[Sir Matthew Hale, more generally known as 'Judge' Hale, was an eminent lawyer during the reigns of Charles I., Cromwell, and Charles II. He was remarkable as an impartial and upright judge, in an age of great corruption. He wrote 'Contemplations, Moral and Divine,' Discourse touching a Provision for the Poor,' 'Judgment of the Nature of Religion,' &c. &c. Born, 1609: died, 1676.] DEAR CHILDREN,-I thank God I came well to Farrington this day, about five o'clock; and as I have some leisure time at my inn, I cannot spend it more to my own satisfaction, and your benefit, than, by a letter, to give you some good counsel. The subject shall be concerning your speech; because much of the good or evil that befalls persons arises from the well or ill managing of their conversation. When I have leisure and opportunity, I shall give you my directions on other subjects. Never speak anything for a truth which you know or believe to be false. Lying is a great sin against God, who gave us a tongue to speak the truth, and not falsehood. It is a great offence against humanity itself; for, where there is no regard to truth, there can be no safe society between man and man. And it is an injury to the speaker; for, besides the disgrace which it brings upon him, it occasions so much baseness of mind, that he can scarcely tell truth, or avoid lying, even when he has no colour of necessity for it; and, in time, he comes to such a pass, that as other people cannot believe he speaks truth, so he himself scarcely knows when he tells a falsehood. As you must be careful not to lie, so you must avoid coming near it. You must not equivocate, nor speak anything positively for which you have no authority but report, or conjecture, or opinion. Let your words be few, especially when your superiors, or strangers, are present, lest you betray your own weakness, and rob yourselves of the opportunity, which you might otherwise have had, to gain knowledge, wisdom, and experience, by hearing those whom you silence by your impertinent talking. Be not too earnest, loud, or violent in your conversation. Silence your opponent with reason, not with noise. Be careful not to interrupt another when he is speaking; hear him out, and you will understand him the better, and be able to give him the better answer. Consider before you speak, especially when the business is of moment; weigh the sense of what you mean to utter, and the expressions you intend to use, that they may be significant, pertinent, and inoffensive. Inconsiderate persons do not think till they speak; or they speak and then think. Some men excel in husbandry, some in gardening, some in mathematics. In conversation, learn, as near as you can, where the skill or excellence of any person lies; put him upon talking on that subject, observe what he says, keep it in your memory, or commit it to writing. By this means you will glean the worth and knowledge of everybody you converse with; and at an easy rate, acquire what may be of use to you on many occasions. When you are in company with light, vain, impertinent persons, let the observing of their failings make you the more cautious, both in your conversation with them, and in your general behaviour, that you may avoid their errors. If any one, whom you do not know to be a person of truth, sobriety, and weight, relates strange stories, be not too ready to believe or report them; and yet (unless he is one of your familiar acquaintance) be not too forward to contradict him. If the occasion requires you to declare your opinion, do it modestly and gently, not bluntly nor coarsely; by this means you will avoid giving offence, or being abused for too much credulity. If a man, whose integrity you do not very well know, makes you great and extraordinary professions, do not give much credit to him. Probably, you will find that he aims at something besides kindness to you, and that when he has served his turn, or been disappointed, his regard for you will grow cool. Beware also of him who flatters you, and commends you to your face, or to one who he thinks will tell you of it; most probably he has either deceived and abused you, or means to do so. Remember the fable of the fox commending the singing of the crow, who had something in her mouth which the fox wanted. Be careful that you do not commend yourselves. It is a sign that your reputation is small and sinking, if your own tongue must praise you; and it is fulsome and unpleasing to others to hear such commendations. Speak well of the absent whenever you have a suitable opportunity. Never speak ill of them or of anybody, unless you are sure they deserve it, and unless it is necessary for their amendment, or for the safety and benefit of others. Avoid, in your ordinary communications, not only oaths, but all imprecations and earnest protestations. Forbear scoffing and jesting at the condition or natural defects of any person. Such offences leave a deep impression, and they often cost a man dear. Be very careful that you give no reproachful, menacing, or spiteful words to any person. Good words make friends; bad words make enemies. It is great prudence to gain as many friends as we honestly can, especially when it may be done at so easy a rate as a good word; and it is great folly to make an enemy by ill words, which are of no advantage to the party who uses them. When faults are committed, they may, and by a superior they must, be reproved: but let it be done without reproach or bitterness; otherwise it will lose its due end and use, and, instead of reforming the offence, it will exasperate the offender, and lay the reprover justly open to reproof. If a person be passionate, and give you ill language, rather pity him than be moved to anger. You will find that silence, or very gentle words, are the most exquisite revenge for reproaches; they will either cure the distemper in the angry man, and make him sorry for his passion, or they will be a severe reproof and punishment to him. But, at any rate, they will preserve your innocence, give you the deserved reputation of wisdom and moderation, and keep up the serenity and composure of your mind. Passion and anger make a man unfit for everything that becomes him as a man or as a Christian. Never utter any profane speeches, nor make a jest of any Scripture expressions. When you pronounce the name of God or of Christ, or repeat any passages or words of Holy Scripture, do it with reverence and seriousness, and not lightly, for that is taking the name of God in vain.' If you hear of any unseemly expressious used in religious exercises, do not publish them: endeavour to forget, or if you mention them at all, let it be with pity and sorrow, not with derision or reproach. 6 Read these directions often; think of them seriously; and practise them diligently. You will find them useful in your conversation, which will be every day the more evident to you, as your judgment, understanding, and experience increase. I have little further to add at this time, but my wish and command that you will remember the former counsels that I have frequently given you. Begin and end the day with private prayer; read the Scriptures often and seriously; be attentive to the public worship of God. Keep yourselves in some useful employment, for idleness is the nursery of vain and sinful thoughts, which corrupt the mind, and disorder the life. Be kind and loving to one another. Honour your minister. Be not bitter nor harsh to my servants. Be respectful to all. Bear my absence patiently and cheerfully. Behave as if I were present among you, and saw you. Remember, you have a greater Father than I am, who always, and in all places, beholds you, and knows your hearts and thoughts. Study to requite my love and care for you with dutifulness, observance, and obedience; and account it an honour that you have an opportunity, by your attention, faithfulness, and industry, to pay some part of that debt which, by the laws of nature and of gratitude, you owe to me. Be frugal in my family, but let there be no want; and provide conveniently for the poor. I pray God to fill your hearts with His grace, fear, and love, and to let you see the comfort and advantage of serving Him; and that His blessing, and presence, and direction may be with you, and over you all.-I am your ever loving father. COMPOUND PROPORTION. (1) If 135 men dig a trench 120 yards long, 5 feet wide, and 6 feet deep, in 7 days of 11 hours each, and another trench is dug by one-third the number of men in 8 days of 10 hours each, how many cubic feet of earth will be removed from the latter? (2) If 120 men make 3 miles of sewers 20 feet deep and 10 feet wide in 415 days of 11 hours each, how many men would be re quired to make one the same length and width, but 4 feet deeper, in 420 days of 10 hours each? (3) If 5 men can mow 11 acres of wheat in 4 days of 8 hours each, how many acres will 7 men mow in 3 days of 9 hours each? (4) If 12 bars of iron 5 feet long, 4 inches broad, and 3 inches thick, weigh 584 lbs., how much will 18 weigh, each 7 feet long, 5 inches broad, and 4 inches thick? (5) If 35 workmen build a wall 78 feet long, 3 feet thick, and 21 feet high in 16 days of 12 hours each, in how many days of 10 hours each would 84 workmen build a wall 196 feet long, 4 feet thick, and 27 feet high? A BRAZILIAN FOREST. (From The Naturalist on the Amazons,' by H. W. Bates.) mon-ta'-ri-a, a sort of canoe fo'-li-age, the leaves of trees com-punc'-tion, a pricking of the conscience an-ti-ci-pa'-tion, expectation suc'-cu-lent, juicy ma-ter-nal, motherly so-li'-ci-tude, care con'-ic-al, shaped like a sugar loaf el-lip'-tic-al, of an oval shape tex'-ture, manner of wearing, degree of fineness por'-ce-lain, a fine sort of earthenware in-teg-u-ment, a sort of skin covering WE ran ashore in a most lonely and gloomy place on a low sandbank covered with bushes, secured the montaria to a tree, and then, after making a very sparing breakfast on fried fish and mandioca meal, rolled up our trowsers and plunged into the thick forest, which here, as everywhere else, rose like a lofty wall of foliage from the narrow strip of beach. We made straight for the heart of the land, John Jabuti leading, and breaking off at every few steps a branch of the lower trees, so that we might recognise the path on our return. The district was quite new to all my companions, and, being on a coast almost totally uninhabited by human beings for some 300 miles, to lose our way would have been to perish helplessly. I did not think at the time of the risk we ran of having our canoe stolen by passing Indians; unguarded montarias being never safe even in the ports of the villages, Indians apparently considering them common property, and stealing them without compunction. No misgiving clouded the lightness of heart with which we trod forwards in warm anticipation of a good day's sport. The tract of forest through which we passed was Ygapó, but the higher parts of the land formed areas which went only a very few inches under water in the flood season. It consisted of a most bewildering diversity of grand beautiful trees, draped, festooned, corded, matted and ribboned with climbing plants, woody and succulent, in endless variety. After walking about half a mile we came upon a dry water-course, where we observed, first the old foot-marks of a tapir, and soon after, on the margin of a curious circular hole full of muddy water, the fresh tracks of a jaguar. This latter discovery was hardly made, when a rush was heard amidst the bushes on the top of a sloping bank on the opposite side of the dried creek. We bounded forward; it was, however, too late, for the animal had sped in a few moments far out of our reach. It was clear we had disturbed, on our approach, the jaguar, while quenching his thirst at the water hole. A few steps farther on we saw the mangled remains of an alligator. The head, forequarters, and bony shell were the only parts which remained; but the meat was quite fresh, and there were many footmarks of the jaguar around the carcase; so that there was no doubt that this had formed the solid part of the animal's breakfast. My companions now began to search for the alligator's nest, the presence of the reptile so far from the river being accountable for on no other ground than its maternal solicitude for its eggs. We found, in fact, the nest at the distance of a few yards from the place. It was a conical pile of dead leaves, in the middle of which twenty eggs were buried. These were of elliptical shape, considerably larger than those of a duck, and having a hard shell of the texture of porcelain, but very rough on the outside. They make a loud sound when rubbed together, and it is said that it is easy to find a mother alligator in the Ygapó forests, by rubbing together two eggs in this way, she being never far off, and attracted by the sounds. I put half a dozen of the alligator's eggs in my game bag for specimens, and we continued on our way. We walked over moderately elevated and dry ground for about a mile, and then descended (three or four feet only) to the dry bed of another creek. This was pierced in the same way as the former water-course, with round holes full of muddy water. They occurred at intervals of a few yards, and had the appearance of having been made by the hand of man. smallest were about two feet, the largest seven or eight feet in diameter. As we approached the most considerable of the The |