and it is valued highly for its sureness of foot in mountainous countries. The instances of this in the scriptures are very numerous. We find the family of Moses riding in this way. Ex. iv. 20. And you know how miraculously Balaam was reproved by the animal on which he was riding. Num. xxii. 28. Jair the Gileadite, who was one of the judges of Israel, had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass-colts. Judg. x. 4. Eastern ladies have for many ages used the same mode of conveyance. Jos. xv. 18. 1 Sam. xxv. 23."

"I should like to know," said Samuel Steel, "whether they used to saddle them as horses?"

we do

"It is said by the learned," said Mr. Early, "that a single cloth or other covering was used instead of a saddle. This was probably stuffed and quilted, and in some cases highly adorned. This covering is however in our version called a saddle. I suppose you know that the ancients rode without any thing like our stirrups, even on horseback. Among the many hundreds of horsemen represented on the Elgin Marbles, and other Greek remains, we find nothing like a stirrup. You will therefore find no word for stirrup' in ancient Hebrew, Greek, or Latin."

The smaller boys were surprised at this, and

wondered whether there could be any good riding without stirrups, but Samuel Steel and William Snell laughed, and said they had often rode bareback' themselves; and Mr. Early assured them that there were perhaps never better riders in the world than among the ancient warriors and huntsmen; and told them that Xenophon, the celebrated general and historian, wrote a book expressly on horsemanship. He further related to them that the ancients did not commonly shoe their horses. And then they had a talk about the fabulous creatures called Centaurs, whom the poets and sculptors represented as half man and half horse. fable is said to have arisen from the mistake of ignorant and fearful people, who saw at a distance the Thessalians mounted on horses; for it was by this people that the horse is said to have been first tamed.

The

"When an Eastern woman goes out riding," said Mr. Early, "she is commonly veiled from head to foot, and the beast is not guided by herself, but by the ass-driver, who walks by the side, or behind. So when the Shunammite went to visit Elisha,she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.' 2 Kings iv. 24. Asses are employed for carrying heavy burdens

even on long journeys, and sometimes, though more rarely, for plowing and drawing light vehicles. A very common use to which the ass is put, is to turn a small mill. So you see this despised animal is really very useful."

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'But then," said one of the boys, "it could not be used in war, like the noble horse."

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They seem to have been present in war sometimes. 2 Kings vii. 7. No doubt even here they were used to carry burdens. The prophet Isaiah in foretelling the fall of Babylon by the Medes and Persians, speaks of a chariot of asses. Is. xxi. 7. We have reason to believe that the Persian king Cyrus had troops who rode upon asses. Strabo tells us that the Caramanians, who were subject to the Persians, made the same use of them; and Herodotus declares that Darius the Great rode upon an ass in one of his battles with the Scythians. So you see the poor donkey is more honoured too than you had thought."

Upon this a meek looking little lad, who had profited by the Sunday-school, remarked in a slender voice, that a greater than Darius had rode upon an ass. And when he was questioned further, he said that he meant the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Luke, that is very well said," added Mr. Early.

“We know of no other animal so honoured. Thẹ ass and foal seem also to have been provided in a manner quite supernatural; and this regal entry of our Lord into Jerusalem is one of the brightest scenes in his earthly history. Multitudes preceded, surrounded, and followed him, spreading boughs and laying their garments in his way, and crying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matt. xxi. 1—11. And you will do well to observe that this is one of the particulars in the history of the Redeemer, which was minutely foretold six hundred years before. For the prophet Zechariah declared, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. Zech. ix. 9."

Thus the conversation proceeded, until Mr. Early had recited to his boys twenty or thirty places in the Scripture where this animal is mentioned. He did not forget the prophetic declaration of dying Jacob concerning his son Issachar, nor the request of Caleb's daughter, nor the thousand men killed with a single bone, nor the ramble of the son of Kish, when he found a kingdom in looking for his father's asses. And the boys agreed in

thinking that all these stories were very entertaining, very instructive, and very much neglected. Thus far their conversation had all occurred during their rapid walk into the country. They kept. themselves warm, though it was a very cold day, by their active motion. At length it was time for them to return, and as they came in sight of the gardener's house, they were pleased to observe poor Dapple just returning from another trip, and the little children ready to receive her.

"There is Dapple and her friends!" cried the boys.

"Sure enough," said Mr. Early, "and I think after the conversation she has occasioned, we may all number ourselves among her friends."

In order to vary the subject of their thoughts, the good old gentleman was pleased to repeat to his boys a number of stanzas from a very singular poem by Wordsworth, entitled "Peter Bell." "You must not laugh at it, my boys, though it has occasioned great disputes among the critics; it will serve to show you that as common a creature as this may figure in the work of a great poet." The story was one of much interest to the boys, though they did not care particularly about the poetry. But they felt both story and poetry, when it came to the place where Peter arrives at the cottage,