"But though sleep o'er my frailty reigns,
Let it not hold me long in chains!
And now and then let loose my heart,
Till it an hallelujah dart.

"The faster sleep the senses binds,
The more unfettered are our minds;
O may my soul, from matter free,
Thy loveliness unclouded see!

"O when shall I, in endless day,
Forever chase dark sleep away;
And hymns with the supernal choir
Incessant sing, and never tire?

"O may my Guardian, while I sleep, Close to my bed his vigils keep;

His love angelical instill;

Stop all the avenues of ill.

66

May he celestial joy rehearse,

And thought to thought with me converse;
Or, in my stead, all the night long,
Sing to my God a grateful song!

"Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below!

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host!

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!" -From Roundell Palmer's "Book of Praise."

XX.

WILLIAM THE SILENT.

"God, in his mercy," said this beloved prince, the founder of the Dutch Republic, and one of the noblest defenders of the Reformed faith, "God, in his mercy, will maintain my innocence and my honor, during my life and in future ages. As to my fortune and my life, I have dedicated both, long since, to his service. He will do therewith what pleases him, for his glory, and my salvation."

"As long as he lived," says Motley, "he was the guiding star of a whole nation, and when he died the little children cried in the streets."

He was assassinated 1584, by a Jesuit con

spirator, who had sought an opportunity for the deed for years.

"The prince," says Motley, "came from his dining-room, and began leisurely to ascend the stairs. He had only reached the second stair, when a man emerged from the sunken arch, and, standing within a foot or two of him, discharged a pistol full at his heart. Three balls entered his body. The prince exclaimed, in French, as he felt the wound,

"O my God, have mercy upon my soul! O, my God, have mercy upon this poor people!"

And so this prince, whose life had been wholly devoted to the good of others, died, with a prayer for the people he loved, on his lips.

XXI.

ENGLISH WORTHIES.

GEORGE HERBERT.

George Herbert, called Saintly George Herbert, was born 1593, and died 1634.

His life was as famous for its humility and willing obedience to the word of God, as his poems, sermons and prayers were for their gem-like spiritual perceptions, vividness and quaintness.

It is said that while he was walking on his way to Salisbury, to join a musical party, he saw by the road-side a poor man with a poorer horse, that had fallen under the weight of his burden. Both man and beast were in great distress, and needed help.