samoa, where he died. His best known works are Will 
o" the Mill, Treasure I.sland, The Master of Ballantrae, 
Kidnapped, and The Child's Garden of Verse. 

Taylor, Bayard (1825-1878), was born in Chester 
County, Pennsylvania. His first volume, Ximena and 
Other Poems, was published in 1844. His experiences 
while upon his pedestrian tour in Europe, and his journeys 
to various parts of Asia Minor, China, India, and Japan, 


AUTHORS 445 
Thaxter, Celia (1836-1894), was born at Ports- 
mouth, New Hampshire. She was a daughter of Thomas 
B. Leighton, keeper of the White Island Lighthou.e, and 
was married in 1851 to Levi L. Thaxter, of Watertown, 
Mass. She died ou the Island of Appledore, off the coast 
of Maine. Her principal works are ,4thong the Isles of 
S]oals, Driftwood, and Poems for Cldldren. 
Thomson. James (1700-1748), poet and dramatist, 
was born at Ednam-in-loxburgh. At eighteen he entered 
Edinburgh College as a student of Divinity, but aban- 
doned his course and went to London in the spring of 
125. The publication of Winter (1726), though it 
brought in little money, gave him many friends. Tle 
Season, s (1730) was received with much favour. By the 
death of a patron in 1737, he was reduced to great pov- 
erty, but later receiving an appointment which enabled 
him to live in easy, indolent enjoyment, he wrote his great- 
est work, The Castle of Indolence (1748). lie produced 
his most successful tragedy, Tancred and Sigisnund, ill 
1745, with Garrick and Mrs. Cibber in the leading roles. 
Twain, Mark (1835-1910). "Mark Twain" was 
the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He was 
born in Florida, Missouri. He learned the trade of a 
printer, became a pilot on the Mississippi River in 1855 
and, in 1861, accompanied his brother to Nevada as his 
private secretary. He took up newspaper work in Vir- 
ginia. Nevada, and afterward in San Francisco and 
Buffalo. In 1867, he took up his residence in Hartford. 
spending much of his time abroad. His principal works 
are Roughing It, Tle Inocents Abroad. Tom Sawyer, A 
Tramp Abroad, Old Times on the Mississippi, and The 
Prince and the Pauper. His racy and original humour. 


450 THE ONTARIO READERS 

Winchester. Her Heir of Redcli]e was very popular. 
Within forty-four years (1848-1892) she published over 
one hundred volumes. Her novels display dramatic skill 
and inculcate a high morality. The considerable profits 
of her early novels were devoted to charitable and religious 
purposes. Heartsease, Golden Deeds, and her books on 
military commanders and good women constitute her most 
notable works.