agnificent, adopted him and had
him brought up with his own son Giovanni. The boys were nearly the
same age and grew up to be great and good men. Both of them were popes
of Rome. The older boy, Giovanni, was Pope Leo X and Giulio Pope
Clement VII.

Now look at the picture again. The Madonna is reading to her little
son, Jesus, "The Magnificat," that beautiful song from Luke, Chap. I,
v. 46-56, sung so often in our churches. Let us repeat the song
together:

My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
For, behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me
blessed.
For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is
His name.
And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to
generation
He hath shewed strength with his arm;
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats,
And exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things;
And the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

[Illustration: Courtesy of Pratt Institute

FIG. 23. CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN. BOTTICELLI. UFFIZI PALACE.
FLORENCE]

THE WOLF CHARMER

JOHN LA FARGE (1835-1910)

You see these wolves were once the old women gossips of the town, the
story says; and when these women were unkind in what they said about
people the Fates--I have told you another story about the Fates--the
Fates to punish them turned them into wolves. The Wolf Charmer, who
really is the old gypsy who killed the black cat of the village witch,
goes out into the night. The owl calls the wolves to attack the gypsy.
But the gypsy knew the old women before they were turned into wolves
so he calls them by name: "Kate, Anne, and Bee!" And soon they follow
him down the narrow path between the rocks and listen to his music on
the bagpipes. "A funny story!" you say. You know there are people who
have a strange power over wild animals.

John La Farge said about this picture, "I made it to be one of a
series of some hundred subjects, more or less fantastic and
imaginary." He never finished the pictures nor carried out his plan of
making these books for c