Section 81 Perseverance Finds Its Reward
Robert Bruce, restorer1 of the Scottish monarchy, being2 pursued one day by the enemy, was3 obliged4 to seek refuge in a barn and to spend5 the night there. In6 the morning, when he awoke, he saw a spider climbing up7 the8 beam of the roof. The spider fell9 down to the ground, but immediately tried to climb up again, when it a10 second time fell to the ground11. It made a third attempt, which also failed. Twelve times did (S. 32, N. 11) the little spider try to climb up the beam, and twelve times it fell down again, but the10 thirteenth time it succeeded12 and13 gained the top14 of the beam. The king (S. 5, N. 2) immediately got up15 from his lowly16 couch, and said: “This little spider has taught (S. 42, N. 4) me perseverance; I will follow its example. Twelve times have17 I been beaten by the enemy. I will try my fortune once more!” He did so18, and won the next battle. The king became the spider’s scholar.—N. Goodrich.
Notes
1 Use the noun with the def. art.
[2] Construe according to S. 55, N. 1, and use the Imperf. of the Passive Voice; by, von.
3 The pron. er must be supplied here.
4 genötigt; ‘to seek refuge’, here sich flüchten.
5 zu´bringen.
6 Say ‘When he awoke in the (am) morning’.
7 hinauf´kriechen... an; see S. 16, N. 4.
8 Use the indef. art. instead of the def. art.
[9] auf den Boden fallen.
10 zum zweiten Male.
11 herun´terfallen, to avoid monotony.
12 I succeed, es gelingt mir.
13 The pron. sie must be supplied here.
14 das oberste Ende.
15 sich erheben.
16 bescheiden.
17 The Active Voice will read better in German.
18 so = it.