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Various

"The Illustrated London Reading Book"


Thou art in _Rome!_ the city where the Gauls,
Entering at sun-rise through her open gates,
And through her streets silent and desolate
Marching to slay, thought they saw gods, not men;
The city, that by temperance, fortitude,
And love of glory tower'd above the clouds,
Then fell--but, falling, kept the highest seat,
And in her loveliness, her pomp of woe,
Where now she dwells, withdrawn into the wild,
Still o'er the mind maintains, from age to age,
Its empire undiminish'd. There, as though
Grandeur attracted grandeur, are beheld
All things that strike, ennoble; from the depths
Of Egypt, from the classic fields of Greece--
Her groves, her temples--all things that inspire
Wonder, delight! Who would not say the forms.
Most perfect most divine, had by consent
Flock'd thither to abide eternally
Within those silent chambers where they dwell
In happy intercourse?
ROGERS.
* * * * *


THE ROOKERY

[Illustration: Letter I.]
Is that a rookery, papa?
_Mr. S._ It is. Do you hear what a cawing the birds make?
_F_. Yes; and I see them hopping about among the boughs.


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