derstood only of those parts of the wall where there was need of towers.

From these twenty-five gates, on each side of this great square, went twenty-five streets, in straight lines to the gates, which were directly opposite to them on the other side; so that the number of streets was fifty, each fifteen miles long, whereof twenty-five went one way, and twenty-five the other, crossing each other at right angles.

And besides these, there were four half streets, which had houses only on one side, and the wall on the other. These went round the four sides of the city next the walls, and were each of them two hundred feet broad. The rest were about one hundred and fifty. By these streets thus crossing each other, the whole city was divided into six hundred and seventy-six squares, each of them four furlongs and a half on every side, that is, two miles and a quarter in circumference.

Round these squares, on every side, towards the streets, stood the houses, which were not contiguous, but had void spaces between them. They were built three or four stories high, and beautified with all manner of ornament towards the streets. The space within, in the middle of each square, was employed for yards, gardens, and other such uses; so that Babylon was greater in appearance than reality, near one half of the city being taken up in gardens and other cultivated lands.

Another of the great works of Babylon was the temple of Belus, which was most remarkable for a prodigious tower that stood in the middle of it. At the foundation, it was a square, of a furlong on

each side; and, according to Strabo, it was a furlong in height. It consisted of eight towers, built one above the other; and, because it decreased gradually to the top, Strabo calls the whole a pyramid.

It is not only asserted, but proved, that this tower much exceeded the greatest of the pyramids of Egypt in height. Therefore, we have very good reason to believe, that it was the very same tower which was built there at the confusion of languages; and the rather, because it is attested by several profane authors, that this tower was all built of bricks and bitumen, as the scriptures tell us the tower of Babel was.

The ascent to the top was by stairs, on the outside, round it: that is, there was an easy sloping ascent on the side of the outer wall, which, turning, by very slow degrees, in a spiral line, eight times round the tower, from the bottom to the top, had the same appearance as if there had been eight towers placed upon one another. In these different stories were many large rooms, with arched roofs supported by pillars. Over the whole, on the top of the tower, was an observatory, by the benefit of which, the Babylonians became more expert in astronomy than all other nations.

But the chief use to which this tower was designed, was for the worship of the god Belus, or Baal, as also that of several other deities; for which reason, there was a multitude of chapels in the different parts of the tower. The riches of this temple, in statues, tables, censers, cups, and other sacred vessels, all of massy gold, were immense. Among other images, there was one forty feet high, and weighed a thousand talents.

This amazing fabric stood till the time of Xerxes; but he, on his return from his Grecian expedition, entirely demolished it, after having first plundered it of all its riches. Alexander, on his return to Babylon

from his Indian expedition, intended to have rebuilt it; and, with this view, employed ten thousand men, to clear the place of its rubbish; but the death of Alexander, about two months after, put an end to the undertaking.

LESSON THIRD.

The Retrospect of Life.

Riches, chance may take or give;
Beauty lives a day, and dies;
Honor lulls us while we live;
Mirth's a cheat, and pleasure flies.

Is there nothing worth our care?

Time, and chance, and death our foes;
If our joys so fleeting are,

Are we only tied to woes?

Let bright virtue answer, no;
Her eternal powers prevail,
When honors, riches cease to flow,
And beauty, mirth, and pleasure fail.

LESSON FOURTH.

Alexander and his Horse.

From his earliest years, Alexander discovered an ardor of mind, an elevation of genius, and solidity of judgment, which few ever equaled. When he was

yet very young, he used often to say, on hearing of his father's victories, that his father would win all the victories, and leave nothing for him to do, when he should become a man.

He seemed to be formed for equal vigor and activity, both of body and mind. Philonicus, a Thessalian, brought a horse, of remarkable strength and beauty, to Philip, which he offered for thirteen talents. When they took the horse into a field to try him, he was found so vicious and unmanageable, that Philip told his owner he would not purchase him, and Philonicus was leading him off, when Alexander, then quite a boy, who was present, was heard to say, with great vexation and anger, "What a horse they are losing for the want of address and boldness to manage him!"

His father, hearing what he said, asked him if he intended to reproach those who were older than himself? Yes," said Alexander, "I can manage this horse better than any body else." His father ordered him to try the experiment; on which, Alexander, taking hold of the bridle, spake gently to the horse, and, as he was leading him along, laid his hand on the horse's mane, and dropping off his mantle, lightly bounded on his back, then gradually slackening the rein, he suffered the horse to accelerate his movement, and he was directly seen on full speed.

After a few moments, when the horse showed the disposition to abate his swiftness, Alexander applied the whip, and thus kept him on speed till his fury was thoroughly abated; then returned to the place where the company stood viewing with astonishment the intrepidity of the young prince. When he alighted, Philip exclaimed, with tears of joy, says Plutarch, "O my son, look thee out a kingdom equal to thy great soul, Macedonia is too little for thee. This was the famous horse Bucephalus, which Alexander rode in his conquest of Persia. He died in India, and the conqueror built a city on the spot where he died, called Bucephalia.

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from his Indian expedition, intended to have rebuilt it; and, with this view, employed ten thousand men, to clear the place of its rubbish; but the death of Alexander, about two months after, put an end to the undertaking.

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LESSON THIRD.

The Retrospect of Life.

Riches, chance may take or give;
Beauty lives a day, and dies;
Honor lulls us while we live;
Mirth's a cheat, and pleasure flies.

Is there nothing worth our care?
Time, and chance, and death our foes;
If our joys so fleeting are,

Are we only tied to woes?

Let bright virtue answer, no;
Her eternal powers prevail,
When honors, riches cease to flow,
And beauty, mirth, and pleasure fail.

LESSON FOURTH.

Alexander and his Horse.

From his earliest years, Alexander discovered an ardor of mind, an elevation of genius, and solidity of judgment, which few ever equaled. When he was

yet very young, he used often to say, on hearing of his father's victories, that his father would win all the victories, and leave nothing for him to do, when ba should become a man.