and gaining instruction from him. When Newton read, he always made notes on the books as he read them; and these notes generally contained a great deal of information beyond what was in the books.

With all his learning, Newton was one of the kindest men in the world. His temper is said to have been so mild, that nothing could disturb it, and he was so great a lover of peace that he had quite a horror of having disputes of any kind with any one.

His power of thinking was so great, that when once he had fixed his attention on any subject, he could remain steadily fixed upon it without allowing any other thoughts to come into his head; and this is the right way for a man to make himself thoroughly master of any subject. A quarrel or disturbance would have taken his mind from thinking steadily on what he wished to think, and therefore he avoided disputes. And yet if any person had real business with him, he would lay aside his studies with the greatest good humour, and begin them again when the business was over. Newton was as modest as he was learned; he never

talked of himself, or gave any one the least reason to believe that he was proud or vain of his learning. He treated those below him with the same kind consideration as if they had been his equals, and he thought no man to be despised but the wicked.

Of all the great variety of books which he possessed, he studied none so much as the Bible; because he found that more happiness could be learned from that than from any other book.

This great man enjoyed a very good state of health until he was eighty years of age, when he had a very painful disorder: for the five following years, he was sometimes better and sometimes worse; but, during all this time, he never made the least complaint, nor shewed any impatience. He died at the age of eighty four years.

Arrogance and pride generally belong to ignorance. Real knowledge does not stand in need of them. The more a man knows, the more he sees his own insufficiency, and this teaches him to be humble.

National School Magazine.

NO. 33.]

AUGUST 15th, 1825.

[VOL. III.

SHORT HISTORY OF ENGLAND. (No. XVII.-Continued from p. 20.)

WE have seen what a great warrior Henry the Fifth was, and what great

E

battles he fought in France, and what great power he gained there. After his death, his son became king. This was Henry the Sixth. At the time of his father's death, he was but a child of about a year old; the Duke of Bedford was therefore appointed protector of the kingdom, and he was to govern till the king should be old enough to manage the affairs of the nation for himself. The war in France went on, but it went on very unprosperously for the English.

The successes of the French were all brought about by a woman, a poor servant girl at an inn. This is a very curious affair, and this girl has been since known in history by the name of "Joan of Arc," or the "Maid of Orleans."

This poor girl had persuaded herself that she was fated to save her country; and she fancied that she had a commission from heaven to do so. She easily persuaded the people of this, and thus she was able to raise them to the greatest courage, and make them ready for any undertaking. Joan rode forth, all clad in armour,

at the head of the soldiers, and they attacked the English army that was then besieging Orleans, and drove them away. And this opinion of the girl's inspiration had such an effect upon the spirits of the French, that, in a very short time, they recovered nearly all the places which the English had taken from them during the war.

There was, at this time, great dis content, too, in England. There were rebellions against the king in almost all parts of the kingdom; the people were dissatisfied with him, and thought him a weak king, and unfit to govern the nation.

They therefore turned their thoughts to the Duke of York, who was descended from an older son of Edward the Third than Henry was: and therefore had a greater claim to the crown. It was, however, the discontent which the people felt with Henry, that made them think of having the Duke of York for their king.

There was a fellow named John Cade, who pretended to belong to the York family, and tried to persuade the people that he was the rightful