Did he ever give up his bad practices?

Can you relate the story of the crown?

In what year did the king die?

OAK APPLES.

ON the 29th of May, it is common in many counties of England for branches of oak trees to be placed at the doors; and some people wear pieces of oak in their hats. This is to commemorate

what is called the Restoration, when king Charles the Second returned from abroad, and was restored to the throne of England, after the nation had been without a king for more than ten years. During the greater part of that time, Oliver Cromwell governed the nation, king Charles the First having been put to death. The reason why oak branches are used on this day, as most of my young readers know, is, that king Charles the Second, when he was pursued by his enemies, was enabled to escape from them, by hiding himself in an oak tree.

People who wear twigs of oak in their hats, are fond of getting a piece that has an oak apple upon it. As every body may not know what an oak apple is, I shall give them the following conversation, taken from a little book called "Evenings at Home."

Tutor. Did you ever see what boys call an oak apple?

George. Yes; I have gathered them myself.

T. Do you know what they are? G. I thought they were the fruit of the oak.

T. No; I have told you that the acorns are the fruits. The oak apples are excrescences formed by an insect.

G. An insect! how can an insect make such a thing?

T. It is a sort of fly that has a power of piercing the outer skin of oak boughs, under which it lays its eggs. The part then swells into a kind of ball, and the young insects, when hatched, eat their way out. In warm countries there is a kind of oak which bears round excrescences of the same kind, called galls, which become hard. They are the principal ingredients in

not, they must be content with what we have given them for the present.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

My readers already know something. about Westminster Abbey, and have had a picture of it in one of our numbers. The most beautiful part of it is what is called king Henry the Seventh's chapel. Within these few years a great deal has been done that this fine building might be seen; for it was so surrounded with houses, that the greater part was hidden, so that it could only be seen by those who came close to it. It seems, that this was the case in the time of king Charles the First, for good old Thomas Fuller, who lived at that time, writes thus, not forgetting to make a useful reflection, as was his constant custom, at the end of his sentence.

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Looking on the outside of the chapel of king Henry the Seventh, in Westminster, I have much admired the curious workmanship thereof. It added to the wonder that it is so shadowed by mean houses, well nigh on

all sides, that one may almost touch it, as soon as see it. This chapel may pass for the emblem of a person of great worth living in a private way. How is he pleased with his obscurity, whilst others of less desert make greater show! He is more pleased to have worth, than to have others take notice of it."

It was said of one of the ancients, that he wished to be good, not merely to seem good. It is a very different thing to have a character that appears good in the eyes of men, and one that is really good in the sight of God.

A

true Christian remembers that God searcheth the heart; and it is but little comfort to him to have the world's praise, if he have not the praise of God. He will indeed labour to have a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man; and therefore he is not indifferent to the opinion of men, knowing that the good conduct of a Christian is the means of winning others to the gospel of Christ; but still the praise of men will be despised, when it is gained by a conduct which is contrary to the will of God.

OUR SAVIOUR'S PERSEVERANCE IN DOING

GOOD.

OUR Saviour performed miracles, that is, works quite beyond the power of man to perform; and he did so to prove to the Jews that he really did come from God, and that therefore he was really the Christ, and that every thing that he told them was therefore true, But there are some dispositions so set against all that is good, that nothing seems capable of leading them to the knowledge and the practice of true religion. At the time when our blessed Lord was upon earth, Satan, not con, tent with harassing the souls of men, sought to torment their bodies likewise, and this was probably permitted, that it might be seen how much greater was the power of Christ than that of Satan. Christ shewed that he was able to cast out devils. But even this. miracle did not persuade the unbelievers of those days to acknowledge Christ as their Lord; but they raised the most strange and improbable accusation against him. But what did our Lord do? Did their false reports