however, aware of the mischief she had done, but continued pulling at the dead body of the unfortunate bird, with as much perseverance as if it had been alive. She was at length driven away by a person who had seen the whole transaction, and with some difficulty extricated the dead bird. Its head was dreadfully mangled, and the beak of the hen had evidently penetrated the brain. About an hour afterwards, a sparrow, supposed to be this hen, was observed sitting on the very spot where the accident had happened, crouched together, with her feathers all standing up so as to give her the appearance of a ball, conveying a perfect idea of disconsolate suffering. SIMPLE PROPORTION. (1) How much will 27 men earn at the rate of £36 14s. 6d. for 18 men? (2) If 102 cwt. of oats cost £42 1s. 6d., what will be the cost of 238 cwt? (3) What will be the cost of 63 yards of cloth if 18 yards cost £5 198. 7 d. (4) If 230 workmen can do a piece of work in 18 days, working 12 hours daily, in what time can 120 workmen, working at the same rate, do it? (5) If 81 lbs. of coffee cost £6 2s. 6d., what will be the cost of 99 lbs. ? SANCHO PANZA AS GOVERNOR OF BARATARIA. (From Don Quixote,' by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.) ter-ri-tor-y, land, district in'-tric-ate, entangled, not plain Don, a Spanish title of honour prith'-ee, I pray thee knave, originally, a servant; now, a rogue e-quity, justice, fairness de-fend'-ant, one against whom a com- plaint'-iff, one who makes a complaint at con-jec-ture, to guess re'-gis-ter, to keep an account in writing pre-ju-di'-cial, injurious Hip-po'-cra-tes, an ancient Greek phy- aph'-o-rism, a maxim, a general rule [Cervantes, the most renowned of Spanish writers, was born in 1547. His chief work, the History of Don Quixote,' is a satire on knight-errantry, which was in great favour in the West of Europe at this period, and particularly in Spain. Cervantes died in poverty in 1616. 'Don Quixote' has been translated into many languages. The best English translation, from which the extract is taken, was made by Motteux, a Frenchman, in 1706.] (Sancho Panza was the squire or attendant of Don Quixote.) AFTER having travelled a certain distance, Governor Sancho, with his attendants, came to a town that had about a thousand inhabitants, and was one of the best in the duke's territories. They gave him to understand that the name of the place was the island of Barataria. As soon as he came to the gates, the magistrates came out to receive him, the bells rung, and all the people gave general demonstrations of joy. They then delivered him the keys of the gates, and received him as perpetual governor of the island of Barataria. Next they carried him to the court of justice; where, when they had placed him in his seat, 'My lord governor,' said the duke's steward to him, it is an ancient custom here, that he who takes possession of this famous island must answer some difficult and intricate question that is propounded to him; and, by the return he makes, the people feel the pulse of his understanding, and, by an estimate of his abilities, judge whether they ought to rejoice or to be sorry for his coming.' All the while the steward was speaking, Sancho was staring on an inscription in large characters on the wall over against his seat; and, as he could not read, he asked what was the meaning of that which he saw painted there upon the wall. ‘Sir,' said they, 'it is an account of the day when your lordship took possession of this island; and the inscription runs thus, "This day the Lord Don Sancho Panza took possession of this island, which may he long enjoy." 'And who is he,' asked Sancho, 'whom they call Don Sancho Panza?' "Your lordship,' answered the steward; for we know of no other Panza in this island but yourself, who now sits in this chair.' 'Well, friend,' said Sancho, 'pray take notice that Don does not belong to me, nor was it borne by any of my family before me. Sancho Panza is my name; my father was called Sancho, my grandfather Sancho, and all of us have been Panzas, without any Don or. Donna added to our name. Now do I already guess your Dons are as thick as stones in this island. But it is enough that Heaven knows my meaning; if my government happens to last but four days to an end, it shall go hard but I will clear the island of those swarms of Dons, that must needs be as troublesome as so many gnats. Come, now for your question, good Mr. Steward; and I will answer it as well as I can, whether the town be sorry or pleased.' Plain At this instant two men came into the court, the one dressed like a country fellow, the other looked like a tailor, with a pair of shears in his hand. 'If it please you, my lord,' cried the tailor, this honest man came to my shop yesterday; for, saving your presence, I am a tailor, and free of my company, too; so, my lord, he shewed me a piece of cloth. Sir,' quoth he, "is there enough of this to make a cap?" Whereupon I measured the stuff and answered, "Yes." Now, as I imagined, do you see, he could not but imagine (and perhaps he imagined right enough), that I had a mind to cabbage some of his cloth-judging hard of us honest tailors. "Prithee," quoth he, “look there be not enough for two caps? Now I smelt him out, and told him there was. Whereupon the old knave, going on to the same tune, bid me look again, and see whether it would not make three; and at last if it would not make five? I was resolved to humour my customer, and said it might; so we struck a bargain. Just now the man is come for his caps, which I gave him; but he refuses to pay me for my work; and now he will have me give him his cloth again, or pay him for it.' 'Is this true, honest man?' said Sancho to the former. Yes, if it please you,' answered the fellow; 'but pray let him shew the five caps he has made me.' 'With all my heart,' cried the tailor; and with that, pulling his hand from under his cloak, he held up five little tiny caps, hanging upon his four fingers and thumb, as upon so many pins. 'There,' quoth he, 'you see the five caps this good gaffer asks for; and, on my conscience, I have not wronged him of the least shred of his cloth; and let any workman be judge.' The sight of the caps and the oddness of the cause set the whole court a-laughing. Only Sancho sat gravely considering a while; and then, Methinks,' said he, this suit may be decided without any more ado, with a great deal of equity; and therefore the judgment of the court is, that the tailor should lose his making and the countryman his cloth, and that the caps be given to the poor prisoners; and so let there be an end of the business.' If this sentence provoked the laughter of the whole court, the next no less raised their admiration. For after the governor's order was executed, two old men appeared before him; one of them with a large cane in his hand, which he used as a staff. My lord,' said the other, who had none, 'some time ago, I lent this man ten gold crowns, to do him a kindness, which money he was to repay me on demand. I did not ask him for it again for a good while, lest it should prove inconvenient. However, perceiving that he took no care to pay me, I have asked him for my due; nay, I have been forced to dun him hard for it. But still, he did not only refuse to pay me again, but denied he owed me anything, and said that if I lent him so much money he certainly returned it. Now, because I have no witness of the loan, nor he of the pretended payment, I beseech your lordship to put him to his oath; and if he will swear he has paid me, I will freely forgive him before God and the world.' 'What say you to this, old gentleman with the staff?' asked Sancho. 'Sir,' answered the old man, I own he lent me the gold; and, since he requires my oath, I beg you will be pleased to hold down your rod of justice, that I may swear upon it how I have honestly and truly returned him his money.' Thereupon the governor held down his rod, and in the mean 6 time the defendant gave his cane to the plaintiff to hold, as if it hindered him, while he was to make a cross and swear over the judge's rod. This done, he declared it was true the other had lent him ten crowns, but that he had really returned him the same sum into his own hands. The great governor, hearing this, asked the creditor what he had to reply. He made answer that, since his adversary had sworn it, he was satisfied; for he believed him to be a better Christian than offer to forswear himself, and that perhaps he had forgotten he had been repaid. Then the defendant took his cane again, and having made a low obeisance to the judge, was immediately leaving the court; which, when Sancho perceived, reflecting on the passage of the cane, and admiring the creditor's patience, after he had thought awhile, he suddenly ordered the old man with the staff to be called back. 'Honest man,' said Sancho, let me look at that cane a little; I have a use for it.' 'With all my heart, Sir,' answered the other, 'here it is;' and with that he gave it him. Sancho took it, and, giving it to the other old man, 'There,' said he, 'go your ways, and heaven be with you, for now you are paid. How so, my lord?' cried the old man; 'do you judge this cane to be worth ten golden crowns ? ' Certainly,' said the governor, or else I am the greatest dunce in the world. And now you shall see whether I have not a headpiece fit to govern a whole kingdom upon a shift.' This said, he ordered the cane to be broken in open court; which was no sooner done than out dropped the ten crowns. All the spectators were amazed, and began to look on their governor as a second Solomon. They asked him how he could conjecture that the ten crowns were in the cane. He told them that he had observed how the defendant gave it to the plaintiff to hold while he took his oath, and then swore he had truly returned him the money into his own hands, after which he took his cane again from the plaintiff; this considered, it came into his head that the money was lodged within the reed. From whence may be learned, that though sometimes those that govern are destitute of sense, yet it often pleases God to direct them in their judgment. The two old men went away, the one to his satisfaction, the other with shame and disgrace; and the beholders were astonished, insomuch that the person who was commissioned to register Sancho's words and actions, and observe his behaviour, was not able to determine whether he should give him the character of a wise man, instead of that of a fool, which he had been thought to deserve. The history informs us that Sancho was conducted from the court of justice to a sumptuous palace, where, in a spacious room, he found the cloth laid, and a magnificent entertainment prepared. As soon as he entered, the wind music played, and four pages waited on him with water for washing his hands, which he did with a great deal of gravity. The instruments ceasing, Sancho sat down at the upper end of the table; for there was no seat but there, and the cloth was only laid for one. A certain personage, who afterwards appeared to be a physician, came and stood at his elbow, with a whalebone wand in his hand. Then they took off a curious white cloth that lay over the dishes on the table, and discovered a great variety of fruit and other eatables. One that looked like a student said grace; a page put a laced cloth under Sancho's chin; and another set a dish of fruit before him. But he had hardly put one bit into his mouth before the physician touched the dish with his wand, and then it was taken away by a page in an instant. Immediately another with meat was put in the place; but Sancho no sooner offered to taste it, than the doctor, with the wand, conjured it away as fast as the fruit. Sancho was amazed at this sudden removal, and, looking about him on the company, asked them 'Whether the dinner was only to show off their sleight of hand.' 'My Lord Governor,' answered the physician, you are to eat here no otherwise than according to the use and custom of other islands where there are governors. I am a doctor of physic, my lord, and have a salary allowed me in this island for taking charge of the governor's health; and I am more careful of it than of my own, studying night and day his constitution, that I may know what to prescribe when he falls sick. Now the chief thing I do is, to attend him always at his meals, to let him eat what I think convenient for him, and to prevent his eating what I imagine to be prejudicial to his health. Therefore I ordered the fruit to be taken away, because it is too cold and moist; and the other dish because it is as much too hot and overseasoned with spices, which are apt to increase thirst; and he that drinks much destroys and consumes the radical moisture, which is the fuel of life.' 'So, then,' quoth Sancho, this dish of roasted partridges here can do me no manner of harm.' 'Hold,' said the physician, 'the Lord Governor shall not eat of them while I live to prevent it.' 'Why so?' cried Sancho. 'Because,' answered the doctor, our great master, Hippocrates, the north star and luminary of physic, says in one of his aphorisms, "Omnis saturatio mala, perdicis autem pessima;" that is, All repletion is bad, but that of partridges is worst of all.' 'If it be so,' said Sancho, 'let Mr. Doctor see which of all these dishes on the table will do me the most good and least harm, and let me eat of that, without having it whisked away with his wand. For, by my hopes and the pleasures of government, as I live, I am ready to die with hunger; and not to allow me to eat my victuals (let Mr. Doctor say what he will) is the way to shorten my life, and |