The angyr, na the wretchyt dome,
That is cowplyt to foule thyrldome.
But gyff he had assayit it,

Then all perquer he suld it wyt;
And suld think fredome mar to pryse

Than all the gold in warld that is."

Most of this can be understood without translation, but we give below a paraphrase of it, taken from Chambers Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotchmen. The paraphrase differs but slightly from the literal translation,—only refashions its garments.

Ah! freedom is a noble thing,
And can to life a relish bring;
Freedom all solace to man gives;
He lives at ease that freely lives.
A noble heart may have no ease,
Nor aught beside that may it please,
If freedom fail-for 'tis the choice,
More than the chosen, man enjoys.
Ah, he that ne'er yet lived in thrall,
Knows not the weary pains which gall
The limbs, the soul, of him who plains
In slavery's foul and festering chains.
If these he knew, I ween right soon
He would seek back the precious boon
Of freedom, which he then would prize
More than all wealth beneath the skies.

And so, by the merest alteration of the literary a-la-mode, this old Scotch poem of the 14th century is transformed into a model appeal to the spirit of patriotism and humanity evidenced in America's twentieth-century efforts to rid the world of bondage and oppression. All of which goes to show that in striving for the liberation of all classes that suffer thralldom of either soul or body, we are only working out the natural bent of mind inherited from such of our forefathers as suffered oppression, and cried out in their anguish for deliverance. We may be deemed supersensitive in our sympathies with other sufferers, but we came honestly by it.

GEOFFREY CHAUCER.

That renowned poet

Dan Chaucer, Well of English undefiled,

On Fame's eternall beadroll worthy to be fyled.

-Spenser.

Warton, with great beauty and justice has compared the appearance of Chaucer in our language to "a premature day in an English spring, after which the gloom of winter returns, and the buds and blossoms which have been called forth by a transient sunshine, are nipped by frosts and scattered by storms." Charles D. Cleveland said of him, "Accomplished in manners and intimately acquainted with a splendid court, he was at once the philosopher who had surveyed mankind in their widest sphere, the poet who haunted the solitudes of nature, and the elegant courtier whose opulent tastes are often discovered in the graceful pomp of his descriptions. The vigorous yet finished paintings with which his works. abound, are still, notwithstanding the roughness of their clothing, beauties of a highly poetical nature. The ear may not always be satisfied, but the mind of the reader is always filled." Coleridge, in his "Table Talk" says "I take unceasing delight in Chaucer. His manly cheerfulness is especially delicious in my old age. How exquisitely tender he is."

Chaucer's fame rests on his Canterbury Tales; and the plan of the work was doubtless taken from the Decameron of Boccacio, an Italian writer. We leave the reader to peruse for himself the tales of the twenty-nine "sundry folk," met together at the Tabard Inn, Southwark, on their way to Canterbury.

From this time on the English language is sufficiently developed to be read at the present day without the need of a commentary, and the literature that followed the invention of printing (about 1450) is so voluminous and the noted writers are so numerous that we cannot discuss them in this article. We have traced the rise and progress of the "mother

tongue " from its antecedent dialects to comparatively modern times, showing the conditions that were operative upon the tribes which by their joint invasion of Britain laid the foundation for so grand a linguistic superstructure. That it has become the ablest representative of thought, no scholar will deny. In an article on Philology we may present somewhat in detail the architecture of the language, figuratively speaking, while, in some other chapter, the language of architecture will exhibit a literal application of its structural powers upon structural principles. There is hardly any relation of ideas, however complex, involving an idea within an idea, and these developed into a scheme within a scheme, ad libitum, that modern English is not competent to express perspicuously and, with reasonable perspicacity on the part of the reader, the subtlest shades of meaning indicated by a masterly use of synonyms can be differentiated, and every concept weighed and its relations correctly noted, resulting in the clearest apprehension of all the parts combined into the integral thought intended to be conveyed. In fact, the above sentence may be taken as a fair sample of language about language, involved to a considerable extent, and yet exhibiting its grammatical relations so clearly that it not only can be understood, but it cannot be misunderstood.

In closing, we beg to emphasize the distinction between thought and language. A word is the sign of an idea. The idea, however, is not the word, but it is a mental concept, existing entirely independent of any expression; and when expressed, may be clothed plainly or gorgeously, durably or delicately, just as the speaker elects and within the limits of his vocabulary. To grasp more fully the thought that ideas are independent of words, suppose an Englishman adds a column of figures. He cons over the words which to him represent those numerical ideas, and he reaches a result which to his mind is also represented by certain words. Now, let a Frenchman add the same column, and it is manifest that the same ideas pass through his mind, and the resulting idea is the same as that obtained by the Englishman. Neither one understands a word of the other's language, but their thoughts

are the same, in essence, although only cognizable to each in his own dictum. Ideas, then, are a universal Volapük, and the principles of logic applying thereto are, like all other principles, eternal; so that reason, even in the minds of the inhabitants of "other worlds than ours," must be exercised in accordance with our own principles of thought. Thus, again, the conclusion is forced upon us that we are all children of the same Father, and created in His image.

BEST THOUGHTS ABOUT THE MIND, ACROSTICALLY ARRANGED. The wise man is never less alone than when he is alone.-Swift. He who cannot contract the sight of his mind as well as dilate it, wants a great talent in life.-Bacon.

Every mind unemployed is a mind unenjoyed.-Bovee.

Mind is the brightness of the body.-J. S. Knowles.

It is the mind that maketh good or ill, that maketh wretch or happy, rich or poor.-Spenser.

Narrow minds think nothing right that is above their own capacity. -Rochefoucauld.

Don't despair of a student if he has one clear idea.—Emerson.

If thou desirest ease, take care of the ease of thy mind.-Fuller. Searching into the human mind reveals strong traces of Him who made it.-Burke.

There is nothinig so elastic as a human mind.-Tryon Edwards. He that has no resources of mind is more to be pitied than he who is in want for the necessaries for the body.-Colton.

Even the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.-Milton.

My mind to me a kingdom is; such present joys therein I find, that it excels all other bliss that earth affords.-Chaucer.

Each mind ought sometimes to be diverted that it may return to better thinking.-Phoedrus.

A narrow mind begets obstinacy; we do not easily believe what we cannot see.-Dryden.

Strong minds can equally embrace great things and small.-Jonson. Unbend the mind, or it will be either weakened or broken.

-Sir P. Sidney. Richest jewels soonest wear their settings; so minds too vigorous consume the body.-Goldsmith.

Experience joined with common sense, to mortal minds a providence. -Green.

Our minds are like our stomachs, whetted by the change of food—
-Quintillion.
Few need complain of the narrowness of their minds, if they will
only do their best with them-Hobbes.

The mind grows narrow in proportion as the soul grows corrupt.

-Rousseau. Half the mental difficulties men suffer arise from a morbid state of health-Beecher.

Experience shows that success is due less to mental ability than to zeal-Burton.

-Memory is the treasure house of the mind-Fuller.

A well cultivated mind is made up of all the minds of preceding ages. -Fontenelle.

Neutral minds are the devil's allies.-Chapin.

NAMES OF THE STATES.

THEIR ORIGIN AND MEANING.

Alabama-Indian origin, means "Here We Rest.”

Arkansas-From French "arc" (a bow) and Indian "Kansas " (smoky waters), meaning “A Bow of Smoky Waters.”

California-From Spanish, meaning "Hot Furnace," named by Cortez in 1535

Colorado-Spanish for "red,” referring to the reddish tint of the Colorado River.

Connecticut-From Indian, meaning “Long River.”

Dakota-Indian for "allies."

Delaware-Named in honor of Thomas West, "Lord De la War,” who was the first to enter the bay in 1610.

Florida-From Spanish, meaning "flowery," named by Ponce de

Leon.

Georgia-Named in honor of George II. of England.

Illinios From Indian, meaning "manly."

Indiana-Named from the Indians.

Iowa-Means "The Sleepy One."

Kansas-From Indian words meaning "smoky water."

Kentucky-From Indian, meaning "dark and bloody ground.”

Louisiana-Named after Louis XVI. of France.

Maine-Originally called "Mayneland,” to distinguish it from settlements on the coast islands.

Maryland-Named in honor of Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I, of England.

Massachusetts-Named from the Massachuttes tribe of Indians, meaning "blue hills."