"You lose Time in duty if you perform duty no otherwise than formally, customarily, and superficially. If you do holy offices without any feelings; if you do the duty for the matter of it, but fail in the principle and manner of the duty, and never look to the end of duty."

of horses in statuary. He had resolved to place the Duke upon a steed in a quiescent position, and endeavoured to draw the hero into an admission that that position was preferable to all others. After enduring this for some time; Wellington said dryly, "Well, Mr. Chantrey, the quiescent position may do very well for horses, especially stone ones, but to speak my mind, I don't find the attitude agreeable. I like to be moving."

It is recorded of the Duke, that he was never seen to lounge about, or to be entirely idle. Even after the hard fought battle of Quatre Bras, he was heard reading aloud from an English newspaper, and indulging in a hearty laugh at the gloomy forebodings of the editor in a leading article.

His horror of losing Time was shown by his pithy, concise style of correspondence. Perhaps no writer ever comprehended so much matter in so few words as his Grace. He was very much pestered by the uninvited correspondence of busy persons, and but too frequently became the dupe of impostors. Many persons presumed upon his known punctuality and business habits, to annoy him with the presentation of petitions. To one of these clients, he replied as follows:-"The Duke of Wellington presents his compliments to Mr. ———. The Duke returns thanks for Mr.

-'s good wishes. The Duke begs leave to decline to present to the House of Lords petitions from individuals whom, or from communities of which, he has no knowledge. The Duke begs leave to return the petition."

The Duke used to say, apropos of early rising, "When a man catches himself turning in bed, it is time to turn out."

"If you act, not out of a principle of love and inward life and liking, but only out of some external respect; if you perform your services, not out of a filial ingenuous disposition, but merely out of a slavish fear of being beaten, or of losing the wages you expect."

He used to be up frequently before his servants, would light a small fire in his chamber, shave and dress himself; so that it can scarcely be held true of him that he was no hero in the eyes of his valet. At all events the Duke was a well-dressed gentleman by the time his personal attendant was admitted to his chamber.

He always read and wrote before breakfast. The first meal of the day was always simple, and soon despatched. His time after breakfast was disposed of variously at different seasons, in the town, and in the country at Strathfieldsaye, and at Walmer; it was likewise, on the average, distributed with nice adjustment to the respective claims of health, recreation, friendship, and public duty; yet in general, on any one day, it was laid out in a marvellous number of successive ways, and largely spent in hard work. He was as much a working man as any one in the kingdom, and did all his work without noise and bustle.*

The Duke's business habits, at the close of his life, are well indicated by the condition of his private room in Apsley House, which is thus described by an intelligent visitor to it after his Grace's death ::

"One glance at it will satisfy the most skin-flint economist that his situation was no sinecure. Every nook of it is dedicated to work. Around are heaped oak cases and boxes, books of reference, and all the appliances of pen, ink, and paper. Near the fire are the chair in which the Duke sat when giving instructions, and the table at which, when alone, or much pressed by business, he ate a hurried but * Wilson's "Memoirs of the Duke of Wellington," vol. ii., p. 599.

"If you be not intent in your religious services, but instead of using the world as though you used it not, you use good duties as if you did not use them, and pray as if you prayed not."

hearty dinner. On a smaller table stands an ordinary deal box, which never has had a coat of paint, and is fastened by the rudest iron lock and hasp; yet, henceforward, this rough bit of carpentry will rank with the gem-studded casket of Darius, in which Alexander deposited his Homer. In this humble husk his most secret papers were kept; on its cover his plans were sketched and his despatches written. All the tools and means of a consummate artist, who knows the value of Time, are at hand, while all show and tinsel are absent. Everything present is solid and substantial, and indicative of masculine nerve and sinew, of the energy and intention of one who could bear anything but idleness and to whom occupation was happiness.

'Let us henceforward daily eye the life of Christ, as that which is an example to us in all our actions in the world: in the midst of all the passions to which we are subject, and temptations to which we are exposed."

WISE AND IGNORANT.

"The gifts of the understanding are the treasures of God; and He appointeth to every one his portion, in what measure seemeth good unto Himself.

"Hath He endowed thee with wisdom? hath He enlightened thy mind with the knowledge of truth? Communicate it to the ignorant, for their instruction; communicate to the wise, for thine own improvement.

"True wisdom is less presuming than folly; the wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance.

"The pride of emptiness is an abomination, and to talk such is the foolishness of folly; nevertheless it is the part of wisdom to bear with patience their impertinence, and to pity their absurdity.

"Yet be not puffed up in thine own conceit, neither boast of superior understanding; the dearest human knowledge is but blindness and folly.

"The wise man feeleth his imperfections, and is humbled; he laboureth in vain for his own approbation; but the fool peepeth in the shallow stream of his own mind, and is pleased with the pebbles which he seeth at the bottom: he bringeth them up, and showeth them as pearls; and with the applause of his brethren delighteth he

himself.

"He boasteth of attainments in things that are of no worth; but where it is a shame to be ignorant, there he hath no understanding.

"Even in the paths of wisdom he toileth after folly; and shame and disappointment are the reward of his labour.

"But the wise man cultivates his mind with knowledge, the improvement of arts is his delight, and their utility to the public crowneth him with honour.

"Nevertheless, the attainment of virtue he accounteth as the highest learning; and the science of happiness is the study of his life."-The Ancient Bramin.

XVII. WASTE OF TIME.

I HAVE now, reader, in the previous chapters submitted to your consideration the value of Time, the Dignity of Labour, the Individual and Social Benefits springing from Industry, and have laid before you the Opinions and Examples of many of those Good and Great Men who have written and laboured for our benefit. Blind and deaf must you be, if you have not felt impressed with their excellent teachings, by precept and example, and if you are not

"When you rise in the morning, resolve thus with thyself: I will this day study to behave myself as Christ did; I will labour to exercise those virtues, and to act those graces which he was exemplary for."

already eager to begin some system of life by which Time the richest gift of God, may in future be turned to good account.

But before I proceed to lay down a system for the Economy of Time, based upon the good principles which have been already considered, I wish to set before you two examples of an opposite nature. The power of a picture is chiefly derived from good contrasts of form and colour, And in order that I may the better bring before your minds the principles of the art of employing Time, I wish to show you how Time may be and is wasted by people in various stations in life. To this end, I place before you a story which many years ago I read in Mrs. Barbauld's Evenings at Home, and another which I have more recently found in an interesting and instructive miscellany :

THE PRICE OF PLEASURE.*

"I think I will take a ride," said the little Lord Linger, after breakfast" bring me my boots, and let my horse be brought to the door."

The horse was saddled, and his lordship's spurs were being put on.

"No," said he, "I'll have my low chair and the ponies, and take a drive round the park.'

The horse was led back, and the ponies were almost harnessed, when his lordship sent his valet to countermand them. He would walk into the corn-field and see how the new pointer hunted.

"After all," said he, "I think I will stay at home, and play a game or two at billiards."

He played half a game, but could not make a stroke to

From Mrs. Barbauld's "Evenings at Home."