his capital town, and ruined all his cities.
That was the end of one practical joke unapologised for.

II. In the Gospel for to-day, our Lord warns against the same
hard-headedness in persisting in refusing an apology, and to make up
friendship that has been broken. "Agree with thine adversary quickly,
while thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary
deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer,
and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no
means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." He
urges Christians when they have done an injury to any, frankly to
confess it, to put their pride in their pocket, and to ask forgiveness.
It is not an easy thing to do, to acknowledge that you have done wrong,
but there is more true courage in doing so, than in persevering in
spite of the consequences, in wrong doing. Many a lasting and
miserable quarrel has arisen because at the outset one little word has
not been said, which would have made all things smooth. Two families
become estranged and bitterly hostile, because some one has reported to
the mother in one, that the mother in the other had made a disparaging
remark about her. A little word, and all would be explained, and set
to rights. "Let not the sun go down on your wrath," says the Apostle,
and an excellent piece of advice this is:--Make up all quarrels the
same day that they break out.

There was a good old bishop of Alexandria called John the Almsgiver,
and he and the Governor of the city were great friends. Something
occurred which made a breach between them. If I remember aright, it
was this. The bishop was very charitable, and was always urging the
rich people to give to the poor, and they were constantly sending him
money to distribute among the sick and needy. Now at this time the
Governor had experienced some difficulty in raising the taxes, and this
ruffled his temper. He was on a visit to the Bishop, when he saw on
the stairs a number of servants of a rich lady bringing up, as a
present to the bishop some pots, labelled "Virgin Honey." The Governor
said he did not believe they were pots of honey, but pots of gold, and
when the bishop offered to open them and let him see for himself, he
dashed out of the door in a rage, and said, "No wonder I can't get
money in taxes when you swindle it out of the people, to feed the
beggars on honey." When the Governor was gone,