with which he extolled the blandness of the
temperature, the purity of the atmosphere, the fragrance of the air, "full
of dew and sweetness," the verdure of the forests, the grandeur of the
mountains, and the crystal purity of the running streams. It spread a
glorious and golden world around him, and tinged everything with its own
gorgeous colors.

With all the visionary fervor of his imagination, its fondest dreams fell
short of the reality. He died in ignorance of the real grandeur of his
discovery. Until his last breath, he entertained the idea that he had
merely opened a new way to the old resorts of opulent commerce, and had
discovered some of the wild regions of the East. What visions of glory
would have broken upon his mind could he have known that he had indeed
discovered a new continent equal to the old world in magnitude, and
separated by two vast oceans from all the earth hitherto known by
civilized man! How would his magnanimous spirit have been consoled amid
the afflictions of age and the cares of penury, the neglect of a fickle
public and the injustice of an ungrateful king, could he have anticipated
the splendid empires which would arise in the beautiful world he had
discovered, and the nations, and tongues, and languages which were to fill
its land with his renown, and to revere and bless his name to the latest
posterity!

NOTE.--Christopher Columbus (b. 1436, d. 1506) was the son of a wool
comber of Genoa. At the age of fifteen he became a sailor, and in his
voyages visited England, Iceland, the Guinea coast, and the Greek Isles.
He was an earnest student of navigation, of cosmography, and of books of
travel; thus he thoroughly prepared himself for the great undertaking
which led to the discovery of America. He struggled against every
discouragement for almost ten years before he could persuade a sovereign
to authorize and equip his expedition.

XLVIII. "HE GIVETH HIS BELOVED SLEEP." (195)

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1809-1861, was born in London, married
the poet Robert Browning in 1846, and afterwards resided in Italy most of
the time till her death, which occurred at Florence. She was thoroughly
educated in severe and masculine studies, and began to write at a very
early age. Her "Essay on Mind," a metaphysical and reflective poem, was
written at the age of sixteen. She wrote very rapidly, and her friend, Miss
Mitford, tells us that "Lady Geraldine's Courtship," containing ninety-
three s