I CAN hardly tell the reason, but the fact seems to be, that the ass, an honest and somewhat stupid animal, appears to have given rise to more fables than any other beast, except the fox. I have myself told some fables in which this long-eared personage is made to utter a great many wise things, but I am now going to tell two fables, in which the creature is represented as talking rather foolishly.

A man was once going along the road with an ass, whom he treated somewhat roughly, upon which the beast first whisked

his long tail, and then groaned, and finally spoke outright. "It seems to me, sir," said the honest creature, "that you use me very ill, particularly as I belong to a race of great antiquity, and one that has been honoured above all four-footed beasts!"

'Why, how is that? said the man.

"How is that? indeed!" said the ass. "If you had read the Bible as much as you ought to have done, you would remember that it was one of my ancestors which conversed with a prophet, and stood in the presence of an angel on a certain occasion. This is an honour which belongs exclusively to the ass family, of which I am one, and therefore it seems meet that you should treat me with proper respect.”

"Well done!" said the countryman; "well done! poor brute. This is ever the way. It seems to be with asses as with men: when one has no merit of his own, he always boasts of the dignity of his family, or the virtues of his ancestors. For my part, I know of nothing that sinks a beast or a man lower, than to see him attempt to cover up his own vices, or weakness, or folly, by

showing off the dignity of his pedigree, or the respectability of his connections." Then, giving the ass a somewhat contemptuous push, the man passed on.

The Lion and the Ass.

An ass was one day travelling with a lion, who wanted the assistance of his bray in frightening the animals he was hunting. The ass felt very proud of his company, and did not like to speak to his old acquaintances.

As they were travelling along in this manner, the ass met an old friend, of his own race, who very civilly bade him a good morning. The ass started back with a stare, and said, "really, you are very impudent; I do not know you!"

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'Why not?" replied his friend: "because you are in company with a lion, are you any better than I am,-anything more than an ass?"

Those narrow-minded people, who, in prosperity, forget the friends of their humbler days, are about as wise as the ass in the fable.

CHAPTER XXVII.

WEAKNESS OF CHARACTER.

THERE is a beautiful story in the fifth chapter of the second Book of Kings, about a famous person named Naaman. He was captain of the army of the king of Syria, and was a great and mighty man.

But he was afflicted with a loathsome disease, called leprosy, which is common in the eastern countries. Now the Syrians had gone to war, and had brought away from the land of Israel a young maiden as a captive, and she waited on Naaman's wife. The story in the Bible goes on as follows:

"And she said unto her mistress, Would to God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would cure him of his leprosy. And one went in and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria

said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now, when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

"And it was so, when Elisha, the man of God, had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times,