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NOVA SCOTIA SCHOOL SERIES. llEADINGS FRO~I THE BEST AUTHORS. No. ,iT. HALIFAX: .A. &, 'v. :\l:A.CX.IN LA Y &; CO. PnOr'lNCE OF XOVA S,_"HIA. Be It remembered Illaton IllIs Ihh'd duyof NOI·.mber, '.D. 1865, .\. ,t W. MAcI{INLAY, of the city of Hlilifux, in snid Pro\ jnce, have dt:pusited ill [hi~ office th~ Litle of a book, tile copyright whereof they cluim in the wOllis i'ulloy, ing: .. Noya Scotia Series: Reallings from tht: Best Authors, ~o. y I. ... lind authorized by th~ Council of Public Instruction, Htllilax. XOY3 :;{,dtiu. A. & 11". )1.\CKIt\LAY, in conformiry to chapter one Jlt11ldl'ed and Shlt'ell of the He\'j"ed ~tatutt's. CHAHLES TC'PI'£'H, ?I'CJt'incwl S('n'd~" t, PREFACE. THE extracts which form this first part of " READINGS FROM TIT!: BEBT AUTHORS," have been selected mainly with a regard to their suitable ness as exercises in Elocution for the members of miJille and junior classes. It has therefore been deemed essential that each piece should exhibit some of the following characteristics ;- 1st. That the subject be one which boys can thoroughly appreciate, and which may therefore largely enlist their sympathies. 2d. That the subject be 80 treated that the thoughts and imagery may be readily apprehended, and speedily brought home to the heari and the feelings. For it cannot be expected that those portions of an author which require for their comprehension a laborious and minute explanation on the part of the teacher, and a great exercise of thought on the part of the pupil, can be read with spirit and with taste. 3d. That strongly-marked rhetorical peculiarities abound, so that the young may be early taught to avoid a monotonous and unimpres' sive style of reading. To each Piece has been prefixed a very brief notice of its author, and, when necessary, of the circumstances under which it was written. A few notes have been added, to explain the more obscure references; but it has been judged best for the interests of both teacher and pupil to limit these within narrow bounds. It is not intended that the extracts in this volume be read in the order in which they are printed, but that, on the contrary, teachers should select from day to day such passages as they may deem most suitable. An attempt has therefore been made at a classification on a simple and natural principle. It has not, however, been found easy to decide under which head certain pieces should most appropriately be ranged, partaking, as many of them do, of the characteristics of more than one class. While a large proportion of the "pecimens now selected bave not (14) 1 iv PREFACE. previously appeared in any class-book, it will nevertheless be seen that many old favourites have been retained in their place of honour. Some of these may be objected to as hackneyed; but it must be remem bered that though familiar to us, they are fresh to the rising genera tion, and that if they delighted our youthful fancies, they will be no less successful in captivating the minds of our children. CONTENTS . • PROSE. SECTION I.-HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. Page I. Return of Columbu........................................ Pr",col~ 7 II. P.unncmedc, ................................................ C.~arleJ Knight. 10 III. Relief of Londonden-y .................................... Ibid. 13 IV. Trial of Warren Hastings................................. Ibid. 15 V. The Broken Heart .......................................... W. Irving. 17 \"1. The Battle of Alma ......................................... W. H. Russell. 20 VII. Homeward Bound......................................... Di<kcm. 23 SECTION I1.-FICTION. I. Fall of J emsalem ........................................... Croly. 27 II. Destruction of Pompeii.................................... Sir B. Ly/Iorl. 30 III. Story of the Siege of Calais .............................. Brooke. 33 IV. Football ........................................................ Hugh... 38 V. A Storm ........................................................ Sir W. Scott. 41 VI. Escape of a Slave........................................... Mrs. Stoue. 43 VII. Death of Eva................................................. Ibid. 48 VIII. The Stage Coach ............................................ DickenJ. 61 IX. Damon and Phintias....................................... Brooke. 66 X. The Monk .................................................... Sterne. IS7 SECTION IlL-MISCELLANEOUS. I. Grief for the Dead .......................................... W. IrfJing. CO n. Westmin.ter Abbey....................................... Addison. 62 HI. The Hand..................................................... Dr. G. Wi/urn. 6a vi CONTENTS. l'o!;e IV. The Regnlla of Scotland .................................. Rev. Dr. Guthrie. 66 V. The Men and the Deeds of the American Revo- lution ..................................................... Everett. 67 VL Tacher,,.. Talent......... •••.• .•. .••. .••........•......••. London .Alla& 68 SECTION IV.-ORATORY. L Pitt, Earl of Chatham, on the American War ...... 72 II. Sheridan against Hasting................................ 75 III. Burke against Hasting.................. ...... ••••.......• 77 IV. America's Duty to Greece................................ Henr/l Cia". 79 V. Lord Brougham on Negro Slavery.................... 81 VI. Transitory NatDre of Earthly Things...........•.... Chalmers' Memoir.. 82 VIL Lord Brongham on Public Speaking...... ... ......... 86 POETRY. SECTION I.-mSTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. L Boadlcea ................................................... OOlbpcr. 87 II. Hohenlinden .............•...•.......•.•••..............• Campbell. 88 III. De Boune and Robert Bruce.•...•..........•.....•. Sir W. .scott. 89 IV. Bnrial of Sir John Moore ............................ Woife. 91 V. Battle of Morgarten ..•...................•...........•• Mrs. Hemam. 9~ VI. Bcth Gelert ..•••..••.•.•••...............................•. Hon. W. R. Spencer. 96 VII. J e.sie of Lucknow ...................................... Prof. Webb. 98 nn. Mary Queen of Scot•••..................•.•.•...••••.. Bell. 99 IX. Lord Ullin's Daughter•••.........•.....•....••....•.•. CampbelL 104 X. Bernardo del Carpio ................................... Mrs. Hema".. 10C XI. Bernardo and Alphonso •..........•......••..•••••.•• Lockhart. 108 XII. Horatins................................................... Lord MtUaulall. III XIII. Ellen. the Lady of the Lake......................... Sir Il". Scott. 114 XIV. Eliza at the Battle of Minden ....................... Da"'J]in. 116 XV. The Al"cbery of William Tell, ...................... /Jaine. 111 XVI. Banisbment of Ma.eppa, ..••••..••................••• Byron 120 XVII. Sack of Baltimore....................................... Da.... 122 XVllL The Fountain............................................ Rogers. 125 XIX. Incident at Bruges.•..••••.....••••.•.•.••••.......•..• Wordsworth. 126 xx. Tbe Armada............................................. Lord Macaula". 128 XXI. Lady of Provence ....................................... Mr•. Hema".. 131 AXIl. The ViUage Inn. ........................................ Goldsmith. 134 CONTENTB. vll PaJ' XXIIL Battle of Rastings .•.........................••..•..•.••• Bent/ttl Ballads. 136 XXIV. The French Army in Russia ........................ Croly. 138 XXV. Downfal of Poland •••••••••.••..............••.••.••.•• Campbell. 140 XXVL Ginevra••.••..•••••.••......••••••.•..•......••••..•......• Roge.... 143 XXVIL The Drum •..••.........•..••••...••...•...•••...••....... Jerrold·sMagazint.145 XXVIII. Bonfire of Craig-Gowan ............................... W. S. Dflniel. 146 LXIX. Death of Murat .......................................... Atkinson. 148 X.XX. Pompeii .....•.•••.••••.•••..•.•...••.....••.••••••••....... Anon. 150 XXXL Destruction of Sennacherib .......................... Byron. 151 XXXIL David and Goliath .............•..••.•••..•......•...... Drummond. 152 XXXIII. The Village Preacher•••.••.•......•..•.••...••......• GoldsmIth. 156 XXXIV. The Ship Foundering ................................. Lord Byron. 158 XXXV. The Shunamite .......................................... N. P. Willis. 159 XXXVL Funeral of Wellington ................................ Tennyson. 161 XXXVII. Battle of Marathon ..................................... Prof. Blackie. 164 KLXVIIl. Isaac Ashford ............................................ Crabbe. 167 XXXIX. Onlali.. i ................................................... Campbell. 169 XL. The Legend of the Egyptian Prince.............. Edwin AnlOlrJ. 171 SECTION II.-DOMESTIC AND NATIONAL, I. Rome ............................................................ Montgomery. 1701 IL England and her Queen .................................. M. A. Stodart. 175 IlL British Sailor's Song ....................................... Anon. 175 IV. England's Dead............................................. Mrs. Hemans. 171 V. Bingcn on the Rhine ....................................... Hon. Mrs. Norton. 178 VL A Winter Evening .......................................... Cowper. 181 SECTION III,-SACRED AND MORAL, L God hath a Voice ........................................... E. Cook. 183 II. The Reign of Christ........................................ Pope. 183 IlL The Fnture Mercifully Concealed ..................... Ibid. 184 IV. Ruman Life ................................................... Rogers. 185 V. Spirit of Beauty .............................................. Dailies. 186 VL Paddle your own Canoe ................................... Anon. 187 VII. Bruce and