a rope
over the heads of an audience, or to caper amidst a blaze of fire fifty
feet aloft in the air? What would Aristotle have thought of his dancing
elephants if he had seen some of the elephants who perform to-day?

[Illustration]

ANECDOTE XXXVI.

A Providential Safe Conduct.

A traveller gives a singular anecdote of a lion, which he says was related
to him by very credible persons. About the year 1614 or 1615, two
Christian slaves at Morocco made their escape, travelling by night, and
hiding themselves in the tops of trees during the day, their Arab pursuers
frequently passing by them. One night, while pursuing their journey, they
were much astonished and alarmed to see a great lion close by them, who
walked when they walked, and stood still when they stood. Thinking this a
safe conduct sent to them by Providence, they took courage, and travelled
in the daytime in company with the lion. The horsemen who had been sent in
pursuit came up, and would have seized upon them, but the lion interposed,
and they were suffered to pass on. Every day these poor fugitives met with
some one or other of the human race who wanted to seize them, but the lion
was their protector until they reached the sea coast in safety, when he
left them.

[Illustration]

ANECDOTE XXXVII.

A Generous Revenge.

A young man, desirous of getting rid of his dog, took it along with him to
the river. He hired a boat, and rowing into the stream, threw the animal
in. The poor creature attempted to climb up the side of the boat, but his
master, whose intention was to drown him, constantly pushed him back with
the oar. In doing this, he fell himself into the water, and would
certainly have been drowned, had not the dog, as soon as he saw his master
struggling in the stream, suffered the boat to float away, and held him
above water till assistance arrived, and his life was saved.

[Illustration]

ANECDOTE XXXVIII.

Are Beasts mere Machines?

A gentleman one day talking with a friend maintained that beasts were mere
machines, and had no sort of reason to direct them; and that when they
cried or made a noise, it was only one of the wheels of the clock or
machine that made it. The friend, who was of a different opinion, replied,
"I have now in my kitchen two turnspits, who take their turns regularly
every other day to get into the wheel; one of them, not liking his
employment, hid himself on the day that he should work, so