placed us, and how He has given us flowers and fruits, and so many things that are pleasant to the eye and taste, it seems strange-does it not? that it should ever have been thought religious to despise His good gifts, or to shut ourselves from our fellow-creatures, whom He has made us to care for and love."

"Yes, papa, it does indeed," said Robert, "and I'm very glad that clergymen don't live in monasteries now, it's so much better for them to preach and to try and improve the people. But why do you smile papa, are you not too very glad?"

Yes, my boy, very thankful and glad. You must not, however, suppose that all the clergy in former days were monks. The monks, or regular clergy as they were called, used indeed to live apart from the world; but there was also a large body of priests, called the secular clergy, who had the charge of parishes, much in the same way that clergymen of the Church of England do now, and who lived among their flocks."

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But these secular clergy, as you call them, were not allowed to marry, were they? said Emma.

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No, nor are they now where the Roman Catholic religion prevails. In England they had, however, been permitted to do so until the time of Henry I.; but in his reign a celebrated archbishop, named Anselm, got a law passed, forbidding that any of the clergy should marry, and ordering that all the priests who were already married, should immediately send away their wives, and should never see them again."

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Papa, I never quite understood the difference between abbots and bishops, but I think I do now; archbishops and bishops belonged I suppose to the secular clergy, and abbots to the regular, did they not?"

"Yes, my dear, they did. An abbot, you know, was the monk who ruled over the other monks in a monastery. The power which abbots possessed in their own monastery, or abbey, was very great, but they held rather a lower rank than the bishops did; and on state occasions, when they appeared in full dress, they were only allowed to wear a silver-gilt mitre, whereas, bishops wore one made of pure gold."

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'Papa, were any English persons made saints of? canonised, I mean."

lower part of the picture represents the disciples, at the foot of the mount, with the demoniac boy, whom they are endeavouring in vain to heal. Thus the one portion represents the sorrows and miseries of human life, the power of evil, and the weakness of mortal efforts, while above is the brightness of spiritual exaltation and heavenly bliss. At the young artist's death, when his remains were laid out for public view, this picture was suspended over his head, and the sight of this creation of his genius, thus brought into contrast with his cold lifeless clay, melted every beholder into tears.

Raffaello died of fever at the early age of 37. His loss was regretted not more on account of the powers of his genius, than on account of his benevolence and love. He is described as a magician, whose presence diffused joy and happiness, and united opposing minds and tempers. Among his fellow-artists, he disarmed jealousy and conciliated affection, and was a universal favourite. We must also admire his immense energy and untiring industry. No artist ever equalled him in productive power. His works prolong his memory to all future generations. His benevolence and courtesy which drew all hearts to him, and his right and true conduct in all social relationships, bequeath to us a pleasant and beautiful picture of a good and glorious life.

MONASTERIES AND MONKS.

"PAPA," said Robert Morton, "I've been thinking a good deal over the talk we had about the introduction of Christianity into England, and I should like, please, to know something about the history of religion in this country. You said, I remember, that the English people began to improve about the time Canute became king; did he do any thing to improve them? was he a religious man?"

"He framed some wise laws for the good of his people, and after his conversion to Christianity (for he was educated as a heathen), he appears to have become very religious, according at least to the notions of the age. He was fond of collecting relics - that is, the bones of

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saints, a portion of their dress, or something which had once belonged to them - he founded several monasteries, and built some churches and cathedrals. He was in the habit, too, of writing poetry; and as he wrote a ballad on the occasion of hearing some monks chanting mass in Ely cathedral, we may suppose that he took great pleasure in sacred music.

Ah, papa," cried Emma, "he was like you, then, in that respect; you often say you are fonder of hearing mamma and me sing hymns, than of any other kind of music."

"I am," said Mr. Morton smiling, "and perhaps Canute's taste was like mine. The sacred music of those days, seems however to have been very different to what it is now; the ballad which Canute composed is said to have been afterwards sung in churches, though, to judge by the first verse (the only one now remaining) it was certainly not what we should consider suitable or proper to be used as a hymn. This is how it began'Merrily sung the monks within Ely, When Canute king roweth thereby; Row my knights, row near the land, And hear we these monks' song.'

"Oh papa, how strange to sing such words in church! I could not have thought it possible. But was Canute in a boat then when he heard these monks' song?”

'He is supposed to have been rowing on the river Neune, which flows near Ely cathedral, and the music no doubt sounded very sweet as it came floating across the waters."

By the bye," cried Robert, "what was that story about Canute and the sea, which you were speaking of last Tuesday, Emma, when I went off about Scarborough ?"

"Oh Bob, it was only this. Canute's courtiers flattered him, and told him he was such a powerful king that he could do whatever he pleased; so one day when he was by the sea side, and the tide was coming up, he told them to go and place a chair for him on the sands, just by the edge of the sea; and when they had done so, he went and sat down, and desired the waves not to come any further, nor to dare to wet his robe.

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"Yes, there were several English saints, but it would be tedious to tell you all their names. One of our Saxon kings, Canute's successor, was canonised; can you not tell me who that was?"

"Let's see, I don't know; oh, was it Edward the Confessor?"

It was. Edward the Confessor was thought a very religious man; he took a great interest in the building of Westminster Abbey, and he is said to have always worn a monk's dress under his royal robes; so, after his death the Pope ordered that his name should be ranked among the saints. He was buried in the curious old chapel in Westminster Abbey, which is still called the chapel of King Edward the Confessor, and which is one of the most ancient now standing in England. I dare say," added Mr. Morton, "you wouldn't wonder so much what your mamma and I could find to look at in the chapel now, as you did when

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Oh, it was years ago, when you took us to see it, papa?" cried both the children, we were quite young then; but we shouldn't call it an ugly, gloomy, stupid old place now, for we should understand it you know. You will take us some day to see the Abbey and the chapel again, won't you, papa?" They pleaded coaxingly.

Mr. Morton laughed, and said, he would see about it.

B. A. J.

CHILD'S EVENING PRAYER.-Oh my heavenly Father! hear my prayer. Bless me before go to sleep. Through the darkness be Thou near me : let me feel as if Thy arms were round about me as I lie down; and all the night long. It will be soit is so. Thou art close about me, and within me, and nothing can separate me from Thee but sin. No good spirit can be where sin and selfishness are; oh Father, give me strength, and help me to be more watchful and persevering in trying to overcome all sin and selfishness; and enable me to OVERCOME! So only shall I obtain the crown!-so only can I enter into Christ's happy mansions, and be with Him where He is. Pardon, oh my Father! all the faults of the past day: help me to know them,-and to repent of them, and to make amends for them; and now, with loving thanks for all the blessings and enjoyments of this day, I will lie down and sleep securely beneath Thy watchful eye. Amen.

SPRING is the time of year when all who possess vivariums are most actively hunting in all the ponds, ditches, and streams of the neighbourhood for new inhabitants for their tanks, and those who have any intention of setting up vivariums should lose no time in making the necessary preparations; for now all kinds of curious creatures are coming into life in every pool of water, and performing all kinds of curious motions, and undergoing changes which we have very little idea of till we have hunted them out, and put them in a glass and watched them a little while, and then we have discovered quite a new world of creatures, who are every day carrying on their affairs as perfectly heedless of us as we have hitherto been of them. I have never heard of any one who had once begun to pry into their affairs who did not feel himself urged by the most irresistible curiosity to know as much as possible about them, and when very many of the cleverest men have spent their lives in investigating the structure and habits of the most insignificant looking creatures, and have considered those lives well

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