well as all the decorations of the building, was of silver, as suited to the pale, silvery light of the moon. There were three other chapels, one of which was dedicated to the host of stars, that formed the bright court of the sister of the sun; another was consecrated to his 5 dread ministers of vengeance, the thunder and the lightning; and a third to the rainbow, whose many-colored arch spanned the walls of the edifice with hues almost as radiant as its own. There were, besides, several other buildings or insulated apartments for the accommodation 10 of the numerous priests who officiated in the services of the temple. All the plate, the ornaments, the utensils of every description, appropriated to the uses of religion, were of gold or silver. Twelve immense vases of the latter metal 15 stood on the floor of the great saloon, filled with grain of the Indian corn; the censers for the perfumes, the ewers which held the water for sacrifice, the pipes which conducted it through subterraneous channels into the buildings, the reservoirs that received it, even the agricultural 20 implements used in the gardens of the temple, were all of the same rich materials. The gardens, like those described belonging to the royal palaces, sparkled with flowers of gold and silver, and various imitations of the vegetable kingdom. Ani- 25 mals, also, were to be found there, among which the llama, with its golden fleece, was most conspicuous, executed in the same style and with a degree of skill which in this instance probably did not surpass the excellence of the material. If the reader sees in this fairy picture only the romantic 30 coloring of some fabulous El Dorado, he must recall what has been said before in references to the palaces of the Incas, and consider that these "houses of the sun," as they were styled, were the common reservoir into which 5 flowed all the streams of public and private benefaction throughout the empire. Some of the statements, through credulity, and others in the desire of exciting admiration, may be greatly exaggerated; but in the coincidence of contemporary testi10 mony, it is not easy to determine the exact line which should mark the measure of our skepticism. Certain it is that the glowing picture I have given is warranted by those who saw these buildings in their pride, or shortly after they had been despoiled by the cupidity of their 15 countrymen. Lǎv'ish wasteful; extravagant. Cuz'cō. žm ả nāt'ěd : issued; flowed from. Ef fül'gençe: brightness; splendor. Dêlin'ê at ěd: pictured; represented. În'sù lāt ĕd: separated; unconnected. Ben é făc'tion (shun): gift. Cré du'li ty: readiness of belief. Skĕp'ti çişm: doubt; a questioning state of mind. Reader, attend whether thy soul Soars fancy's flights beyond the pole, Know, prudent, cautious self-control - BURNS, Waterloo BY GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824): An English poet. His first work which attracted attention was a poetical satire, entitled "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers," expressing his resentment at the harsh criticism of a volume of his youthful verse. On the publication of "Childe Harold" in 1812, he became the popular poet of the day. wrote a number of other poems, including "Mazeppa," "The Prisoner of Chillon," "Don Juan," "The Giaour," and several dramatic poems. He Lord Byron There was a sound of revelry by night, The lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men. Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again, But hush hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell ! Did ye not hear it?-No; 'twas but the wind, 5 10 On with the dance! let joy be unconfined; And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before ! Arm! arm it is-it is the cannon's opening roar ! Within a windowed niche of that high hall Ah! then and there was hurrying to and fro, And there was mounting in hot haste: the steed, |