bidding him to take up arms, and declaring that the event which had occurred was according to the divine will.

4. From this time there is but little recorded of the reign of Rehoboam. His subjects became exceedingly vicious and depraved, and abandoned themselves to idolatry and all manner of wickedness; in consequence of which, the king of Egypt was sent against them, who took the city of Jerusalem, and robbed the temple and the palace of their treasures, and carried away the shields of gold which Solomon had made; in the place of which the king substituted others of brass. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he continued on the throne seventeen years, at the expiration of which he died, and was buried with his fathers. He was succeeded by his son Abijam.

5. The revolted Israelites under Jeroboam did not exceed their brethren of Judah in virtue and piety.-The king, in order to prevent the people from going up to Jerusalem to sacrifice, which he supposed they would be inclined to do from their former habits, and their reverence for the temple and the ark, made two golden calves, the one of which he placed in Dan, and the other in Bethel, the northern and southern extremities of his dominions. He also established festivals to be observed on the same days with those of Jerusalem, and advanced to the priesthood the lowest of the people, who were not of the house of Levi. In these ways he made Israel to sin, and provoked the severe displeasure of the Lord.

6. On a certain day, as Jeroboam stood by the idol which he had erected at Bethel, impiously executing the office of a priest, by burning incense, a prophet of God came thither from Judah and denounced a heavy wo upon the altar, and upon those who should sacrifice upon it, which he declared should be accomplished in the reign of a future prince by the name of Josiah; and to confirm the truth of his prediction, he further said, that the altar should be rent, and the ashes upon it poured out. This speech so incensed Jeroboam, that, stretching out his hand, he ordered his attendants to seize the prophet; but his hand immediately withered away, and the altar became rent so that the ashes fell upon the ground.

What did Jeroboam do to prevent his people from going up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice?What happened to Jeroboam at Bethel ?

7. The king was then convinced of the inspiration of the prophet, and entreated him to pray for the restoration of his hand, which he readily did, and it returned to its former state. Jeroboam then urged the stranger to go home with him and receive some refreshment; but the latter refused the invitation, upon the ground, that the Lord had commanded him neither to eat nor to drink. He then departed from the place, and was followed by an old prophet, who had been informed by his sons, of the transactions at the altar, and who had persuaded him, by a false statement, to return.

8. While they were seated at the table, the word of the Lord came unto the old prophet, and he addressed the man of God who was from Judah, declaring in substance, that in consequence of his disobedience to the command of heaven, he should not be buried in the sepulchre of his fathers. This sentence was soon put in execution; for immediately after leaving the city, he was attacked by a lion and slain. The prophet of Bethel, when he heard of this calamity, went out and took the body, which had been neither torn nor disfigured, and returning with it, caused it to be buried in his own tomb; at the same time expressing his confidence that the predictions concerning the altar would all be fulfilled, and giving it in charge to his sons, that when he died, they should lay him by the side of the man of God.

ISRAEL'S RETURN FROM EGYPT

When Israel, of the Lord beloved,
Out from the land of bondage came,
Her fathers' God before her moved,
An awful guide in smoke and flame.
By day, along the astonished lands,
The cloudy pillar glided slow;
By night, Arabia's crimsoned sands
Returned the fiery column's glow.

There rose the choral hymn of praise,
And trump and timbrel answered keen;
And Zion's daughters poured their lays,
With Priests' and Warriors' voice between.

No portents now our foes amaze,
Forsaken Israel wanders lone;
Our fathers would not know thy ways,
And thou hast left them to their own.

But present still, though not unseen!
When brightly shines the prosperous day,
Be thoughts of Thee a cloudy screen
To temper the deceitful ray :

And, oh! where stoops on Judah's path
In shade and storm the frequent night,
Be thou long-suffering, slow to wrath,
A burning and a shining light!

Our harps we left by Babel's streams,
The tyrant's jest, the Gentile's scorn;
No censer round our altar beams,
And mute are timbrel, trump, and horn.
But thou hast said, the blood of goat,
The flesh of rams I will not prize,
A contrite heart, a humble thought,
Are mine accepted sacrifice.

THE GRATEFUL PRINCESS.

1. The king of Armenia, who was vassal to the Medes, looking upon them as ready to be swallowed up by the formidable league formed against them, thought fit to lay hold on this occasion to shake off their yoke. Accordingly he refused to pay them the ordinary tribute, and to send them the number of troops he was obliged to furnish in time of war. This highly embarrassed Cyaxares, who was afraid at this juncture of bringing new enemies upon his hands, if he undertook to compel the Armenians to execute their treaty. But Cyrus, having informed himself exactly of the strength and situation of the country, undertook the affair.-The important point was to keep his design secret, without which it was not likely to succeed. He therefore appointed a great hunting match on that side of the country; for it was his

Of whom was the king of Armenia vassal?-How did Cyrus get possession of him?

custom to ride out that way, and frequently to hunt with the king's son and the young noblemen of Armenia. On the day appointed, he set out with a numerous retinue. The troops followed at a distance, and were not to appear till a signal was given. After some days hunting, when they were come pretty near the palace where the court resided, Cyrus communicated his design to his officers, and sent Chrysanthes with a detachment, ordering them to make themselves masters of a certain steep eminence, where he knew the king used to retire, in case of an alarm, with his family and his

treasure.

2. This being done, he sent an herald to the king of Armenia to summon him to perform the treaty, and, in the meantime, ordered his troops to advance. Never was a court in greater surprise and perplexity. The king was conscious of the wrong he had done, and was not in a condition to support it. However, he did what he could to assemble his forces together from all quarters; and in the meantime despatched his youngest son, called Sabaris, into the mountains with his wives, his daughters, and whatever was most precious and valuable. But when he was informed by his scouts, that Cyrus was coming upon their heels, he entirely lost all courage, and all thoughts of making a defence. The Armenians following his example, ran away, every one where he could, to secure what was dearest to him. Cyrus, seeing the country covered with people that were endeavoring to make their escape, sent them word, that no harm should be done them, if they staid in their houses; but that as many as were taken running away should be treated as enemies. This made them all retire to their habitations, excepting a few that followed the king.

3. On the other hand, they that were conducting the princesses to the mountains, fell into the ambush Chrysanthes had laid for them, and were most of them taken prisoners. The queen, the king's son, his daughters, his eldest son's wife, and his treasure, all fell into the hands of the Persians. -The king hearing this melancholy news, and not knowing what would become of him, retired to a little eminence, where he was presently invested by the Persian army and obliged to surrender. Cyrus ordered him, with all his fami

What order did Cyrus send the inhabitants of Armenia?

ly, to be brought to the midst of the army. At that very instant arrived Tigranes, the king's eldest son, who was just returned from a journey. At so moving a spectacle he could not forbear weeping. Cyrus, addressing himself to him, said, "Prince, you are come very seasonably to be present at the trial of your father ;" and immediately he assembled the captains of the Persians and Medes, and called in also the great men of Armenia. Nor did he so much as exclude the ladies from this assembly who were there in their chariots, but gave them full liberty to hear and see all that passed.

4. When all was ready, and Cyrus had commanded silence, he began with requiring of the king, that in all the questions he was going to propose to him, he would answer sincerely, because nothing could be more unworthy a person of his rank than to use dissimulation or falsehood.-The king promised he would. Then Cyrus asked him, but at different times, proposing each article separately and in order, whether it was not true that he had made war against Astyages, king of the Medes, his grandfather; whether he had not been overcome in that war, and in consequence of this defeat had concluded a treaty with Astyages; whether by virtue of that treaty he was not obliged to pay a certain tribute, to furnish a certain number of troops, and not keep any fortified place in this country?

5. It was impossible for the king to deny any of these facts, which were all public and notorious. "For what reason, then," continued Cyrus, "have you violated the treaty in every article ?" "For no other," replied the king, "than because I thought it a glorious thing to shake off the yoke, to live free, and to leave my children in the same situation." It is really glorious," answered Cyrus, "to fight in defence of liberty; but if any one, after he is reduced to servitude, should attempt to run away from his master, what would you do with him?" "I must confess," said the king, "I would punish him." "And if you had given a government to one of your subjects, and he should be found to commit malversations, would you continue him in his post ?" No, certainly; I would put another in his place." "And if he had amassed great riches by his unjust practices?" "I would

Who was the king's son mentioned ?---What did Cyrus require of the king?