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THE CHRISTIAN PARLOR MAGAZINE.

Germany. This duty he performed to the entire satisfaction of his sagacious judges; and it was in reference to the consummate political abilities he displayed on this occasion, that William of Nassau said of him, "that his acquaintance with the affairs of Europe was so exact and profound, that he was deserving of a throne." As if to satisfy us that this high encomium was not undue, all historians agree in declaring, "that the Earl of Leicester held to England the government of the Low Countries by his councils and energy when alive, and lost it by his death." At the age of twentyfive, he returned to the court of his sovereign, when he steadfastly opposed her projected marriage with the Duke of Anjou, and became involved in a quarrel with the haughty Earl of Oxford. Sir Philip, however, did not hold that an indulgence in private brawls was consonant with his character either as a chivalrous knight, or high-minded gentleman. He therefore determined to escape from the turmoil and restraint of the court, and retired, sick and disgusted by the rude and insolent conduct of Oxford, to the since classic haunts of Wilton, where he sought rest and refreshment in the companionship of his all accomplished sister, the Countess of Pembroke.

The tender love which he bore for this sister, has been the fruitful theme of poets and historians, and is, in reality, one of the most pleasing features of his symmetrical life. Next to maternal affection-that holiest of emotions after love of God-there is no more beauteous phase of humanity than the reciprocal love of a brother and sister. There is about this quality an etherial purity which partakes of a heavenly nature, and it is surely one of those vestiges of Paradise which Infinite mercy still permits to gladden the earth. No illustration of this can be imagined more perfect than is furnished by Sidney's retreat to sympathy and his sister. Her hopeful woman's heart refreshed him from his toils, and cheered him on when drooping in the strife. She animated his fancy and retuned his lyre. Her loving converse, as they threaded the delightful walks of Wilton, awakened and inspirited his genius; and it was then that, with new buoyancy, and freshly plumed for a heaven-daring flight, he produced that imperishable monument of fraternal love, his charming romance, Pembroke's Arcadia. Hers was the confidential task, to con the noble song as it issued forth sheet by sheet from the bounties of his Fancy. fonder

Hers to hail new beauty with and to diffuse by her sweet presence

that charm of purity and gentleness which im pregnates this effusion.

This pleasant dream was destined soon to be broken, for Queen Elizabeth could ill brook the absence from her court of this "mirror of chivalry," and recalled him with the ostensible design of conferring upon him the honor of knighthood. Here he remained for three years, when she made him governor of the fertile province of Flushing. While acting in this capacity, he surprised and captured the fort of Axil, and behaved with such extraordinary energy and wisdom, that the throne of Poland, which was then vacant, was offered to him. It was upon this occasion, that Queen Elizabeth made use of the memorable saying in reference to him, "that she could not lose the jewel of his time, that a crown could confer no additional nobility upon him." Of all the thousand compliments which were paid him by his contemporaries, in life, or that were showered upon his hearse by poets, philosophers, and kings, when dead, none are so intrinsically beautiful as was contained in his father's letter to a younger brother. "Follow," said the noble old man, "follow the advice of your most loving brother, who in loving you is comparable with me, or exceedeth me. Imitate his virtues, exercises, studies, and actions. He is a rare ornament of his age; the very formula that all well-disposed young gentlemen of our court do form also their manners and their life by. In truth, I speak it without flattery of him or myself, he hath the most virtues that I ever found in any man.”

But the brightest things must fade—the most glorious sun must set. At the age of thirty-two, when his fame had not yet reached its zenith; mourned by his native country and by Europe, he met the death of a hero on the field of Zutphen. The last scene of the drama was in harmony with his life. All have heard the beautiful story of his self-denial, when, though suffering from the agony of a mortal wound, he gave up the water for which he had earnestly implored, to a soldier who was dying near, saying, "he has more need of it than I, poor fellow."

And now, having brought the brief history of this gallant gentleman to a close, we may be permitted to indulge in the train of reflections which is naturally awakened.

In an age when the successful courtier was the subtlest proficient in the servile science of adulation, we have seen one who despised flattery as alike unworthy of the receiver and

COMPANIONSHIP WITH GOD.

the giver." At a period when obscenity passed for wit, there was one who continued unsoiled and blameless. While the moral atmosphere by which he was surrounded, was tainted and impure, there was one whose light burned steadily and clear. At a time when unbounded license, under its honied title, gallantry, was the initial proposition of a nobleman's creed, he remained as pure and chaste as his mother could have asked in her prayers. Neither wealth corrupted, nor cupidity tempted him; prosperity did not unduly elate him, nor adversity depress him. Now, whence was this unusual strength? Hearken to "rare old Ben," who thus speaks of this noble family,

“They are, and have been taught RELIGION. Thence

Their gentle spirits have sucked innocence,

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Each morne and even they are taught to pray With the whole household, and may every day Reade in their virtuous parents' noble parts, The mysteries of manners, arms and arts."

This then was the guardian angel, evoked by a mother's love which had panoplied and protected him. He could not be an adept in flattery or dissimulation, who had been taught to reverence God more than he feared man. He could not be obscene or unchaste, whose earliest associations clustered around the form of a woman-his sainted mother--as she in winning tones dictated to his youthful mind the sublime truths of the Gospel. He could not trample upon female virtue; he dare not soil its purity upon whose heart was engraven the pure image of a sister's loveliness and truth.

D.

COMPANIONSHIP WITH GOD.

FATHER! I ask not life of Thee!

My spirit longs to find repose,

Far from this scene of strife with Thee,
My heart its hope upon Thee throws,

Father! I ask not life of Thee!

Father! there is no wealth for me

Which earth can give, that I request,

My body asks not health of Thee,

The grave
alone can give it rest.
Father! I ask not wealth of Thee!

Give me companionship with Thee!

Thy love will lighten every task,
Death will be but a sleep with Thee,
And for eternity I ask,
Father! companionship with Thee!

PHILOS.

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THE PARLOR TABLE.

THE spring flowers are not yet in bloom, but they will soon be around us. Meanwhile the Parlor Table has not been without its decorations. The long winter evenings, now gone, have been relieved and cheered by the company of those who being dead yet speak in their works, and perpetuate their usefulness by the memorials they left behind them, when they ascended.

Thus we have been reading the memoirs of two eminent men, in some respects alike, in others widely different, yet both useful beyond their cotemporaries, both having left a name to go down to future generations among them on whom descended blessings from those ready to perish. We refer to Whitefield and Nettleton. The press has just given us new editions of the lives of these men, and instead of being confined to this closing page of our number for a sketch of their characters, we might rather begin at the first, and then fail in the task. But we would have these books in all our families. They are well adapted to awaken the revival spirit in the hearts of those who read, and we will pray that heaven may have in store yet other Nettletons and other Whitefields, to bless the world with their seraphic eloquence, and to turn many to righteousness.

The School Girl in France is a story to illustrate the danger of placing children under the instruction of Roman Catholics; and well would it be if Protestant parents were aware of the hazard ther run when they thus put the souls of their immortal offspring in the hands of the Papal

power.

The Hon. George P. Marsh's Oration before the New England Society, has been published in handsome style by M W. Dodd. Mr. Marsh is one of the ripest scholars of this country, and this production, in point of style and thought, is worthy of the author's name and fame.

The Supremacy of Mind, is the title of a discourse delivered in Albany before the Young Men's Association, by the Rev. Samuel Fisher. The style is bold, vigorous, and attractive, and the sentiment worthy of being pondered and improved by the young men of our times.

Uncle Barnaby's Recollections will not be forgotten by those who read them; quaint and striking in his observations, he tells plain truths in a plain way, and his thoughts are worth thinking over again.

One of the most remarkable productions of the season is Mordecai M. Noah's lecture on the Restoration of the Jews. Himself a Jew, the temper with which he speaks of the religion of Jesus, is such as to secure the candid attention of the reader to the peculiar views which he advocates respecting the ways and means of bringing the ancient people of God back to the land of their fathers. He thinks the government of the United States has been raised up as the agent in the great work of restoration; and he therefore appeals with confidence to the people to come to the rescue of his long scattered and peeled brethren.

The Poet's Gift, illustrated by one of our painters, is an elegantly printed book, from the Boston press, containing a selection of American poetry. The volume is in a high degree ornamental, and the selections are made with taste.

CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH.-We are pained to hear that the health of this gifted lady is declining, and that she will probably write but little more for the press. Few ladies, perhaps none, of the present day, have enjoyed a wider or better earned popularity than Mrs. Tonna, and not one of her works is more full of interest and instruction than the volume which records her "personal recollections," the story of her own trials, and the vicissitudes of her life, which have been most extraordinary and romantic. Her spirit is purely that of a Protestant Christian; and the vigor of her powers has been devoted to the spread of truth, which must be useful in opening the eyes of all who read, to the insidious nature of Romanism.

That her life may be prolonged, and that we may have yet many more of the productions of her refined heart, we would fondly pray; but if she is soon removed, we will rejoice that our day has enjoyed the light of her genius and the fruit of her toils.

GOOD-BETTER-BEST; OR, THREE WAYS OF MAKING A HAPPY WORLD.-This is the title of a book published by the AMERICAN SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION. Its object is to give right direction to acts of beneficence. "Where am I to begin, then, in benefaction? At my neighbor,and my neighbor is the nearest sufferer in my way." The work is written with more than ordinary talent, and designed for minds more ma ture than are usually found in the class of a Sunday School.

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