Enchantment's veil withdraws,
What lovely visions yield their place
To cold material laws!

And yet, fair bow, no fabling dreams,
But words of the Most High,
Have told why first thy robe of beams
Was woven in the sky.

When o'er the green undeluged earth
Heaven's covenant thou didst shine,
How came the world's gray fathers forth
To watch thy sacred sign!

And when its yellow lustre smiled
O'er mountains yet untrod,
Each mother held aloft her child
To bless the bow of God.

The earth to thee her incense yields,
The lark thy welcome sings,
When, glittering in the freshen'd fields,
The snowy mushroom springs.

How glorious is thy girdle, cast
O'er mountain, tower, and town,
Or mirror'd in the ocean vast
A thousand fathoms down!

As fresh in yon horizon dark,
As young thy beauties seem,
As when the eagle from the ark
First sported in thy beam.

For, faithful to its sacred page,
Heaven still rebuilds thy span;
Nor lets the type grow pale with age
That first spoke peace to man.

T. CAMPBELL.

HERE FOLLOWETH THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM

The Sunday called Quinquagesima is read in the church the history of the
holy patriarch Abraham which was the son of Terah. This Terah was the
tenth from Noah in the generation of Shem. Japhet had seven sons and Ham
four sons. Out of the generation of Ham Nimrod came, which was a wicked
man and cursed in his works, and began to make the tower of Babel which
was great and high. And at the making of this tower, God changed the
languages, in such wise that no man understood other. For tofore the
building of that tower was but one manner speech in all the world, and
there were made seventy-two speeches. The tower was great, it was ten
miles about and five thousand and eighty-four steps of height. This
Nimrod was the first man that found mawmetry and idolatry, which endured
long and yet doth. Then I turn again to Terah which had three sons,
which was Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Of Nahor came Us, Bus, and Batuel. Of
Us came Job, of Bus came Balaam, and of Batuel Rebekah and Laban. Of
Haran came Lot and two daughters, Melcha and Sara.

Now I shall speak of Abram of whom our blessed lady came. He wedded
Sara, daughter of his brother Haran. Abram was ever faithful and true,
he was sixty-five years old when his father died, for whom he mourned
till our Lord comforted him, which said to Abram: Abram, make thee ready
and go out of thy land and kindred,