THE SHIPVVRECK

Henry I. Born 1068. — Died 1135. — Eeigned 35 years.

Tbere hâve been no less ihan eighl kings of England of Ihe namc of Henry.

I shall tell you stories aboul each of Ihem in bis lurn ; but now I shall tell you thaï the lirsl king of Ihis name had a son called William : who was, as you may suppose, a greal favourite wilh bis falher, for he had no olher son. So il was expected Ihal prince William would be king when his falher should die ; but he died before his falher, when he was only eighleen years old, in a very dismal manner.

He was coming with ihe king, his falher, from France to England, and if he had sailed in ihe same ship wilh Ihe king, hc would havc arrived safe, as ihe king did; but Ihe prince delayed, and was not ready lo go wilh his falher, as he oughl to bave been, and so he sailed in anolher ship a liltle after the king.

New the caplain and sailors of this ship were ail drunken and riotous, and look so liltle care about sleering the ship, thaï she drove against a rock that slood oui in the sea, and was immedialely broken almosl in pièces, and quite fîlled wilh water.

ïhen ail the poor soûls that were on board began lo Iry to save Ihemselves-, and the prince and some olhers got into a liltle boal that belonged lo the ship, and were escaping to the land, when William heard the voice of his sisler who was left behind in the wreck, crying and lamenling al Ihe prospect of being drowned.

As William was very good-natured and generous, and loved his sister, he would not think of saving himself whiie she was drowning : and so he desired the men to row the boat back again to Ihe ship, to try lo save his sister; but ^vhen he approached the ship, instead of being able to save her, he and ail ihe rest were losl.

For when the Utile boat came near enough, ail the poor misérable créatures who were clinging lo the ship, in hopes lo save each his own life, jumped altogether inlo the boat, which immedialely sunk under so greal a weight, and Ihe poor young prince and his sister, and every soûl, perished; except only one man. This man was a butcher, who did not jump into the boat, but clung to the mast of the ship, and was saved by some fishermen nexl morning, who, as Ihey wenl out to fîsh, saw the butcher on the wreck of the ship, and went lo save him.

Though the captain of this ship was the person who was mosl in fault for this sad accident, I must tell you somelhing ihal will make you sorry for him.

He, like the butcher, had saved himself by clinging to the mast of the ship; but when Ihe butcher told him lliat prince William was drowned, ihe poor captain was so shocked, thaï he said he would not live afler having caused the prince's dealh, and so he lel go his hold of the mast, and sank lo the boltom of ihe sea, and was drowned wilh his young masier.

The poor old king, who was very fond of his son, when he heard of his dealh, was so sorry, — so sorry, Ihat he fainled away, and never was seen lo smile again during the rest of his life, though he lived as long as fîfteen years afler.