of Rome's destiny-which I never shall forget; and in which he alluded to the opportunities which merit had for success, even in the highest dignities of the state. Would that the political aspirants of our country would believe in Cicero's theory of the true glory of the statesman. "And you, young men!" he exclaimed, "you who are of noble birth, I will stimulate to the imitation of your ancestors; you, who must win renown by genius and worth, I will point to the same path by which many humbly born men have reached official dignity and sustained it gloriously. There is but one highway, believe me, of glory and dignity and honor: it is the esteem of the good, the wise, the well-endowed by nature! to understand the CONSTITUTION OF OUR STATE, most wisely framed by our ancestors; who, when they could no longer bear the yoke of kings, so ordained the annual offices of the republic, that, although the senate was made before-hand the perpetual high council of the commonwealth, yet persons might be chosen to it from the mass of the people; and that access to that exalted post should be clear to the perseverance and worth of private citizens."

Do you ask what qualifications entitle one to admission to the senate? I answer, first, office. All the annual magistrates, consuls, prætors, quæstors and the rest, are, ex-officio, members of the senate. So is the priest of Jupiter. This fact will explain one peculiar feature of the scene before you. In the row of benches below us, which are amazingly long, you see one bench given up to each order of officers. The highest in rank sit farthest back; excepting the consul who presides. Each order is thus arranged. Those who are now officers elect, but have not yet entered upon the duties of their position, take precedence. Next to them, sit the present incumbents of the office; then those who have heretofore held the office. In front of all sit those who are not and have not been officers at all; behind these are the quæstors elect, the quæstors and the ex-quæstors; in the rear of the latter, sit the ædiles elect, the ædiles and the ex-ædiles; then the tribunes, similarly classified; then the censors; then the prætors; then those of consular dignity. The consuls, you perceive, sit facing the assembly, on their chairs of state. Those chairs are magnificent, are they not? With a raised step and curved legs, quaintly carved and inlaid with ivory, they are, with their incumbents, the most attractive objects in the apartment. They are placed you see in different parts of the chamber. One is directly in front of the whole assembly; the other in a range with the bench of the tribunes. This, however, is an unusual arrangement.

But was I not telling you the qualifications of senators? Well -money is another and, I may add, that, like age, it is an essential one. No one can be a senator now without possessing a fortune of thirty-six thousand dollars! But Augustus has, in consequence, been obliged to adopt a peculiar policy to bring some of his favorites into this body. You know he has removed many of the miserable apologies for senators whom Julius Cæsar, for rea

sons best known to himself, allowed to dishonor the rank they held. These Augustus has compelled to resign, and when he did so, he sat in this house with a brazen corslet under his gown, and surrounded by a body guard of the bravest and most loyal senators. However, the dismissed members seem to feel very well satisfied by retaining all the privileges of their rank which are not political as the broad-striped tunic, the crescent on the boot and a front seat in the theatre. After he had accomplished this overturn, he was obliged to fill up at least a part of the vacancy occasioned there. by; so he gave the remaining senators the privilege of nominating a certain number of their future fellow-members. Then be, with the assistance of Agrippa,-noble Agrippa, the Warwick, the kingmaker of old Rome-selected others. But he found many of his best and ablest candidates too poor to comply with the law, which makes a fortune necessary to the senator. Accordingly, he has contributed to all such from his own resources enough to entitle them to the post. Cicero mentions a friend of his who was obliged to submit to the rigidest economy to keep his fortune up to the senatorial mark.

You will naturally enough inquire, whether money entitles a person to a seat in the senate. Not necessarily; but, as has happened every where, wealth proves to be a cardinal virtue in Rome. It seems to me, that I could point out one or two senators, who have nothing better than sesterces to recommend them for legislators.

Another qualification is military success. Ten years' service as an officer in a victorious army furnishes a strong claim, in the view of this military race, to a seat in the senate. This folly will, I fear, never be out of date. Still, military genius is often united to the highest qualities of the legislator and the statesman. Cæsar and Pompey are both illustrations in point. But that military popularity should be enough to make a statesman of a soldier, is preposterous. Yet the charm of martial glory is, among Romans, irresistible, notwithstanding their intelligence. The achievements of the youthful Pompey-a kind of Napoleon in the splendid early development of his military genius and in the crushing disappointment, which wound up the drama of his life-so fascinated

In this great hero-season, which our western world is now enjoying, it may not be amiss to give some of our martial patriots a hint from history. Lucius Hostilius Mancinus made the first breach with his command in the walls of Carthage. After his return from the wars, he procured a huge topographical map of Carthage, and the regions adjacent to be made, together with paintings of various scenes and incidents of the seige. These he hung up around the forum, and, sitting in front of them, explained them, adding stories of hairbreadth 'scapes and personal prowess, before a mob of gaping spectators. This affability, says Pliny, secured him the consulship at the next election! Perhaps our own heroes prefer to take a bint from modern customs and, remembering that this is an age of scribbling, carry a letter-writer with them. Cer tainly never was a war brought so near home by the means of countless epistles "from the army" as our present war with Mexico. A surgical report was never more minutely drawn out than are the details of our blood-letting among the Aztecs.

this warlike people, that they broke over the barriers of the Roman constitution to make him a senator, before he was by law old enough to hold any office; to award him a triumph while he was but a simple knight; and to appoint him commander-in-chief of the forces of the empire, when that office legally devolved upon the consuls. I said that a candidate for senator must serve in a victorious army. The defeat of Marius spoiled the bright prospects of many who were on the eve of claiming in civil rank the reward of their services in the field. Many, who were almost senators, were afterwards simple cottagers and tenders of sheep.

I see your eye is fixed upon Augustus. Pardon me, but I can stay no longer, as other duties call me hence. We will visit the Senate House again, and take note of its proceedings: we will also talk of Augustus. As we are wending our way homeward, I will reply to your last question.

There are parties in the Roman senate. They represent, too, the same respective elemental principles of politics which divide statesmen in all countries: the progressive and the conservative. In some countries, the conservative party supports the throne; in others, the aristocracy; in others, the constitution. The progressive takes ground exactly opposite. Both are valuable; both are necessary. Philosophy might teach, that one would be better in a monarchical or aristocratic government, the other better in a popular government.

The parties of the Roman senate are called the People's Party and the Nobility Party. Augustus vacillated from one to the other, while he was creeping into power. At one time he was a candidate for tribune of the people; at another, a violent partisan in favor of the nobles. Cicero speaks of "our party." He belonged to the conservative or aristocratic party. The Claudii have all been conservatives, except the knave, Publius Clodius.

There is one feature, especially distinguishable here, which is common to conservative parties in all ages and countries. They all are, have been, and will be, fastidious. They will unite firmly for their best principles and their best men, but doubtful compromises and inferior men they will not support compactly. Here in Rome, they have always been inefficient and vacillating. There have always been many men of many minds among them. The progressive party, on the other hand, move by a common impulse. Not knowing exactly whither they are going, they have little to dispute about. Success is the paramount object, because they can see no other clearly. They can carry much that is oppressive and annoying on their shoulders, and yet not stagger under the load. They can even triumph, and know no good reason why they have done so. It has always been so in Rome.

At morn-he'll lift from mountain-side
The mist's blue curtain, waving wide;

And fields, where grass and flowers are new,
Will sow with burning gems of dew:

At even-tide-the amber sky

Will streak with colors warm and high;
Call fire-flies forth to dance by night,
With countless torches, veiled and bright;
While every glow-worm lifts his lamp,
A watch-fire in the fairy camp.

He'll bid the bird of ruddy breast
Sing ere he builds his grass-lined nest.
The lisping cedar-birds shall chase
The gold-winged flies in listless race,
While butterflies in sunshine bask

And bees hie humming to their task.
The wood-thrush, from his shadowy screen,—
Most happy when he sings unseen,—

Shall fill with song some lonely nook,

Where bush and vine embower the brook.

The lark shall in the meadow hide;

The cat-bird through the hedges glide:

The chaffinch broken music talk,

While swinging on the thistle's stalk:

The gold-wing reveillé shall beat,
And crickets chirp a shrill retreat
The trout shall leap in stony brooks,
Where, hidden by the bank, he looks
For giddy flies which o'er them skim,
Or on their flashing bosom swim.

Hear'st thou the music of the trees,
Swept by the fingers of the breeze?
Hear'st thou the drum of yon cascade
And timbrels, by the fountains played,

With silver chime?

Then blame not TIME!