KING ALFRED AND HIS PSALTER.

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attachment to the sacred volume not often seen now. In those dark ages, learning was considered rather a reproach than an honour to a prince: in addition to which, his kingdom, for many years, was the seat of incessant war. Notwithstanding all this, Alfred found opportunity not only to read the Word of God, but actually to copy out all the Psalms of David; which book he constantly carried in his bosom. That he profited greatly from reading the Scriptures is no matter of surprise, when we learn that, after the example of David, he earnestly sought divine teaching, and prayed that the Lord would open his eyes, that he might understand His law. He frequently entered the churches secretly in the night, for prayer; and there lamented, with sighs, the want of more acquaintance with divine wisdom. Having drunk into the spirit of the Bible, and experienced the rich consolation it affords, in setting before the burdened sinner a free and full salvation in Jesus, he wished it published to all around. He therefore commenced a translation of the Psalms into Anglo-Saxon. He did not, however, live to finish the work.

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MARGARET PIERRONE.

MARGARET PIERRONE.

MARGARET PIERRONE, a martyr of the sixteenth century, resided in Valenciennes. She was accused to the Jesuits by a wicked female servant, because she had not been for many years at the mass, and had kept in her house a Bible, in reading which was her whole delight. The magistrates being informed of it, caused her to be apprehended.

Being in prison, the judges called her before them, and said, "Margaret, are you not willing to return home to your house, and there live with your husband and children?"

"Yes," said she, "if it may stand with the good will of God."

They added further, that they had so wrought with the Jesuits, that by doing a small matter she might be set at liberty. "A scaffold shall be erected in the chief place of the city, upon which you are to present yourself, and there to crave pardon for offending the law. Then, a fire being kindled, you must cast your Bible therein to be consumed, without speaking any word at all."

"I pray you, my masters, tell me," said Margaret, "is my Bible a good book, or not?”

MARGARET PIERRONE.

"Yes, we confess it is good," said they.

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"If you allow it to be good,” replied the woman, "why would you have me cast it into the fire?"

“Only,” said they, "to give the Jesuits content. Imagine it to be but paper that you burn, and then all is well enough. Do so much for saving your life, and we will meddle no more with you. You may obtain another whenever you will." They spent about two hours in endeavouring to persuade her.

"By the help of God," answered Margaret, "I will never consent to do it. I will burn my body before I will burn my Bible!"

Unable to weaken her resolution, her enemies committed her a close prisoner, to be fed only with bread and water, and none to be permitted so much as to speak to her, thinking by this hard usage to overcome her; but all was to no purpose. A doctor of divinity was frequently sent to her to turn her from her resolution; but he found it too hard a task for him to effect, and he often confessed to those who sent him, that he found in her no cause why they should put her to death.

On January 22, 1593, however, she was condemned to be brought upon a stage, erected in

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MORE STUDIED, MORE PRECIOUS.

the market-place before the town-house, first to see her books burned, then herself to be strangled at a post, and her body dragged to the dunghill without the city. Coming to the place, she ascended the scaffold, and distinctly pronounced the Lord's Prayer. Then, seeing her books burned in her presence, she uttered these words with an audible voice: "You burn there the Word of God, which yourselves have acknowledged to be good and holy." Having again repeated the Lord's Prayer, she was immediately strangled.

MORE STUDIED, MORE PRECIOUS.

DR. BUCHANAN, in a conversation he had with a friend, a short time before his death, was describing the minute pains he had been taking with the proofs and revisions of the Syriac New Testament, every page of which passed under his eye five times before it was finally sent to press. He said, he had expected beforehand that this process would prove irksome to him, but that every fresh perusal of the sacred page seemed to unveil new beauties. Here he stopped; but he said to his friend, as soon as he recovered himself, "I could not suppress the emotion

GEORGE III-DAVID SAUNDERS.

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I felt, as I recollected the delight it pleased God to afford me in the reading of his Word.”

GEORGE III. AND HIS BIBLE.

IT has been stated, by those who had opportunities of acquiring correct information, that of the few books which the king read, the Bible was constantly on the table in his closet; and the commentary which he selected for his private reading was Matthew Henry's Exposition. A pious female servant, whose office it was to arrange the library room, was often heard to say, "I love to follow my master in his reading of the Scriptures, and to observe the passages he turns down. I wish everybody made the Bible as much their daily study as my good master does."

DAVID SAUNDERS.

IN conversation with Dr. Stonehouse, David Saunders, who is well known as the subject of Hannah More's beautiful tract, "The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain," gave the following narrative of facts concerning himself: "Blessed be God,