On the 23rd of April, 1789, he went in state to St. Paul's cathedral, to return thanks for the mercy he had received. The building was crowded with people desirous of shewing their affectionate sympathy with their good monarch; and several thousands of charity children raised their young voices in hymns and anthems of thanksgiving. The king was deeply affected, and said to some one near him, "Now I feel that I have indeed been ill." After this, by the advice of his medical attendants, he abstained for some time, as much as possible, from public business ; and passed this interval of leisure in retirement with his excellent queen, and his beloved children. And well it was that he enjoyed this opportunity of rest, for sadly troubled times were coming, and he needed to seek strength to meet them. The history of these unhappy years must be contained in another chapter.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

GEORGE THE THIRD-(CONTINUED.)

THE last king of France I mentioned to you, was Louis the fourteenth, who endeavoured to place the Pretender on the English throne by force of arms. Now I have to tell you some events connected with the reign of his descendant, Louis the sixteenth; a kind and amiable sovereign, but deficient in the energy and talent necessary to reform the many evils of the French constitution, which had gone on accumulating through many ages, until this unhappy king had to bear the punishment due to the errors of his predecessors.

The people had long been oppressed and burdened with heavy taxes, from which the nobles were entirely free; and these latter passed their time in idleness, vice, and frivolity, utterly regardless of the wants and interests of those from whom they drew their wealth. We can then scarcely wonder that, goaded beyond endurance, the people at length rebelled, and a revolution took place, such as never before disgraced a

country since the world had been divided into nations. Crimes of the most horrible and revolting nature were of daily occurrence; while religion was abolished from the land, and in its stead was set up a guide miscalled reason, but which in reality was atheism. Against the ministers of religion especially, was the blind fury of the populace directed. They were hanged, drowned, beheaded, with the reckless ferocity of savages. Fearful was the lesson given to the world of what the nature of man can become, when he has cast off the wholesome restraints of religion and virtue, and gives himself up to the unholy pursuit of sin. I shall not, my dear children, enter fully into the history of this terrible outbreak of iniquity, except in so far as it is connected with the reign of George the third; but I cannot refrain from giving you one proof of the real folly of their boasted wisdom. It was decreed that the observance of the Sabbath was a superstition unworthy of the followers of reason; but as no amount of reason will save men and animals from fatigue, and as occasional rest is therefore indispensable, these lawgivers who were SO "wise in their own eyes," made a law that every tenth day was to be observed as one of rest from labour. But now, mark the result.

THE REIGN OF TERROR.

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It was found on trial that one day in ten was not sufficient for the purpose, and they were obliged to return to the arrangement made by a merciful God when He said by the mouth of His servant Moses, "Remember the seventh day, to keep it holy." Dear children, can there be a more striking proof that "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God?"

At length, after imprisoning, and treating with every indignity, the king and queen, with their children, and the king's sister, the pious and nobleminded princess Elizabeth, they consummated their guilt by causing Louis, and his amiable wife, Marie Antoinette, with their sister, to be beheaded. The two royal children were then kept in separate prisons. The princess was, after long confinement, set free, and went to some of her mother's relations at Vienna; but her brother, the poor little Dauphin, was treated with such cruelty and neglect, that his mind became affected, and then his health declined, and he died.

"The reign of terror," as it was justly called, lasted until the guilty nation grew weary of its own deeds of blood. France became a republic, and was governed nominally by three consuls, but in point of fact, by Napoleon Buonaparte, who had risen in the

army, and made himself so conspicuous by his military talents, and wonderful energy of character, that, like Oliver Cromwell in our own country, he at length possessed himself of the supreme power. But this is somewhat anticipating the order of events.

The whole continent had been alarmed by the horrors of the Revolution, and some kingdoms had taken up arms; and at length it became evident that England must follow their example, and do her best to check the spread of those infidel principles which had wrought such awful devastation in France. In 1793 began a war which lasted, with but a very short intermission, for twenty years.

By land, the French were generally successful at first, but the superiority of the English at sea was fully established by the most brilliant victories under lords Howe and Bridport, and sir John Jervis, the latter of whom had, in 1797, with fifteen vessels, defeated a greatly superior Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent, for which service he was rewarded with the title of earl St. Vincent.

In 1798, a rebellion, which was principally excited by French agents, broke out in Ireland, which was not suppressed until many dreadful crimes had been committed, and many valuable lives lost.