ces of life, and entirely cut off from all intercourse with his
friends, he still retained his good humor, laughed at the little spite of
his enemies, and carried the jest so far as to write the life of his
jailer.

All that the wisdom of the proud can teach, is to be stubborn or sullen
under misfortunes. The Cardinal's example will teach us to be good-
humored in circumstances of the highest affliction. It matters not whether
our good humor be construed by others into insensibility or idiotism,--it
is happiness to ourselves; and none but a fool could measure his
satisfaction by what the world thinks of it.

The happiest fellow I ever knew, was of the number of those good-natured
creatures that are said to do no harm to anybody but themselves. Whenever
he fell into any misery, he called it "seeing life," If his head was
broken by a chairman, or his pocket picked by a sharper, he comforted
himself by imitating the Hibernian dialect of the one, or the more
fashionable cant of the other. Nothing came amiss to him. His inattention
to money matters had concerned his father to such a degree that all
intercession of friends was fruitless. The old gentleman was on his
deathbed. The whole family (and Dick among the number) gathered around
him.

"I leave my second son, Andrew," said the expiring miser, "my whole
estate, and desire him to be frugal." Andrew, in a sorrowful tone (as is
usual on such occasions), prayed heaven to prolong his life and health to
enjoy it himself. "I recommend Simon, my third son, to the care of his
elder brother, and leave him, besides, four thousand pounds." "Ah,
father!" cried Simon (in great affliction, to be sure), "may heaven give
you life and health to enjoy it yourself!" At last, turning to poor Dick:
"As for you, you have always been a sad dog; you'll never come to good;
you'll never be rich; I leave you a shilling to buy a halter." "Ah,
father!" cries Dick, without any emotion, "may heaven give you life and
health to enjoy it yourself!"

NOTES.--Cardinal de Retz, Jean Francois Paul de Gondi (b. 1614, d. 1679),
was leader of the revolt against Jules Mazarin (b. 1602, d. 1661), the
prime minister of France during the minority of Louis XIV. This led to a
war which lasted four or five years. After peace had been concluded, and
Louis XIV. established on the throne, Mazarin was reinstated in power, and
Cardinal de Retz was imprisoned.

Flanders, formerly part of the Netherlands, is now includ