"I am very much obliged by your civilities to my godson, and must beg of you to add to them the favor of permitting him to see you paint, that he may know how a picture is begun, advanced and completed. If he may attend you in a few of your operations, I hope he will show that the benefit has been properly conferred, both by his proficiency and his gratitude." The following beautiful prayer is dated Ashbourne, Sept. 18, 1784: "Make me truly thankful for the call by which Thou hast awakened my conscience and summoned me to repentance. Let not Thy call, O Lord, be forgotten, or Thy summons neglected, but let the residue of my life, whatever it shall be, be passed in true contrition, and diligent obedience. Let me repent of the sins of my past life, and so keep Thy laws for the time to come, that when it shall be Thy good pleasure to call me to another state, I may find mercy in Thy sight. Let Thy Holy Spirit support me in the hour of death, and, O Lord, grant me pardon in the day of Judgment." Besides the above, Dr. Johnson's celebrated letter to the author of "Ossian's Poems," in which he says, "I will not be deterred from detecting what I think to be a cheat by the menaces of a ruffian," was sold at this sale for twelve guineas. SONETTO. FROM THE ITALIAN OF BENEDETTO MENZINI. I planted once a laurel tree, And breathed to heaven an humble vow That Phoebus' favorite it might be, And shade and deck a poet's brow! I prayed to Zephyr that his wing, Descending through the April sky, Might wave the boughs in early spring And brush rude Boreas frowning by. And slowly Phoebus heard the prayer, And slowly, slowly, grew the tree, And others sprang more fast and fair, Yet marvel not that this should be; For tardier still the growth of Fame-- And who is _he_ the crown may claim? ETA [From Household Words.] A CHILD'S DREAM OF A STAR. There was once a child, and he strolled about a good deal, and thought of a number of things. He had a sister, who was a child too, and his constant companion. These two used to wonder all day long. They wondered at the beauty of the flowers; they wondered at the height and blueness of the sky; they wondered at the depth of the bright water; they wondered at the goodness and the power of God who made the lovely world.