66 And still, as fast as he drew near, How in a trice the turnpike men And now, as he went bowing down Down ran the wine into the road, Which made his horse's flanks to smoke, But still he seem'd to carry weight, Thus all through merry Islington And there he threw the wash about At Edmonton, his loving wife From the balcony spied Her tender husband, wondering much To see how he did ride. Stop, stop, John Gilpin !-Here's the house!" They all at once did cry; "The dinner waits, and we are tired:" So like an arrow swift he flew, Away went Gilpin out of breath, The calend'rer, amazed to see "What news? what news? your tidings tell; Now Gilpin had a pleasant wit, "I came because your horse would come, My hat and wig will soon be here, The calend'rer, right glad to find But to the house went in; Whence straight he came with hat and wig, A hat not much the worse for wear, He held them up, and in his turn "My head is twice as big as yours, 66 But let me scrape the dirt away Said John, "It is my wedding-day, So turning to his horse, he said, 'Twas for your pleasure you came here, Ah, luckless speech, and bootless boast! Whereat his horse did snort, as he Had heard a lion roar, And gallop'd off with all his might, Away went Gilpin, and away Went Gilpin's hat and wig; He lost them sooner than at first, For why?-they were too big. Now mistress Gilpin, when she saw Her husband posting down Into the country far away, She pull'd out half-a-crown; And thus unto the youth she said, That drove them to the "Bell," "This shall be yours, when you bring back My husband safe and well." The youth did ride, and soon did meet John coming back amain; Whom in a trice he tried to stop, By catching at his rein; F But, not performing what he meant, Away went Gilpin, and away The postboy's horse right glad to miss Six gentlemen upon the road With postboy scampering in the rear, "Stop thief! stop thief!-a highwayman!" And now the turnpike gates again And so he did, and won it too, Now let us sing, long live the king, And when he next doth ride abroad, AN ignorant mind is incapable of noticing a vast number of the curious things that surround it; whilst a little information gives a person an observing eye; and with some observation, a man may find amusing company everywhere. It signifies not whether he be in the house or in the garden, in the fields or in the road, by ditches, by ponds, or rambling over the glittering wet sea-beach, still something is generally at hand to delight the awakened mind. All naturalists, that is, men who study the life and habits of animals, have divided the hosts of animals that exist into sets or groups, in order to assist their powers of observation, and to help their memories. Cuvier, a very clever French naturalist, has made four excellent divisions, which are generally adopted. In the first division or group of animals, he put all those which have back-bones, and called this the VERTEBRATED division: in it are men, beasts, birds, reptiles, and fishes. In the second division he put all animals with shells over their soft bodies, and called this the MOLLUSCOUS division; in it are snails and shell-fish. In the third division he put all animals that have hard coverings, made of rings on the outside of their bodies, and called this the ARTICULATED division; it contains worms, insects, spiders, lobsters, and crabs. In the fourth division he put all animals that are almost like plants, and called this the ZOOPHYTE or RADIATED division; this contains the sponges, and corals, star-fishes, and sea anemones. Amongst these sponges, corals, and star-fishes, Cuvier |