50. And as the time drew nigh when Thomas must depart from the stewardship, he said, Lo now these many years have I served you, I have not ceased to build you up and to make you a great people and even now your Gold overfloweth; now consider what ye shall do with it, for ye have not where to bestow it and if ye have much treasure laid up, behold it bringeth forth pride, and begetteth wars.

51. (Albeit, certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, rose up and said, the burden of too much treasure, will not be numbered among the cares of those who come after thee.)

52. And Thomas did that which was right in the sight of his own eyes, and brought many from far countries to dwell in the land of Samuel; even Thomas the high priest, from the Land of Apollyon, to burn incense upon his altars, and wrote a letter unto him with his own hand.

53. And it fell out in the Stewardship of John, that he made a decree saying thou shalt not speak evil of the rulers of thy people; thou shalt not lie. And the thing displeased Thomas and he said the decree is not good, So he destroyed the decree and said thou mayest lie; but thou shalt not speak the truth against the rulers of thy people.

54. And he searched and found a certain man whom John had cast into prison for speaking falsely, and he took him thence and spake kindly unto him, and restored to him the two hundred pieces of silver which he had paid for his evil speaking.

55. And whereas John had warred againt Apollyon, and had taken from him a great ship, even a ship of war, Thomas caused the damage of the ship to be

made up, and the price of it was thirty and two thousand pieces of Silver, and he restored the ship to the servants of Apollyon, for he said we are all brethren and Apollyon loveth us.

56. And Thomas excelled in wisdom all that went before him, insomuch that it is a common saying unto this day, There is none like him.

57. And he wrote a book containing many wise sayings, and much wisdom; for he spake of mountains and rivers and fishes; and of trees from the Oak that maketh the beams of ships, to the Tobacco plant that burneth before the nostrils.

58. And he spake moreover of men, from the man of fair and ruddy complexion to the red man of the forest, and even to the Etheopian whose wool is upon his head. And he spake of them wisely, even from the color of the skin, to that which pertaineth to the foreskin, and which remaineth within the loins, and behind the kidneys.

59. And he spake also of beasts, from the Mammoth that browzeth on the tops of the mountains, to the dog of the meadow, even the Prairie dog; and also of the frog, even the horned frog that leapeth in the mud.

60. And he declared moreover unto the people, that in the wilderness of Sin there was salt, even a mountain of salt, in so great abundance that although much of it should be taken away, yet it should not seem to be wasted.

61. And the time drew nigh, when Thomas must leave the stewardship, he retired within his own importance. And the rest of the acts of Thomas, and all the wise things which he said, and the foolish things

which he did, are they not written on the leaves of Stridepole, and engraved on the hearts of the children of Samuel. And Thomas was gathered unto himself→→ and James the son of a G-n, reigned in his stead

CHAPTER III.

POLICY OF JACQUES-DIALOGUE BETWEEN UNCLE SAM AND HIS SQUIRE FINAL RESOLUTION OF UNCLE SAM.

Ir need hardly be mentioned that Jacques no sooner had the management of mine Uncle's estate than he declared himself pleased with the policy of the Magician of whom mine uncle Zachary hath discoursed so learnedly. Being the third of the pipeweed Dynasty, he determined to be at least the second in the philosophic regime of the family; and to endeavor to teach Uncle Sam's boys, (what indeed the stubborn dunces were very loth to learn) that by mere dint of reasoning, they might bear the chastisement of Scorpions with philosophic fortitude and christian meekness, while a smart tingling of the whip should start them into revengeful action, and rouse them to tiptoe-indignation. It was alledged that that dumb, yet faithful animal, the horse, had been taught to receive the friendly pattings and the scourging lash, with the same Stoic acquiesence from his master, while he would kick indignantly at the stranger who merely spoke to or pointed at him. How much then is a man better and more rational than a horse?

While Jacques was thus ruminating on the events of the times, a comparative view of the fame which now is, with that reputation, which the approbatory voice of a cool-headed posterity usually confers, presented itself to his mind. "If I follow said he, the example of my predecessor in office and of my friend Nap, I shall

regard solely the incidents of the present moment; To be artful in managing events, is to be successfulto be successful is to be famous-to be famous is to be great, and what more is, or can be desired, or wished for? Alexander accomplished no more, and perished before he was forty; he reached not the full measure even of that short span of existence commonly allotted to mortals; he sunk into his grave, whilst the peal of adulation was sounding in full chorus on his ear, and before the elements had time to blot out the sanguinary stains which marked the pathway of his glory."

"Cæsar, on the day previous to the memorable battle of Pharsalia, 'spent no time in weighing the judg ments of posterity, he cared not a fig for the good or ill opinion which succeeding ages might form of his moral principles or political conduct. And while the self sufficient Pompey was playing cards and drinking wine, he was arranging the plan of attack on the coming day, a day which was to decide the Liberties of Rome, and give a master to the bone and sinew of the world.

"But nearer home.-Did our friend Nap muse about the judgement of posterity when he decided the fate of Switzerland and Holland? Did he dread the sober page of the moralist, when he dispatched his prisoners at Jaffa. When he executed the Duke of Enghein and the unfortunate Bookseller Palm? No, he reasoned, and justly too give me Empire and let my fame take care of itself," Take no thought for the morrow," (that is for the morrow of future ages,) is a wise precept→ rather let me take thought for the Stewardship; for it is settled that we full bloods of the Pipeweed family, shall twice possess the Stewardship. The first term I

6