666 And new-born infant died. But things like that, you know, must be They say it was a shocking sight After the field was won, For many thousand bodies here Lay rotting in the sun. But things like that, you know, must be, "And every body praised the Duke 'But what good came of it at last?' 'Why, that I cannot tell,' said he, 1. What celebrated battle was fought on this day, in 1704? 2. What did Tallard the French general ? 3. What did the allies when being masters of the field? 323 4. What was the loss of the French and Bavarians in this battle ? LESSON CCXXVI. AUGUST THE FOURTEENTH. First Book printed. THE first printed book on record is the Book of Psalms, by Faust, and Schaffer, his son-in-law, which was published on this day, in the year 1457. Faust was a goldsmith of Mentz, and one of the three earliest printers, to whom the invention of this most useful art has been ascribed. Faust had the policy to conceal his art, and to this it has been supposed we are indebted for the tradition of "The Devil and Dr. Faustus," handed down to the present times. Faust, in partnership with Peter Schæffer, having, in 1462, printed off a considerable number of copies of the Bible, to imitate those which were sold in MS., Faust undertook the sale of them at Paris, where the art of printing was then unknown. At first he sold his copies for so high a sum as 500 or 600 crowns, the prices usually demanded by the transcribers. He afterwards lowered his price to 60 crowns, which created universal astonishment; but when he produced copies as fast as they were wanted, and lowered the price to 30 crowns all Paris was agitated. The uniformity of the copies increased the wonder; informations were given into the police against him as a magician; his lodgings were searched, and, a great number of copies being found, they were seized; the red ink with which they were embellished was said to be his blood; it was seriously adjudged that he was in league with the devil; and, if he had not fled, he most probably would have shared the fate of those whom ignorant and superstitious judges condemned in those days for witchcraft. 1. What took place on this day, in 1457 ? 2. Who was Faust? 3. What did he in partnership with Peter Schæffer? LESSON CCXXVII.—AUGUST THE FIFTEENTH. Napoleon Buonaparte. On this day, in 1769, was born, at Ajaccio, in the island of Corsica, Napoleon Buonaparte. He was the eldest son of Carlo Buonaparte, a lawyer, of Italian extraction, by his wife Letitia Ransolini. General Paoli was his godfather, and General Marbœuf his early patron. Buonaparte was brought up in the Royal Military School of France as an engineer, and first distinguished himself as such at the siege of Toulon, when that place was in the possession of the British. He afterwards became the instrument of the Director Barrere, by whose interest he was appointed to the command of the French army of Italy, in which situation he ran a most glorious career of victory, and ultimately effected a peace with Austria. Shortly after he projected the memorable expedition to Egypt; but on experiencing reverses in that quarter, he returned to France. NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. 325 Availing himself of the then distracted state of the country (the war with Austria being renewed in his absence), he contrived by violence to overthrow the executive directory; and under the constitution which succeeded was appointed first consul, or chief of the republic, for a limited term, but afterwards for life, in consequence of his having, by extraordinary exertions in the field, again compelled Austria to accept of peace. His ambition aspired to the throne, and in 1804 he assumed the title of Emperor of the French, and was crowned by the pope. After a long course of victory, he experienced his first reverse in Spain, from the brilliant courage of the British army, under the command of the illustrious Wellington; soon afterwards the fatal campaign in Russia put an end to his power, and he was compelled to abdicate the French throne in the year 1814. His abdication was followed by banishment to the isle of Elba, where every attention and splendour, consistent with security, was provided. Napoleon, however, escaped on the 26th of February, 1814, at night, on board a brig, with a few hundred followers, and landed on the 1st of March, at five in the afternoon, at the Gulf of Juan. Being well received, he proceeded onwards, entered Paris triumphantly on the 20th, and immediately resumed the reins of government. The king had sent an army to oppose him, headed by Marshal Ney, who betrayed his sovereign, and joined Napoleon. The success of Buonaparte did not, however, long remain without a severe check. The fortified line of the Netherlands towards France, which was occupied by strong garrisons, chiefly in British pay, were greatly reinforced under the Duke of Wellington, and a Prussian army under Prince Blucher. To oppose this force, Napoleon left Paris on the 12th of June, 1815, and gained several partial advantages till the 18th, when he was totally defeated near Waterloo, and fled back to Paris, where he declared his political life to be terminated, and withdrew in privacy. The conquering armies entered Paris on the 3d of July, and on the 8th Louis re-entered the capital, followed by the allied sovereigns. Napoleon reached Rochefort, where he endeavoured to escape by sea; but finding the attempt vain, he surrendered himself to a British manof-war, which sailed immediately for England, and soon anchored in Torbay. He there remained on board until another ship was prepared for his reception, which carried him to St. Helena, the place of his exile and death. 1. Who was born on this day? 5. Where did he experience his first reverse? LESSON CCXXVIII. -AUGUST THE SIXTEENTH. WHO has not listened with satisfaction to the song of the lark, the hum of bees, and the murmuring of rivulets? Mecanas was cured of continual watchfulness by the falling of water; and Pliny relates an anecdote of a Roman nobleman, who would recline upon a couch beneath one of his beech-trees, and be lulled to slumber by the falling of rain. "Ah! who the melodies of Morn can tell? The wild brook babbling down the mountain side; The hum of bees; the linnet's lay of love, Of a fine summer's evening, too, how delightful is it to pause upon the side of the hill, which overlooks a favourite village, and listen to the various sounds, which come softened by the distance! Goldsmith has described sounds of this sort, in a passage which, though frequently quoted, is never quoted or read without the liveliest pleasure. "Sweet was the sound, when oft, at evening's close, There, as I pass'd, with careless steps and slow, These all in soft confusion sought the shade, 1. Repeat the lines taken from Beattie's Minstrel. 2. Repeat the lines taken from Goldsmith's Deserted Village. LESSON CCXXIX. AUGUST THE SEVENTEENTH. ALTHOUGH, in mineralogical science, iron ranks as one of the imperfect metals, it is the hardest and most useful, as well as the most plentiful, of any. It is found rarely in native masses; but in ores, mineralized by different substances, it abounds in every part of the earth. It is of a livid whitish colour, inclined to gray; but, when cut, of a bluish-gray. It has a metallic lustre, fine-grained texture, and is very brittle. Next to tin, it is the lightest of all metallic substances, and next to gold, the most tenacious. Iron is attracted by the magnet, and is capable of becoming magnetic; but it retains this quality only a short time. It is the only metal which takes fire by the collision of flint. Heated in contact with air, it becomes oxidized. It combines with carbon, and forms what is called steel. It combines with phosphorus in a direct and an indirect manner, and unites with sulphur readily by fusion. All acids act upon iron. Nitrate of potash detonates very vigorously with it. Iron is likewise dissolved by alkaline sulphurets; and it is capable of combining with a number of metals. When rubbed it has a slight smell, and it imparts to the tongue a peculiar astringent taste, called chalybeate. In a moist atmosphere, iron speedily oxidizes, and becomes covered with a brown coating, called rust. Iron is remarkable for the effect fire has on it, in rendering it more ductile; most of the other metals are brittle while they are hot; but this is most of all malleable as it approaches nearest to fusion. It grows red-hot long before it melts; and is known to be approaching towards that state by its becoming whiter, and by its sparkling if taken from the fire as soon as it runs, it is found to be more malleable for the fusion; but if it be kept long in that state, its sulphur dissipates in form of a white smoke; the metal after this becomes much more brittle, and, in fine, runs into a bluish glass. Iron, exposed to |